I have just returned from a 5 week trip to Africa which I will tell you more about some of the aviation aspects of the trip at a future meeting. I would like to thank secretary, Chris Moore, who looked after the club activities in my absence.

On Tuesday our Club Sonex was packed up with wings removed ready for shipping to it’s new owner in New Zealand. I’m sure like me a number of members have mixed feelings about it’s departure. Whilst it was a great club building project where numerous people learned valuable skills, it was just not financially sustainable as a flying project. Looking over the high quality of construction as the aircraft was disassembled I am sure the new owner will be pleased.

Looking ahead on the calendar I see a number of events coming up, especially after the arrival of spring and the better flying weather.

First up we have planned a club flight to the Loxton Aero Club BBQ on Sunday 18^th August. A number of members have indicated their interest and I will send around a board at our club meeting so final numbers can be confirmed. Tea, Coffee and scones will be served on arrival followed by a BBQ lunch. Cost is $15 per head.

Closer to home on Sunday 8^th September, club member Dave Limmer will host a workshop visit at his factory unit at 14-18 Rosslyn St. Mile End, at 2pm. Come and see his Lightning Bug Jet project and his Arion Lightning kitplane which will serve as a gas turbine engine test bed.

You will no doubt be aware that we are changing the club meeting venue again from the August meeting. At the Edinburgh Hotel we struggled with noise and space issues. Hopefully at our new venue, The Feathers Hotel, Burnside, we will avoid that. We will be meeting in the front bar at 6:30pm and then move to a dedicated section of the dining room, the Greenwall restaurant, around 7pm.

Meals are booked through the club website in the same way but with extra choices and a slightly higher price of $25. Meals are plated up individually so there will no shortage of chips and salad! Having eaten there I can recommend the food quality.

The actual meeting will be in a separate room away from other hotel guests, starting at 8pm.    This venue has been booked for the next 3 months and I would value your feedback.

In September there is a club flyaway planned to Lake Eyre starting 21^st September. A unique chance to see the Lake close to full. Contact Chris Moore for more details if interested.

You will be aware there is a large RAAF airshow planned at RAAF Base Edinburgh on the 9th and 10^th November. There will be an opportunity to fly your own aircraft into the show and avoid the large number of cars expected. You will still need to buy an airshow entry ticket.  Watch out for details of how to book a landing slot on the airshow website in September.

The RAAUS board elections are on again with 6 candidates for the 3 vacating board positions. Two of the candidates are South Australian and club members, so I would encourage you to support them to improve our local representation.

Barry Windle is standing again and newcomer Tapan Dave hopes to bring his 20 years of IT expertise to the board. The ballot papers are provided in the August copy of Sport Pilot and voting closes on September 27^th.

Also in September is Airventure at Parkes, NSW on the 20^th to 22^nd. There will be numerous pilot seminars on all subjects aviation and a build project of a Bushcat kitplane will be undertaken by 25 supervised secondary school students during the event. Underwing camping will be available.

A significant event coming up that we can all help with is the Vimy Centenary Flypast over Adelaide on October 20^th. So far there are 9 antique aircraft involved and the plan is to formation fly over all the significant sites in Adelaide that involved the Smith brothers. Afterwards the aircraft will be able to be seen on static display at Aldinga airfield. The cost of putting this event on is significant, especially as some of the aircraft are coming from interstate. Therefore, the Centenary committee are seeking donations to help with costs. If you are able to help then please contact me.

On that note, our August guest speaker is aviation historian Mike Miln. He will be showing a short film on the 1919 England-Australia air race won by the Smith brothers in under 30 days. After that he will give a presentation on the saga following the race in getting the Vimy from Darwin to Adelaide which took 102 days! Please come along.

Blue Skies

Steve

Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.  –Leonardo da Vinci

Your president Steve Nelson has headed to Africa for a break, so you are getting an update from the secretary this month. Despite winter there has been a good number of calm warm days – ideal for taking to the air.

There have been two first flights for new aircraft built by club members this month. Richard Youngs Sonex and my Lancair 200 have now taken to the air. All the details at the club meeting next week including video’s and photos. We will be ready to answer any questions and are still displaying those incredible smiles that are generated by the first flight of an aircraft you build yourself.

For those of you who are not aware we offered the club Sonex for sale as it was clearly not getting enough hours to warrant the overhead costs of insurance, hangarage and maintenance. The aircraft is now sold. It is being containerised and shipped to New Zealand for a pilot who recognised the value of the aircraft as a low hours, ready to go flying machine way under the cost of the component parts used in the manufacture this sporty little aircraft.

Despite the club putting in a substantial report concerning the effect on Murray Bridge airport from the proposed solar farm located close to the end of runway 19 we have had no further information from the minister Stephen Knoll. We have not been informed if the proposed farm has been given ministerial go ahead. The club has asked that the farm be moved further away from the airport or that the airport runway be shifted in the opposite direction. Our main concern being the risk of forced landing in the direction of the solar farm which is in size about 1/3 the size of Murray Bridge town ship.

Don’t forget 25th of this month : CASA Aviation Safety Advisors will be delivering a new AvSafety seminar in 2019 titled “Enhancing pilot skills – Expect the unexpected” It is important to be always updating your flying skills and knowledge by attending these events and listening to the experts in the field.

A small group of seven from the Sport Aircraft Club including a couple of ring ins have booked their tickets to Oshkosh 2019 later this month and we looked forward to hearing all about the largest air show on earth at the next club meeting.

At the club meeting next week, we will be circulating a couple of boards to determine the interest in two fly-aways. The first is for a lunch time barbeque at Loxton on Sunday August 18th. Nice easy to reach destination warm clubrooms great facilities and not a hill between the Loxton and Murray Bridge airfields. The second is a fly away to Lake Eyre Saturday 14^th September and stopping at 3 venues being William Creek, Innamincka, and Arkaroola. It may be a long time before you can view a full Lake Eyre so get your name down if you are contemplating visiting Lake Eyre this year.

Blue Skies,

Chris Moore

Secretary

Winter is now upon us and with that comes cold wet weather that is not conducive to a nice day of sport flying. However, in between the cold fronts there is often a short window of calm, albeit cool weather where one can enjoy a brilliant days flying. Indeed, the calm cool air ensures a smooth turbulent free ride. In my book that is the best flying day possible, certainly for carrying out formation flying. Just watch out for the increased possibility of carburetor icing.

Last month I headed across to Benalla, Victoria again to fly my friend’s DH94 Moth Minor. I thought I should tell you a bit more about this rare aircraft. A21-42 was imported from UK into Australia in 1938 for private use but with the outbreak of WW2 was impressed into RAAF service. It served at various RAAF bases in New South Wales and Queensland to be used in training, liason and personal transport. Post war it returned to the civil register as VH-ACR. Like many war surplus aircraft, it was not long before it fell into disuse.

For many years it hung from the roof of Gilltrap’s Auto Museum on the Gold Coast. In the early 2000’s it was acquired by Mark Carr who remembered seeing the aircraft as a child. After an exhaustive 6 year restoration at Caboolture, QLD it took to the air again in 2008, registered VH-CZB. This was the first flight in nearly 60 years! It is now based in Benalla, VIC and is used for adventure flights as part of the Military Air Training Museum. It is one of the oldest airworthy ex-RAAF aircraft in Australia.

I liked it so much I decided to build a 1:7 scale flying model of the actual aircraft which I took over to Benalla to be photographed alongside the original.

It is indeed a privilege to be allowed to fly solo in an 81 year old aircraft. It has delightful handling and better than expected performance from just a 90 horsepower engine. It will cruise at nearly 90 knots for close to 4 hours on a tank of fuel. Somewhat better than the Tiger Moth that only manages 71 knots for 3 hours with 130 horsepower. The price you pay for a biplane with all that extra drag!

Which brings me to this months guest speaker. Steve Johnson, a retired civil engineer, has always had an interest in aviation courtesy of his father Cyril, a WW2 fighter and bomber pilot. Cyril learnt to fly in a Tiger so when Steve decided to buy an aircraft it was always going to be a Tiger Moth foremost. He has owned 2 Tigers and flown dozens of others, particularly in post restoration test flights which I believe makes him very well qualified to tell us how these aircraft should be operated and maintained. Do come along on June 12^th and hear his story.

Another event of interest to RAAUS in June is the L1 practical maintenance course at Gawler on 15-16^th June. This is the first of many future courses as eventually I believe it will become a requirement for all RAAUS aircraft owners to complete. It is run by member Mick Wright. See the RAAUS website for cost and details.

A significant South Australian aviation event that occurred in May was the swapping over of F111s at the SA Aviation Museum in Pt Adelaide. The museum’s original RF111C A8-134, is destined to be put on display at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra after it was discovered it had a secret operational history in the Timor conflict. So the museum was not left short changed the RAAF generously provided a newly refurbished replacement example F111C A8-132, that had been in storage at RAAF Edinburgh for several years. During the changeover both aircraft were seen side by side outside the museum. This was the last time anywhere in the world that two complete F111s were seen together.

You will be pleased to hear that after many months of trying, the Club Sonex has finally been sold to a new owner in New Zealand. We already have the deposit in the club bank account and it just remains to dismantle the aircraft ready for shipping to complete the sale. I have mixed feelings about this as it is sad to see the project depart after so many members contributed to it’s construction. However, costwise, the lack of use made it unsustainable for the club to continue to own.

Our monthly club meetings continue at the Edinburgh Hotel for June and July. There have been some misgivings about the long term suitability of the venue so we are actively seeking an alternative.

The need is as follows: seating for up to 50; quiet; able to have a value priced meal served at the same venue for 20-25 people; no or minimal hire charge; within 15 minutes of the CBD; free parking.

If you know of a suitable venue that is available long term for the second Wednesday of every month then please let me or a member of the committee know.

I look forward to seeing you on June 12^th.

Blue skies,

Steve

Speed is life, altitude is life insurance.

Last month we had our Club AGM at the Public Schools Club.  The encumbent Council members agreed to stand again and were duly elected. In addition we had Barry Windle nominated and he too has joined the club council making a total of seven members. At the council meeting following the AGM the council agreed that all the council positions would remain unchanged.

They are: President- Steve Nelson; Secretary, Sonex & Hangar Manager- Chris Moore; Treasurer, Membership and Public Officer- Greg Tabe; Website and Newsletter-Chris Dearden;  Audio Visual and Council Meeting Host- Rob Wintulich; Meals- Bob Scrymgour and Barry Windle. Barry also holds a position on the RAAUS National Board which is significant for our club interests.

Last week my wife, Dominie and I, flew to Echuca for the annual Antique Aircraft Association of Australia Flyin. This year the special theme was the 80^th anniversary of the first flight of the Auster for which 22 of the type turned up. A total of 135 aircraft visited over the weekend with at least 8 Tiger Moths and 5 Chipmunks in the mix.

The highlights for me were two genuine antiques in the 1929 Curtis Robin and a 1927 Westland Wigeon owned by entepreneur Dick Smith. The Wigeon took out Grand Champion Antique and the Robin won the President’s Choice.

The AAAA always put on great event and later this year, on October 11-13^th they will host another flyin close to home at Clare Valley Airport. Whether you fly or drive to it, it will be a great opportunity to see some superbly restored and maintained old aircraft.

Those of you who were at last months club meeting will know that Michael Crossley, our club chef resigned and has left the Public Schools Club along with his staff who manned the bar and served meals. I know you will all agree with me that he provided excellent meals and service.

The Public Schools Club committee have struggled to find a replacement chef and staff so they have taken the decision to close for 3 months or more to carry out significant renovations to the building.

We hope to be able to return there once renovations are complete and new staff have been found.

In the meantime meetings for the next 4 months will be at The Edinburgh Hotel, High Street Bar, 7 High St. Mitcham. Meals will continue to be ordered online with a choice of 5 mains. See below for details, including amended pricing.

After July the council will review the situation at the Public Schools Club.

The speaker for April is Ziggy Kusiak, an RAAF Aviation Medical doctor and husband of Marta Najfeld who was our guest speaker last October. Ziggy will be speaking about “Aviation medicine and the GA pilot”. It will also include discussion about health issues we need to be aware of as we age. It should be very interesting.

The council have managed to line up some interesting speakers for the next few months. In May, member Mike Holtby will speak about his RAF service in the 1950s. In June we have Steve Johnson, local DH82 pilot, who will speak about ownership and operation of the ubiquitous Tiger Moth. 2019 celebrates the centenary of the Smith brothers epic England to Australia flight in under 30 days. In July aviation historian Mike Miln will speak to us about that flight.

For those of you who have not yet paid your annual membership fees they are now due. Please arrange payment of $75 online (details on the club website), or by cash to treasurer Greg Tabe at the next meeting.

On Sunday April 14^th the club will be doing another Bunnings BBQ fundraiser at Kent Town. We are still looking for one more volunteer. If you can help then please contact Greg Tabe.

In closing it is my sad duty to inform you that Stephen Dines, CASA inspector of experimental aircraft passed away on March 22^nd. Many of you will have had dealings with him during the construction of your aircraft projects. He had a huge amount of expertise and will be sadly missed.

Blue skies,

Steve

A mile of road will take you a mile, a mile of runway will take you anywhere.

I hope you have all had relaxing holidays and an enjoyable start to the new year.
Our last club event for 2018 was the Flyin BBQ at Murray Bridge on December 16th.
We had 30+ persons roll up along with several aircraft including Greg Tabe’s brand new Bristel, looking very sharp in it’s yellow, black and white livery and leather seats.

There was also a decent turnout in beautiful weather conditions for the annual American River flyin on Kangaroo Island last week. I saw about 20 aircraft there including the aircraft of club members Chris Moore, Greg Robertson, Ted King, Chris Dearden, Steve Nelson and Geoff Constantine.
Your club council has already had their first meeting for 2019 last week and have started event planning for 2019.

To get things started let’s have a look at what is coming up in the near future.

On February 9 the Southern Districts Flying Club are hosting a CASA Safety seminar at Strathalbyn.

On February 15-17 Oz runways are hosting another seminar at the Mt Gambier Aero Club Flyin following their successful event in Clare last year. Details can be found here or the club calendar.

The biennial Avalon Airshow is on again this year, less than four weeks away on 1-3rd March. If you have not yet seen this show you need to get it on your bucket list as it is the largest airshow in the southern hemisphere. A combined civil, military and industry trade show, there is something for everyone. The Friday night airshow is very special if you have never seen a night airshow. Details here.

Following positive feedback from last years event the council decided that we would revisit Swan Hill for a simple fly away weekend on 6-7 April. The distance is not far and there are plenty of good accommodation options. We would arrive early Saturday afternoon, enjoy an early dinner together before going to the Pioneer Settlement for the evening “Heartbeat of the Murray” laser light show.

Following breakfast on Sunday (and a sleep in due to daylight saving ending) we would head out to visit the very attractive Lake Boga and the Flying Boat Museum. After that we would be dropped at the airport to fly home or via Nhill to check out the aircraft museum there. You just need to let me know if you are coming and book your own hotel accommodation.

Guest speakers lined up for the next three months are:
February 13th : Paul Baishont “Navigating the ATC system”.
March 13th AGM : Rob Wintulich “Scout Jamboree air activities at Tailem Bend”.
April 10th : Ziggy Kusiak “Aviation and your health”.

Please be reminded that the 2019 membership fees are now due. The cost is $75 each which can be paid at the February club meeting or directly into the club’s bank account. If you choose the latter option please remember to add your surname in the comments box. Don’t forget also if you introduce a new member who subsequently joins, you will receive a $25 refund on your membership fee.

The club AGM is held in March and nominations are now open for members to join the council. Some council members have held positions for a long time so we would welcome new blood and a fresh perspective. Also, if you have any agenda items for the AGM please send them to the secretary, Chris Moore.

Blue skies,

Steve

To invent an aeroplane is nothing, to build one is something, to fly one is everything.
-Otto Lilienthal, Pioneer aircraft builder