You may be pointing the way, Ben! Perhaps what is needed is just a
centrally located DATABASE (GFA?, maybe WIKI?) of known hazards. The
database could be updated by any pilot and not always with warnings,
maybe a "great feild south of the farmhouse, nice cold beer inside" or
similar. This database will grow over the years and represent a great
part of the country we may outland in! As a side, this thought came to
me with the recent release of the ATSB information of a crashed chopper,
killing all aboard. They had hit a wire, game over instantly. We are now
flying around with these wonderful gadgets capable of vast amounts of
detail, why not include more information about the ground?
Yes, I know its not a substitute for good lookout.
Thanks for the input, Wayne
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
------------------------------
Message: 4
Date: Wed, 22 Mar 2006 19:52:30 +0800
From: "Ben Jones" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: [Aus-soaring] SWER
To: "Discussion of issues relating to Soaring in Australia."
<[email protected]>
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
reply-type=response
Hello all,
SWER power lines are generally in WA 98% privately owned by the consumer ,
The electricity supplyer ( Western power ) in most of WA is liable and will
maintain infrastructure up to the "Point of attachment" (POA) ,which is
usally the first pole within 20 meters of the property boundary , on the top
of the pole the incomming grid line(s) will be joined to the Consumer line
to the property that connection is the point of attachment ,
I had a friends farm property snap the Consumers line out of the POA , the
local linesman arrived the next day mounted the pole undid the cover and
said to the owner "Your cable has corroded thru and snapped ....call the
local electrican he will sort it out for you ".
Then my phone rang with a frantic friend come out and fix my incomming
powerline......needles to say i had to go up the power pole like a rat up a
drain pipe and repain the live connection .
Btw SWER = Single Wire Earth Return
Reporting of the physical location of consumer poles and wire was reported
(many years ago) but now with the move for Electrical Contractors to self
Regulate compliance to the standards as long as the contractor signs off
that its legal the regulators and supplies are happy , if its wrong the
legal powers to be come at the contractor at a very fast rate and usally the
contractor gets heavy fines a nice pink "notice to corect " and loss of
contractors ticket and sometimes loss of all electrical licences .
The best thing to do is to send out a blank proforma to all the farmers that
people know along most frequently use glider routes and around airfields to
sketch , measure and draw the infrastructure on to a suppled topographic map
and send it back to a" central colation point " where the data can be
digitally drawn on a map and marked with notes about the lines and
transformers , in what ever drawing package that is compatible with pda's
used for glider navigation then uploaded possible to the gfa website every
month as changes are made and new information comes to light so every one
can down load and update their PDA databases monthly
..........just my $ 0.02 worth yes i know it requires a bit of leg work but
in the gliding world you would be supprised just how many local farmers do
fly gliders and even powered aircraft
regards
BEN
WA Licensed Electrican
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