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The self-administered RA-Aus aviation community, whose safety and rights are the core concern of the association, is distributed Australia-wide; chiefly throughout rural and regional districts and, naturally enough, with a concentration in the eastern states. Our 9200 (at December, 2009) members are drawn from most socio-economic groups, the average age is around 50, with a preponderance of males throughout all age groups.

The low participation rate of younger Australians in all forms of sports and recreational aviation is a national shortcoming that RA-Aus recognises and aims to improve. See our flight training scholarship program
Becoming a member of the powered recreational aviation community
If you don't know anyone associated with self-administered, powered recreational aviation then it is probably best to make the acquaintance of a club or a flight school or you could contact an RA-Aus state representative or a staff member to discuss your introduction into our community. More information is available in the flight training procedure section of the 'Learning to fly' guide.

Recreational Aviation Australia monthly journal

The members' monthly journal 'Recreational Aviation Australia' will give you some insight into recreational aviation. Posted to members, it is the official medium for communication, containing the President's report on policy implementation progress and the monthly reports from the CEO, the Operations Manager and the Technical Manager plus the latest Airworthiness Notices and Service Bulletins. It also contains articles of general interest and a 'members aircraft for sale' section.The magazine is available to non-members on Australian news-stands ($6.00) or via annual subscription from our on-line shop.

Another opportunity to get a broad view of our form of recreational aviation is at NATFLY, the annual four-day Easter (Friday through Monday) get-together at Temora aerodrome in New South Wales. Around 25% of the 2900 RA-Aus registered aircraft attend the event. The national fly-in also provides a venue for Australian manufacturers and importers to introduce new and forthcoming aircraft and aviation products. NATFLY allows the opportunity for home-builders to display their finished projects and, perhaps, win one of the achievement awards. To find out more see this years event — NATFLY 2010.

If you want to participate in the online social and networking activities of Australian recreational aviation visit www.recreationalflying.com.au/forum/. Several thousand RA-Aus members, and other aviation enthusiasts, subscribe. Those participants provide comment and advice on everything associated with Australian recreational aviation — and, in each thread, the wheat is eventually gleaned from the chaff. You do need to become a subscriber to actively participate, but there is no cost involved. The site complements this website. There are one or two other recreational aviation forums which provide some social and networking activities.

Should you decide to join RA-Aus you can download the necessary Application for membership and student pilot certificate from this server and return it to the RA-Aus office — or a flight school can provide the form and process the paperwork.

Our sister self-administration association, the Hang Gliding Federation of Australia, also supports powered recreational aviation in the form of CAO 95.10 and CAO 95.32 trikes and as self-launching gliders — hang gliders with a lightweight, perhaps 15 hp, two-stroke engine plus propeller in the rear of the harness boot (hang-motors), paragliders with a backpack engine and propeller (paramotors), and lightweight trikes (nanolights). The empty weight of machines in the self-launching group must be under 70 kg to avoid classification within CAO 95.10 and CAO 95.32.
RA-Aus fees and charges
The student pilot joining fee is $160.00, which includes the issue of the Student Pilot Certificate, 3rd party insurance cover, Operations Manual, Technical Manual, 12 months RA-Aus membership and 12 months subscription to the monthly Recreational Aviation Australia journal.

A junior student pilot membership scheme was launched in March 2009. This is for any aspiring pilot who will be under 15 years old during the whole 12 month period of membership. It costs $80.00 for 12 months, provided the applicant's 15th birthday does not occur during the time of that membership. The application form for Junior Student Pilot Membership can be found with the other member forms. If you need further information please contact the Canberra office – 02 6280 4700.

The full schedule of all RA-Aus fees and charges is available in pdf format.
Conversion of General Aviation and other pilots
Holders of a valid pilot licence (e.g. PPL, CPL, ATPL) who wish to obtain an RA-Aus Pilot Certificate can undertake conversion training at an RA-Aus flight training facility (FTF) to familiarise them to the particular flight characteristics of very light aircraft. Prior to undertaking the flight test for the issue of a Pilot Certificate and endorsements, an applicant must complete such dual training as deemed necessary by a CFI and, in any case, shall have not less than 5 hours experience, in an aeroplane registerable with RA-Aus, which shall include a minimum of one hour solo.

Full RA-Aus membership, plus a student pilot certificate, must be obtained before a solo flight is undertaken. An intending member can apply for RA-Aus membership and issue of the student pilot certificate — before selecting a particular flight school — by downloading the form Application for membership and student pilot certificate and returning it to the RA-Aus office. Or, the flight school can provide the form and process the paperwork and training can start with temporary RA-Aus membership issued by the FTF.

Holders of a pilot licence which is no longer valid because the period of effectiveness of the last biennial flight review or class 2 medical certificate has lapsed, are also eligible to apply for the Pilot Certificate, however it is likely that lack of recency will affect the conversion flight time necessary. An aviation medical certificate is not required but an RA-Aus pilot must be medically fit to a standard equivalent to that required to hold a private motor vehicle driver's licence in Australia. It is the responsibility of all Pilot Certificate holders to report to RA-Aus any change in their health status which would cause them to be below that minimum health standard required.

Persons who have not completed their PPL training may utilise their GA training hours towards the RA-Aus Pilot Certificate. However, this depends on acquiring in excess of the minimum 20 hours experience including a minimum of 5 hours solo and the candidate must also demonstrate to the CFI that they successfully meet the standard for the issue of an RA-Aus Pilot Certificate. It may also be necessary to do the RA-Aus Basic Aeronautical Knowledge written test.

Email the RA-Aus Operations Manager or telephone 02 6280 4700 to discuss the situation with him.

Changing aircraft registration. If an aircraft has 'VH' registration but conforms with the requirements set out in paragraph 1 of CAO 95.55 it may be possible to re-register with RA-Aus — contact our Technical Manager.
The typical RA-Aus member
A 50-year old male who has always wanted to experience 'seat-of-the pants' flying, is now relatively free of family, work pressures have reduced somewhat, has some mechanical or practical aptitude, enjoys reasonable health and lives in a rural, regional or outer capital city area where there is a non-towered airport in the district or there is suitable space for an airstrip. There is a tendency for that typical member to have had some past association with the defence forces and quite a few are, or have been, general aviation or airline pilots.

But of course there is a wide variance from the 'typical' within the 9000+ RA-Aus members.
Recreational aircraft amateur builders
About 40% of the members are owners, co-owners or owner-builders of recreational aircraft. Nearly half the aircraft with current RA-Aus registration are homebuilt and, at any time, there are a substantial number under construction. Such aircraft are either designed by the builder; for example, Daryl Patterson's 'SE5A', built from plans — Peter Franks' 'Jenny', or built from commercially supplied kits — Peter Loveday's 'Storch'.
Lynn Jarvis's Sonex

Home builder Lynn Jarvis's Sonex aircraft received the award for best overall aircraft at
NATFLY 2004.

Boorabee

— and Daniel Leach's Boorabee II was judged the best plans-built ultralight at NATFLY 2000

Clubs and flight schools
About 35% of members belong to a recreational aviation club. There are about 105 such clubs, forming the backbone of recreational aviation by providing the social and competitive impetus for the development of recreational aviation and RA-Aus pilots. A secondary, but very important, role is the nurturing and care of inexperienced pilots. They are generally located in rural and regional Australia with a few at the outer fringes of the capital cities. See the list of clubs and their websites or other contact information.

Many clubs have their own flight training facility (see below) — or a close association with a co-located commercial training facility — and usually provide a range of mutual support services to members, from advice and assistance in all aspects of flying, owning and maintaining an aircraft, to hangarage and hiring of club-owned aircraft — for both training and pleasure.

Some clubs specialise in a particular category, or even type, of recreational aircraft. Conversely, others include a wider range of interests, including general aviation aircraft and pilots. Some clubs may focus on particular interests; for example, constructing aircraft from commercial kits.

Readers can access a basic location list, with telephone contacts, for 160 currently approved Flight Training Facilities, extracted from the RA-Aus data base in pdf format. More detailed information, including training fees, can be obtained for some of those FTFs with their own website or with individual information pages established on this site.

For an overall view of the flight training scene see the 'Learning to fly' guide.
A typical club
This was written in 2002 and is retained as is for sentimental reasons ...

A typical club is the Holbrook Ultralight Club, first established in 1985. Its membership of about 50 is distributed throughout south eastern Australia with less than 10 local to the Holbrook, NSW area. The average member age is in the early fifties.

Club rooms, with the usual facilities plus four two-bed bunkrooms are maintained within the hangar area. The club's assets include the freehold of that area. The club's total annual income from all sources, but predominantly membership fees and hangarage, is around $12 000, which usually covers annual expenses. About 90% of the existing members learned to fly at the club.

The club's Chief Flying Instructor is a retired RAAF pilot, now a local grazier, who uses a leased ultralight to provide flying training to new members, with maybe three or four beginners gaining their RA-Aus Pilot Certificate annually. Also there are usually a few general aviation or airline pilots who wish to add an ultralight Pilot Certificate to their qualifications. The club does not expect an income stream from flying training operations, indeed the club's net return from such activities for the 2000/2001 financial year, was just $440.