The November-December print issue of Australian Flying escaped last week and has been seen in newsagents and letter boxes all over the country. You can recognise it easily with a great shot of a TBM 850 in full flight on the cover. This issue covers a wide variety of subjects to keep you up to speed with the changing face of general aviation in Australia.
Here’s what we’ve put inside.
- Destinations: Tasmania – Shelley Ross takes us on a one-week tour of Australia’s smallest state and shows how it makes for a great fly-away.
- Changing Course – Mark Smith profile three pilots who once thought their dreams of aviation careers were long gone, only to have them reignited after a working life outside of flying.
- Spaghetti Man – Is Craig Willoughby the most organised pilot in Australia? Shelley Ross thinks so as she spends a day with SKYview Aerial Photography and is shown the twisted flight paths the give the Spaghetti Man his name.
- Reach for the Sky – Devout general aviation pilot, editor Steve Hitchen, crosses to the “dark side” and tries his hand at getting a recreational pilot certificate, only to find that aviation actually has no dark side.
- Getting to the SEAT of the fire – Single-engine Attack Tankers–the SEATs–are Australia’s first response firebombers. Paul Reynolds spent some time with SEAT operators in NSW in the lead-up to another burning Aussie summer.
- The Turbine Revolution – Once a rarer beast confined to the military or regional airlines, turbine engines are now an integral part of the general aviation scene. John Absolon examines what they are and how to handle them.
- Masterclass: Straight and Level – Straight and level flight is supposed to be a basic skill for any pilot. So why is it so hard to do? Jim Davis reports on what is perhaps the most misunderstood part of flying aeroplanes.
- Christmas Gift Guide – Yes, it is that time of the year already! Brian Hannan takes away some of the angst of finding gifts with this selection of great ideas for Christmas.
- The End of the Line – Steve Hitchen looks at what many aircraft owners may one day face: the prospect of having to retire their aircraft permanently and lays out the options for assessment and potential decommissioning.
Also: Airmail, News, Short Final, Good Sports, What Can We Learn and Soaring Heights.
And don’t forget, Australian Flying is available in digital format for iPads. Get your issue in hard copy or via iTunes, or both! The app is free and issues of the magazine are delivered via subscription. If you are already subscribed to the print issue, the digital versions are free!