Coop

During the return down the valley we had the sun behind us, giving a spectacular view of the last few miles of the country we had just flown over. [ATTACH]525.vB[/ATTACH] The strip at Arkaroola needs to be treated with respect. The surface is good, but there is a high ridge to the west that creates some very nasty turbulence in a westerly breeze. We had almost calm conditions, so that was no problem, but in a stiff westerly we would have diverted to Balcanoona. The strip also slopes down at each end, so attempting to land just past the threshold can result in an "arrival" if you don't flare the aircraft so that it is travelling parallel to the surface before touchdown. In effect, this means rounding out and flying uphill a little. The northern end of the strip is also crossed by the northern access road, so watch out for careless drivers! [ATTACH]526.vB[/ATTACH] The Navigator, who didn't have much to do during the landing, tried for a nice shot of our final approach by hanging our new camera out her side window (!!). Murphy's law decrees that the prop will always be in the wrong position when the shutter goes off, but Murphy must have blinked, because she came up with this ineteresting perspective on the Arkaroola airfield. [ATTACH]527.vB[/ATTACH] The following day we were joined by another 8 aircraft- mostly "antiquers". There were three more Austers, a Piper Pacer and a Piper Tri-pacer, a CT4, a Piper Warrior and a Savage Cub. This latter aircraft was hired and flown by a couple from Belgium, and a chap from the UK came in one of the Austers. These three were members of the International Auster Club ( http://www.austerclub.org/ ) who had come to Australia at the invitation of the Antique Aeroplane Association of Australia ( http://www.antique-aeroplane.com.au/ ) to take part in our annual Auster rally at Broken Hill. To say that they were gobsmacked by the country we were flying over would be an understatement. The chap from Belgium, when planning his flying in Australia, had earlier noted that they always wore their life jackets when flying across the English Channel, a distance of 27 miles. Noting that Lake Frome was 40 miles across, he wanted to know if he needed to bring his life jackets!! His Australian contact told him that life jackets wouldn't be necessary, but he should bring his own water..... Over the next few days we did all the touristy things that people do at Arkaroola- walks in rugged gorges, visits to old mining sites, examining the sky at night through Arkaroola's 14" telescope, ridgetop tours and so on. We were also treated to some fascinating talks from a group of scientists- a geologist, a paleontologist, and an entomologist who happened to be visiting with a group of enthusiasts while we were there. Arkaroola is still active seismically, and they have a seismograph on the property with its recording drum located in the main office where you can see it. One monring we happened to take a look to see if there had been any activity..... [ATTACH]528.vB[/ATTACH] This was the record of the recent earthquakes that took place in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. There's always something interesting going on at Arkaroola... After a few days it was time to head for Broken Hill in order to meet all those coming to the Auster Rally. During the flight across Lake Frome, the Austers throttled back and stayed in company with the Cub and our Belgian visitors. (It makes a nice change when Dorothy has to throttle back for someone...). We decided to drop down and take a closer look at the surface of the lake to see if it would be safe to land on in an emergency. [ATTACH]529.vB[/ATTACH] But after a few miles it was clear that the surface was probably too soft even though it looked firm enough, so we climbed back to our cruise altitude and joined up for our formation approach to Broken Hill. (To be continued...) [ATTACH]17933[/ATTACH]

By now the sun had heated the ground and numerous columns of dust betrayed the presence of powerful thermals. Dorothy alternately lifted and dropped as she waded through them..... It wasn't long before the ground departed from its flat appearance and became decidedly lumpy- at least, out to the left. [ATTACH]520.vB[/ATTACH] To the right, the unending flatness of the landscape was only emphasised by the appearance on the horizon of Lake Frome. [ATTACH]521.vB[/ATTACH] The road builders in these parts don't need many bends. The one following the gas pipeline disappears over the horizon without so much as a wiggle except where it crosses a watercourse. The one crossing it in the foreground didn't even do that. [ATTACH]522.vB[/ATTACH] After passing Balcanoona (which now has a 2500 metre sealed strip- wonder what they are expecting...) we crossed the first of a series of ridges displaying the sedimentary strata typical of this area. [ATTACH]523.vB[/ATTACH] As Doug Sprigg explained to us later, these ranges were once a shallow sea which slowly sank to great depth as a rift opened up in the Australian continent and subsequently rose again when the two halves came back together. The result was kilometers of sedimentary strata were twisted and folded (like a tablecloth being scrunched up) and lifted and subsequently weathered down again to the current altitude. The Flinders Ranges are the result, and the plains to the east and west are where all the weathered rock went (along with the Uranium, Gold and other stuff of interest to prospectors). We called Arkaroola village (they have their own frequency) and advised them of our arrival as we crossed overhead, then turned and ran down the valley again towards the Arkaroola airstrip. [ATTACH]524.vB[/ATTACH] (To be continued) [ATTACH]17932[/ATTACH]

Surely it is! I'd be frightened to pull it out of the hangar, let alone start it up. Although, since it isn't powered by a Gypsy, I guess it wouldn't get that much oil on it.... Coop

Or, so I can appear cool and just like a real pilot, should that be YCGN-YARK-YBH-YCGN (I made the first and last one up- you won't find that code in your ERSA). Anyway, that's where we went- and we had a ball!! Day one dawned overcast with isolated showers, but at least a southerly wind helped overcome Dorothy's built-in headwind. (For those unfamiliar with Dorothy- she is an Auster J1, 63 years of age, high wing taildragger, rag and tube construction, cruise speed of 85-90 knots, Gypsy Major engine of 130hp, "Armstrong" starter, and few instruments. This latter feature is important, because it ensures limited distractions from the view, which is why we aviate in the first place....) So, with full tanks and a fair load of luggage, we headed north, climbing slowly to about 2,500' and sliding around patches of drizzle here and there. The countryside looked pleasantly green and lush- it makes a nice change from the dustbowl that has been SA in recent times. The Navigator, upon hearing that the freezing level was about 5,000', asked that we stay low to avoid freezing her delicate toes into little blue icicles. Forewarned, she was well rugged up, (ugg boots and thermal undies) and with the oil rag stuffed into the hole where the draft from the bungees usually enters the cockpit, and a conveniently located map blocking the draft from the edge of the door, we were relatively comfortable. By the time we passed the Morgan-Eudunda Road the drizzle had gone, and the cloud base lifted. North of Morgan-Burra road we climbed to 3,000' to put more space between the wheels and the dirt. The Navigator kept her finger on the map and identified various stations and water courses as we passed overhead, Dorothy's engine hammered away happily in the cool air, the ground slid past at over 100kts, and all was right in our little world. Yunta (YYUN for the real pilots) has a dirt strip conveniently located so its end is only about 300 metres from the town servo. We discovered this during our planning using Google Earth. We were not expecting Yunta to have Streetview, but it did, so we confirmed that what we thought was the servo was indeed the servo- although the resolution wasn't good enough to check the price... (This modern technology is simply amazing!) By the time we arrived the cloud was breaking up and the patches of sunshine kept the cockpit comfortably warm. [ATTACH]515.vB[/ATTACH] There was a significant crosswind, and a nasty little thermal on short final, so much stick-waving was required to wrestle Dorothy onto the ground and I almost went around for another go at it- but it all came good just before the wheels touched, and we settled in for the long taxi to the parking area- they prefer strips of a decent length in these parts. We pulled out the hammer and pegs and tied Dorothy down- the wind was a help while we were in the air, but a definite threat on the ground so we took no chances. Then with jerry can in hand we had a pleasant stroll into town. [ATTACH]516.vB[/ATTACH] After a healthy meal of pasty and sauce washed down with coffee, and a couple of trips to and from the servo to satisfy Dorothy's needs, we were ready to embark on the next leg to Arkaroola. During lunch we encountered another vintage aircraft enthusiast also en route to Arkaroola although, sadly, on the ground. He departed an hour before us, yet we reached Arkaroola about an hour and a half before him, illustrating the value of air transport in these parts, even with a comparatively slow machine like Dorothy competing with a modern SUV on relatively decent roads. Even a Tiger Moth would have been a revelation for people in the 1930's and 1940's faced with rough dirt tracks and the primitive motor vehicles of their time. When I hammered the pegs into the ground at Yunta, it felt like concrete. Things might be lush down south, but they'd had bugger-all rain in these parts, and the view from here on confirmed this impression. [ATTACH]517.vB[/ATTACH] A few trees dotted the water-courses, but there was precious little vegetation in between. Over-grazing was apparent in some areas. [ATTACH]518.vB[/ATTACH] I was glad we were carrying our PLB and our insulated container of 4 litres of water on this trip. By now the sun had heated the ground and numerous columns of dust betrayed the presence of powerful thermals. Dorothy alternately lifted and dropped as she waded through them. [ATTACH]519.vB[/ATTACH] (To be continued....) [ATTACH]17931[/ATTACH]

Actually, siznaudin is my agent and will be signing the autographs and taking questions on my behalf...... :rolleyes: Coop

G'Day Folks, Just a quickie to let you all know we are having a ball. So far have flown from home to Arkaroola via Yunta, and after a few days exploring the Flinders Ranges around Arkaroola, have crossed Lake Frome to Broken Hill. You should have seen the look on the faces of the folks from Europe after they arrived at Arkaroola. Never have they seen such nothingness!! Lake Frome on the run from Arkaroola to Broken Hill really blew them away. Last night there were 9 Austers and about 25 other aircraft at Broken Hill, with more arriving today. Weather up here is much better today, it was freezing cold and windy yesterday and made for some interesting approaches for those who flew in (we arrived the day before). Will write up a more complete report with a few piccies when we get home. Regards Coop

G'Day Sixties, I came across the attached document which I sent to a good mate of mine upon his achievement of a command in jet passenger aircraft. Just taking the mickey, of course, but its relevant to your comments. I hope the image I've uploaded is legible. You might have to zoom in a bit. Regards Coop [ATTACH]503.vB[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]17926[/ATTACH]

THAT'S why we own aeroplanes!! Sounded like a terrific trip, Kaye, covered some territory we've been over once in Dorothy, and would love to visit again. Nice to see the 707 lined up alongside the 747 at Longreach. It had only just arrived in Oz (and did its low pass at Longreach) when we were there. Now, back to work to save up for the next jaunt, eh? Regards Coop

Next weekend we are off on a week's excursion to Arkaroola and Broken Hill for the AAAA Auster rally. More of that anon. However, yesterday we thought we had better take Dorothy (our 1946 Auster J1) on a bit of a run to ensure that all was well for the trip next week. So, after a leisurely breakfast and tidying up the last of the washing, we tossed the toolbox into the back of the wagon (just in case) and headed for the hangar. As we were removing Dorothy's covers, Tim the Tiger pilot drove past on his way out. He stopped to inform us that there were about 10 whales (mothers with calves included) just offshore at Middleton. Our preparations became a little more focussed, and before long we were taxiing out. Selection of take-off direction was a little tricky as the wind was approximately at 90 degrees to the strip, but it wasn't strong enough to give us much trouble so we chose the southern end as the wind seemed to be favouring it a little. With all checks complete and a mental review of actions if the engine quit (turn left into wind and drop it into the crop- the farmer won't be happy, but that's life) we lined up on the strip and gave Dorothy her head. Its surprising how much extra runway a slight tailwind (combined with a very mild uphill slope) will cause you to use. We came off well beyond our usual lift-off point, with me glancing quickly at the RPM to confirm that we still had full power. The climb-out angle was also a bit flat, but a glance at the windsock a few seconds later confirmed that the wind had shifted a little (behind us) as we began our run. It just goes to show how important it is to always have a good margin of safety. The air was quite choppy and unstable, and the cloudbase surprising low, but the run south wasn't uncomfortable, although a little slow as the wind higher up was definitely southerly. There was some radio traffic, but not as much as I expected. On the way down I briefed the Navigator on our procedure when over the whales. Expecting much other traffic, I told her that she could look at the whales while I flew and looked for traffic, and then we would swap roles. This way at least one of us would always have eyes outside avoiding collisions. We crossed over Goolwa at 1500' and then descended to 1,000' and began to track along the coast. And there they were- big grey shapes with obvious tailplanes lurking no more than 200 metres offshore. Large black fins would occasionally rise up out of the water and slap back down again, and the sandy bottom was being stirred up by the turbulence from their ponderous wallowing in the shallow water. Ashore, a crowd of several hundred onlookers lined the top of the sand dunes, and there were more "surfers" in the water than you would ever normally see, all of them I suppose, hoping that one of the whales would wander in their direction. Smaller copies of the bigger animals huddled alongside their mothers, presumably filling up on milk before heading off on their migration to wherever it was that they were going. [ATTACH]502.vB[/ATTACH] Surprisingly, there was very little other traffic- in fact not a single aircraft, and after a couple of runs up and back past the pod, we decided to head towards Hindmarsh Island and check to see if Bazza and his wife were home. We might get a cup of coffee. Bazza is another Tiger man, and he also restores and repairs them. Sure enough, the hangar door was ajar, and we could see Joy, Bazza's wife, gathering up the dogs in preparation for our landing. There is no difficulty finding a runway into wind at Bazza's place- he's only got four! I managed to plop Dorothy onto the grass of one of these with nary a skip, and worked the brakes hard in an attempt to "bed in" the newly re-bonded brake shoes. This is taking quite some time, and they still haven't come up to full effect yet, although at least now they will hold her while I remove the chocks and climb aboard. The first time I pulled the chocks after the brake reline Dorothy began to creep forward in spite of the parking brake, and I was glad I had the Navigator aboard to look after matters! Bazza was as good as his word and before long we had steaming cups of coffee in our hands and were discussing the morning's activities. Bazza and two other Tiger mates had flown over the whales earlier that day and one of his passengers had taken some very good shots with her beaut Nikon SLR digital. (Put my little pocket machine to shame, but then, she doesn't have an aeroplane...). Then we embarked on a quick tour of the "toy shop" where we observed the progress on Max's Tiger- he was there polishing the stainless firewall to a mirror finish. Alright if you like that sort of thing, I suppose (sniff). With that completed, we decided we had better blast off again so as to get back to home base with some time to spare so we could have Dorothy ready for the Big Trip next weekend. So, after Bazza had given the prop a twirl, and Dorothy obliged by starting on the first blade, we took our leave. The take off went well until just before I rotated at 40 knots- my usual procedure. Dorothy appeared to sink slightly, and then we bounded into the air with the nose going skywards somewhat alarmingly. I soon had her back to her usual climbing attitude and speed, but made a mental note to call Bazza and complain that he hadn't warned me about the "ski-jump" at the end of his runway!! The run home was quicker with the tailwind and I decided that an approach to the west on the shorter of our two strips was called for as we still had a light breeze from the west. Now this is a somewhat challenging approach, and always fun. It involves firstly flying along about 100' over the top of an adjacent ridge, then turning and flying down a valley, across a paddock, over the fence, and onto the first part of the runway which is very much downhill. You need to use full flap, and the rule is clear- if you are not on the ground before the cross strip, then dump flap and go around, as you are lined up with hangars, a tree, and power lines, so a late decision is not possible. However, place yourself just over the fence at the right speed and all will be well- with a smooth landing guaranteed by the downhill slope. The second half of the strip is flat, and there is an uphill slope just before the hangars, so it's not quite as bad as it looks, but I don't tell the uninitiated that- it adds to the fun. The optical illusion on final makes the runway look far too short and the approach too low..... All goes well on this occasion and Dorothy floats gently onto the lush grass (it won't stay that way for long) and trundles to a crawl just after we cross the main strip. I work the brakes some more and I think they are working just a wee bit better- although that could just be my imagination.... We top up the oil, fill our Going Away oil containers and clean off the abundant bugs that Spring always brings before tucking Dorothy away to await our return next weekend. Then its over to the little French restuarant in town for another cuppa, some scones, and a chance to brag about our afternoon to the proprietor and her lovely young assistants. Life's tough, but someone has to do it.... Coop [ATTACH]17925[/ATTACH]

Hear! Hear! Nice shots. (I hate looking at other people's photos. I get camera envy....) Coop

Wow! 10 out of 10 for perseverance! Can't offer yu any help as I am in SA. But you might like to consider looking about for a country-based operation with the right sort of aircraft, and then taking a couple week's leave and doing the whole thing intensively. Restricting yourself to Bankstown might be the problem.... Regards Coop

If you are a Licensed Pilot (of any level), you already have an ARN. It's your license number- the number you record on the maintenance release when you do your daily inspection. (If you are not a pilot, then I don't know how you get an ARN, although I guess LAME's have them too.) You can apply for an ASIC here: http://www.aviationidaustralia.net.au/ Regards Coop

I believe there is also a limit to the weight of the aircraft you can fly with a RAAus certificate. Max weight for a PPL is 5700kg (provided you are endorsed to fly that aircraft, of course) versus 700kg (I think) maximum for RAAus aircraft. RAAus aircraft are also limited to 2 seats. RAAus is a good starting point- the aircfaft are cheaper, and although there are some restrictions, you can do a lot of flying with an RAAus certificate. If you want to go further, (more seats, bigger aircraft, etc.) then you can always upgrade to PPL later on. Coop

Let alone those of us who liked visiting cockpits...:frown: Coop

You'll hate it here, Amy. It's dead boring. There are no flame wars, and all everyone ever talks about is aeroplanes and stuff like that. No one throws any insults or gets their knickers in a twist, and they're all terribly civil even when they disagree. Still, if you can tolerate that, you might find something to interest you..... Welcome aboard, Coop

G'Day Westfallen, There's beginning to be a bit of a shortage of LAME's in Oz. You may do better than you expect. The warbird area is one you should check out. There's a company at Wangaratta that manufactures replica parts for warbird restorations. They get orders from around the world. Hope that helps, welcome to Oz. You may find us a bit over-regulated over here- if you have problems maybe you could check out the scene in NZ they have a thriving light aircraft and restoration/replica scene. Regards Coop

It's an ill wind, sixties.... That dispute was responsible for myself and the Navigator enjoying the privilege of a flight from Adelaide to Sydney in a Herc, including occupying the large jump seat at the back of the cockpit for the landing at Sydney. Mind you, we had to fight for it- on several occasions we were moved up to a 727 seat, but were put back on the end of the queue at our request. In the end there were only 11 people on theHerc flight. But I agree- no-one won anything from that dispute. And I am more nervous these days when I am a passenger in machines where there is no direct connection between the pilot's movements and the aircraft's response... Coop

Nope- never seen that one before. Thanks Tim! Coop

If you are prepared to sign your life away for a few years, try the RAAF first. Yes, they would take you through uni and an engineering degree if you meet their reqirements, plus teach you to fly. You could even go the way of rotary. But the standards are very high, both academically and physically. It's the cheapest way to learn (they pay you to do it!) and the training is good. After a few years you can exit the forces and fly commerically, by then you should have enough hours to land a job without to much difficulty. Otherwise its a long slog, very expensive (especially rotary) and no guarantee of a job at the end of it. If you have rich parents.... Coop

(...just over the border from Mount Gambier in Vic..) Ah- I see your difficulty- and my poor wordsmithing! It is Nelson that is just across the border in Victoria, but you could be forgiving for thinking I meant Mt Gambier, the sentence is somewhat ambiguous. I should have written : "Nelson, in Victoria, just over the border from Mount Gambier" Regards Coop

Hmmm- first time I've considered anything on "Dorothy" going supersonic!! Yep, it was very wet down the southeast. There were occasions where I wondered if I should have taken my life jacket with me... In that area there are lines of sand dunes (covered in scrub) which run more or less parallel withe the Coorong. They are, I believe, old shorelines formed as the sea slowly receded. The water was accumulating in the depressions between these lines of dunes. Coop

Welcome Degrees. Looks like your avatar has triggered an early memory for Siznaudin. Of course, I'm too young to remember Bertie...:tongue: Coop

Yep, that's what I reckon- it was very humid and pretty cold. I've never seen them before on my aircraft. They happened when I ran her up to full power to check the rpm for the maintenance record. Wish I'd thought to use my camera's movie option to film them- would have been a more interesting show. Regards Coop

Re: Karoonda Nelson return- Part 2. [ATTACH]478.vB[/ATTACH] The approach to Nelson [ATTACH]479.vB[/ATTACH] The runway at Nelson Next morning I ran Dorothy up to get her warm so we could do the compression check and was surprised to see little vapour trails coming off the propellor tips- something I've not seen on her propellor before. [ATTACH]480.vB[/ATTACH] Vapour trails from Dorothy's prop- you can see he trail running across the Pawnee fuselage in the background. The annual was straightforward- no suprises and little to be done other than the annual cleaning of various filters, some adjustment to the timing on one maggie, and a general inspection. All over by the end of Monday, so I was ready to go by Tuesday morning. The return flight was much the same- except the rain showers were further apart, and I had a head wind. The original plan to go via Naracoorte and Keith was thrown out because the rain had other ideas. My GPS (an old Garmin 89) has no map facility, so I worked hard to keep track of my position by rough dead reckoning. When dodging around like this, the GPS isn't much use- knowing you are 40 miles from Naracoorte on a bearing of 030 (to Naracoorte) gives you a rough idea of your position, but actually plotting it on the chart with one hand while flying with the other and bouncing around in turbulence is a futile exercise, so I usually keep marking the chart as I go with my best estimate, confirmed by an occasional fix, and use the GPS as a backup. [ATTACH]481.vB[/ATTACH] More showers on the way home However, in these conditions, a few minutes prior planning for the unexpected pays dividends. The previous night, as is my usual practice, I had checked likely landing places and programmed into the GPS any I could find along and either side of my track. So, when contronted by a wall of water I first turned towards Meningie, but finding that to be already inside the squall, I then turned about and ran for Tintinara, figuring I could beat the rain there if I sacrificed some altitude and opened the throttle a little. Keith was also available, but that involved backtracking and would cost fuel and time. Dorothy and I arrived at Tintinara just as the rain started, and spent an hour or so eating lunch and examining the fire-bombers and agricultural aircraft that call this place home. [ATTACH]482.vB[/ATTACH] The fire bomber at Tintinara The rest of the run home was easy- just a couple of showers to side-step and soon Dorothy was tucked back into her hangar ready for the next excursion. Coop [ATTACH]17916[/ATTACH]

It's that time of year again. The time of year when I take a week off and dodge lousy weather to get "Dorothy" (my Auster J1) down to Nelson (just over the border from Mount Gambier in Vic) for her annual inspection. This year the trip was preceded by a visit to a location a few miles east of Karoonda in the Murray Mallee. A chap there has taken on a monumental restoration project- a C-47 called "Irene". This machine was part of the American war effort in PNG, subsequently went into civil service in Australia with TAA, East-West, Connair, Ipec and a number of other less well-known operators. It survived a ditching into a lake (at night- no injuries), starred in a couple of films, and was the first aircraft to land in Darwin after cyclone Tracey almost wiped it out in 1975. She eventually came to a somewhat ignominious end as a MacDonald's restaurant at West Lakes in Adelaide. Jeff was unaware of her illustrious history when he eventually rescued her from that location. The restoration work is only partial so far- but the quality of what has been done is outstanding, as you can see from the photos of the cockpit. [ATTACH]473.vB[/ATTACH] Irene's restored cockpit She is now painted again in her wartime colours with her wartime name on the side of the cockpit. [ATTACH]474.vB[/ATTACH] Irene's external colour scheme Both engines run and most of the people who attended that day were treated to the sound of a couple of big radials. I say most, because my take on the weather suggested I should leave before that occurred, and this proved to be the right decision although I regretted missing the sound show. Cloud base out over the Mallee was about 3,000' but I had already had to dodge around one shower of rain to get to Jeff's place, and this was the pattern all the way to Nelson, with the cloud base getting lower as I flew further south. Near Keith I was confronted by a line of showers with no apparent gaps, and I was considering landing to allow the showers to pass. [ATTACH]475.vB[/ATTACH] Approaching a thin patch... However, after turning east, tracking along the edge and descending to 2,000', I found a thin patch where I could see clear air beyond and broke through. [ATTACH]476.vB[/ATTACH] ...and out the other side Further showers impeded progress near Padthaway, but these were smaller and I simply flew around them. Approaching Naracoorte I was busting for a leak (too much coffee at Jeff's place) and the weather wasn't looking too classy ahead, so I decided to drop in on the Naracoorte Flying Club and pick up a little extra fuel in case I needed to "hold" for a while. With extra fluid loaded into Dorothy's belly and the excess in my own belly eliminated, I blasted off again towards Mount Gambier just ahead of yet another shower approaching Naracoorte. About 10 miles from Gambier I was again confronted by a collection of showers. Going east might have got me around them, but there was no guarantee and that was downwind over vast swathes of pine plantations. I'd have to fight my way back upwind to Nelson, and this could put me too close to last light. Going West was also possible, but the diversion would be even larger. So, with one eye on my escape route behind me (back to the strip I had noted near Coonawarra) I closed in on the showers to see if I could find a way through. My navigation had me approaching Mt Gambier airfield (and the GPS agreed), so I made an inbound call even though I couldn't see it. A glance at the map confirmed that the highest ground around here was about 600' (apart from one aerial further west). The cloudbase seemed to be even lower, so I dropped down to 1,000' to get under it and turned a little east to parallel the line of showers. Then the showers thinned, I could see the cloudbase, the horizon beyond, and bright green paddocks. I made a mental note that if the world suddenly disappeared my escape turn would be to the left, and plunged in. The rain lasted for about 15 seconds, and I was out into bright sunshine and patches of blue above, with Mt Gambier airport right in front of my nose. [ATTACH]477.vB[/ATTACH] Passing Mount Gambier From there, the run to Nelson was easy, and I was soon lining up on their short grass strip to be met by Don who helped me tuck Dorothy away in the workshop overnight. (Continued) [ATTACH]17915[/ATTACH]