kevb

Yup, even with the bank fishing I'm doing with the Drifter at the moment the sneaky buggers will come right up to the bank, they have absolutely no fear of man at all. I'm always very aware of crocs up here but some of the people that I have seen over the past few years make me wonder. I can't believe that more haven't been taken. You have to remember that these animals have been at the top of the food chain for a very long time.

Hey Frank, No I don't know anything about that one, I have seen a few over the years that have been shot however I don't really believe that that is the way to go. I'm not a big believer in killing an animal for no reason. I do believe that they need to be culled, as it seems to be wall to wall crocs at the moment, however it I think it should be as humanely as possibly and if the local communities can benifit that can only be for the better. Adelaide River crocs are the ones that used to make me very nervous, they would come right up beside the boat and would come right along side and I can tell you that a 3 metre croc making eye to eye contact made me pucker. I spent very little time in that area, however it is one of my favorite places to take people in the Drifter to go croc spotting.

Frank, that is a good set of tracks, a 5 metre croc is a massive animal and I have seen several up here over the years that would have to be around 3 to 4 metresor bigger. The traditional land owners want to introduce controled hunting up here and I agree with them as the croc population has exploded over the last 10 or 15 years or so. I have had a 3 metre croc come and chew on my boat prop on an overnight trip in a billabong, lets just say I beat a hasty retreat and the beers got a flogging after that. I think a controlled cull that benefits all parties may be the answer and it will make life a lot safer for everybody. I 've had a few mates over the years that have had a few close calls and it seems to be getting a lot more common. Lets hope that things are sorted soon.

Hey Frank, Nice pics mate, I've been seeing plenty of lizards up here at the moment, it seems the every creek no matter how small has a croc in it. I was lucky enough to go for a fly along the beach around the Vernon Islands the other day and I couldn't resist a quick stop and walk along the beach. It was on of the best day's flying that I have had up here for a long time. Saw a some of thread fin Salmon busting some bait fish close to shore so I think a return trip with the fishing gear may be in order. All the best mate, Kev.

Hey Frank, I do believe that I would be puckering quite a bit if they really were bent like that in flight.

Hi Everyone, A mornings fun at Emkaytee and surrounding area. Cheers, Kev.

Welcome LTT.

Got a bit of cabin fever this weekend and decided to get away for a while. Loaded up the Hornet and went wandering around the Pine Creek area South of Darwin. Got a bit cool up here as well, I do believe that it was around the 20 degree mark when I left MKT, had to wear a jumper for the first time in a few years. Fantastic weekend for flying, can't wait to head out again.

All I can say is WOW, thats awesome.

Frank, that scenery is fantastic. Love your pics as always. Kev.

Hi Guy's, Had planned to take the Hornet on a trip to Adelaide River Township South of Darwin this Morning to see if I could play in the thermals and wind currents generated throughout the hills to the SW of the town. Everything looked good from the ground as I left MKT but as I climbed there was the biggest bank of fog and haze that I have seen so far up here. Visibility was still within the allowed but it still makes me nervous when big and fast bits of aluminium can pop out of the haze at speed. Decided that tomorrow is another day and returned to MKT. Hope it clears through the week, I have a paper chart nav planned next weekend as part of a camping trip away.

Hey Des, Enjoyed the morning, great day for flying, hope that you guys had a great flight as well.

Hi Everyone, Finally got the Yellow Hornet back into the air today after doing quite a bit of maintenance, here's her first flight after two and a half months of sitting idle. Here's a few pics of a trip to Gunn Point approx 25nm East of Darwin. The conditions were perfect, even a little chilly, thought at one stage that I could do with a light jacket. Anyway here's a few pics.

Love those pics Frank, and if I lived a little closer I would give my left testy for a Tablelands run with you and Frank Bunyips. :)

Hey Guy's, Sitting at home on the computer feeling a little bored so I started looking through a few of my pics from the last year. Thought I'd post a couple of a few trips I've done around the territory in the Hornet. The Hanger pic was taken at Daly Waters and the building is heritage listed, not really sure but I think it's a WW2 Building. Kev.

hi scre80, No strip at Pine Creek as such, most of the strips that we use for this type of getaway are old WW2 strips that are dotted throughout the area. Mac Donalds is the strip that I camped at on the weekend and it is around 10nm to the North of Pine Creek. It wasn't used much through the war as water was an issue, however there are a few small creeks around the area that hold water for a couple of months after the wet. The area that I took photos of is a waterhole that is used as a swimming hole by a few of the members of the Top End Flying Club that take the families out for a camping trip after the first rains. The strip is in pretty good condition considering that it is not maintained as such and the asphalt still covers the bulk of the strip. I've got next week off work and am planning a three day trip to see a few more of the strips in the area and do a little fossicking and fishing as I go. Gotta make the most of it up here this time of year, the camping is pretty good. Kev.

Thanks Frank, That gold is pretty elusive, I reckon that the trip to and from is the real lure that keeps me keen. The Drifter is still down for maintenance, however,I've had news that the part I need isn't far off. The Foxbat is pretty good, but it's the Drifter that I really love doing these trips in. Makes it a hell of a lot of fun, amazing how much stuff you can strap onto one. Can't wait to get it back into the air.

Got home from work Friday afternoon and felt the urge to get away, grabbed the camping gear( always packed) hit the airstrip and was away. Flew down to Pine Creek, approx 90nm South of Darwin, camped the night and spent the day fossicking around some creek beds with the metal detector, found a total of 8 rusty beer cans and bugger all else but the scenery was pretty good and I didn't see another soul apart from one tourist that called in after seeing the Foxbat. The flight home was fantastic although the smoke from the many fires that we have this time of year cut visibility back quite a bit. Here's a couple of pics.

I hope these help, Kev.

Give me a couple of days...we have one in my hanger and I can take some pics for you

1992 in a wire braced 503 Drifter for me. Gave me a love of flying and of Drifters

Hey Guy's, Just got back from a trip to Crab Claw Island and Dundee Beach Lodge in Darwin, got a call from a mate yesterday afternoon who was keen for a trip. The Drifter is still down for maintenance so I took the Foxbat for a run. A great night was had at Crab Claw and we did a beach run to Dundee for breakfast. Fantastic way to spend the weekend. Here's a few pics.

Cheers thanks for the info. I will make sure that it is inspected, cleaned and primed when I put the new bracket on. Gonna take my time and make sure that it is done properly, its my wifes favorite plane to fly in so I cant be to careful.

Thanks Frank Will do with regards to checking the pan. Cheers Kev

Hi Frank, Things have slowed somewhat at the moment, I was conducting some maintenance on the Hornet when a friend noticed some cracking in the bracket that holds the center pole of the A frame and landing gear legs. Ripped it off to have a look and this is what I found. No flying for me for a while. I have been lucky enough to find a replacement so I won,t be grounded for long. The crack that we saw didn't seem to bad at first but as soon as I started to lift it little bits of metal fell away from the bracket and I could see that it was cracked pretty much all the way through. Have you seen much of this before on Drifters?, the hornet is a pretty high hour aircraft and has been used for training through the years so I expect that this bracket would have been pretty stressed through all of the landings ect plus I have been flying the paint off her as well. Anyway, counting the days till she's back in the air. Kev.