Trikes parked at Mansfield during the 2009 Flyaway (Photo: Keith Stanistreet)

The Sydney Microlight Club

If you are not a microlight pilot but are interested in learning to fly or if you just wish to go for a flight in a microlight, contact Ned McIntosh, CFI of the Sydney Microlight Centre (0428 420310) to arrange a Trial Introductory Flight ( TIF).

ALBION PARK AIRPORT NEWS 

 DAMP: The Drug & Alcohol Management Policy (DAMP) is now in place, meaning that anyone who is anywhere near an aircraft, or on the movement or parking area of an airport, or working on an aircraft, or even just standing next to one, even inside a hangar, can be required to provide a sample for drug and alcohol testing. Random screening is taking place and it is reasonable to assume Wollongong airport will be targeted at some time. Penalties for illicit drugs or excessive alcohol being detected are very severe, so please be warned. (So far we haven't seen much evidence of DAMP testing personnel at YWOL, so we are overdue! Apparently a civilian firm has the contract for DAMP testing.)

ASIC: Those applying for ASICs need to be aware of the approximate 4-week lead-time involved. If your ASIC expires (for example) in September, I'd suggest getting your application in my early August to be sure. If you already hold an ASIC and are applying for a new one, you may continue to use your old one until the new one arrives. Most issuers require expired ASICs to be posted back to them. The best ASIC issuer I have found is Aviation ID Australia, based at Merimbula Airport. Quick turnaround and good pricing.

Please Note: If you gain airside access through an open hangar, make sure you wear your ASIC and escort anyone not wearing one. If you do not, the hangar-owner is held responsible for the security-breach and faces heavy fines! You will probably also get nailed. Save the hassle...wear your ASIC! Likewise, if you bring passengers through the pedestrian gate or the hangar, you are responsible for them at all times whilst they are airside. 

Noel Taylor, our stalwart and ever-helpful head groundsman, has recently retired after something like 44 years of service at the airport. Taking over is Dave Dimitrievich. If you need to contact Dave to get a trike in our out of the airfield, please call Ned first (0428 420310) so he can pass Dave's mobile number on to you. If Ned is on the airfield, he may be able to organise getting a gate opened without recourse to Dave. When in doubt, call Ned first. 

Annual Bulk Landing-Fees: Trike pilots wishing to take advantage of the bulk landing-fees offered by Shellharbour City Council should contact the council for further details as to the price for ultralight (non-commercial) rates.  The rates do increase marginally on an annual basis.

Aircraft Security: A reminder that if you park your trike anywhere outside a hangar and leave it unattended then it must be immobilised with a device which prevents it being started, taxied or flown. In the case of a rigged trike, a locking cable such as is used to secure push-bikes, wound around the propeller and engine-mounts, works well and is visible. Make sure it also has a prominent orange flag with "Remove Before Flight" on it! (A de-rigged trike is immobilised ipso facto because it has no wings and can't be flown!) 

Transponders: If you are a regular trike-flyer at Albion Park, consider installing a transponder and encoder for your own safety as much as for the convenience of other, larger and faster, aircraft. Talk to Ned for further information. You only pay for it once, and the life it might save could be your own.

Personal Locator Beacons: Any aircraft, inclusing weightshift microlights, that flies more than 50 nautical miles from the point of departure must now by low carry a registered personal locator beacon (PLB). No exceptions, and no excuses. Our local avionics supplier, Capital Aircraft Services, can supply suitable units, but it is up to the purchaser to register them with the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA). Registration lasts 2 years, and they notify you when re-registration is due (although navigating their website to renew registatrion online is a bit tortuous). 

 WINGS OVER ILLAWARRA 2011: Sunday February 27th 2011 saw our annual airport "Open Day" which was in fact a fully-approved air show. As a result, the flying displays were rather less exuberant than in past years (due to CASA requirements), but it was still a great day for aviation enthusiasts, with hordes of diverse aircraft on static display and some interesting types doing fly-pasts. HARS were very active and flew Connie, the C47, the Neptune and Catalina, and the Red Berets Army parachute display team did a couple of demonstration jumps from the Navy Air Museum UH-1B Iroquois helicopter. Something like 60 private aircraft flew in for the day although poor weather to the south prevented aircraft from Moruya and further south from attending. All in all it was a very well-attended event and it all ran like clockwork, partially due to a Unicom which was established for the duration of the airshow.

Daylight Saving: Gone for another year, thank goodness. The days are getting shorter so be aware your late afternoon flight needs to end before the light fails. You may also have to allow for de-rigging time. As Autumn proceeds the days become flyable for a longer time, with sea-breezes either weak or absent. There are some great flights to be had in Autumn.

Club Flyaway 2012

  The venue for the annual Sydney Microlight Club flyaway for 2012 is still under consideration, but a return to Cootamundra is on the short-list.

  Once the venue and dates are decided a letter will go out to all the current members of the microlight club, and I'll also invite interested members of The Illawarra Flyers to participate if they wish.

Let us know if you're planning an event!

  Feel like flying somewhere on the weekend but don't want to go by yourself? How about a group trip to Moruya, for example? We haven't done that for years! Alternatively, how about a flight to Goulburn and return, easily done in a day if the weather is kind.  Or, fly to Jaspers Brush and drink all their tea and eat all their biscuits for a very nominal cost...and who knows what else? It's really up to you qualified pilots to organise what you want, but if you let Ned know then he can stick a notice on this web-page to help spread the word.

  On the subject of social events, don't forget "The Illawarra Flyers" host a barbeque every Friday afternoon starting at 5pm in Steve Green's hangar. Each evening usually has a guest-speaker or some sort of presentation so it makes for an interesting couple of hours.  Bring some small change for your sausage sandwich and a beer or a soft-drink and meet the locals. Membership is free and open to all HGFA microlight pilots who operate at Wollongong and the surrounding area.

For more information about the Sydney Microlight Club, contact Ned 0428 420310 or Tony 0418 574068

Copyright © 2008 Sydney Microlight Centre Pty Ltd (ABN 67 132 461 780)

Last updated 9 April 2011