"Latest AWAL news
AGM and Fly-in Wrap Up...
This past weekend AWAL's 2014 Annual General Meeting and Fly-in was held at Cowra under blue skies and light winds. Members began arriving as early as Wednesday afternoon in anticipation of our first FAST Formation Clinic. The activities began with a basic briefing on Thursday followed by a series of 2-ship sorties throughout the afternoon. I think I speak for everyone in attendance that day in saying the highlight was the roar of 27 cylinders overhead as Matt Handley in Aerotec's T-28B VH-ZUK escorted Peter Clements flying Graham Hosking's magnificent F4U-5 Corsair VH-III! It was a huge honor for us to have the newly-restored fighter in attendance, all the more so in that this was its first public appearance. On behalf of all AWAL members, Thank you Graham and Peter!
The next day began with a more formal formation discussion and briefing, led by Peter Clements and supported by our 'mentors' in attendance Steve Death, Matt Handley, Jeremy Miller, David Salter, and Willie Chew. We then assigned and conducted several more formation flights throughout the day. We were sad to see Peter leave with the Corsair in the afternoon but work commitments necessitated his departure for Melbourne.
One more sortie of formation flights was conducted Saturday morning before meetings began.
With two very accomplished air-to-air photographers on hand, there were some really incredible pictures to come out of both the formation flights and a few specific air-to-air missions, which was a bonus for all involved.
The meetings on Saturday afternoon began with a talk on radial engine management by Steve Death. It was informative and concise, and I for one took away a couple excellent tips which I am now incorporating in my operating procedures. Steve was followed up by CASA, represented by Mick English, Mick Poole, and Andrew Ward. Discussions focused on Part132, CAO104, and Part 61. These are all very relevant to our ongoing warbird operations; we appreciate these gentlemen sitting down to discuss the legislation with us and particularly their responsiveness with regards to changes and clarification we've requested both on the day and in follow-up talks.
The AGM and dinner were held that evening at the Cowra Services Club. The formalities of the meeting went smoothly, with the most notable item of mention being the election results for the four vacant positions on AWAL's Board of Directors. Overall, the new election process ran well with roughly 40% member participation. It was a very close contest with all six candidates showing solid levels of support. In the end, the four who tallied the most votes were Matt Handley, Steven Gale, Alex Von Mengerson, and Ashley Spurling. I would like to say Thank you to everyone who participated in the elections, but especially to all the candidates!
I would also like to thank Willie Chew who gave an entertaining talk on low-level flight operations based on his experience as a fighter pilot and instructor for the Singapore Air Force, as well as Mike Jorgenson who shared a bit about air-to-air photography 'Do's and Don'ts'. Mike also put together a brief slide show highlighting some of his magnificent photography, both from the weekend's flying activities and his prior work.
There were several awards given out that evening as well, to include the following:
Farthest Distance Flown (2 awards to include $500 in free fuel each!):
Anthony Freer from Toowoomba in his North American T-28B Trojan
Troy Smith from Caboolture Qld in his Beech T-34A Mentor
(Awards sponsored by SkyFuel)
Best Piston Warbird (To include $200 in prize money!):
North American AT-6C Texan VH-NZH owned by Judy Pay
(Award sponsored by Aviation Insurance Australia)
Best Turbine Warbird (To include $200 in prize money!):
Aero Vodochody L-39 VH-LCJ owned by Charlie Camilleri and Jeff Muller
(Award sponsored by Aviation Insurance Australia)
Member of the Year (To include one year's Professional/IFR subscription to OzRunways with a 2nd I-Pad!): Stephen Robinson of Perth, WA
(Award sponsored by OzRunways)
Grand Champion (To include $500 in prize money!):
Chance-Vought F4U-5 Corsair owned by Graham Hosking
(Award sponsored by Airshows Downunder)
In addition, several valuable door prizes were given out, including one more $500 fuel voucher with SkyFuel, one year's Professional/IFR subscription to OzRunways, one year's membership in the Antique Aeroplane Association, and a Temora Aviation gift bag.
A few members have provided feedback on what we did right and what we can improve next time. This is very welcome and valuable input and, where possible, we will strive to do better! All in all, I think this was a solid first effort at conducting our AGM in conjunction with a Warbird Fly-in and FAST Formation Clinic. While we were happy with the turnout (I believe we had 52 attendees at our AGM and dinner), our numbers were affected by the Tamworth Festival of Flight which ran concurrently. We researched dates and events in planning our weekend, as you would expect, and there was no notification whatsoever on Tamworth's event at the time. Plans are afoot at this time for an even better event next year! As soon as they firm up, we will let all of you know.
Thanks for a successful year go out to our Administrations Manager Robyn Waller, DSA Peter Pring-Shambler, and the Board of Directors; all of whom contributed in various ways to improve your operating conditions as well as add value to your membership. I would also like to thank the members of our Technical Advisory Committee, led by Phil Frawley, for their consistent support and input when and where necessary. Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to all who have backed and assisted with the implementation of our FAST Formation Program, from those who reviewed and consulted on our manual to the many highly experienced members willing to share their time and skills as 'Mentor Pilots' helping the rest of us with our formation flying.
I would also like to thank the very generous sponsors who's contributions helped make this year's event a huge success!.
Formation Clinics:
There is no other way to describe it than to say I was overwhelmed by the levels of enthusiasm, camaraderie, and enjoyment shared by all who participated in the Formation Clinic this past weekend! The unanimous consensus was that it is a fantastic program for AWAL members and that we should work to hold them at regular intervals wherever several members and their planes can come together. To that end, we will be planning to hold the next one sometime early in 2015. If you would like to see a FAST clinic held in your area, please let me know and we will see if we can make that happen!
With the roll-out of Part 61, many of our Mentor Pilots should now be able to provide initial formation qualifications as part of our program. As soon as we have confirmation of that, we will amend our manual accordingly. Stay tuned....
Attention: Yak-52 Owners and Operators...
AWAL has approved the use of GT propeller blades in the V530 propeller hub fitted to Yak-52s. Subsequently we have issued an amended Yak-52 maintenance schedule. Please contact Peter Pring-Shambler at
dsa@australianwarbirds.com.au for more information.
We also have a important message from AWAL's Safety Officer Matt Handley...
Hi All,
I would like to remind flying members about the importance of operating our types of aircraft with the appropriate personal flight safety equipment. Namely - Flight Helmet, Flight Suit, Gloves, and appropriate Foot Wear.
Experience has shown over the years that many fatal accidents could have turned out differently had the Pilot been wearing an approved flight helmet.The US Army has concluded that the most common cause of death during a "survivable" impact sequence of a light aircraft or helicopter is head injury.
The correct safety gear can prevent your from being rendered unconscious in a situation where a quick escape from the cockpit is prudent. It also increases your chances of being able to extract your crew or passenger from a dangerous post-crash fire or "in water scenario".
As you should also be aware the flight helmet also increases your protection against bird strike situations. Where possible always fly with the visor down - dual visor models are available for low light conditions.
The correct clothing - flight suit, gloves, and boots may also afford you the valuable seconds to escape from a post-crash situation.
In the big picture these items are not expensive, in a life or death situation they may be the best investment you have ever made.
I must say that I was pleased to see the majority of aviators that flew into Cowra for the AGM and Formation Clinic were appropriately kitted out. If you're not already flying with a Helmet and proper attire give it some serious consideration before going flying again in a Warbird.
All the best,
Matt Handley
........Until next time...
Safe Flying and Best regards,
Mark Awad"
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
