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Cover: Diamond’s DA42-
VI presents itself to John
Absolon’s camera.Destinations: Cameo at the Cape
In the red dust of Cape Leveque, Shelley Ross encounters one
of those great characters that aviation in Australia is famous
for, an aviation veteran keeping alive the spirit of adventure.The Kimberley Experience
Ricky French wandered the Kimberley region of Western
Australia, soaking in the aviation culture that makes flying in
this remote land so vastly different from the rest of the country.The Chinese Opportunity
General aviation the world over is looking toward the
burgeoning Chinese market as the next big area of growth.
Can Australian companies capitalise on the emergence of
China as an aviation nation? Phil Smart reports.Regulars
Editorial 8
Airmail 10
News 14
What Can We Learn 76
Soaring Heights 78
Good Sports 79
The Kernels of Wheatie 80
Short Final 82Diamond’s Dashing New Twin
Diamond Aircraft released their twin diesel DA42-NG
barely a few months ago, but already they’ve upgraded
the engines and airframe to squeeze even more
performance from the design. John Absolon test flew the
DA42-VI, the “Dash 6”, and compiled this report.The World According to Mark
One week before officially taking his place as
the new CASA Director of Aviation Safety, Mark
Skidmore spoke with Steve Hitchen about the
challenges he faces and the philosophies he will
bring to Australia’s aviation regulator.(^6) Contents
australianflying.com.au
AUSTRALIAN FLYING January - February 2015
Features
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Students at the Crossroads
Flight training in Australia has changed in the past 20
years, giving students more options to get commercial
qualifications. Carol Kitching investigates the new face
of flight training and discovers that students have many
decisions to make.
Masterclass: Tackling the
Dreaded Spin
Should spin training be re-instated in the ab-initio
training syllabus? Jim Davis puts forward a convincing
argument and lays out the fundamentals of recovery.
Keeping Track
Aircraft surveillance is one of the break-out
technologies in general aviation, bolstered
by the disappearance of MH370. Brian
Hannan details the latest systems.
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The Sharp Edge
Victorian regional Sharp Airlines trains its own cadets,
despite being one of the smallest airlines in Australia.
Steve Hitchen traveled to Hamilton in the state’s west and
found a happy bunch of cadets facing a certain future.