The Last Minute Hitch: 14 November 2025
14 November 2025
– Steve Hitchen
I made several errors on my last GA flight review, which was done in an Archer. They were simple things that really should have been second-nature to me. Nothing serious ... if you don't count embarrassment as serious. On reflection, I understood that each error was something that was a variation on the well-practised procedures that applied to my Tecnam. And this was after only 12 months of letting my GA currency lapse. I cannot image how foreign a simple Archer would have felt after 15 years! But at Porepunkah in May a pilot stepped into a type that they hadn't flown for exactly that period of time, and the variances between that aircraft and what they had been flying since came back to bite them hard. The more we fly a type, the more our hands, feet and brains become trained to it. They say if you don't use it you lose it, and when we stop using it the muscle memory becomes forgetful and concentrates on what it has learned since. The sight of a crumpled EC120 lying on its side should be enough evidence to convince you of that. Type currency is a good promoter of aviation safety and a barrier against flying misadventure; pilots should think of it as a crucial tool in their airmanship toolbox. Another is the courage to say "I'm not flying that, I'm not current."
There is a swell of opinion saying it can't be done
Difficult things take a long time to do, even longer if you want to get them right. I suspect this is what is driving the Office of Airspace Regulation (OAR) as they try to fashion some form of lifeline for Bankstown Airport. OAR's first effort in creating the Engadine Corridor was dumped early this year after industry feedback labeled it unworkable and probably unsafe. At the time, an alternative was promised mid-2025, and here it is November and the new plan has not yet been released. Will we see it this year? I would wager No at this stage, but wouldn't rule out a dump-and-run in the last working days before Christmas. The most likely reason we haven't seen it before now is that a practical, safe solution for a VFR corridor to Bankstown is not emerging easily thanks to the crunch of airspace caused by Western Sydney International. And I suspect OAR has been stung a touch by how quickly the GA community torpedoed their original proposal, generating a determination to get this as close as they can to acceptable before unleashing it on the world. But can they actually achieve that? There is a swell of opinion saying it can't be done; that too much airspace has been allocated to WSI to enable Bankstown to remain a training hub. I hope that is not the case, but fear OAR's next attempt won't come within a 747's take-off roll of providing much relief to what has become a besieged airport. My only disappointment is that I won't get a chance to present an analysis of this when it does come.
Here's why.
The last three years have seen a few changes in the editorial team at Australian Flying, with Kreisha Ballantyne taking on the print magazine, a new publisher in James Ostinga and new people joining the ranks of feature writers. There is one more change to come in 2025: me. My tenure as editor of the Australian Flying website and the weekly eNews is coming to an end in December, and as a consequence, The Last Minute Hitch will also cease. Kreisha Ballantyne will take on editing the eNews and website as well as the print magazine from early 2026, bringing her own style and fresh ideas to the site. It's bittersweet for me; I have been full-time with the magazine and website since March 2012, and although I have learnt so much and interacted with so many knowledgeable experts, it has been a taxing role. My plan now is to return to the role of freelance feature writer for the print version, so I won't be disappearing completely. You knowledgeable experts will still be seeing my name displayed when your mobile rings for a bit longer. The final LMH is due out on 12 December, after that you will all need a different way of finding out that it's Friday.
May your gauges always be in the green,
Hitch
Good bye LMH -
14 November 2025
– Steve Hitchen
I made several errors on my last GA flight review, which was done in an Archer. They were simple things that really should have been second-nature to me. Nothing serious ... if you don't count embarrassment as serious. On reflection, I understood that each error was something that was a variation on the well-practised procedures that applied to my Tecnam. And this was after only 12 months of letting my GA currency lapse. I cannot image how foreign a simple Archer would have felt after 15 years! But at Porepunkah in May a pilot stepped into a type that they hadn't flown for exactly that period of time, and the variances between that aircraft and what they had been flying since came back to bite them hard. The more we fly a type, the more our hands, feet and brains become trained to it. They say if you don't use it you lose it, and when we stop using it the muscle memory becomes forgetful and concentrates on what it has learned since. The sight of a crumpled EC120 lying on its side should be enough evidence to convince you of that. Type currency is a good promoter of aviation safety and a barrier against flying misadventure; pilots should think of it as a crucial tool in their airmanship toolbox. Another is the courage to say "I'm not flying that, I'm not current."
There is a swell of opinion saying it can't be done
Difficult things take a long time to do, even longer if you want to get them right. I suspect this is what is driving the Office of Airspace Regulation (OAR) as they try to fashion some form of lifeline for Bankstown Airport. OAR's first effort in creating the Engadine Corridor was dumped early this year after industry feedback labeled it unworkable and probably unsafe. At the time, an alternative was promised mid-2025, and here it is November and the new plan has not yet been released. Will we see it this year? I would wager No at this stage, but wouldn't rule out a dump-and-run in the last working days before Christmas. The most likely reason we haven't seen it before now is that a practical, safe solution for a VFR corridor to Bankstown is not emerging easily thanks to the crunch of airspace caused by Western Sydney International. And I suspect OAR has been stung a touch by how quickly the GA community torpedoed their original proposal, generating a determination to get this as close as they can to acceptable before unleashing it on the world. But can they actually achieve that? There is a swell of opinion saying it can't be done; that too much airspace has been allocated to WSI to enable Bankstown to remain a training hub. I hope that is not the case, but fear OAR's next attempt won't come within a 747's take-off roll of providing much relief to what has become a besieged airport. My only disappointment is that I won't get a chance to present an analysis of this when it does come.
Here's why.
The last three years have seen a few changes in the editorial team at Australian Flying, with Kreisha Ballantyne taking on the print magazine, a new publisher in James Ostinga and new people joining the ranks of feature writers. There is one more change to come in 2025: me. My tenure as editor of the Australian Flying website and the weekly eNews is coming to an end in December, and as a consequence, The Last Minute Hitch will also cease. Kreisha Ballantyne will take on editing the eNews and website as well as the print magazine from early 2026, bringing her own style and fresh ideas to the site. It's bittersweet for me; I have been full-time with the magazine and website since March 2012, and although I have learnt so much and interacted with so many knowledgeable experts, it has been a taxing role. My plan now is to return to the role of freelance feature writer for the print version, so I won't be disappearing completely. You knowledgeable experts will still be seeing my name displayed when your mobile rings for a bit longer. The final LMH is due out on 12 December, after that you will all need a different way of finding out that it's Friday.
May your gauges always be in the green,
Hitch
Good bye LMH -