naremman

I take it that you married both the protoype, and entire production run of that variant!

In a test of memory, I recall an incident agout 40 years ago when the pilot of a Baron had a wedgie some through the screen while on final to Barrow Island. The pilot landed safely, though I think he lost the sight in one eye. That was not the end. The wedgie survived the hit, and was keen on retribution. I still chuckle about an incident on the 1984 Airtourer Simpson Desert Flight. Approaching Birdsville Stan Tilley decided to descend and check out the birdlike on the Diamantina River. Descent followed by a quick ascent (well as quick as a 115 Hp Airourer will allow), as Stan was not keen on a pelican vs Airtourer collision that far from Hobart. Bonnie's input was not recorded!!

In a test of memory, I recall about 40 years the pilot of a Baron have a wedgie come through the screen on final at Barrow Island, clobbering the pilot. The pilot subsequently landed safely, though I think he ended up losing the sight in one eye. That was not the end of it. The wedgie was not dead, and was keen on retribution. I still chuckle at an incident of the 1984 Airtourer Simpson Desert Flight. Approaching Birdsville Stan Tilley decided to descend to check out the birdlife on the Diamantina River. Descent followwd by a very smart ascent (well as quick a climb away in a 115 Hp Airtourer) as Stan decided a pelican vs Airtourer collision that far from Hobart was not prudent!! Dunno what Bonnie's input would have been at that point.

What great footage. Living in the Central Wheatbelt of WA we often get the opportunities to get close to Wegde-tailed Eagles. I will never tire of looking at them. Today I was raking hay and had a solo wedgie stalking some unfortunate quail. Brutally efficient. For quite a while a few years I had a wedgie that made a home in a mallee tree, that had a rabbit warren close by, just past lift of point on Western departures on my farm airstrip. We both experienced a number of close encounters. No height and bugger all airspeed made a few of the meetings especially interesting. Two years ago I was boom spraying adjoining a paddock with lambing ewes. I observed a wedgie swoop on an abandoned merino lamb and attempt a take off. At about 2' AGL it realized that it had exceeded Max All Up Weight and jettisoned poor lamb. I walked across to the lamb thinking that the experience had probably not done it a lot of good, and was surprised to see that other some minor lacerations all was well with the unfortunate ovine. Took it back to join the wife's five other pet lambs, Was promply named "Wedgie". The good news is that this year "Wedgie" presented us with a beaut ewe lamb. Talk about a close encounter.

Sage advice. My late first wife who was a journo, had the philosophy of never saying anything in any form about anybody, that you were not prepared to say to their face.

Tomo, have you worked out how to expalain to our urban cousins how the nice looking images of those bovines are going to end up on foam trays at Coles or Woolies?

One can never tire of such footage. The irony is that the Lancaster evolved from the dud of the the Manchester. There is a beautiful example of the Lancanster at the Air Force Museum at Bull Creek in Perth. In visiting the museum a few years ago had a chance to talk to one of the old boys who had completed a tour on Stirlings (lucky boy), instructed on Stirlings and then converted to Lancs. His comment was that with the bomb and fuel load "when you go got to 200' and had the flap and gear retracted you started breathing again"!! An engine quitting prior to that point resulted in seven telegrams being dispatched. It is sobering to think of the number of Australian aircrew who provided manpower to Bomber Command and the price paid. Bomber Harris won his point, but how many lives were cut short for his opinion to prevail? To think that a 20 yearld old sergeant pilot with 250 hours total time was in command of a Lanc with six other crew members, flying a 1000 mile mission over Germany at night facing flak, weather and night fighters heightens the respect of those in such a position. This week as a St John Ambulance Officer I was involved in a transfer out to an RFDS evacuation for a lady a few weeks short of her 100th birthday. Her late husband was a fomer RAAF navigator who had completed two tours over Germany, and was highly decorated. A few discrete words to the RFDS pilot, and he was prepared to vary the track slightly to fly over the farm farm where this lady had spent so much of her life. It made one appreciate how close we are to losing living contact to those who experienced these machines, accomplishing so much in an demanding area.

Deadstick, you don't indicate what you are flying, or its range. Resonable priced Avgas is available at Ceduna at the Eastern end, and Kalgoorlie and Esperence at the Western end. Anything in between you can anticipate at the significantly expensive end of the spectrum, though you will no doubt be pragmatic enought to accept and pay for it. Going West it is best to go full tanks out of Ceduna, and then see what range and the winds open up for options for you. I generally go CDU-CAG which is 435 Nm, and has the advantage of following the highway. Nullabor and Border Village then are possibilities. CDU-Forrest is 300 Nm, and Forrest-KG is 343 Nm, which is mind numbing following the railroad. Can remember flying my Airtourer 100 solo East in 2003 for the 25th Anniversary of the Airtourer Association, and was headed to Sydney to connect with my wife, who flown over with Virgin to spend time with family. Following the 360 Nm leg from home to Caiguna, I refuelled, grabbed a steak sandwich and drink, and payed the same as the Virgin airfare to Sydney, and still has 160 Nm to get out of WA!! The flipside is that you will see some scenery that will reside with you for the rest of your days. It might dent your walllet, but will leave you richer in experience. The experience of flying South of the Nullabor cliffs, and still within gliding distance of the highway, cannot be priced. Weather can become an issue quite quickly. A moist onshore Southerly can create some interesting conditions. And the Nullabor has experienced one of its wettest winter on record. We look forward to you reporting your experiences Deadstick. Travel well, and safely.

Turbo, be careful not to offend too many of the flying farmers that frequent this site. There are a few of us. Tomo et al may well descend upon thee.

Any part on a machine that you have a spare on the shelf for is never the one to fail. The paddock furthest from the workshop will always have the greater number of breakdowns, especially when the wife is at work teaching. There is almost nothing that a farmer can't fix with a bit of good fencing wire. "Yeah we do have a replacement part in Australia. It is in Melbourne" We live Central Wheatbelt WA!!

Speak for yourself Nev. We have all occupied the space where Tomo and Winks are now, but des not aquiring an element of maturity give life a far more different perpspective?

Changing the naming of a night rating to Night VFR a number of years ago was sound reasoning because it gives far better definition. When I attained my night rating it was called a Class 4 Instrument Rating, which was a complete misnomer. Night time was not considered Instrument time, but you had to sufficient proficiency to do a 180 on instruments when on a pitch black night one penetrated cloud and the rotating beacon was winking back at you via the cloud. I contend that not all night flying is the same. A flight on a moonlight night in a well maintained and equiped aircaft, no terrain challenges and good weather conditions with a well rested pilot is probably going to have a good outcome. A change to even one of these variables and the risk factor increases significantly. Aviation is renown for not being all that forgiving. Unlike the lead for this thread, sadly there have been too many examples where the crew are not present to give their perspective to the ATSB with bingle with a NVFR component. Some of my most memorable and satisfying flights have been at night, and I am certainly glad that I have experienced flight at night and had the benefit of the skills accrued. One of the best decisions I have ever made in my life was in the early 80's when we were doing a winter flight from the West to Victoria. We were planning PIR-BLT with the last hour at night. I rang Parafield Flight Service (back in the days when you could actually talk with a person) and the bloke said: "I will start with the BLT TAF". Snow, rain and cloud base info made the decision very easy. Found a motel, ordered dinner with a nice bottle of red, and accepted that we would be arriving a bit later than planned. That weekend two aircraft crashed in the East at night, with five lives lost. I accept that night flying will not enjoy universal acceptance, but I still regard it positively if you accept the limitations, and act prudently and safely.

Took a while Tomo, but I got it. We more mature blokes take a while to find a way around these computers!! Easter Sunday in the Central Wheatbelt in WA. Thankfully both the aircraft were in the hangar, and just a few dings in cars. This cell was only about a mile wide, and for the rest of the season whenever there is any rain arounf it follows the path of the hailstorm.

Are you single Tomo? You might not make that "Old Pilot" category!!

Woops, a clanger on my part. Put an "e" into describing Scotch whisky. My Scottish ancestors will admonish me quite severely!!

When your address commences with RMB (Roadside Mail Box), and concludes with WA, with Australia Post involved, it's not a good idea to hold ones breath. Whilst I enjoy an occassional Scotch whiskey, I hope that Old Bushmills Irish Whiskey is a portent of what will be served in heaven!!

Said mangement have not being doing us too many favours on the the share price front. As one of the clowns who voted "nay" to the $6 sellout, I attempt to avert my glance away from QAN share price today!!

Brett. I would hope that you received some affirmation and recognition for your actions. Whatever chance of survival your Pt had, your actions did not preclude that possibility. Within the ambulance environment we will review the considerations and pose the question: "Did I do my best?" In your case I think there is an obvious response. Sitting on your hands and waiting for the paramedics to arrive 20 minutes later would have had a pretty predictable outcome. In acquiring First Aid skills we all hope never to use those skills. Life never seems to work out all that easily. The time and effort required to acquire my ambulance skills has turned out to be a blessing many times over, even outside the ambulance environment. I look at my 80 years young Dad, and am grateful that my ambulance skills gave him a chance of survival two years ago when he had a heart attack. Cardiac arrythmia was covered in the theoretical sense when I did my ambulance training, and I certainly was not looking to my old man to provide me with my first practical lesson. That was the reallity I faced, and the medication I was able to administer, and subsequent actions at least kept him on deck. Ironically, Dad was visiting his sister in Perth last week when she experienced a stroke. He was at least familiar with some of the issues, and managed to get a good number of them right. The attending paramedic made them comment to Dad: "You have have saved that lady's life". Made Dad feel pretty special. First Aid skills should be seen as an investment in life. $200 max for a course valid for three years, and a resonable first aid kit for around $60 is pretty cheap insurance. My wife is a teacher and she introduces First Aid concepts to her Year 3 charges at 8 years old. They are sponges for knowlege, and they put together a basic first aid kit together for $10 each. Sadly aviation has all too many instances when people have survived the initial crash, and then perished throught quite easily preventable circumstnces. We may well assess ourselves as competent pilots. but just how well equiped are we to deal with pear shaped outcomes with a component of trauma?

I have a smart phone, but the phone has a dumb owner!! It really is taking me a fair while to put a handle on even a few of its features. The capability amazes me, and i am slowly getting around to using some of its features, but it aint a fast process.

Great advocacy for the First Responder concept by Litespeed and Jake.f. The stats on those within the general population who attain and maintain First Aid qualifications is not too encouraging. The importance of the DRSABC sequence can not be understated. The incorporation of the "S": Summon Help, is really useful. Too often critical time is consumed before the call to summon an ambulance is placed. Mobile phones have been a boon to getting appropriate medical care to a scene promptly. Remember that a little early quite often produces a better outcome rather than waiting for the arrival of the cavalry later on. I suppose I am the ultimate hypocrite, waiting until I was 50 before I did my first formal First Aid course, and then joined St John Ambulance and attained Advanced Ambulance Care qualifications as a Volunteer Ambulance Officer. It is never too late, and it is surprising the reticence encountered when I attempt to promote to mature couples the benefits of doing an easily accessible First Aid Course. "Its a good idea, but........"

Fiction: Goodbye Mickey Mouse by Len Deighton is a good read. In non Fiction: if you can find a copy of Tale of a Guinea Pig by Geoffrey Page, and read it in parallel with The Last Eneny by Richard Hillary is a fascinating contrast. Both authors were Battle Of Britain pilots who experienced horrific burns and were early patients of Archie McIndoe when he was pioneering his treatment of burns patients. That both guys could have such a similar experience, but relate it in an entirely different fashion, is what really interested me. An old paperback that sits on my bookshelf, yet on ocassions gets a dust off is One Man's Window by Denis Barham. Barham was a fighter pilot posted to Malta in 1942, which was not conducive to living to be an old man. He also was an artist, which is what gives his book such a unique perspective. War in s Stringbag by Charles Lamb leaves one absolutley amazed that he experienced what he did over such an extended period, and lived to tell the tale. The Neville Shute Norway books are all great reads. Slide Rule is autobiographical in nature and relates quite a few of his experiences as an aeronatical engineer. Most people can recall airship R101 which crashed in France with a heavy loss of life. Little is recalled of R100 a Vickers airship designed by Barnes Wallis, that was built and successfully flown in the same era. Neville Shute led the team that did all the stress calculations and rose to be Wallis' assistant on the project. No computers then, all the calculations were done on paper with pencil and slide rule!! Every time I go near a second hand book shop I tend to loose myself for a while seeking out the obscure and rare. Many is the time when a good read has followed. The Royal Aero Club at Jandakot has an excellent library, so I don't know whether any of the other aero clubs might have something similar.

Last month I purchased a Repco branded hand pump from the bicycle section of Big W for about $20. It is made of plastic, but in the uses so far on bikes and around the farm, has performed well, and has the bonus of only weighing 470 grams. No battery required. Armstrong powered!! It aint no Rega air pump, which at least had some metal incorporated and was made in Australia, but it might fit the bill. Somebody had a Rega pump for sale on Ebay last month, complete with the original cardboard packaging, and it sold for $19.99, yet the postage was going to set the purchaser another $17.

Spin, sorry to say that you will probably face quite a challenge to lay your hands on "Flight of the Kiwi". Cliff Tait attended the 1999 Airtourer Association Convention in Mildura, and even he said that he was finding it hard to locate enough copies himself so that he could give a copy to each of his kids and grandkids. He always scoured second hand shops hoping to pick up a copy. Cliff also wrote "Water Under My Wings", which really is compelling reading, and gives a fascinating account of his delivery flights of NZ built aircraft, which includes details of over 100 single engine crossings of the Tasman Sea. Claude Meunier's website, Earthrounders, currently has a photo of ZK CXU on its home page, and I think there are some more details on Cliff's flight within the website. I currently have both of Cliff's books, but the only time I have let them out of my sight was to loan them to Claude, on pain of calamitous consequences for their non return, when he was developing his website. Wishing you well in seeking out the book, and it really is a great story that is deserving of greater coverage.

Without wishing to make light of the contemporary flights, they certainly make an interesting contrast to the Around the World flight made by Cliff Tait in a 115 hp Airtourer in 1969. Cliff managed to get his Airtourer registered in the Agricultural Category!! Max take off weight went from 1650 lbs (750 Kg) to 2000 lbs. The only navigation aid was a valve driven ADF. One of the more challenging legs of his flight was the flight across Greenland. Weather meant that Cliff ended up landing in Sondre Stromfjord, and he was intent on proceeding onto Iceland. After assessing the options he took nine hours of fuel onbaord rather than a full load of 15 hours, and painstakingly coaxed the Airtourer to over 11000 feet to traverse Greenland!! It is great to marvel at all aviation accomplishments, but the risk factors in these feats should never be lightly dismissed. I suppose Lindbergh has no shortage of people who thought he was crazy attempting the Atlantic.

One essential consideration in this process is taking the flap extension speed into account. In a lot of aircraft airspeed on the downwind leg exceeds Vfe, which means airspeed has to washed off at some stage before flap gets thrown out. What my ex Army instructor taught me many moons ago on a C172 has stuck with me to today. Clear the turn, apply carb heat, commence base turn, throttle to idle (cos if you fly bigger iron later gear warning will activate should the U in BUMFH be missed), maintain nose on the horizon, rollout onto base leg, check inside Vfe, 20 degrees flap, advance throttle to 1700 rpm, and amazingly the trim setting on downwind is pretty close to where you need it on base leg. Any attempt to put flap down over Vfe triggered a veritable explosion from the right hand seat!! Students sensitivities were given scant regard then. Making the transition to RAA aircraft the same technique was employed for both the J160 and Foxbat. The J160 when solo has about 20 knots to wash off from downwind before flap extension, and is certainly quite slippery when clean. The various models of Cesna 172s that I have flown have quite significant differences in Vfe, and flap settings. The D model I learnt on had a Vfe of 80 knots with 40 degrees of flap. I then graduated onto a M model, and currently own one, with a Vfe of 85 knots and still with 40 degrees max flap, which I really like. The newer variants have the preselect flap, with the first 10 degrees able to go out at 110 knots, but are limited to 30 degrees of flap. Certainly a good reason to check the POH to make sure the right numbers are ingained into the grey matter.