Hi everybody,

well,i haven't gone away. Just far too busy studying, working and yes, flying. Completed my BAK a couple of weeks ago and started next phase of flying and that is to the PPL exam and a number of flights into the training area. Just did steep turns and forced landings. I know many old hands on here will asking "what are they". Well they are current for me. Looking forward to solo in the training area then PPL exam and what i am really looking for - cross country.
I've been dropping into the forums almost daily to read what everybody else has been writing. Many questions about air law. OMG. Hasn't anybody at CASA ever heard of KISS. I read somewhere, i think it is in Bob's BAK book, every rule, regulation, law is the result of a fatality within aviation. This suggests the laws and regulations are more reactive and not pro-active. I am only a begineer in aviation, yet my past experiences show that if a system that is large and complex like how air law seems to me at the moment, then, the higher the probability errors and mistakes will come from that system.
Reading the entries people have been writing here makes me ask the question, 'How can a pilot assorb, and remember all the rules governing a flight?".
I would be interesting if a governing body sat down and started to simplify air law. I really don't think having, how many, 6 publications (Act, Regs, CARS, AIP, etc) is necessary. Act yes, Regs yes. Air law user manual should really be the only book anybody needs.
I've dribbled on here a little. I'm only a begineer so I may be way of the mark and may learn as I study that it is really quite logical and user friendly. I just have to get these things off my chest every now and then. Can't talk about it at work. Nobody understands anything I'm talking about.


Peter

Hi Peter,

You're not the only one pulling their hair out at the contradictions and complexity inherent in the current regs structure. There's not much we can do about it at the moment as the wheels of law grind ever so slowly and if they ever tried for a rewrite we'd just end up with yet another set of docs that wouldn't end up replacing anything for at least 20 years

There are a few good mini-summaries floating around that you might find handy as you start spreading your wings. One is the "Visual Flight Guide" from Aviation Theory Centre. It gives a plain english overview of the important regs relevant to VFR flight and has a lot of useful tips for pilots in there as well. Well recommended.

Another one is the "Pilot's Index" also from Aviation Theory Centre. It is a more user-friendly reference to the CAOs, CARs, ERSA, AIP, CAAPs and chart legends. It's a bit out of date now though: 2009 seems to be the latest edition. In any case, it can point you in the right direction if you're looking for some particular reg and can't for the life of you remember where it was.

I should mention however, for the exams you must make sure you know your way around the indexes provided in the documents themselves since they'll be the only ones allowed into an exam.

Ah, air law, you've just got to love it, warts and all

Cheers,

Rich

Air Law, such a fun topic isn't it? I feel like sometimes I need to go and complete a law degree just to understand what I'm allowed to do before I get in the aircraft!

But anyway, we have to deal with it as best we can, so that being said here is a handy little document for anyone doing a PPL exam (unfortunately this will not apply to CPL, but it can still be a good document to carry in the aircraft nonetheless)

CASA has published something which is called the Visual Flight Rules Guide

Casa DAY VFR Guide

This is a handy little document which covers alot of the air law considerations that private VFR pilots are likely to come up against when flying out in the real world (and also in the exam) There are a few things that it will not cover (carriage of infants, dropping of articles etc) but other than that, it covers most bases for the PPL Air Law exam. Best of all, you are allowed to take it in with you(no tagging of this document, but highlighting is allowed). It also does a, lets say reasonable job of creating contents and an index so is relatively easy to find the information you are looking for.

CASA used to sell a hard copy version of this through their store, but recently it got pulled, I suspect because it contained some minor mistakes. Now there is only a PDF version of it available from their site.

What I recommend people do before their PPL exam is take it down to officeworks where it will cost you less than $30 to get printed in B&W and bound. It is certainly easier to reference this document in the exam than go hunting through the CAR's and CAO's.

Another point is that when this document talks about a rule, it will also give a reference to the relevant AIP, CAR or CAO. So if you don't trust it, you could always go and find it in those documents.

I also have it on good authority that CASA will be printing in again in colour shortly, although I don't have a date for that one. Another benefit includes a fairly detailed rundown on submission of a flightplan through NAIPS, I actually find it better than the in program help from NAIPS.

Like I said, it's a handy document to carry around with you in flight as well.

Good luck with it Peter.

Ben

Good one Ben! I'd fogotten to mention that one. Thanks for adding it

Ok, what nutcase said, "let's make student pilots do stall recovery". I hate those.

You're not the first one to get tight puckering in the nether-regions whilst practicing stalls

A mate of mine and I started our PPL training together and on one of his very early flights, he and the instructor went up to do stall recovery training. He was really nervous about it (as are a lot of student pilots I guess) and of all things, they totally borked one of the stalls and ended up in a full spin. He got such a shock, after they landed it took hours of beer and bloke-talk to keep him from packing his bags and buggering off home again.

Despite this experience, he kept at it and finished his licence with no problems. So, don't worry, it gets better - just wait till you do aeros

What are 'aeros'? Now you have me panicing.

Aerobatics - don't worry, they're optional

Unless you do end up in a fully developed spin my personal favourite I must admit

<- this one was fairly weak but good to intro someone to them

This can be very daunting to anyone, let alone students. When I was completing my CPL training I had instructors who didn't like the idea and I'll be the first to admit I was terrified before my first lesson on stalls, and after my first wing drop stall? I was contemplating another career path such as accounting.... I can promise you that it does get better though.


I think most student pilots are under the impression that when they conduct a stall the aeroplane will simply "fall" out of the sky. I know that's the impression I had in my head. This isn't helped by programs like air crash investigation which sensationalize things with phrases like " the 40 tonne aircraft was now falling out of the sky", and a-lot of the american babble you read about the "graveyard spin" etc.

In some countries, spin training is mandatory, and I don't think it's such a bad idea. Hopefully Bob will jump on later and tell you that when he learnt to fly in the Tigermoth you would have to be competent at spin recovery before you got sent solo.


As Rich said, Aeros is aerobatics.

The basic endorsement is made up of a loop, stall turn, some of the rolls (barrell, aileron) and a spin recovery endorsement. The rest of the maneuvers are "combinations of" the above.

Ill also be the first to admit I was scared s*%tless before I did my first loop. (notice a pattern here?) but I think it is something every pilot should experience, even if they don't enjoy it and don't want to pursue it. It has done my overall confidence in the aircraft and general handling the world of good, which is something you hear most pilots say after they do some aerobatic flying. Some people do feel a little ill afterward, but this feeling usually passes.

If you decide to pursue it further you can compete at state and national titles, where you fly a sequence of maneuvers over a box which is 1km by 1km and then 1km high, with the object being to complete your sequence completely in the "box". There are different categories or classes of competition, with a beginners level of the basic maneuvers, right through to unlimited category, where the bottom of the box is 300 feet. Bob flew in the unlimited category with his Pitts. Or you can just fly for fun and enjoyment as well.

PS. I hate roller coasters at theme parks, but I do love aerobatics. Weird huh?


Peter, here's a couple of videos, first one is Bob doing an aerobatic display in the decathlon at redcliffe.


Second one is me doing some aerobatic practice with Bob in the back seat. After the sequences are finished he then takes over and fly's some fun on the way home.




It goes for a while but worth a watch if your interested.

Third one is the same aeroplane, with Gerry Dick flying a passenger around (Gerry is an aerobatics instructor, whom Bob taught to fly aerobatics as well). Also worth a watch.



Like I said, it is normal to have these feelings of apprehension, but I promise you it does get better.


Enjoy!