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 2006 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Welcome to the February 2006 edition of Schofields News. There are the usual plus some new features - President's Notes by Mike Allsop, X-File X059 (Caproni Ca 331B Raffica) by Anthony Coleiro, Tips, Tips & More Tips by Paul Daniels, Southern Cross by Peter Johnson, A Brief Interlude with IPH by Allen Hilton, Early Morning Competition by Peter Blackbourn, My Instructor Said So by Gary Wiblin, Ask the CFI by Rodney Hyde, I Wonder What Went Wrong by Peter Johnson, Visiting Aircraft Always Welcome by Rodney Hyde, and The Last Word from Latrodectus. As well, there's the usual administrivia that you've come to expect. So, read on and enjoy! 
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING: An advance notice to members that this meeting will be held at the Clubhouse on Monday, 10 April 2006, commencing at 7:30pm. Stand by for further details.NEW MEMBERS FOR JANUARY 2006: Welcome to David Adkins, David Jaffray, Richard Solomon, Darren Sharp, Glen Miller and Jason Rego. AIRSIDE TARMAC TOUR: An exclusive tour of Sydney Airport has been arranged for members and guests of the Club for Saturday 11th February 2006, starting at 10:00am. Seats are limited and booking, including full payment, is required by Friday 3rd February 2006. More... KING GPS MANUALS: The Bendix/King Pilot's Guides for the King KLN89B and KLN94 GPS receivers are now available for download from our downloads page. DECEMBER DUTY PILOT DRAW: The Volunteer Duty Pilot Monthly Draw for December ($50 free flying) goes to Bill Dawes and Michael Arcon. Congratulations! DIARY DATES: The Club has a number of social and flying activities planned for 2006. You can check full details on our Coming Events page. Below is a summary of the programme for February and March 2006:
PRICING AND REWARD SCHEMES FOR 2006: The Committee has released details (6kB pdf) of new pricing and rewards schemes that will be introduced from the start of 2006. The aim is to be super-competitive on value, not just price. LAST LIGHT DRINKS is a new social activity introduced by the Clubhouse & In-house Events sub committee for members and their guests to join together with some of our committee members on the last Sunday of each month. It is an opportunity to discuss flying at an operational and social level and see the changes that are taking place at the club. Drinks are available from our newly licensed bar, with complimentary savories served. It's a couple of hours of social intercourse with an aviation theme we can all enjoy. From 17:00 to wind up around 19:00. Come and join us on February 26. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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T he Caproni Ca 331B was designed as a reconnaissance aircraft to fulfil a requirement as laid out by the Italian Air Ministry. Its lineage stemmed from the Borea feederliner of 1935 but it differed in having an all-metal stressed skin as opposed to steel tube and fabric covering. The aircraft had a crew of three and was powered by a pair of 840 hp Isotta-Frashini Delta IV 12-cylinder inverted V-engines.First flight took place on 31 August 1940 and the sturdy aircraft exhibited good handling qualities. The aircraft was capable of 505km/h at a shade over 17,300 feet. The Luftwaffe took an interest in the machine and conducted their own tests, but because of Italy's shortage of light alloys, no production order was made. 
In the autumn of 1942, allied raids over Italy were increasing in intensity and beginning to have an impact on industry. To counter the night bombers it was decided to adapt the Raffica to the night fighting role. To accomplish this mission, a new nose section was designed to carry six machine guns. There were two different night fighter prototypes; they differed in their armament. One being equipped with ventral cannons. The aircraft also had bomb bays and hard points for external stores and drop tanks.By the time the end came for Italy in September 1943, preparations were well advanced for quantity production in dispersed locations. With the armistice signed between Italy and the allies, the Germans seized the two prototypes and scrapped them. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Complete Book of Fighters - William Green Gordon Swanborough War Planes of the Second World War. Fighters Volume Two - William Green Anthony Coleiro | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
That's it for this month until next time enjoy our skies. Paul Daniels Flight Instructor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
T hese are digital photos of a black and white that an old mate told me he had in his posession. The owner is John Roberts. He happens to be the young chap on the right. John was then aged 18 and was an Aircraftsman 1 (138017) with the RAAF. The other chap who was also an Aircraftsman was Harry Jenkins who was about 65 at the time of the photo. The original was taken in April 1944 at Fairburn Aerodrome in Canberra. The lads happened to be near the Southern Cross and a photographer took a photo of them. They were in the right place at the right time. According to John, The Southern Cross made a stop in Canberrra whilst enroute Melbourne to Richmond for the making of the film "Smithy". Some of the other aircraft are Mitchell Bombers and I think "Beneath The Southern Cross" you can see a Kittyhawk.Peter Johnson Flight Instructor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
As the lucky winner of the Schofields raffle for 1hr dual in B76 Duchess VH-IPH my thanks to go to those within the club that made this experience possible - with a special thanks to Vivianne for her subtle sales technique. When Suzanne phoned me to tell me my ticket was drawn out my initial response was to thank her, but this must be conveyed to all who contributed. Thank you! Any opportunity spent flying with an instructor or on a new type has always been something I look forward to, so the day for IPH generated the usual anticipation that goes with the enjoyment of flying. I had previously discussed with Rodney our CFI how best to utilise this flight, but our planned IFR to Richmond was cancelled while taxing to the run-up bay due to delays at YSRI. Rodney suggested NDB work at YSCN.....this proved to be a worthy choice as IPH had us over YSCN instead of the 29C run-up bay in no time.So for now my twin time is 1hr dual in VH-IPH for the cost of a few raffle tickets. The best hour any of you could have shared so be sure and buy those tickets next time. Allen Hilton (member #1608) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
It was very early Sunday morning when the first of our support crew arrived at YSBK for this recent event. The birds were still yet to chirp and dawn was just about to break. Late the previous night, part of the organising group along with the YSBK safety officer had marked out the spots along the southern RWY for the morning's action. The first trip was to the club for initial arrangements. Instructors Janina Galliani, Peter Johnson and Wayne Russell together with planes HQR, FTU (aka Foxtrot, Tango, Underpants) and SVK plus of course the paperwork were all prepared and after the very early daily inspection our breakfast fleet was taxied to the meeting point. This was just outside our engineer's hangar around the corner from the control tower. 11R was the assigned RWY and the first 3 participants got off the ground around 06:15.Each participant flew 2 circuits - one requiring a glide approach and the other requiring progressive power reduction (losing points if they had to "throttle up" on the way). 
The aim was for a spot landing with points for how close you got to a designated "box". The instructor did all the radio calls which meant our pilots could concentrate on the task at hand. For those who wished to make it 3 circuits to update their currency, this was an available option that was taken up by a few of our members at that time. As one of our instructors commented, the comp is a great way to review your forced landing procedures and get up to speed with circuit emergencies.Back on the ground the crowd had grown, with all participants now assembled it was with great joy that every one became a judge of each others skills as they took it in turns to complete the comp. From the comments made, I am sure as much was learnt on the tarmac as it was in the air. Meanwhile, back at the clubhouse, the breakfast crew awaited the first sitting scheduled for 7.30, but when 08:00 came and went it was soon clear everyone was having such a good time that a "bulk" sitting at 08:30 would eventuate, and indeed it did. For $5 you got a choice of cereal, fruit, toast and of course, sausage, egg, bacon, tomato and virtually everything one could want at that time. The smell of real coffee simply complimented that of the hot food and from the 18 who participated, most were able to stay and enjoy our special support breakfast. 
Overheard from one patron was "It was better than the Hilton breakfast buffet.....and the conversation at the tables even better!"Certainly a great way to start a Sunday and when I returned from my circuits in our club Arrow after 10:30, many of the early birds were still on site talking about the morning's adventure. It was good to see that the flying club spirit is still alive at Bankstown. Following the success of this event, we will hold another in the not too distant future, so watch this space as the saying goes. Finally, it is interesting to note the logistics of such an activity. Firstly, we need to co-ordinate our plan with the related authorities, Airservices and of course BAL. Once this is agreed and a date set then our attention goes to which aircraft, available instructors and of course the organising group of judges, cooks and a special duty pilot to process the dollars paid. Thanks to some sound planning, all those involved from flying members to support crew had a great time. And that is what our club is all about! Special thanks to club members John Hook and Alan Drury as well as Vivianne who joined with the committee to make it happen. Hope you can be there for our next "Dawn Patrol" Peter Blackbourn Director, Clubhouse Services & Events | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I was doing an initial PPL flight test and the candidate and I had strapped in and closed the doors. After starting the engine, he did a magneto dead-cut check with such vigour that I thought he was going to snap the ignition key. When I advised him that it would be far more prudent to pause briefly on each magneto to confirm smooth running and to handle the magneto switch with more care I was met with a blank stare and: "My instructor said I should do it that way". When we set off at a good trot with the flimsy brakes straining against the power of the engine I advised him that it might be a better idea to reduce power just a tad. This was met with: "Really, my instructor never told me that". Yeah right! I have flown with hundreds, possibly thousands, of students and pilots and the most common excuse for substandard flying capabilities is "my instructor said so". I know an awful lot of instructors and they are all now quite used to bearing the brunt of inferior flying ability. We, as instructors, are in fact often to blame. It has far too often happened that a student reaches, say, 20 hours and is still far from ready for his first solo. Along comes instructor number two and the happy pair set off for a session of circuits and landings. The instructor then merely notes how the student performs a certain task and suggests another method. This invariably produces some modicum of success and the student then sings the praises of the new instructor and admonishes the previous one for not being proficient enough to point out this obvious flaw in the student's earlier thinking. It is a fact too that instructor number two is no doubt trying to make an impression on the student and is likely to display more patience than instructor number one, who has by this stage of the students training completely run out of ideas in trying to get the student to land the aircraft without breaking anything, including the instructor's spirit.
As a new instructor I admit that I often used this formula to my advantage when trying to acquire more students. When trying to earn a decent living out of instructing it is a fact that more students mean more money, and money pays the rent. By bolstering a student's ego you are almost assured of his or her continued support and the cycle continues. How do we prevent this? The answer lies in strict supervision by the CFI and in instructors themselves being honest enough to advise a student that is not quite hacking it to rather take up another hobby or career. When it comes to aviation safety, dollars and cents need to be disregarded entirely. When a student is continually covering his tracks to make up for a lack of ability the instructor needs to be honest from the get go. If a second instructor is called upon to offer an opinion he should not use it as an opportunity to acquire a new student by making the previous instructor appear incompetent.When a student takes way too long to reach a certain level of proficiency they are the ones that invariably regress quickly if there is even a short break in their training. These are the students that we need to keep a lookout for. It is indeed expected of even the most proficient of pilots that there will be some small degree of regression in ability if a long break is taken from flying, but the return to proficiency should be rapid as soon as you get back behind the control yoke. When a person has to start all over again after even a short break from flying my alarm bells start clanging. Flying, whether it be for business or pleasure, should be like laying bricks. The wall must grow higher with each brick laid. It must not be demolished and re-built on an ongoing basis. That way you never really get off the starting line. Sit back and take stock, whether you are a trainer or trainee. Are you being honest with yourself? Are you, as an instructor, being entirely honest with your student? Are you, as a student, being entirely honest with your instructor? Who is fooling whom? It is expected, during training, that there may be some rough spots that need to be ironed out. That is what the instructor is there for. If new rough spots appear every time one is ironed out though, you may be pursuing a career that is not for you. If however, that wall just keeps getting higher, go for it! Contributed by Gary Wiblin, a 9000 hour Comm/IF/Multi/Instructor based in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. E-mail Gary | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In last months newsletter I asked what was the other way to satisfy the AFR requirements not mentioned in the flow chart? I thought I was being particularly sneaky as I thought I had set it up with two possible answers, with the intention of acknowledging several members. The first member to email me a correct answer was Troy Smith, Wayne Russell and special mention to Tony Sacre. Tony Sacre found a third one I had not even considered, so well done to all. The answers are below:
Until next time, safe flying. Rodney Hyde Chief Flying Instructor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Back in December / January 1960-1961, when I was just the tender age of 5 my family took a holiday to a southern inland NSW town. It was a working holiday for my father, who had arranged to get away from our farm and do a bit of super spreading in the hills. I met the kids of the chap that Dad was working for and we soon became friends. After we'd been there for a short time, a policeman and a nursing sister knocked on the door of our flat. They asked me if this was the home of Joe Bloggs, (names have been changed). I remember telling them it was not, but that they lived around the corner, and that I would take them there. That I did, only to witness my young friends and their mother being told that their father had just died in an aeroplane accident. It was horrible, and I will never forget it.Many years later I was sitting around a campfire, one night, near a nice little trout stream and got talking to the landowner. As it would happen he had been the first person on scene at that dreadful accident some 28 years previously. He was unable to do anything for the sole occupant of the Cessna 180. The aircraft and its occupant had been destroyed in the post impact fire. Unfortunately they found evidence that the poor chap was alive, but couldn't escape. Apparently he was trapped by the legs. 
I had never spoken to my Dad about this horrible accident, but when I became a flight Instructor, I decided that I should know enough to understand. When the next opportunity presented itself I broached the issue.Apparently, as agricultural Pilots do, they had started in the cool of the morning when the only wind was the wind breaking loose from a sparrow's rear end. Joe was taking-off and climbing out over a ridge, clearing the ridge by about fifty feet every time. My father on the other hand said that he didn't feel comfortable with that idea so he was turning towards lower ground after takeoff. This cost a little more time but was safer. Joe was obviously a very skilled operator, so what in goodness name went wrong. Was it perhaps engine failure after take-off? It turns out that it was an age old pilot trap - it was nothing more than Density Height. You see, as the day got hotter the aircraft's climb performance remained about the same because the fuel load burnt off. It was self compensating. He cleared the ridge by the same height every time. Well at about 9am, or there abouts, the two pilots stopped to have a well earned cup of tea and a chew on a sandwich. They then assisted the loader driver to refuel their aircraft. On the first flight after morning tea Joe's aeroplane was not able to clear the ridge because it was now much heavier (full tanks). In refuelling, the compensating factor for the increased density height had been negated. As with most accidents, it was perfectly avoidable. That's what went wrong - what a waste. Peter Johnson Flight Instructor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
During the month of December 2005, a model BK1, Klemm Flugzeuge GmbH, stopped by early one morning after her maiden test flight following a rebuild. VH-UTI is an unusual sight nowadays, as she was built in the UK in 1934. She has a fixed pitch wooden propeller but retractable undercarriage and seats three people. Her engine is a Gipsy Major made by DeHavilland. MTOW is 1089kg. This example carries the Serial Number 109 and is proudly owned by Roy Fox who is a one of our members. Should you see any interesting aircraft around the club try and get their details to share with the rest of us or if you fly something a little different, please stop by to show your aircraft off and I will try get some nice pictures for our Club newsletter.Rodney Hyde Chief Flying Instructor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
FEEDBACK AND CONTRIBUTIONS: Well, that's your Newsletter for tis month. With help (in the form of contributions) it might be possible to continue 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 suggestions to latrodectus@schofields-flying-club.com.au. THOUGHT FOR THE MONTH: A snooze button is a poor substitute for no alarm clock at all!
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For those of you doing PPL training by self study, we will also be scheduling a number of group tutorial sessions throughout the year so that you can benefit from the tips that come through classroom interaction. Dates are to be announced for these soon, but please feel free to register your interest now.
AERODROME WEATHER INFORMATION SERVICE (AWIS): AWIS provides actual weather conditions from locations using the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) Automated Weather Stations (AWS) equipment. The AWIS provides basic wind speed and direction, temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure and rainfall. Advance AWS provides automated information on cloud coverage and visibility.© 2003 Schofields Flying Club Ltd. All Rights Reserved.