Is this the end of microlighting in S.A. ?

[Arnulf]

lamercyfly wrote:

I am open to correction here, but to the best of my knowledge, we suffered zero fatal accidents in trike flying for 2007,

Violavia had a fatal accident in the Cape, I think it was in April.

[lamercyfly]

Yes, Arnulf, you are right. Violavia's tragic accident was in 2007

To his family, my aplogies for forgetting so soon....

Even 1 fatality is too much..........

Still an envious record for the other sectors of aviation to aspire to....

I am still proud of the amazing turn-around in fatal accidents...

Regards.

[John Boucher]

on the topic of accidents....

in the last 5 years, how many accidents can be attributed to poor maintenance, engine failure, fuel management, pilot error - bearing this in mind, what are the ratios for each fatality wise?

[Henni]

If I was the CAA person responsible for safety - would I be happy with any joe soap in maintaining an aircraft?

viewtopic.php?t=6522&start=15&sid=95e75 ... ce9e42593d

I will put my you-know-what on a block and make the following predictions:...

To me, that says it all. I cannot for the life of me believe that this is REALLY about safety. CFD's predictions will become a reality to a great extent, it's clear for all to see where this thing is really headed.

Sorry to make myself unpopular, but I fully assure you that there are many who feel the same. Like the rest of the rules of this rainbow nation, the soft targets are the only ones attacked as no one, but no one has the guts to go after the REAL targets or real & serious law breakers. No, for those it's easier to fall down & worship them and appoint them over all our affairs - this nation is becoming more sick with each passing day! Ah, let me rather shut up here before I step on any more spineless toes...

Henni

[skybound®]

Some good debate here. The view I was trying to present needs consideration from us, as we need to have our ducks in a row to counter such a view/argument.

As far as accident statistics to support or rebut the argument - I think a difficult call to make as there are no official findings of the accidents that have taken place over the last 3 or more years. Even here we say dont speculate about the cause of an accident until an official report is out, so for us to make the comment that there have been no fatals owing to poor maintenance is speculation.

What I am trying to say is we need motivation as why we should be allowed to do owner maintenance. Any argument can be won with the correct supporting motivation. Just to say we want it that way, as that is how it has been in the past, may not be enough.

If the powers that be stand firmly perhaps even a compromise could be reached where any owner can do maintenance if they have done the line maintenance course as presented by the manufacturer or it's agent. From what I recall about 60-70% of our okes around here have at least attended that 2 day course by one of the manufacturers - maybe that is a way to resolve the issue ?

[AirLaw]

Lamercyfly I want to appologise to you. The flight I did take was infact from Ballito and not your field. I was informed by a friend of mine that I was infact wrong. I am also hoping to take you up on that offer to take a flip in a safe microlight.

As far as Henni and CFD are concerned. It looks to me as though CFD is just to tight ass or brake ass to affored this sport. Spending money on maintenance in this sport is a no brainer. Things have to be 100% right to be 100% safe. I would not want some Top Gun Gung Ho Microlight pilot with a fakeBreitling watch with 50 hours flying overhead my house or kids in an aircraft that has been maintaned by a person who has experience only in changing his spark plugs on his lawn mower.

CFD, I bet if you actualy had the money in the bank you would be flying a 200 kt blik rather than a 45 mph trike. There is no shame in flying a cheap air getter but please be safe.

[lamercyfly]

Hi Airlaw.

thanks for your apology. It is accepted. I hope that from the tone of my second mail to you, it was clear that I had already forgiven you....

Anyway, this maintenance thing really is controversial. I know from 'hands - on' experience, that the most dangerous time to fly a 'blik-aerie' is the first 5 hours after MPI... That IS when things go wrong.

I have been exposed to atrocious standards coming straight out of the AMO....

And no, I am NOT going to divulge. That is up to the owners of those aircraft....

The reason I insist that owners should continue to do their own maintenance, is that it is fact that no-one wishes to kill themselves, and almost everyone has made the choice in the past concerning what maintenance they want to do themselves, and what they pass on to the AP.

And like I said in a previous mail, hangar talk has come a long way, and folk have learnt from mistakes, and friends now pass good advice on to friends........that's how I believe we have made such huge strides in reducing fatalities....

there should never be another Tang failure, or Swan hook failure, because we now know to look for these things. there can only be so many things that time will teach us about.... Very, very seldom that an engine failure causes a fatal accident. I would have to think hard and long to come up with such a case.

And it is mostly engine maintenance that owners want to do. Almost every pilot I know, has always come to me for their wing and undercarriage maintenance. And the guys just tinker really, washing air filters, changing fuel filters, renewing rusted clamps....that kinda thing, and they just want the right to continue with that....it's part of the hangar social structure. You know, tinkering on Sunday morning after your lekka flight..........Really should not take this part of the fun away from us!

But, like I said earlier, I am very confident that within days we will have a policy statement issued by SACAA which will in effect allow owner maintenance and exempt microlights from the maintenance schedule....

....wait for it.....

Regards.

[Henni]

...I would not want some Top Gun Gung Ho Microlight pilot with a fakeBreitling watch with 50 hours flying overhead my house or kids in an aircraft that has been maintaned by a person who has experience only in changing his spark plugs on his lawn mower.

Oh, some things are so hard for some to grasp! No Top Gun Gung Ho Microlight pilot with a fakeBreitling watch with 50 hours will be flying overhead your house or kids as the law prohibits them from doing so and if they do so they are breaking the law & should be punished!

I rest my case - you just cannot reason with some. Of course we can all afford bliks, we are just to stingy or "tight assed" to go that route.

I don't hide behind a alias name and my aviatar shows my real & recent face. What more can I say?

Henni

[Riff Raff]

Air Law
You are my kind of man! I agree with you 100%. Keep out the riff raff. If you give them an inch they will take a mile. The working class should be working and not cluttering up the runways getting in the way of real pilots. I would not just ground them I would have them flogged within an inch of their lives. We have to maintain standards. Next thing you know they will want to let woman and darkies start flying.

Maj B.I.Goted

[skybound®]

You know, tinkering on Sunday morning after your lekka flight..........Really should not take this part of the fun away from us!

Could not have said it better - it will diminish it to being as much fun as sex without at least a little foreplay

We just need the right set of words to allow CAA to feel that they have comfort that things will be safe.

I accept that not any single person wishes to perish, and following from that, their intentions are nothing but honest and will be doing their best they can to ensure safety.

To put it in another context, you would have to be convinced enough that every one of us has the right skill set to allow any one of us to work on your aircraft.

As alluded many will only do the tinkering bits and this is perhaps the departure point where we need to push the line drawn by CAA back to the point where there is some owner maintenance permitted without the neccessity of us all becoming an AP. My thoughts are that if we offer some other level and it be structured as suggested above - we may get that line pushed in that direction.

Perhaps another way of putting it - write your own proposal why the law should be changed. (We all know what we want changed - but those motivating words/facts are lacking)

[AirLaw]

Henni

I take it you are a man that wears his Blue Bulls Shirt Faithfully every saterday afternoon with a bottle of Klipdrift and a 2 litre coke. I also assume you are a man with a pocket full of pennies so a Blik arie is not far from your reach.

But unfortunately it is you who does not grasp what I am saying. Flying a microlight is by no means degrading. It is also by no means a lower level of flying. For this reason I think it is a good thing that the law has changed such that Karel De Kok himself cannot maintain his 'machine of flight' himself.

I believe that Microlighters deserve the same respect as any other person that shares the airways as an A380 Airbus. In Turn, that craft should be maintained as such.

Unfortunately it is poopals like you with an attitude that matches that gives microlighters a bad name.

[Tobie]

Clearly Mr. Riff Raff you don't know what "flying" is about, you live in a bubble and not worth another comment.

[lamercyfly]

Mr Moderator please....

Time to remind users of the rules.....

I have also been guilty.

Lets keep it clean please.........opinions on flying are wellcome.......assumptions on peoples character and financial standing are in bad taste and call for intervention by the 'moderator'.....

Ta.

[Henni]

Henni..I take it you are a man that wears his Blue Bulls Shirt Faithfully every saterday afternoon with a bottle of Klipdrift and a 2 litre coke. I also assume you are a man with a pocket full of pennies so a Blik arie is not far from your reach....Unfortunately it is poopals like you with an attitude that matches that gives microlighters a bad name.

I'll let those that know me comment on your remarks if they wish to do so. Maybe if you wander through Pretoria's streets after work, you'll find me preaching the Gospel on the streets (Klipdrift and a 2 litre coke in hand as you say of course)

I'm not going to defile your character or even defend mine. My concern is for grass root aviation. I have flown nearly 800hrs in all sorts of microlights and have grass root flying at heart, not at mouth only.

Keep well & you are entitled to your opinions,
Henni

[t-bird]

Please boot Airlaw ! And delete his post. He is a penguin that thinks he knows something about flying.

It is guys like him that would mess up a whole forum.