16/12: As 2007 draws to a close ...
What a year this has been! Let me take this opportunity to thank all of you for the support of Aviation Online and our new online store. Every customer is important to us and we wish you all a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.
2008 will bring some great developments at Aviation Online, including an expanded store, more travel reports, more articles, a careers section , more stuff for the kids and much more.
Please be safe over the Christmas period.
Be free.
Fly safe.
2008 will bring some great developments at Aviation Online, including an expanded store, more travel reports, more articles, a careers section , more stuff for the kids and much more.
Please be safe over the Christmas period.
Be free.
Fly safe.
19/11: Online store launched today
After months of hard work, our new online store was launched today.
We have hundreds or quality products and are adding more every day.
Featuring secure ordering, automatic postage calculation and the ability to accept funds in many different currencies, the Aviation Online store will cater for every aviation need worldwide.
In the next few weeks we will add literally thousand more items, including maintenance items and tools, antennas, ELTs and many more gift items.
We also stock the complete range of Bob Tait theory books.
If there is particular product you need, let us know and we'll find it for you.
You can also earn 10% of all products bought by customers you refer to the store.
Happy shopping.
Be Free. Fly Safe.
We have hundreds or quality products and are adding more every day.
Featuring secure ordering, automatic postage calculation and the ability to accept funds in many different currencies, the Aviation Online store will cater for every aviation need worldwide.
In the next few weeks we will add literally thousand more items, including maintenance items and tools, antennas, ELTs and many more gift items.
We also stock the complete range of Bob Tait theory books.
If there is particular product you need, let us know and we'll find it for you.
You can also earn 10% of all products bought by customers you refer to the store.
Happy shopping.
Be Free. Fly Safe.
Hi all. It's been a while since I have been able to sit and write - between flying, running Aviation Online and completing a Certifcate 4 in Business (Small Business) Management, life has been hectic.
Today I took my children to the 2007 RAAF air show at Edinburgh, Adelaide. What a fantastic day!
The winds were fairly strong so officials decided to fast track the entire flying program to beat the oncoming storm. That meant that there was always something happening - the Roulettes performed and we were treated to some fantastic excitement from the Orions and the fast Hornets.
The crowd was huge and we had to wait in line for 45 minutes for a look inside an Orion.
I'm glad we did, it was amazing. There's not a great deal of room in an Orion for the crew of eight or so, considering much of the rear is taken up by a galley, toilet and bunks.
These aircraft are on the forefront of Australia's defenses - hunting submarines and ships - and also plays interdiction roles against illegal fishing as well as rescue operations, such as saving lost British sailor Tony Bullimore.
My three girls got the chance to sit in the pilot's seat and they loved it. The amount of switches and dials and technology to keep those four big engines turning is amazing. You must need a trailer just for the checklists!
I have just added 22 photos in the image gallery from today, so enjoy.
Summer is coming and it's time we got some great flying weather.
As for Aviation Online, stay tuned - we are finalising our online pilot's store as well as our affiliate program. Very soon, you or your club or organisation will be able to earn 10% for every product ordered by people you refer to Aviation Online.
You can even "refer" yourself and shop through your affiliate link, thereby saving you 10% on every product in the store.
We hope to have everything finalised by mid November.
Be Free. Fly safe.
Today I took my children to the 2007 RAAF air show at Edinburgh, Adelaide. What a fantastic day!
The winds were fairly strong so officials decided to fast track the entire flying program to beat the oncoming storm. That meant that there was always something happening - the Roulettes performed and we were treated to some fantastic excitement from the Orions and the fast Hornets.
The crowd was huge and we had to wait in line for 45 minutes for a look inside an Orion.
I'm glad we did, it was amazing. There's not a great deal of room in an Orion for the crew of eight or so, considering much of the rear is taken up by a galley, toilet and bunks.
These aircraft are on the forefront of Australia's defenses - hunting submarines and ships - and also plays interdiction roles against illegal fishing as well as rescue operations, such as saving lost British sailor Tony Bullimore.
My three girls got the chance to sit in the pilot's seat and they loved it. The amount of switches and dials and technology to keep those four big engines turning is amazing. You must need a trailer just for the checklists!
I have just added 22 photos in the image gallery from today, so enjoy.
Summer is coming and it's time we got some great flying weather.
As for Aviation Online, stay tuned - we are finalising our online pilot's store as well as our affiliate program. Very soon, you or your club or organisation will be able to earn 10% for every product ordered by people you refer to Aviation Online.
You can even "refer" yourself and shop through your affiliate link, thereby saving you 10% on every product in the store.
We hope to have everything finalised by mid November.
Be Free. Fly safe.
14/09: What a waste of time!
Do you know what I have spent the last hour on? Deleting the majority of "members" from our forum.
Why? Because I found it fascinating that people from the USA, Papua New Guinea, South Africa, Switzerland, Indonesia and many other countries all had their board language set to Albanian and had lots of great offers for us all, everything from MP3 players to great mobile phones.
I have no idea why someone would waste my time and theirs. The board is checked daily and if you look suspect you will be deleted.
Be free. Fly safe.
Why? Because I found it fascinating that people from the USA, Papua New Guinea, South Africa, Switzerland, Indonesia and many other countries all had their board language set to Albanian and had lots of great offers for us all, everything from MP3 players to great mobile phones.
I have no idea why someone would waste my time and theirs. The board is checked daily and if you look suspect you will be deleted.
Be free. Fly safe.
We seem to be in duck mode at the moment - nothing much going on above the surface but little legs paddling furiously underneath the water.
One thing I wanted to mention. I received a great email from a 17-year-old student pilot in Melbourne, who has flown 8.6 hours and is looking forward to his first solo. I think it's fantastic for the younger generation to learn how to fly and I wish all who are training - not just our youth but the "oldies" as well - the best of luck.
It can seem frustrating but your flying career will bring you so many unbelievable highs.
Send in your photos, especially of milestones such as first solo, GFPT and PPL, and we will post them in our image gallery for all to see.
Fly safe.
One thing I wanted to mention. I received a great email from a 17-year-old student pilot in Melbourne, who has flown 8.6 hours and is looking forward to his first solo. I think it's fantastic for the younger generation to learn how to fly and I wish all who are training - not just our youth but the "oldies" as well - the best of luck.
It can seem frustrating but your flying career will bring you so many unbelievable highs.
Send in your photos, especially of milestones such as first solo, GFPT and PPL, and we will post them in our image gallery for all to see.
Fly safe.
06/09: What a busy few weeks!
Well, it's been busy here lately.
I have been finalising our online store - in the next few weeks you will be able to buy all your aviation supplies and clothing from Aviation Online at extremely competitive prices. We are in the final stages of adding stock items.
Every order will be shipped withn a few days, stock permitting, and we will be importing a special range of high-quality aviation watches just for Aviation Online customers.
In the next few days we will also be adding more information about learning to fly hot-air balloons and learning to parachute.
Exciting times! Fly safe.
I have been finalising our online store - in the next few weeks you will be able to buy all your aviation supplies and clothing from Aviation Online at extremely competitive prices. We are in the final stages of adding stock items.
Every order will be shipped withn a few days, stock permitting, and we will be importing a special range of high-quality aviation watches just for Aviation Online customers.
In the next few days we will also be adding more information about learning to fly hot-air balloons and learning to parachute.
Exciting times! Fly safe.
Well, I've had to postpone the KI trip because of some flying training in October, so will now be going in November.
My kids were a little disappointed but the weather will be warmer, the beaches nicer and hopefully the fishing will be better.
I've spoken to a few KI people about the trip - accommodation, sightseeing etc - and they have all been fantastic. I am really looking forward to flying over and especially tarying a famous KI marron.
I saw them being cooked on an Out of the Blue episode recently and can't wait to whack one on the barbie.
In other news, our pilot supplies store will be online in the next few weeks or so. We will sell everything you could possibly want from the world's best manufacturers and will also exclusively import some fantastic pilot's watches.
Stay tuned!!
My kids were a little disappointed but the weather will be warmer, the beaches nicer and hopefully the fishing will be better.
I've spoken to a few KI people about the trip - accommodation, sightseeing etc - and they have all been fantastic. I am really looking forward to flying over and especially tarying a famous KI marron.
I saw them being cooked on an Out of the Blue episode recently and can't wait to whack one on the barbie.
In other news, our pilot supplies store will be online in the next few weeks or so. We will sell everything you could possibly want from the world's best manufacturers and will also exclusively import some fantastic pilot's watches.
Stay tuned!!
27/08: And your choices are
How do you choose the best way to learn how to fly an aircraft?
Flying school A v flying school B?
Cessna 172 v Piper PA-28?
Controlled airspace v uncontrolled airspace?
Fly every day v once a week?
When you decide to learn to fly, the choices are endless and extremely hard to make. After all, you are about to spend $15,000 on learning how to keep an aircraft from ploughing into a mountain.
EVERY flying school makes the same claim - we can teach you better, we have great aircraft, our fuel smells better, blah, blah, blah.
The most important thing is- find an instructor you like!! Every instructor in Australia has passed the same exams and are competent, but different students relate to different instructors. Just because you don't relate to someone on a personal level doesn't mean he or she is not a great instrctor.
However, learning to fly can be stressful - forgetting to distance properly on a downwind leg is a nightmare if you are scared shitless of your instructor.
Now, don't get me wrong. You must respect your instructor. And you must listen to your instructor. They know what they doing.
But just as you instinctively know a person's character when you meet them at a party, you will know when you have found the right instructor for you.
A smarter person than I once told me (Hi Gary): "Anyone can tell you they can teach you to fly, but can they make sure you pass your licence?".
I spoke to about 6 instrcutors before I chose to learn with Slav Bratkovic at Murray Bridge Flying School.
The first few started by quoting costs. A course wil cost XXX and then you need an XXX which will cost an XXX and we're not sure if we can let you fly on Thursday.
Slav did it differently. He asked me what my goals were, what I wanted to learn, what I wanted to do in my flying career. He made me feel that teaching me to fly was a gift he was bestowing on me and looking back he was right. Flying is a gift.
Look in the articles section of my website and you will feel how I felt the first time Slav "abandoned" me and I got to do my first solo. I have 3 beautiful children and a fantastic wife - but (please don't tell them) FIRST SOLO IS A LIFETIME HIGH!!!!!
Flying is a confidence thing. Imagine driving a car with a back-seat-driver like your mother-in-law - "too fast", "you missed the street", "get those hands back on the wheel and put that skirt down, Mary". Every student dreams of going solo.
I cruised through my first solo because I KNEW THAT SLAV WOULDN'T HAVE LET ME GO IF IF I WASN'T READY. Actually, if Im wrong, Slav, call me!
What I really want you to know is that you only get out what you put in. I have talked passionately about reading the bloody books (most of you DON'T) because they are written by professionals.
Last point today: if someone offers you a "guaranteed" PPL for a "guaranteed" price, RUN!!!
Learning to fly an aircraft competently is definately not a "lowest price" scenario.
Spend a dollar, crash tomorrow.
Find a mentor, land in the centre.
Fly safe!
Flying school A v flying school B?
Cessna 172 v Piper PA-28?
Controlled airspace v uncontrolled airspace?
Fly every day v once a week?
When you decide to learn to fly, the choices are endless and extremely hard to make. After all, you are about to spend $15,000 on learning how to keep an aircraft from ploughing into a mountain.
EVERY flying school makes the same claim - we can teach you better, we have great aircraft, our fuel smells better, blah, blah, blah.
The most important thing is- find an instructor you like!! Every instructor in Australia has passed the same exams and are competent, but different students relate to different instructors. Just because you don't relate to someone on a personal level doesn't mean he or she is not a great instrctor.
However, learning to fly can be stressful - forgetting to distance properly on a downwind leg is a nightmare if you are scared shitless of your instructor.
Now, don't get me wrong. You must respect your instructor. And you must listen to your instructor. They know what they doing.
But just as you instinctively know a person's character when you meet them at a party, you will know when you have found the right instructor for you.
A smarter person than I once told me (Hi Gary): "Anyone can tell you they can teach you to fly, but can they make sure you pass your licence?".
I spoke to about 6 instrcutors before I chose to learn with Slav Bratkovic at Murray Bridge Flying School.
The first few started by quoting costs. A course wil cost XXX and then you need an XXX which will cost an XXX and we're not sure if we can let you fly on Thursday.
Slav did it differently. He asked me what my goals were, what I wanted to learn, what I wanted to do in my flying career. He made me feel that teaching me to fly was a gift he was bestowing on me and looking back he was right. Flying is a gift.
Look in the articles section of my website and you will feel how I felt the first time Slav "abandoned" me and I got to do my first solo. I have 3 beautiful children and a fantastic wife - but (please don't tell them) FIRST SOLO IS A LIFETIME HIGH!!!!!
Flying is a confidence thing. Imagine driving a car with a back-seat-driver like your mother-in-law - "too fast", "you missed the street", "get those hands back on the wheel and put that skirt down, Mary". Every student dreams of going solo.
I cruised through my first solo because I KNEW THAT SLAV WOULDN'T HAVE LET ME GO IF IF I WASN'T READY. Actually, if Im wrong, Slav, call me!
What I really want you to know is that you only get out what you put in. I have talked passionately about reading the bloody books (most of you DON'T) because they are written by professionals.
Last point today: if someone offers you a "guaranteed" PPL for a "guaranteed" price, RUN!!!
Learning to fly an aircraft competently is definately not a "lowest price" scenario.
Spend a dollar, crash tomorrow.
Find a mentor, land in the centre.
Fly safe!
Just a quick picture today - this is an aerial view of the airfield I fly from, at Murray Bridge Flying School, near Murray Bridge. It's about an hour's drive east of Adelaide and is a beautiful part of the country.
Couple of exciting thing have happened ths week.
Firstly, our new store will be online in a few days. We'll stock some high quality items such as clothing, hats, flight bags and such. Check the main menu in the coming days.
But the most exciting news is the planning for our trip to Kangaroo Island in October. I realised that it's in the middle of the school holidays, so we will be taking our daughters with us. They are so excited - we'll only be staying a few days but that's enough time to check out all the cool stuff.
We are staying with Herb and Janette Stichel at Searenity on Ki at the beautiful Emu Bay. I'll add some photos in a tick - the place looks wonderful. Herb is keen on aviation, so I'm sure we'll have a beer or two over a nice barbecued lobster or some KI marron.
Here's a few views of Emu Bay -
I think I've mentioned that I've wanted to go to Kangaroo Island for many years and now that the trip planning is under way, I feel like a kid in a candy shop.
I've been investigating all the attractions from the KI tourism website at Tour Kangaroo Island and there's way to much to see and do in a few days, so I'm sure we'll be back.
This trip will focus on the actual flight, the KI beaches and the food and wine attractions, but don't overlook the natural scenery and attractions. That's for a future trip!
Fly safe.
Firstly, our new store will be online in a few days. We'll stock some high quality items such as clothing, hats, flight bags and such. Check the main menu in the coming days.
But the most exciting news is the planning for our trip to Kangaroo Island in October. I realised that it's in the middle of the school holidays, so we will be taking our daughters with us. They are so excited - we'll only be staying a few days but that's enough time to check out all the cool stuff.
We are staying with Herb and Janette Stichel at Searenity on Ki at the beautiful Emu Bay. I'll add some photos in a tick - the place looks wonderful. Herb is keen on aviation, so I'm sure we'll have a beer or two over a nice barbecued lobster or some KI marron.
Here's a few views of Emu Bay -
I think I've mentioned that I've wanted to go to Kangaroo Island for many years and now that the trip planning is under way, I feel like a kid in a candy shop.
I've been investigating all the attractions from the KI tourism website at Tour Kangaroo Island and there's way to much to see and do in a few days, so I'm sure we'll be back.
This trip will focus on the actual flight, the KI beaches and the food and wine attractions, but don't overlook the natural scenery and attractions. That's for a future trip!
Fly safe.