Classic Wings DC-3 VH-CWS Sydney-Perth Trip Report Day 3+4

[Uncle Chop Chop]

Classic Wings DC-3 VH-CWS Trip Report Day 4

 

Well hello again folks. It?s the Board?s resident madman, Uncle Chop Chop, with another update on the progress of this historic Event.

 

I hope you enjoyed my last Trip Report. I?m sorry for not having this in straight away as I have found it difficult to get to the Internet however I am now typing on Chainsaw?s computer. I am in Sydney for 2 days but I will get to that in a later report.

 

And now for the last day of this Historic Flight to Perth.

 

Day 4

 

Everyone got to bed on Sunday night pretty early (about 9pm Western Time). The owner of the accommodation where we were staying told us that the Sun was due to rise at 5.47 WST. So with this in mind everyone set their alarm clocks for about 5am.

 

5am arrived and everyone was eager to get a few early morning photos. The owner of the accommodation met us at 5.30am and took us for the short but interesting ride to the airport where the Aircraft was sitting patiently for us.

 

Some magnificent shots were taken. They will be put in the Album here as soon as I get a chance to get home and edit them. 7.30 came around all too soon and the Captain decided it was time to lock up and depart. After saying goodbye to the folks at the lovely little town of Forrest, we started up and taxied out to the end of the Rwy for our Departure to Kalgoorlie.

 

Forrest-Kalgoorlie

 

I got to experience my very first jump seat Take Off ever in any aircraft (except for light aircraft). This leg wasn?t that exciting. It lasted a little under 2 hours. I didn?t have much to look at except for the odd Freight or Passenger Train heading for Adelaide or Kalgoorlie. The ground was mainly Desert, there were a few Cattle Stations on the way but they weren?t that interesting.

 

This leg would be a chance to catch up on some sleep that I might have missed from a few nights ago in Mt Gambier (too excited to sleep). Our arrival into Kalgoorlie was one that I have never experienced before. As we flew into Kalgoorlie from the East we passed over a Giant Mine that was in operation. There were trucks and mining equipment everywhere and one of the locals said that the mine was about 150 meters deep and about 2.7kms long. I got some great photos of it which will be posted with this report.

 

Arrival into Kalgoorlie Airport was a bit rough but once we touched down we were given clearance to go to the General Aviation section of the Airport where we were greeted by a re-fuelling truck that would give us the ?Motion Lotion? required to get us to Perth. We met the DC3 owner?s Mother and Uncle who paid for half of the flight. They would accompany us on the final leg to Jandakot.

 

Kalgoorlie-Jandakot (Perth)

 

This was a nice and enjoyable flight but on that note a sad one as it was the last ride on a DC-3 for this trip. After a steady Take Off and climb out there were a few chances for some photographs of the airport. Kalgoorlie has a big Airport but there were only 2 aircraft that were on the ground including us when we were there. Kalgoorlie?s main Rwy is just over 1500 meters long, long enough for a Boeing 737-800 and Airbus A320 to land there.

 

After a few course corrections we headed for Perth. 2 hours later everyone, including the Pilots on the aircraft, were treated to a 500 foot pass over the main Rwy at Perth International Airport and then a wonderful Scenic Flight around the City of Perth. Some of the photos were just fantastic.

 

We then made our way to Jandakot Airport after a few turns and lined up for the Main Rwy. After a wonderful landing, the aircraft was directed to a hangar where it will be kept and maintained while it is on the ground.

 

When the plane stopped we were amazed to see so many Airport workers and Pilots who come to have a look and take some pictures of the Aircraft. When we arrived at the Hangar we were met by everyone who had helped David in any way to get this plane from Sydney to Perth.

 

After the customary hugs and kisses from everyone it was time to toast the aircraft at its new home. David grabbed a bottle of Bubbly and popped the cork onto one of the Propeller Blades. After the toast everyone was invited to have a look inside it.

 

While we were on the ground a few nice planes went past. Most of them where light aircraft but it was interesting to see the Cessnas used by the Singapore Airlines for flight training and also we were lucky enough to have one of the RAAF Roulettes taxi pass us.

 

This was where I unfortunately had to leave for Perth International Airport so I could catch my Midnight Flight to Sydney. While I was at the Airport, a few interesting aircraft made their way into and out of Perth International Airport. While I was talking to Chainsaw on the phone an Air New Zealand Boeing 777-200 landed. This aircraft has got to have one of the best liveries on a 777 that I had seen in a while. There was also an Emirates A340-300 land and a China Airlines A330-300.

 

There were the usual Qantas A330-300s, Boeing 737-800?s, Boeing 767-300?s and the Virgin Blue Boeing 737?s landing and taking off but the real interesting airline and aircraft that I have never seen were the Skywest Airlines Fokker 50?s and 100?s.

 

The take-off of the Air New Zealand Triple 7 was phenomenal. As the aircraft sped passed the Domestic Terminal the noise and vibration were so enormous that every window in the Virgin Blue Terminal vibrated and shook. Definitely an experience in itself.

 

My Recollections of this Trip

 

This was the BEST ever Trip that I have been on. To be on a Classic Airliner like the DC-3 and to do such a historic flight it was was just ?unbelievable?. I still have to pinch myself to see if I am actually awake and not dreaming. This was the first time that I had ever been on a DC-3 and also the first time that I had been further West than Whyalla in South Australia.

 

The turnout of people at Mt Gambier was mind boggling. I had never seen so many cars and people out at the airport at one time. While at Mt Gambier Airport every person that went on a Joy flight all said that it was a great ride.

 

The people and the accommodation at Forrest were just superb. It is a tiny town but that was made up by the friendly atmosphere of the place.

 

Kalgoorlie wasn?t anything exciting when we landed there but I was told that during peak hour quite a few movements go on. The pass over the town and mine was brilliant, one that I would recommend to anyone.

 

The pass over of the main Rwy at Perth International Airport was awesome. I just can?t describe how it felt to be flying over a modern day Airport in a Classic Airliner.

 

Perth International Airport isn?t as big as Sydney International Airport and it didn?t have as many arrivals and departures but it was still a nice airport. If you are flying over to Western Australia try to make a stop at the International Airport.

 

All of the pictures that were taken are great and will preserve the memory of this flight. We have over 2300 photos all up and that was from 5 cameras in the space of 4 days. Some of the video taken was also good. There is enough there after being edited to make a 4 hour DVD which 60?s has planned to do once he got back to Brisbane.

 

I must say a Big THANK-YOU to 60?s for telling me about this trip and the owner David Gray for allowing me to come and participate in the manner that I did even if I was just a passenger and not significant to the flight, also thanks to Graham Lowder and Bill Gray for flying the Aircraft and giving me a memory that I will be passing onto my Grandkids one day and also to Brendan Scott for doing such a fantastic job at keeping the aircraft up to scratch. He really did a good job by putting oil in each engine after every landing and for doing all of the things that were needed after the final flights of each day. If ever you need to have an engineer on board, pick Brendan as he is a great bloke and he also does a good job.

 

In finishing all I can say is that if you get the opportunity to fly on a DC-3, don?t pass it up, go on it and experience the best damn flight you will ever go on in your life and experience what it was like to ride in the first plane to ever make money out of carrying passengers and not cargo.

 

 

[Guest Glenn]

=D>

 

Well done mate and a big thank you for taking the time out to let us know about the trip. You are an enthusiastic young man and your love for aviation shows in your posts.

 

Thanks again 8)

 

 

[Uncle Chop Chop]

Thank-You very Much. I wouldn't get that on the other message board.

 

 

[sixtiesrelic]

Haven't read the report because I'm hurtin' bad with a "slipped disk". Not sure if it's from baggage handling or jumping off the steps onto the tarmac.

 

Captain Bill and I reckon this trip was by far the best in our careers.

 

Meeting the two guys,.. chop chop and Brenden and experiencig their exuberance and sharing the fun of berserk photo taking was magic.

 

Every one of the seven of us who took part found their niche and worked at it with gusto.

 

Chop got short changed at Adelaide when we couldn't land at Parafield and lost the two joyflights(all dressed up and nowhere to go), but that was made up for the photo shoot at Forrest where we took hundreds of photos in the last hour of daylight, running around trying to get THE shot of the day.

 

Chop got one of the real jems when he was after the big puff of smoke at engine start and hit the shutter just as she backfired and a flame shot forward out of the carby intake.

 

We have close to 3000 photos and five plus hours of video.

 

Gotta lie down to stop the gremlin behind me bnging on the four inch nail in me bum bone.

 

Sixties

 

 

[Uncle Chop Chop]

Yeah that jump from the Stairs onto the Tarmac wasn't good. My Shoulder is Hurting after grabing onto the side of the door and pulling myself up. It has to lift a bit of weight.

 

It was a great trip and I thank 60's for telling me about it and to Bill and David for letting me go. They did a fantastic job and it was very enjoyable.

 

I will be posting a real big Trip Report from my whole trip until last night when I got home into Mt Gambier with lots of phots.

 

I will be uploading pictures from when I went to Sydney onto Myaviation.com, Rwy34.com and also the Album. I will post the other photos of the DC-3 into a Seperate Album. I will ask Glenn if he could make one.

 

 

[Guest Glenn]

I will ask Glenn if he could make one.

Already done, just waiting for you

 

 

[Uncle Chop Chop]

Well I will start uploading then. It will be a combination of the people on the flight pictures from whenn we where on the Ground at Many Airports.

 

 

[Guest Chainsaw]

Id like to take this opportunity to let you all know that I love DC-3's.

 

Maybe I should do a Poll on the Sound of Round. Tick the yes box :), if you tick the no box, you die. Simple eh?

 

Thanks for a great day yesterday Dan, you are a credit to this wonderful hobby ooops I mean obsession :p

 

Can wait to read more.

 

Chainy

 

 

[Uncle Chop Chop]

Thanks for a great day yesterday Dan, you are a credit to this wonderful hobby ooops I mean obsession :p

Chainy

NO THANK YOU FOR DRIVING ME AROUND AND SHOWING ME A GOOD TIME. [smilie=thumb.gif]