Fly From Malaysia To Thailand To Singapore And Back

I am interested to organise a flight in a light airplane on the following route sometime in 2009:-

Simpang Airport - Subang Airport - Bernam River Airfield - Jenderata Airfield - Pangkor Island Airport - Ipoh Airport - Taiping Airfield - Penang Airport - Langkawi Airport - Alor Setar Airport - Hadyai Airport - Pattani Airport - Narrathiwat Airport - Kota Bharu Airport - Pulau Redang Airport - Kuala Terengganu Airport - Kuantan Airport - Pulau Tioman - Nusa Jaya Johor Flight Park - Johor Baru Airport - Singapore (Seletar Airport) - Malacca Airport - Simpang Airport

Google Map of the airports:

Malaysian Airports - Map

Total Distance: 1267 NM (2345 KM)

Total Flying Hours: 12.2 HRS

Total Fuel Burn: 488 Liters

Go to flyingworldrecords.blogspot.com for details.

Book Review - Solo Around The World by Peter Norvill

I managed to finish reading Peter's book. Peter was the first Australian pilot to fly solo around the world in a light airplane.

The book was written in simple, layman's language so as to make his story easily understood by his readers. There were 159 pages with many illustrations/photos taken by Peter of scenes he had flown over.

His choice of direction of travel was East to West so that he could have the maximum day light possible as he was on a mission to in the shortest time possible. Peter Norvill completed his journey around the world 9 minutes short of 35 days.

Peter Norvill touched down in Bankstown Airport at 11.53am Saturday 11 June 1988 and he made history. What a great feat, what an adventurer. Good on you, Peter.

If you wish to own a copy of his book go to Norville Australia

Tragedy Of An Air Accident - Rest In Peace My Fellow Pilot

The following press report was obtained from The Age.

Fiery death for man who came here to learn to flyAndrea Petrie and Clay Lucas
August 28, 2008

The scene of yesterday's plane crash. Photo: Andrew De La Rue
AKASH Ananth was just one of a growing stream of overseas students coming to Melbourne to learn to fly.

The 24-year-old's parents in India were last night mourning his death after the light plane he was flying crashed into the backyard of a Cheltenham unit, metres from a primary school.
Plane crashes in flames.

A student's first solo flight has ended in tragedy following a crash in Melbourne's south-east.
Mr Ananth was taking his first solo flight after hours of training with an instructor by his side.
Amrith Sachdev, a fellow student pilot at Moorabbin, posted a message to his friend on social networking site Facebook. "Plane crashes can happen any time," he wrote. "Even good pilots have to die in a plane crash. may u rest in peace Akash."

Mr Ananth was flying two nautical miles from Moorabbin Airport about 12.35pm when the wing of his Cessna 150 was clipped by another plane.
Cheltenham resident Jim Hilcke saw it happen. He said a low-flying plane that seemed noisier than usual diverted his attention. He noticed another plane in front of it and thought they were going to come pretty close.

Then a third plane appeared alongside them, clipping the wing and rudder of one and causing it to fall from the sky. "It spiraled out of control to the ground, where there was an enormous bang. It was horrifying to watch. A few seconds later a big plume of smoke went up," Mr Hilcke said.

The plane crashed into a carport in Silver Street about 20 metres from Cheltenham East Primary School. Mr Ananth is believed to have died instantly.
Ambulance Victoria group manager Peter Swan said it was remarkable that no one else was hurt. "It's a high residential area and there is a school opposite the address, so it's very fortunate that no other parties have been affected by this," he said.

Victoria Police Inspector Tom Shawyer said it was also fortunate that the other plane, a Piper Warrior - which was piloted by a trainee accompanied by an instructor - was able to "limp" back to Moorabbin Airport.

"Luck plays an extremely important part in these circumstances. It could have been significantly greater loss of life or injury than there was, even though one person has died," he said. The pilot and instructor in the Piper Warrior were taken to separate rooms at the Royal Victorian Aero Club at the airport and asked to write down their version of events.

A group of Indian trainee pilots visited the scene soon after and confirmed Mr Ananth, from Clayton, had left the airport yesterday, but they said they did not know him personally.
"He was on his first solo flight and came quite close to a collision and was forced to do a spiral dive," trainee pilot Ben Zachariah said.

"He would have been doing circuits, which means you are not more than 1000 feet high and couldn't have had time to do it safely."

Both pilots were training through the club and it was likely the dead trainee would have been receiving radio instruction.

A spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Fire Brigade, which sent nine trucks and 30 firefighters to the scene, said Mr Ananth was a hero for guiding the plane away from the school. "We were very lucky that the pilot's skill allowed him to land the aircraft where he did," she said.
Stuart Rushton, the president of the club, which owned and operated both planes, said everyone was devastated.

"What can I say? You're out here one minute and gone the next," he said. "I've just written a letter to the person's parents, I've been going through their personal effects and my instructors are devastated and so are my staff … there's no good accidents.
"The only good thing about it is that while we're here talking about one person being deceased, it could have easily been three."

Mr Rushton said the club was popular with international students because of its record. "We have an excellent safety record and excellent training standard," he said. "They come here because the Australian licence that they leave here with stands them in very good stead for a job as a light aircraft pilot."

Moorabbin Airport general manager Phil McConnell said Moorabbin and Bankstown were two of the busiest airports in Australia. The airport is a base for 350 planes and helicopters, along with 10 flying schools that attract trainee pilots from the Middle East, Asia and the subcontinent.
Investigators from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau inspected the plane's wreckage last night. Both planes' maintenance records and the training records of those involved were handed over as AirServices Australia - which regulates airport control towers - launched its own investigation.

Civil Aviation Safety Authority spokesman Peter Gibson said airports in built-up suburban areas were common and mid-air collisions were rare. "There's not an issue of safety," he said. "Local residents shouldn't be concerned about these sort of things happening frequently. They don't."
But Barbara Bateman, whose neighbor in Lorna Street had parts of the plane and glass in her yard, said she had often thought about the possibility of a crash in such a densely populated area.
"I always thought, 'something's going to happen one day' and I've lived to see it," she said. "The pilot wouldn't have stood a chance."

With AAP

Aircraft Ownership Project - Two Weeks To Taxi

I am quite sure some private pilots would like to own their very own planes, if they can afford them, that is. Many of us do not fly often enough to have the need to have our own airplanes. The more you fly the cheaper the hourly cost of owing a plane is because although avgas, oil and wear & tear parts constitute running costs which vary with flying hours; there are the fixed costs such as capital depreciation, lease charges, insurance premium, aircraft annual inspection, fixed schedule replacement items and aircraft checks that are still needed to be done even if the plane sits in the hangar not being flown.

Pilots who can afford their own planes, however, have the luxury of calling the planes their own. It's the pride of ownership that matters. And it's true that they feel a certain sense of freedom if and when they want to use the plane, they can. Some have farm strips or live close to a airfield and so having their own planes completely justify their desire of convenience, freedom and transport. Some lease back their aircraft to an aero club so that they can try to recover some fixed costs. That's a smart way of doing it. Friends and associates often gather their resources and share the ownership of planes. That way the planes get used more often and their hourly cost is reduced for the group members.

There have been a lot of discussions and details within the pilot fraternity on what type of planes to buy: low wing, high wing, single engine, multi engine, GA, kit built, light sport, new, used, microlight vs conventional, tail wheel vs tricycle, high performance complex plane vs low speed, aluminium vs carbon fiber, day VFR specs vs IFR equipment, two seats versus 4 seats, avgas vs mogas .... and the list goes on and on. I think at the end of the day if someone wants to buy a plane it will come down to a decision based on affordability and the mission or purpose for using that type of plane.

This subject is fascinating to me personally because although I am not a high hour usage pilot I wish I have my own plane. It's a male thing I suppose, a bit like a toy that you want, rather than you need. More than that I wish I have in me the inert ability to build one myself from a kit. I am sure a lot of pilots have researched the net to find information on building a plane from a kit or have pilot friends who have completed such a project. And I have done all that research and to tell you the truth I truly enjoy the time I spent browsing and imagining myself getting involved in the airplane building process. And I admire those who have built their own planes and there are many out there. They seem to enjoy the process and feel terribly proud of their achievement. So they should.

On the other hand I know I don't want to spend 1000-1500 hours or more building a plane. I want to fly it, not so much "getting stuck" building it. Maybe if I am more of a hands on type of person I would feel completely relaxed about starting an aircraft building project. On balance, if and when I can afford it, I think buying a used GA plane would be a better option for me.....

In my research I think the following two-weeks-to-taxi program would be a positive alternative to buying a used GA plane. Two weeks To Taxi details how a person can build his Glasair Sportsman 2+2 or a Vans RV-7/RV-10 in two weeks.

Glasair Sportsman 2+2

Vans RV-10

This is a fantastic program for someone like me who is less confident about being able to build and complete a plane from a quick built kit but yet be almost certain that a plane can be built in two weeks. And a Sportsman 2+2 is still a respectable performance aircraft with a TAS of 134 kts at 65% cruise power! Not to mention an RV10 with a TAS of 160 kts plus! But, and it's a big BUT; it would still cost $200,000 + and that's the big killer. Anyway if you are interested please browse this site and also the following sites.

You Tube Glastar Sportsman 2 + 2 Demo 1

You Tube Glastar Sortsman 2 + 2 Demo 2

Glassair Aviation

Vans Aircraft

Earthrounders & Brave Pilots

A friend of mine, Lynda Lee, pointed me to check out a site http://www.norvilleaustralia.com.au/ and I did. I am glad I did because Peter Norvill who is the owner/operator of Rock Dhu, a sheep and cattle property of 4,000 acres, 25 km NE of Murrurundi in the Upper Hunter Valley of NSW; was an Earthrounder. An Earthrounder is a pilot who has flown around the world in a light aircraft. Go to http://www.earthrounders.com/ for fascinating facts and information.

Peter was the first Australian who flew around the world in a plane solo. He achieved this amazing feat in 1988 (20 years ago) in his Cessna Hawk XP (Aircraft Rego VH-PSV), alone. For his achievement Peter was awarded an Order Of Australia Medal.

He had also achieved many firsts including the longest non-stop flight in Australia.

I was so impressed by Peter's achievements from reading his blog that I was compelled to write him and to want to buy a copy of his book "Solo Around The World" personally autographed by Peter. Lynda wrote me today and said she has got the book for me and I can't wait to read and be inspired by Peter Norvill. Peter I hope you do not mind that I include a picture of you when you were 13 years old in my blog.

Peter Norvill

I have read a few books by pilots or on pilots who have, against all odds, flown solo or with another pilot, into many places around the world. They never fail to inspire me. In many ways these pilots are great examples to me and make me want to find out more about what their unique abilities are and what drive them to achieve what they had. I have listed below the books I have read and I hope you will get a chance to read them as well and be inspired by these individuals. All these books are available from Amazon.com.

"Pilots Of The Line" on being an airline pilot before and since 9-11-2001 by Sky Masterson

"North Star Over My Shoulder" an engaging memoir of his flying life by Bob Buck

"Forever Flying" fifty years of high flying adventures from Barnstorming in pop planes to dog fighting Germans to testing supersonic jets, by Bob Hoover, foreword by Gen Chuck Yeager

"Zero 3 Bravo" solo across America in a small plane; all about seeing America and about the American dream of being your own person, by Mariana Gosnell (This is my all time favorite read)

"Flying Carpet" the soul of an airplane, by Greg Brown

"Air Vagabonds" ocean, airmen, and a quest for adventure, by Anthony J Vallone

"Chasing The Wind" an autobiography of Steve Fossett

"Fate Is The Hunter" by Ernest K Gann

"Freedom Flight" two pilots flew around the world in a microlight, by Alan Honeyborne and Ricky de Agrela

"Flying South" a pilot's inner journey, by Barbara Cushman Rowell

"Wager With The Wind" the Alaskan pilot Don Sheldon story, by James Greiner

"A Gift Of Wings" aspire to this kind of flight ... dare to be different, independent, self reliant, alone; by Richard Bach

Lynda and partner Dale live on their 500 acres farm (with its own mountain) near Scone, NSW in the Hunter Valley.

Pangkor Island, Malaysia

Pangkor Island Airport (ICAO airfield designation WMPA) was one of my favorite destinations on our usual flights away from our Malaysian base at Royal Selangor Flying Club in Kuala Lumpur, the Simpang airfield (ICAO designation WMKF). Other destinations that I liked to fly to were Ipoh airfield (WMKI) and Penang airfield (WMKP). But by far Pangkor Island was my all time favorite.

It was easy to get to, just 120 nautical miles from Simpang. I often went to Penang or Ipoh via Pangkor with pilot friend Mitch Wong just to land in the Island, turned around on the runway and took off again. That was such great fun. We just hoped that when we took off from the one-way-in-one-way-out runway on the Island that we would have head wind and not cross wind or tail wind because we really had one chance to get adequate airspeed and take off.....

One time we decided that it was boring to just land and take off from the island and so we stopped for a bit of a swim and a light lunch. Such was the fun for us pilots!

See Google Map of the Island.

Pangkor Island - Map

Pangkor Island Runway 22 Final

Penang Airport Runway 04/22

Langkawi Airport

Ipoh was where I was born and so I often flew in with pilot friends to meet my old time childhood friend, Kee Mun. Usually Mitch and I went on these trips and we flew on to Penang after lunch or back to base. I always enjoyed the good food in Ipoh.... curry fish head, Indian curries, Ipoh chicken rice, and Ipoh Hor Fun soup. Strangely I liked going to Penang for the same reasons.... some extended family there and of course, the good food. Top on my list would be Char Kueh Teow, Penang Laksa, a variety of seafood and ice kacang!!!

Flying Trip To Temora, NSW

Destination: Temora NSW
Start date: Friday 21 March 2008

End date: Sunday 23 March 2008
Pilots: Samuel Low PPL & Aus Pilot PPL
Goal of trip: To visit the Temora Aviation Museum and to attend the Easter Weekend Airshow

I had thought of doing a long nav away from our Moorabbin Base and so after some research (it was a toss up between the Temora Airshow, the RAAus Narromine NATFLY and the Warbirds Over Wanaka in New Zealand) Samuel and I decided on flying up to Temora for the Good Friday weekend. Preparations went ahead to get the nav charts, flight planning, booking of airplane and motel accommodation. At long last the day to depart had arrived……

Day 1 - Friday 21 March

We got to Royal Vic (www.rvac.com.au) bright and early and after a brief pre-flight of Warrior JIO and with anticipation we started our journey underway as I had already topped up the fuel tanks the day before. Early in the morning at home, I had already filed the flight notification and downloaded the ARVOR and en route weather forecast. When I picked up the keys to the aircraft and the maintenance log book on Thursday evening from Flight Ops we found JIO had a flat nose wheel tyre. After some quick help from Tony, Stuart Rushton, club member Stewart and instructor Davide to change a leaking tyre tube I was satisfied the plane was as ready as it could be for our journey.

We took off from Runway 17L and I logged a take off start time of 9.22 am. Samuel was the PIC and he pointed JIO’s nose towards Sugarloaf Reservoir (SGSV) and we could see over the combing a clear horizon albeit we did have scattered ST at about 3000 ft at YMMB. Soon we flew over SGSV at 2500 ft and Samuel turned left for Kilmore. I broadcast on 135.7 “Melbourne Inland Route, JIO, Warrior, Sugarloaf 2500 tracking to Kilmore” just to be sure we made our presence known to other possible traffic along the VFR route. At Kilmore the horizon was again clearly visible and we saw scattered ST at about 4000 ft and so we turned right heading 013 for Mangalore town. To be on the safe side I broadcast 10 nm south of Mangalore airfield (YMNG) our intention to over fly the airfield at 3500 ft. It was all very quiet at YMNG and I figured it was due to the Good Friday holidays. I made a mental note to drop in for a quick look see some time in the future.

Our next way point was Yarrawonga town a distance of 67 nm away. The weather improved considerably as we tracked on and the vis became more than 10 km with the cloud base lifted to in excess of 5000 ft. Since we took off from Moorabbin we had been getting some help from the tail wind and we were pleasantly surprised to find that we managed to reach a top ground speed of 129 kts for a brief period. We were not complaining and we urged the wind gods to keep blowing. We were truly over agri country as there were just fields of crops down below JIO. Half way on this leg to Wagga Wagga we could already see Lake Mokoan at our 2 o’clock some 20 nm away and after another 15 minutes we were overhead Yarrawonga town. We could see the airfield (YYWG) not far south east of the town and as a courtesy to other air space users I radioed overhead Yarrawonga at 4500 ft. Again my broadcast was met with silence. No circuit traffic or inbound traffic at all on this day.

Tracking towards Wagga Wagga town we were in need of my GPS 296 and the panel mounted GNS 430 pointing us to the town as there is no nav chart for this sector until about 35 nm out from the town where we would use the VNC-2 for Sydney for the rest of our journey north. Hence we were a little tentative and kept following the magenta line (GPS track) without being able to compare ground features. To be triply sure I tuned us to “221” on the NDB and we were rewarded with the right sense of the needle. 15 nm out from the town we came upon The Rock Hill which has a distinct 1817 ft apex and also the town of The Rock on its right. We knew we were on the right track having sighted these ground features. We celebrated briefly with a sip of apple juice whilst cursing ourselves that we should have taken a toilet break at YYWG as both pilots were holding our bladders strenuously at this point. Momentarily and with the good visibility, we could see Wagga Wagga sited on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River. The airfield (YSWG) was clearly visible some 5 nm east of the town. We didn’t even bother to broadcast our presence this time round, having learnt from the earlier experience and hearing no other broadcasts on the CTAF for the last 10 nm.

By now we knew we were home free to Temora. It was just a leisurely 45 nm north in low, flat farming country and we relaxed and kept the highway into Temora town to our right as our visual cue. At mid day we landed Runway 18 at YTEM, us being the only traffic. Samuel touched down at 12.05 pm and we clocked a chock-off-chock-on time of 2.8 hours covering a distance of 275 nm. We promptly got out of JIO and having found a public toilet facility sited at a Caravan Park adjacent to the airport we released ourselves in double quick time. Walking back to our plane we found some Temora Aero Club members milling around the field on this beautiful blue sky day and enquired about the possibility of using their refueling facilities. As there was no Shell or BP refueling truck in sight I decided to use the Aero Club’s fuel pump and we took in a total of 72 liters AVGAS for the trip. Thanks to the Aero Club members who were helpful and willing!
Having parked JIO on the designated grass parking area and finding the Aero Club closed due to the holidays we rang David of Koreela Park Motel (Ph: 02 69774987 ) who was helpful to come pick us up at the airport to check in to his motel. We dropped our luggage and flight bags and was glad to have a snooze in the comfortable beds. It was a good day for flying……

By the time my long time pilot friend Clement Grehan from Brisbane phoned me up on the mobile that he had flown into YTEM with his friend Pat it was just the right time to go out and have a relaxing meal at the Temora Bowling Club over a beer and some wine with good company. At this time it was still CAVOK but it started blowing quite strong north easterly and I got worried we did not tie down JIO. We decided after dinner to do something about this and hailed a taxi to Clement’s friend’s house to find some logs as chocks for the Warrior. Fortunately we got this done in no time and I felt a whole lot better that JIO is well taken care of. Again I should have followed my instinct to get a good tie down kit for a home away trip like this. Next time better.
We decided to call it a day and made plans to meet tomorrow at the Aviation Museum at 9.30 am.

Samuel and Aus Pilot putting timber logs as chocks for JIO at Temora Airfield

Day 2 - Saturday 22 March

Today we got up refreshed and ready to go. We walked to the nearby Round About Bakery on Hoskin Street in the main drag of Temora to have a cuppa and a hot pie. We then got Bruce, the cab driver to pick us up from the Westpac Bank taxi rank on Hoskin. Bruce is one of only two cab drivers in Temora and so it was handy to have him easily contactable. Bruce sent us to the airport which was only 3 km from the town and we got there in no time by 9.30 am. We met up with Clement and Pat and bought the entrance tickets for the Museum ($15 adult). The Temora Aviation Museum (http://www.temoraaviationmuseum.com.au/) was founded by David Lowy and is a well regarded Museum in Australia for its rare flyable aircraft and also the Air Show. On display today were the ubiquitous Tiger Moth, Supermarine Spitfire, Wirraway, Canberra, Lockheed Hudson, Boomerang, RAAF Sabre, Cessna O-2A, Cessna A37b Dragonfly, Cessna Birddog, Gloster Meteor, Vampire, Trojan and Tom Moon’s Extra 300.

Temora has a rich and noteworthy aviation history having been home to the No. 10 Elementary Flying Training School (10 EFTS) set up by RAAF in May 1941. No 10 EFTS was the largest and longest lived of the flying schools established under the Empire Air Training Scheme during World War Two (WWII).

Throughout WWII more than 10,000 personnel were involved at the school with upwards of 2,400 pilots being trained. At its peak the unit contained a total of 97 de Havilland Tiger Moth aircraft. Four satellite airfields were set up around the Temora district to cope with the demand to train RAAF pilots.

No 10 EFTS ceased operation on 12 March 1946 making it the last WWII flying school to close. Since then, Temora has continued its aviation heritage becoming the preferred airfield for a growing number of sport aviation activities including gliding, parachuting and ultra-light aircraft operations.

When Sydney businessman David Lowy expressed interest in establishing an aviation museum dedicated to aircraft and pilots who had defended Australia, Temora Aerodrome had all the attributes - rich in aviation history, hospitable people, an encouraging and co-operative local council, good weather, flat terrain and uncontrolled air space below 20,000 feet.
The museum was incorporated in late 1999. Construction of the facilities then commenced and a Governing Committee made up of a group of experienced and diverse people was formed.
The hangar facility was completed in February 2000 and David Lowy donated the initial aircraft for the collection. The museum was opened for public viewing in June 2000. In late 2000 construction commenced on the exhibition buildings, containing display space, theatrette, admission entrance, gift shop, a children's playground and picnic area. These were completed and opened to the public August 2001.

Stage Three of the Museum Complex was completed in November 2002 with the opening of a 1980 sq m. display hangar. All aircraft are housed in this new hangar with the original hangar becoming a customised restoration and maintenance facility.

Tiger Moth

Supermarine Spitfire

Temora Airshow Flying Schedule

The Airshow ended at around 4.00 pm and by this time the weather had turned with CU and some towering CB dominating the airfield and surrounds. Clement and Pat had already gone during lunch time for their next destination which was Parkes where the national aerobatic competition was being held. Samuel and I got back to the motel and by 8.00 pm the sky opened up and the sky was dark grey with rain clouds. We went to bed hoping the weather would improve tomorrow but somehow we knew we would be seeing grey skies and showers. Before we went to bed we rang Air Services (07 99990000) to file our flight notification for tomorrow’s flight back to YMMB as we did not have an internet connection to log on to NAIPs.

Aus Pilot with pilot friend Clement Grehan who flew into Temora from Archerfield with his Grumman Tiger VH-WPQ

Day 3 - Sunday 22 March

I was concerned the weather was deteriorating over night and so I got up at around 5 am to take a peek at the sky and to get a sense of what the big picture weather situation was. What I saw did not make me feel good: overcast sky, no stars, and no moon. I thought better of this and decided to go back to sleep but made sure my alarm was set at 6.15 am so I can take the temperature again.

This time around an hour plus later I could see some scattered clouds about and there was some showers in the area. It was also blowing a northerly wind which was in our favour as we would be heading south. I quickly took a shower and got Samuel to get out of bed and we decided we should make our way to the airfield for an early start although we filed for a 9.00 am departure with Air Services.

We got Bruce out of bed at 7. 15 am to come and pick us up from the motel. In the process I was talking to Air Services on the ARFOR and they suggested I ring Met Services for a better feel of the overall picture. I did and I was glad I spoke to a fine gentleman on the phone (03 96694850) who provided me with a clear picture how the forecast weather was and how that it would probably deteriorate as the day wear on. My confidence was up after talking to the Met expert and although YTEM was having scattered ST at around 2500 ft and SHRA, I felt we should proceed with the flight and after consulting with Samuel, we took off at 8.05 am for YSWG. It was relatively uneventful until we got to the south of Wagga we saw increasing patches of SHRA and low clouds but there were gaps in our track to Yarrawonga. We felt comfortable to proceed and we were rewarded with a steady lessening of SHRA and low clouds and eventually when we approached YYWG we saw clear sky and sun rays!

We were cautious but optimistic. We were not brash and we took on board expert advice from Air Services and Met and at all times we were looking back from we had flown past to ensure our backdoor was not closed if we had to turn back due to a worsened weather ahead of us.
On this return journey to Moorabbin we were rewarded with a strong northerly and we sped on, sometimes doing a max of 139 kts! It was exhilarating and we had a sense of achievement when we reached Mangalore so much so that we decided to land in YMNG for a pit stop and a smoke break. I took Runway 36 after over flying the field and joining cross wind. Again we didn‘t hear of any traffic in the circuit just like it was on Friday. When we got out of JIO to walk to the toilet facilities we found all the planes parked on the tarmac with NO ONE in sight, not one soul. It was like a deserted ghost town, quite eerie, but I was sure people were away for their holidays rather than anything untoward had happened. Still we felt strange and could not wait to take off homeward bound as soon as we had had our “breath of fresh air”.

Soon, Kilmore, Yan Yean Reservoir and Sugarloaf Reservoir passed us and we were able to see Academy from SGSV. From Academy we were instructed by Tower to over fly at 1500 and changed frequency to 123.00 because there were a lot of birds in the circuits. We finally landed YMMB using Runway 35L and touched down at 10.35 am for a total block time for this sector of 2.7 hours.

It was good to be home but it was great to be able to experience a long nav with A varying degree of weather and flying conditions that we had. All in all we enjoyed ourselves and our confidence in our next long nav, no doubt, would have increased.

Melbourne CBD - A familiar sight

Flying Training

Flying training is a discipline that takes up a lot of time. There are the theory exams to pass, and there are the general aircraft handling skills, circuit pattern skills, navigation skills, emergency procedures, ability to use GPS and nav aids that need to be learnt, and re-learnt.

Knowledge and skills do fade over time and so it is imperative that pilots keep up to date their skills and be consistent at all times before any flight.

And there is always the "downtime"..... the days when the weather gods are not kind to us and do not favor us with their sunshine and light winds..... These would have to be the most frustrating things to me personally because down times often hamper progress when you are keen to learn. We often get some lousy days or nights during winters where we get a lot of low clouds and precipitation. Weather poses dangers to all pilots who knowingly or unknowing push their envelope and it will always punish those who are careless but rewards those who are diligent and careful......

I remember vividly my flight training days at Royal Selangor Flying Club in KL, Malaysia. I was always excited about the flying. I was always early for my training. Eagerly reading up on the flight training notes and books in preparation for the ab-initio phase of training.

After obtaining my PPL i was always going out flying with my pilot buddy, Mitch to various airports. Those were days when I would be happy to just spend all my waking hours thinking of flying......

The training days in Royal Victorian Aero Club were more structured and disciplined. I progressed through more complex aircraft training including Seminole twin and night VFR. The Aero Club functions more like a flight school than a social club and so the training is more intensive and advanced.

Flying As A Hobby & A Passion

Flying professionally is a job.

Flying as a leisure and sport is a hobby; and a passion. Many are consumed by this hobby. They spend their waking moments thinking of flying, usually at the week end or when they can take time off work. What do they think about, you ask? They probably plan a week end trip away, or a short hop for the "hundred dollar hamburger". Given the prices of avgas, the more appropriate term should be the "two hundred dollar hamburger".

Leisure pilots run through their minds where to go, what to bring, what to do. But they also spend time reviewing their piloting skills and updating their ratings and keeping up with their motor skills in piloting small airplanes.

Suffice to say a lot of their time is consumed with this hobby. And they talk incessantly about their passion, trying to convince others that it is a worthwhile cause they are engaged in in splashing their hard earned dollars on aircraft hire or to some fortunate ones, their own aircraft. Pilots spend a lot of time surfing the net or browsing aviation magazines for their dream planes. They imagine what it would be like having the convenience of having your own plane. Maybe even buying a farm, building a landing strip on it, having your own hangar and the freedom of launching into the sky with your own bird, anytime the weather gods are kind to us.