siznaudin

Good one Willie - I'll get the missus to look at this on the big screen ... she'll love it.

I'll be wearing a pink carnation, sunscreen & clothes. The Temora Hudson is to be there, I understand. Anyone else gunna show? If so, see you Sunday 14th.:)

Doesn't pay to be too smug, 'cause there's always someone else with an even better toy (and more moolah...) [ATTACH=full]1388[/ATTACH]

Good old Trove - here's the reference to the record flight: 2hrs 23mins Adelaide to Sydney... with a 70 mph tail wind! From The Canberra Times, August 6th 1950 ( I was one of the 20 passengers - a tender 9 years old!) Record Adelaide-Sydney Flight SYDNEY Two former war pilots chopped three minutes off the Adelaide-Sydney flightrecord in a T.A.A. Convair today. They covered the 780 miles in 2 hours 23 minutes in the "James Cook" airliner with 20 passengers on board. The pilots are Captain Ken Fox, 30, of Kirribilli, and First-Officer Peter Pascoe, 29, of Stanmore. The aircraft was assisted by a 70 m.p.h.tail wind. The average speed was 335 miles an hour, at 17,000 feet.

Found it: not on the list in the above link... scroll down to page 6. http://warungsobat.tripod.com/aug2004.html And a bit more here... http://australianetwork.com/englishbites/stories/s1213494.htm

Crikey - it hardly comes up as unusual ('though terminal in more ways than one...): try dropping these into your favourite search engine and see how frequently such incidents occur. douglas dc3 undercarriage stowaway darwin I was trying to find reference to the Indonesian/Timorese(?) youth who survived a flight in a DC3 wheel well, landing in Darwin. Frozen one side, burnt on the other and lucky to make it. I seem to recall he was given Australian citizenship? One of you out there'll be able to find it no doubt.

2. The Sky Beyond TAYLOR, GORDON Bookseller: Lake Macquarie Secondhand Books (Morisset, NSW, Australia) Bookseller Rating: Quantity Available: 1 ISBN: 9780553239492 Price: US$ 14.95 Convert Currency Shipping: US$ 7.25 Within Australia Destination, Rates & Speeds Book Description: Bantam, 1983. First Edition. Good , 12mo tanned some speckles of foxing. Bookseller Inventory # 17527 Bookseller & Payment Information | More Books from this Seller | Ask Bookseller a Question

This I've found to be a worthwhile place to start searching for out of print, or hard to find books ... good luck.:) http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchEntry

Wow! I knew of the Easter Island episode where Frigate Bird II had to be taxied around through stormy seas to a "sheltered" (a relative term only) side of the island, but not of the JATO misfire incident when taking off from Chile for the return journey. The Powerhouse site's a good one. Crikey, they were gutsy guys, no? Interesting to learn too, of the Empire Gallantry award undergoing its conversion to the George Cross. End of Empire, and all that ('though there are still some in the old country who don't recognise the fact).;)

Yes - they're amazing features ... and depending on what one smokes while setting up the camera - voila! [ATTACH=full]1316[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]18250[/ATTACH]

7 days? That's what the Bass Strait guys do (or used to do). Too much flying for my taste, but at least a 1:1 ratio. I could have coped with 21/21 but was quite happy with 14/14. Even more happily - it's all now finito. (Thk Gd.)

Interesting to see what the "..further examination" reveals.

Whoops - a bit of confusion here, and 'twas me responsible for not "spelling" it out (very punny). The antartic goof was on ABC radio, AKA "Auntie". Apologies..

I know, I know ... I'm obsessive - no need to tell me, but just last night I heard yet another from Auntie ABC, who really should know better. US worker airlifted from antartic by wheeled aircraft. God, I hate that.:mad: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/australians-airlift-american-from-antarctica-for-emergency-treatment/story-e6frg6nf-1226447878015 [ATTACH=full]1315[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]18249[/ATTACH]

I seem to recall seeing this footage somewhat earlier, but that's by the by. I'm only on the outside looking in (ie a non-pilot) but am I interpreting incorrectly somewhere? It looks to me as though they're well & truly airborne, but for some reason the pilot either cannot, or chooses not to, ascend to a safe altitude. And they were all very very lucky.

And having some recall, no matter how vague, of the TAA 240 with the airstair, it's of some surprise to me that having in 1973 travelled in an Air Pacific ("Air Pathetic" was the derogatory term...) BAC111 from Fiji to Vanuatu, I cannot recall the rear airstair on it. Ah well.... :rolleyes:

The TAA 240 is of special interest, as I reckon, through the mists of time and my dimming memory, it's the aircraft in which I (as a sub teenager) flew in from Parafield to Sydney. Hence my thinking that the Convair series had the airstairs - but now, of course you've clarified it for us all. I recall it set a then record time for the trip as there was a generous tailwind. I, accustomed at the time to travelling ADL to SYD by car, had a definite feeling of the surreal on walking from the station (Allawah) to my Aunt's place - it just didn't seem "right" that I could be there having only left earlier the same day. Yeah .. a long long time ago. Thanks Pete - well researched! [ATTACH=full]1313[/ATTACH] ps ... interesting that the turboprop conversion also incorporated an extension to the a/c's nose.

Didn't he exit via the rear entrance - and thereafter those (as fitted to the 727) were changed to be permanently locked shut while in flight? If you want to see a HIGHLY memorable chase scene involving a Stearman giving a pickup a hard time, try to chase up a copy of "The Pursuit of DB Cooper". Unforgettable stunt flying - and I'm not sure to this day whether it was faked or real. B****y impressive though! [ATTACH=full]1312[/ATTACH] ps - what other aircraft have been fitted with similar rear "aero steps" - anyone know? Convair 240/340/440 perhaps? pps: just had to add this link - what an amazing story! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D._B._Cooper

Here's the story to go with the image, but if you want more, go to http://www.neptunuslex.com/2007/06/27/operation-paper-tiger-ii/ “In October 1965, CDR Clarence W. Stoddard, Jr., Executive Officer of VA-25 “Fist of the Fleet”, flying an A-1H Skyraider, NE/572 “Paper Tiger II” from Carrier Air Wing Two aboard USS Midway carried a special bomb to the North Vietnamese in commemoration of the 6-millionth pound of ordnance dropped. This bomb was unique because of the type… it was a toilet!” [ATTACH=full]1311[/ATTACH]

Not to be politically incorrect or sexist, but what beautiful aerobatics ... YUM! ;) Why am I thinking "Brigitte Bardot" here...? [ATTACH=full]1310[/ATTACH]

Brings back a few memories... we were teachers at the secondary school there from '72-'75. They've extended the runway since that time. The school was just about opposite the terminal building. John Denver's "Leaving on a Jet Plane" developed huge signifigance toward the end of our time there. Take offs rattled the school louvre windows somewhat, too! "Topside" is rather green - almost all of it has been stripped of the (predominant) Tomano trees in order to extract the phosphate rock. Scuba diving pretty good too - after the fringing reef it drops off at about 45° to whatever depth you care to name. I was young enough (& silly enough?) to crack a single tank "bounce" dive to 200 feet on one occasion. All a long time ago now.

We're just too vunerable* to those outside influences which impact on what was once a great language... yes, language does change with time, but sheer b****y ignorance on the behalf of its users should not validate such change. *listen carefully next time you hear it pronounced thus, on (even) the ABC :eek: ...still not sent from my iPhone.

I suspect Peter may have started something here ... :D BTW, this http://theoatmeal.com/comics/apostrophe might prove useful. *not sent from my iPhone

OUCH, TSK! What a shame... ..not sent from my iPhone

"Murdoch and Packer - thanks for the news: read one page and you feel half boozed..." :rolleyes: