zenonie

Hi all, I reckon this is the place to ask if a flying instructor just happens to be wandering past my place some time in the near future could he/she drop in and give me a little of their time to do a BFR. I'm in SW Qld on a station that takes in visitors so we are well equipped to look after people. I want to do the BFR in my plane, a skyfox. If I go away to have it done I can't find a skyfox to do it in and I do not want to fly my plane any where near the east coast! AARRGGHHHHH! Just happy flying it around out here chasing cows around. Hope that someone can help me out one day. c ya zenonie

Really your dream machine Darren? Are they that good comparitively? It's the newest and spoofiest thing with wings that I've ever seen but I haven't been to any air shows or had much opportunity to check out some of the new things getting around. I do know that it sure is an improvement on the 20, 30 and 40 year old GA planes we are all so used to. No offense to any one!!!!!!! or their plane. But the engine has been around a long time, not much new there. This plane is for sale too, wonder what he wants for it. The guy flew it back to oz from America himself, that would be super interesting to do. zenonie

Had some visitors to Kilcowera a few days ago, 4 guys who flew in to spend the night a have a bit of a look around. Over tea that night the pilot asked if I would like to have a bit of a look around the property as it has rained here recently and I have been grounded so haven't been able to see how much water in Lake Wyara and what creeks have run and just generaly see how much water is about the place. So we jump in his plane - the most beautiful machine - a Cirrus SR 22 only 2 years old with a 320 horsepower continental engine. It's the fastest, slipperiest small plane that I have ever been in - and he let me fly it!!!!!!!!!!!!! Unreal! So modern and sleek and two big screens giving all sorts of info. ( I reckon after you set up the cruise control he could probably get pay TV in there too ) The control collum was very easy to use with the trim right near your thumb. Bit different to the little Skyfox. Oh well horses for courses, he flies all over Oz, I only fly around Kilcowera. Had a lot of fun though! Cheers zenoni

A Blast from the Past The following article is provided from the RAAF archives and intended to present those old and bold readers with a touch of nostalgia. It is an example of the way some accident summaries used to be reported by investigators. Whoever said that those who conduct and review aircraft accident investigations need to be a dour, humorless bunch? Date: 21 Nov, 1946 Aircraft: Mustang Location: Williamstown NSW Degree of injury: One (uninjured) Nature of accident: Airscrew struck runway during landing run. Cause and remarks: This must have been well worth watching. As we write we have at our elbow an eyewitness who supplied us with a graphic account. It appears that the pilot approached too fast and covered half the runway in a series of elegant bounces. At the top of each bounce he seemed to move the stick sharply forward and then darted towards the runway at an angle which became steeper and more horrifying with each bounce. At the third attempt the inevitable happened and a perfect three pointer ( two wheels and the airscrew ) was made. The airscrew bit into the runway throwing lumps of asphalt right, left and into the radiator which was badly punctured. Showing a magnificent regard of everything, the pilot now taxied back to dispersal leaving a long trail of glycol smoke behind then, completely undaunted by the fact that smoke had reduced the local visibility to about two yards and that one blade of the airscrew was only just clearing the cowling, he was prepared to leave the engine running ready for the next pupil to fly. We gather that the sight of the pilot emerging out of the pall of smoke so unnerved the CFI that he was almost incapable of speech. Fortunately, he was able to tell the pilot to switch off. On being questioned, the pilot said that there had, to him been nothing abnormal about the landing except that the brakes might be binding slightly. We presume that the subsequent cloud of smoke was attributed to the fact that the engine might be a little hot!

Cetainly is sucky, GI J, the lame assures me 4th July. He's a little hard to peel away from the coast though. Had 33mls, so now we have had about 100mls for the year, hardly drought breaking. all the best, zenonie

I think my Skyfox has a cracked head, happened towards the end of our mustering. Am now waiting for our Lame to spare the time for a home visit as plane not going any where. Sooooo frustrating not being able to jump in plane when something on the property needs checking. Apart from 1 flat tyre and CASA directed maintenance this little plane has performed beautifully for us for 10 years. On a brighter note it has rained here overnight, yeehah! cheers zenonie

An oldie but still a scream I reckon! It takes a college degree to fly a plane but only a high school diploma to fix one: a reassurance for those who fly routinely in their jobs. After every flight, Qantas pilots fill out a form, called a 'gripe sheet,†which tells mechanics about problems with the aircraft. The mechanics correct the problems; document their repairs on the form, and then pilots review the gripe sheets before the next flight. Never let it be said that ground crews lack a sense of humor. Here are some actual maintenance complaints submitted by Qantas' pilots (marked with a P) and the solutions recorded (marked with an S) by maintenance engineers. By the way, Qantas is the only major airline that has never had an accident. P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement. S: Almost replaced left inside main tire. P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough. S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft. P: Something loose in cockpit. S: Something tightened in cockpit. P: Dead bugs on windshield. S: Live bugs on back-order. P: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 feet per minute descent. S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground. P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear. S: Evidence removed. P: DME volume unbelievably loud. S: DME volume set to more believable level. P: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick. S: That's what they're for. P: IFF inoperative. S: IFF always inoperative in OFF mode. P: Suspected crack in windshield. S: Suspect you're right. P: Number 3 engine missing. S: Engine found on right wing after brief search. P: Aircraft handles funny. S: Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right, and be serious. P: Target radar hums. S: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics. P: Mouse in cockpit. S: Cat installed. And the best one for last . P: Noise coming from under instrument panel . Sounds like a midget pounding on something with a hammer. S: Took hammer away from midget

Beautiful flying here yesterday, autumn is the best time of year out here, where it is usually so hot. sixtiesrelic asked where Kilcowera is - it's far south west Qld. Check out our website! Got most of the cattle in yesterday and trucked 4 decks away today, so a day off flying today, back into it tomorrow. The Gazelle is a fantastic little plane for mustering. I used to use a Piper 140 and the difference between the two for the same job is like whether you would rather drive a truck or a motorbilke around in the scrub. cheers zenonie

Hi fellas and girls. DId 4 hours in the Skyfox Gazlle yesterday and yes basicly flying low and slow , moving the cattle in the direction you want them to go. Sometimes blocking the lead if they are going too fast for the stragglers. But the hard job is finding them in the scrub for a start. They get very cunning and duck under trees and stand so still you can't see them. When you do find some by the time you turn around to have another look or to get them moving it's hard to know which patch of scrub to dive bomb or look at. I'll get some images from the air again sometime soon. Should be a big day today as we have to try and finish this first paddock and truck the fat cattle tomorrow for sale in Toowoomba Monday. c ya zenonie

It's that time of year again when we start our annual muster. Started yesterday in a 10,000 ha paddock that had some rogues in it. usually they hear the plane and head for the thick mulga and plant under it and I can't see them. I had 2 blokes on the ground on motorbikes and we got about half of them. We have turned the waters off in the paddock, so we will see what else appears out of the scrub in the next week or so looking for a drink. Today we start in Kimberley paddock ( 11,500 ha )and will have a bit more joy in there as there are nice quiet cattle in there, not the neighbours idiots. Going to be selling a lot of cattle once again as the drought continues on here for the eighth year in a row. I do a fair bit of flying in the next two weeks as well as out on the motor bike when necessary. busy time of year. See ya all!! zenonie

Yep that's us, we are also a member of outbackbeds.com more info on their about us and other interesting and out of the way places to stay. We have a massive pelican rookery on Lake Wyara which is our eastern boundary just got back from showing a few people around out there. There is in excess of 10,000 birds out there getting ready to breed, it's a stunning sight. There are some photos at http://forums.overlander.com.au/viewtop ... highlight= cheers zenonie

What's the ad? ATader did an ad for us a year or so ago for free too. They are good to deal with. We put our little Kilcowera ad in when we think people are going to be flying around out here. IE Birdsville races, Innamincka races and just generally in the cooler months. zenonie

Hi and thanks for the welcome. Can't believe how fast this year is going. The tourist season is upon us already what with easter being so early. Got lots of visitors booked in to stay with us over easter. Supposed to have a LAME coming out this week to do the 100 hourly on the little skyfox. I hope he makes it out as we start our mustering here in about 3 weeks. c ya zenonie

Can't help but notice all the blokes out there and no ladies to speak of. I found this site from the ad in the ATrader. Can't belive I haven't stumbled across this site before! :shock: Living in such an isolated place as I do I love reading and participating in forums on subjects that interest me. So much info,expertise and help all in front of you. I started flying in 89 in a Piper PA 28, flew WBJ around the south west of Q for 9 years mustering mainly, but some trips away and checking waters and fences after rain. 1998 saw us sell the piper for what we considered to be a better plane for the job, a Skyfox Gazelle which I am still flying these days. It's a beaut little plane for mustering but a trifle slow if you want to go somewhere. Anyway I hope to have a bit of fun here and maybe learn something. Some of you people may even call in, on your way somewhere in the future. Cheers zenonie