Monthly Archives: July 2015

Now that’s what I call a bush plane!

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Big RocksHere’s Greg Miller in his Super Cub almost doing the impossible. Landing on this particular river bed is ‘even a bit challenging for me and the Super Cub’. It’s not smooth and there are plenty of big chunks of rock lying around…

Greg is well-known for a series of videos/DVDs called ‘Big Rocks and Long Props’, featuring a variety of much modified aircraft, including Maules and Super Cubs. Alas, only short clips are available via YouTube – to get the real thing, you’ll have to order the DVDs from his website at: www.http://bentpropproductions.com Try Volume One to start with – I can recommend it.

Thanks to Foxbatpilot subscriber Geoff Robinson for the link.

Click the picture for the video link

Impact – a cautionary tale of bush flying gone wrong

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ImpactHere’s an interesting story of a bush flight that didn’t go quite according to expectation. A pilot and passenger executing a low level wildlife survey flight find themselves in a bit of bother when the passenger declares he needs a ‘comfort stop’ and the pilot decides to land off airport.

While reading, I found many of the pilot’s comments sounded just a little bit too familiar. Were those occasional close calls just exciting experiences to relate in the flying club bar or had I taken them seriously as the lessons they almost certainly were?

This story is written candidly by the pilot and has useful lessons for us all – read to the end!

Story courtesy of Backcountry Pilot.

First Aeroprakt A32 arrives in Australia

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A32 ready for inspections

A32 at Moorabbin – click photo for full size

The first production Aeroprakt A32 – a demonstrator for Foxbat Australia – arrived at CAE Aircraft Maintenance, Moorabbin Airport, near Melbourne on Monday 29 June 2015. Glowing in bright yellow, the aircraft was unpacked from the container in no time and was soon being prepared for re-assembly after its journey from the factory.

First impressions? Well, the obvious ones relate to the external appearance – smoother, sleeker, lower, plenty of new speed fairings and a snugly fitting engine cowling. To my eyes, it appears quite conventional although everyone who’s seen it so far has waxed lyrical about its looks. Comments like: ‘Much better in the flesh than photos’, and ‘Clear family similarities with the Foxbat’ were mixed with very positive overall comments about the shape and stance.

Personally, I love the quirky looks of the A22 Foxbat, which are a clear differentiator from many other more traditional high-wing LSAs. But I’m getting used to the much more streamlined looks of the A32.

Can’t wait for it to be registered and given a C of A so I can fly it….but I must.

More soon…