Schofields Flying Club Ltd - 1 Tower Road Bankstown Airport 2200
(PO Box 200, Georges Hall, NSW 2198 AUSTRALIA)
Phone: +61 2 9773 3611 Email: mail@schofields-flying-club.com.au
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SCHOFIELDS FLYING CLUB NEWSLETTER - FEBRUARY 2005 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Welcome to the February 2005 edition of Schofields News. There are the usual plus some new features - VH-DUX, a Little Seabird by Jim Moline, Aztec Update by Craig Hobart, Clubhouse Maintenance Update by Peter Blackbourn, X-Files X048 (Helwan HA-300) by Anthony Coleiro, 2004 Kimberley Tour (Day 1) by Gerry McPhee, 2004 Kimberley Tour (Day 2) by Janet Richardson, Schofields before Bankstown by Latrodectus, Know Your Instructor by Wayne Russell, and The Last Word from Latrodectus. As well, there's the usual administrivia that you've come to expect. So, read on and enjoy! NEW MEMBERS FOR JANUARY 2005: Welcome to David Brown, Jennie Leung, Ian Chen, Glenn Seage, Michael Young, Mohammad Hossain, Marianne Searle and Adrian Brett.DECEMBER DUTY PILOT DRAW: The Volunteer Duty Pilot Monthly Draw for November ($50 free flying) goes to David Palmer and Warren Fisher. Congratulations! DIARY DATES: The Club has a number of social and flying activities planned for 2005. You can check full details on our Coming Events page. Below is a summary of the programme for February and March 2005:
NEXT CLUB COMPETITION: The next Club competition wil be at Warnervale on Sunday, 20 February 2005. Why not combine this with the Maitland Fly-Out which will be held on the same day? See the Coming Events page for more details. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Have you noticed that interesting "experimental" parked outside Schoies? I have been asked so many times, "What's that?", "Who builds them?", "What's it like?" and "Where can you go?"
They first flew in about 1991 and have been gradually upgraded since then. They began life as an ultralight with a 80 hp Rotax engine, and can operate with a 115 hp turbo, however the most popular, cost effective and reliable configuration is the hugely useful 100hp engine (as fitted to DUX). Many thousands of these little engines are in use worldwide and an interesting point is that they were designed and built in Germany especially for this use and have water cooled heads and air cooled cylinders. They are extremely reliable with a TBO of 1200 hours and then "on condition". 
Since inception the aircraft design has been upgraded and improved and is now regarded as an ‘advanced ultralight’, and has just been approved in the US in the Light Sport Aircraft Category.DUX is a taildragger AND a "Floating Hull" NOT a Float Plane. This meant I had to get a floating hull endorsement. This was THE BEST time I have ever had flying. Although my instructor told me my alightings were excellent he insisted that we do 100, yes 100, water alightings before he would give me the endorsement. So, who cared - this was incredible stuff! Do you think I enjoyed my first water solo? [pictured, above...] SeaRey Australia imports the kits/parts etc and are very encouraging to the amateur builder, providing back up and moral support. Local Owners now have an active support group, website and international contacts and parts supply. Here are a few specifications for the aircraft. Takeoff distances could easily be increased for realistic and safe operation. In spite of that, the reality is that we have a genuine STOL aircraft. Solo I can climb to 500 feet and turn crosswind about halfway down YSBK runways and complete a (short/close) circuit inside a Warrior, in less time. Mind you I don't do too many circuits. We like to go places. But more about that next month! Jim Moline Occasional Duty Pilot and proud owner of ‘DUX' | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Piper Aztec PFD now has a new Garmin 300XL IFR NPA approved GPS installed. This GPS/COM has moving map and is slaved to a new indicator and MD-41 annunciator. You will also find the primary radio has been upgraded to a Digital unit. The aircraft now has ILS, VOR, ADF, HF, 2xVHF, transponder, IFR NPA GPS, VFR GPS and Autopilot. While this work was being carried out a CD player was installed and the radio stack rearranged for better IFR touring. The CD player plays through a "smart" intercom which automatically mutes when a transmission occurs on any frequency the radios are tuned to. This makes for increased passenger and pilot comfort on long trips. Nothing beats listening to your favourite CD whilst doing a Sydney Harbour Bridge orbit! The pilot can also choose to 'separate the intercom' from the passengers during more challenging segments of the flight, allowing passengers to continue to listen to music in comfort. All six seats are plumbed for headsets.The aircraft also has as additional backup a Trimble 1000DC GPS which has been sought from the US and has a current database installed. This easy-to-use popular VFR GPS unit is great for cross referencing other IFR equipment to confirm integrity and functions almost the same as Trimble IFR units. While this work was being carried the transponder was overhauled and now presents "as new". Finally the aircraft has an easy-to-use autopilot which makes touring all the more comfortable and very handy for IFR flying. If you have been wondering where PFD has gone, the Aztec is now hangared in the open hangars on the other side of the airport and hirers can arrange to take their own car airside for loading and unloading luggage which is a great benefit when packing the plane for that extended trip. You can also leave your car in the hangar while flying, giving further peace of mind. You'll notice the aircraft now has Kennon Sunshields installed, very handy for returning to the aircraft when left in the open. The interior remains very cool even on the hottest of days. If you'd like to inspect the new fitout, the keys are kept in the office at the Club. Craig Hobart | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Helwan HA-300 was the first jet aircraft to be built in Egypt but its origins lay further to the northeast, in Spain. Originally designated Hispano Avicion HA-300, it was initially developed to meet a Spanish requirement for a small interceptor capable of Mach 1.5. The design team was a German/Spanish affair headed up by Professor Willy Messerschmitt. In 1960 the project was abandoned and the programme was transferred to the United Arab Republic to their Helwan factory in Egypt. In Egypt, technical assistance was sought from the Indian company, Hindustan Aircraft Ltd. Technicians were exchanged between India and UAR and India acquired the right to use the indigenous E-300 engine if required. The test pilots for the programme were supplied by the Indian Air Force.
Initially, a Bristol Siddeley Orpheus BOr.12 afterburning turbojet powered the aircraft but later the airframe was subsequently modified to take the E-300 turbojet engine. Three prototypes were built and the first one flew in March 1964 using the Orpheus engine and the second one followed in July of the following year. These aircraft achieved Mach 1.13 during testing.The third prototype was equipped with the homegrown E-300 engine. Taxi trials commenced in November 1969 and before this fully Egyptian bird could take to the air the project was terminated by the Egyptian Government due to the increasingly critical economic situation. The project really became unviable a few years before its eventual termination due to the protracted development, spiralling costs and the airforce's single-minded interest in Russian equipment but it was kept rolling along as a status symbol. With the end of the HA-300 died Egyptian aspirations of developing an advanced aircraft industry. With the end of the project, the Indian leader of the project returned home and the 80-strong German E-300 team of engineers was disbanded. It was projected that with the E-300, the aircraft would have attained Mach 2 at 39,370 feet within 2.5 minutes after take-off! ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Illustrated Encyclopædia of Aircraft - Orbis Publication The Complete Book of Fighters - William Green Gordon Swanborough Aircraft - October 1963 - The Royal Aeronautical Society Aircraft - July 1969 - The Royal Aeronautical Society Flying Review International - August 1969 - Haymarket Publishing Group Anthony Coleiro | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Clubhouse maintenance really falls into two categories. One is naturally enough the regular maintaining of club facilities, but secondly and equally as important is the upgrade or make over as they seem to be called these days to improve what we have. To do the most with the least is our challenge here. Labour is the biggest component and as this is at mates rates we have been able to move forward a few steps with a number of improvements. Our backyard airside, class room demountables and clubhouse rooftop are some examples of such improvements. Regular maintenance is where we mow the lawns, trim the edges, tidy the garden, well what's left, and generally anything else that looks like it needs some attention. This happens about three times in winter and half a dozen times in summer.Why am I telling you all this? Well it seemed to me that a number of club members are happy to assist with club related tasks, but may not have the time to become a committee member. From recent working bees and feedback during my tours of duty at the club as either duty pilot or duty director there are many such members who like to pitch in and indeed have done so. 
To those members who fall into this category, why not consider joining a sub committee group. In this way if you wish to contribute in supporting the club, it is more likely that a time suitable to you will be available than simply responding to one of our working bees. Whilst working bees are productive they may not always be held at a convenient time for you to attend.Our biggest volunteer base is our team of Duty Pilots and it seemed to me a good idea to apply this principle of planned activities to our clubhouse maintenance role. If you think this is something you might like to get involved with, why not give me a call at home after working hours on 9745 5350 or drop me an email to blackbourn@ozemail.com.au so I can note your interest. As a pen pusher in civvy street, and now living in a townhouse with a lawn so small two runs of a hand mower completes the task, a few hours at the club is certainly a way to have some fun. You could say these are mini working bees, but they can be structured to fit in with your availability, and yes this would be a Sunday probably the last of the month to take advantage of last light drinks to allow the efforts of the day to be viewed and celebrated ... as you do. Hope to hear from you. Peter Blackbourn Clubhouse Maintenance Committee. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Day 1 - Monday 31 May - Alice Springs - Vaughan Springs - Halls Creek 
We all made our way to Alice Springs - some via commercial flights and others starting their adventure in Bankstown or Camden - and checked into the very centrally located Mecure Diplomat hotel. With her usual organisational flair, Rae had arranged the essential "getting to know you" BBQ at the hotel for Sunday evening but unfortunately Alice had other plans .... a bitterly cold and windy snap had hit town, so much so that most of us felt we were in the alps and the venue was sensibly convened around the bar indoors. Now we had an even better environment in which to cogitate more and more verbosely as the evening progressed about the looming issue of bad weather and especially the impact for the VFR pilots and planes. Reports were coming in that recent heavy rains had delayed the delivery of fuel to Vaughan Springs and that further along our way, access roads were currently impassable meaning we may not be able to get into the Bungle Bungles for our Wednesday night's camp. 
Monday morning breakfast at the hotel and lots of grim faces when a review of the latest weather forecasts showed the outlook was bleaker than the night before. However general consensus was to continue our scheduled 7.30 am coach pick up and delivery to the airport and reassess if need be prior to take off. An alternative refueling stop to Yuendumu had been finalised the night before as Vaughan Springs was inaccessible, so like all true adventurers we headed off on our adventure, some of us choosing to fly directly to Halls Creek others to Yuendumu.The landscape images we saw during this leg of our trip were truly spectacular - from the rugged McDonnell ranges that envelope Alice to the starkness of the Tanami desert and the reflections of Lake Eyre, where low clouds are mirrored in the salty shimmer. Only a stone's throw from the airstrip, the Kimberley Hotel in Halls Creek was like an oasis in the middle of the desert and offered us a relaxing and welcoming overnight sojourn. Here we had the opportunity to learn more about the hardships and enduring stamina of the pioneers of this region and the gold that lured them. After a hearty meal washed down with plenty of liquid refreshments, most of us retired early in anticipation of our 5am departure the next day. Gerry McPhee | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Day 2 - Tuesday 1st June - Halls Creek to Bungle Bungles Destinations: Bellburn, Echidna Chasm, Mini Palms Gorge and Cathedral Gorge It was pre-dawn as we walked down the road to the airstrip. We had planned a first light departure from Halls Creek due to a 0700 rendezvous with East Kimberley Tours at Bellburn airstrip on the southern edge of the Bungle Bungles - about 30 minutes "up the track". Although the flying time to Bellburn direct in the Archer was minimal we wanted an extra 20-30 minutes to do the scenic flight around the Bungle Bungles prior to touchdown. 
Days earlier a call to Sling Air, a charter operation based at Kununurra confirmed that we could expect around 30 aircraft flying the Bungles scenic circuit (fixed wing operations 2500' - 3000' AMSL and choppers not above 2000' AMSL). It was going to be busy up there! It was Sue's (Bellamy) turn to fly (I had flown the Alice Springs to Halls Creek leg the day before) and just as well. Sue is instrument rated and being 1st June, nature decided to let us know that meant it was the first day of winter! Flying instruments in a congested circuit with any decent view of the Bungles obscured by cloud was not where we wanted to be so Sue elected to give the scenic a miss and head for Bellburn. Bellburn strip (RWY 10/28) is red gravel, a respectable 1200m long (1000m useable) and just outside the southeastern boundary of the Bungles. We were soon on the ground, tied down and essentials for the next 2 days' "safari" hastily decanted from larger bags into smaller ones - more manageable for tent living. Then it was off to our campsite for tent allocation (with camp-wise women scrambling to stake claims on those tents closest to the shower block!). The East Kimberley Tours bush camp is a good one. There are plenty of showers with hot water (if the manager remembers to turn the generator on!); toilets are well away from general activity areas and the fully insect-screened mess "tent" is complete with fridges full of beer and wine and a good and happy cook. 
The camp is inside the national park and although commonly referred to as "the Bungles" the national park is formally Purnululu National Park and was inscribed on the World Heritage list in 2003. (Purnululu means 'sandstone' in the Kija Aboriginal language. It is thought that "Bungle Bungle" is a miss-pronunciation of "bundle bundle" the Aboriginal name for a common species of grass in the region.) The Bungle Bungle Range is within Purnululu National Park.After sorting out the tents, breakfast was downed; walking gear donned; daypacks loaded; cameras slung around necks and we were soon bumping along the dirt road in 4WD coaches heading to Echidna Chasm and Mini Palms Gorge, two "icons" at the northern end of the park. Here the park has awe-inspiring gorges and chasms. Plants cling to life on vertical walls of conglomerate and sandstone rocks that are sometimes so folded it would be enough to send any self-respecting geologist into meltdown. At the southern end of the park however the orange and grey/black horizontally striped beehive domes (that spring to mind with most of us when the Bungles are mentioned) are dominant. It is thought that these southern domes are shaped by strong desert winds that sweep across from the Tanami. This striped orange/black appearance of the Bungles is due to the different layers of porosity of the rocks. Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) take advantage of rock layers where water accumulates - when massed together these single celled organisms are dark grey/black, whilst rocks that are too dry for cyanobacteria to colonise are coloured orange by iron oxides. The striped "skin" of these rocks (that have weathered over 20 million years) is very thin and easily damaged, so climbing or abseiling in the park is forbidden. CONTINUED NEXT MONTH... Janet Richardson | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Schofields Flying Club began in the early '70s when a group of enthusiasts formed a flying group which met on weekends at Schofields aerodrome in Sydney's north-west (near Castle Hill). They had no assets apart from an abundance of volunteer labour and, with rented aeroplanes and a tent, they set up a flying club. 
Schofields aerodrome itself had been used extensively as a training aerodrome during the second world war, but had been all but abandoned since that time. The navy apprentice school, HMAS Nirimba, was located nearby. The aerodrome and the airspace around it was controlled by the Air Force at Richmond and all activity there had to be approved by Richmond Tower. Service personnel as well as civilians were attracted to the club.Their particular speciality and expertise was in organising airshows. Their first was in 1975 and then every couple of years until 1988 when they staged the Bicentennial Airshow. The club became well known internationally as a result. The airshows were profitable and the club now owns outright its aeroplane fleet and its clubhouse. Over the years the club produced impressive results not just in world class airshows, but also in competition flying, particularly in formation flying and aerobatics. The reputation of the club attracted even more members. It grew in size and at its peak in the late '80s, had reached about 600 members and 15 aeroplanes. Now here was a flying club located in the Sydney area with all the advantages of a country aerodrome. There weren't any other flying schools at Schoies, no air traffic control to speak of (Richmond Tower couldn't really tell what was going on) and the procedures were straightforward and uncomplicated. Then one day the Navy decided to sell HMAS Nirimba (our next door neighbour) to the State government as an educational facility. A condition of the sale was that there wasn't going to be an aerodrome next door. The aerodrome land was re-zoned and the club was give notice to quit. The last club aeroplane took off on Sunday 30 October 1994 and flew to Bankstown where we have been ever since. 
Bankstown, by the way, is one of the busiest airport in the southern hemisphere, so flying out of Bankstown was quite a culture shock for many of the members. Most were used to a quiet country aerodrome with minimal interference from air traffic control and other flying schools. As a result, quite a few members chose not to continue flying; others decided to continue but at quieter aerodromes like Camden and Hoxton Park.Those who did move to Bankstown had to contend with aeroplanes and helicopters from dozens of other flying schools, controlled airspace on all sides as well as above, and with restrictions and procedures quite different from what they were used to. For the first few months, the Club was located in temporary, portable builings on the northern side of the field and in March 1995 we moved in to the original Aero Professional building which has been our home for the last 10 years. There were, initially, a few rules broken because of a general lack of experience in this environment. We were the new kids on the block and with our rather distinctive livery, we got away with very little. But all that is in the past. Due to the dedication of its members the Clubhouse has been refurbished and Schofields is once again the largest flying club in the Sydney Basin. Latrodectus | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I always wanted to fly even from a young age (and that was a long time ago) but never had the time or resources to do so, except for the occasional circuit at Hoxton Park. I was brought up under the flight path from Bankstown 3 miles west. Where did I come from? Well after moving to Grose Vale in the 70s and starting a new business, working seven days a week from daylight to midnight my business partner and I found out we were only putting out five days of performance. We worked out that wasn't smart, so decided to take the weekends off. The very first Saturday I was sitting home twiddling my thumbs and Judy said "You always wanted to fly, why don't you go an learn?" What was I suppose to do? Hopped into the car and headed off for Schofields Flying Club, walked through those portals that many a fine aviator had done before me. The Duty Pilot introduced me to Bob Paddock and Bob introduced me to VH-HQR (now everyone knows why I love my little Warrior). We did my TIF somewhere in the training area and I knew Bob was flying so I had not a worry in the world. I just loved it. I was hooked. That was on 26th Jan 1985.I then looked around at Hoxton and Bankstown and, on the advice from a friend and Schoies Member, went to Camden Aero Club. The lady behind the counter Judy Dalitz said "that instructor sitting there is doing nothing - he'll teach you." She introduced me to a young chap, going grey, well built, spoke well and in his early forties We started in a C150 aerobat and after a week graduated to a C152. Exactly six months later to the day I obtained my RPPL (now GFPT). Worked it out yet? I'll continue. I still remember calling him Bob for weeks, as he also had a 3-letter name. He could not send me solo, as he was a junior grade 3. He made up some cock and bull story about being sick and asked if I would fly with the CFI (Mr Bob Curtis). Bob didn't fly with me for long and soon got out and sent me off on my own on. That was on 31 August 85. 
Oh, I forgot to tell you when I came back from my solo flight he, my Instructor, was there (got better!) We continued to upgrade and started in the C172s BEM and CZZ to do the Navs. NSW was our oyster we went all over it and loved this part of training. Some years earlier I was a country rep for a plumbing supply company so I knew my way around the bush. This was pre-GPS and FULL REPORTING - you had 2 minutes up your sleeve that's all so your ETIs had to be right. I managed to get the restriction lifted in Feb '87 after 3 hours of Blood, Sweat and Tears.This has been good for me to write this, looking back in my old log book, I see many distinguished instructors. Pat Watson, yep he was the Junior Grade 3, Mr Bob Curtis and his son Stephen, Greg Clynick, Pat Shiel, Les Paull, Ron Chapman, Trevor Cullen, Adam Vicary, Bill Cooper, Stan Mobbs, Wal Gascoigne, George Keirle, Mr Ken Andrews, Joe Gostner, Graham White, Gary Townsend, John Bressington, and the list goes on. I feel so privileged that these men chose to impart some of their knowledge to me, to them I say THANK YOU ONE and ALL. I now have to do the same for others as they did for me. And the answer to the first question is - Cabramatta. That's right a Westie, but if you know me then you would know that anyway! Wayne Russell | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ENTOMOLOGY is not something that many of us consider when we go flying, but insects can wreak havoc on a variety of aircraft systems that involve small tubes, vents, and orifices. Although we give fuel vents and Pitot tubes a close look during preflight inspections, it's difficult to tell when air is actually flowing, especially if a bug crawls in out of view. That's where the trouble starts. In the case of a blocked Pitot tube, the aircraft's performance may appear to be degraded, showing up as no airspeed or as sub-normal speed. Usually this happens during takeoff when time to resolve the issue is short. Airspeed indication problems are best resolved on the ground although a thorough preflight may not solve the bug problem. Prevention is the only way and that means using covers for Pitot and fuel vents. It also means being sure to remove them — especially in the case of the fuel vents. In recent weeks a number of aircraft on the field have suffered from blocked Pitot tubes. To prevent recurrence, the entire Club fleet now have been provided with Pitot tube covers. At the end of each day, the last pilot should ensure that a cover is placed over the Pitot tube. 
RUNNING UP INTO WIND: The run-up bays at Bankstown for runways 11L and 11R are orientated generally in the direction of the runways they serve. Those for runway 29R are orientated south-west, while those for 29L are orientated generally to the north (some are to the north-east and some are to the north-west). These are OK if the wind is light or is blowing in the direction the bays are pointing. It’s certainly not OK if you’re running up in the 29L bays facing north-east with a strong south-westerly wind trying to blow your tail feathers away! This can cause ground handling problems in tailwheel aircraft, and engine cooling problems in most other aeroplanes. Best bet is to run up into wind, regardless of the orientation of the marked bays. After all, they’re only a guide. Good groundmanship and common sense would suggest that when the wind is more than (say) 15 knots, you park in the bays aligned with the windsock.DON’T KEEP TRANSMITTING: We’ve covered Radio Fail Procedures ad nauseum in previous columns, and just about everything that needs to be said has been. I was in the Camden CTR a while back when another aeroplane experienced radio failure. The pilot did almost everything by the book - he overflew the aerodrome in sight of the tower, determined the circuit direction and joined crosswind for the duty runway. He even prefaced his transmissions with “...transmitting blind...”. That’s transmissions (plural). He transmitted blind his crosswind call, his early, mid and late downwind calls, his base call, mid base, turning final, mid final and short final calls. He even transmitted blind that he had vacated the runway. The poor old tower was pulling its hair out! Everyone in the CTR knew that guy had a problem with his radio. In fact they found out when he made his first radio call! Surely there’s a lesson to be learned from all this. 
DACOM INTERCOMS: These are fitted to several of our fleet (JRX and IJK, for instance), and have occasionally caused communications difficulties as the result of finger trouble. Here are a few notes for guidance:
FEEDBACK AND CONTRIBUTIONS: Well, that's your newsletter for this month. With your help (in the form of contributions, photos, etc.) it should be possible to produce a newsletter every month. Don't forget to check the latest news on the Club's website at www.schofields-flying-club.com.au. Contributions, comments, feedback, and (polite) suggestions to latrodectus@schofields-flying-club.com.au. THOUGHT FOR THE MONTH: Conscience is that inner voice that warns us someone may be looking. Until next time. Latrodectus |
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I have to say I’ve met many more members and friends of Schoies than otherwise, just by working on, and loving, my plane over the weekends. Thanks to all those people who have come over and said "hello". Besides, I love showing off my baby and talking aeroplanes.© 2003 Schofields Flying Club Ltd. All Rights Reserved.