onetrack

I've been to Baradine and the Pillaga! - and even lived for a week in the farmhouse ("Cumberdeen") that belonged to the famous Eric Rolls! - the farmer/naturalist/writer, who wrote the book, "A Million Wild Acres", about the Pillaga Scrub that adjoined his farm. It's a fascinating place. The BIL was renting the farmhouse at the time (1994), and we stayed with him while we were touring the Eastern States. Eric Rolls died in Oct 2007, and unfortunately, it appears the Cumberdeen farmhouse is now abandoned and derelict. https://insidestory.org.au/golden-disobedience-the-history-of-eric-rolls/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/kennygiblin/15425736596/in/photostream/

I was in partnership from the early 1980's to the early 1990's in a gold tailings treatment syndicate. There were 6 of us in the syndicate - myself, my older brother, his wife, and 3 other unrelated blokes, who all had gold mining and tailings treatment experience. One of the partnership blokes (Don - he was the oldest at the time, in his 60's) was a WW2 RAAF New Guinea veteran. He was born in Sydney in 1919 but signed up in Menzies, W.A. in 1942, so I think he was chasing gold during the War. Inducted into the RAAF, he was attached to 2 MWS (Mobile Works Sqdn), which became No 2 ACS (Airfield Construction Sqdn) towards the end of the War. Don got out of the RAAF in Oct 1944, I'm not sure how he wangled that, maybe the Airfield Construction programme was winding down rapidly by then. He related a few PNG tales to us, and one in particular was when he was at Lae, he came into contact with other Australians who had been up at Bulolo, and in the surrounding mountains. Don obviously knew the area was a good gold province and started asking the soldiers if they'd ever found any gold in the streams in the mountains. He said a few of them (who might have had mining experience, anyway) said to him, "Oh yes, there's a heap of gold in the streams up there in the mountains! We just picked up the bigger chunks, and threw the fines away!!" (Alluvial miners who seek gold in streams are always intent on making sure they get the fine gold, this is what adds up! - not the few small nuggets!)

http://www.airwaysmuseum.com/Junkers G31 VH-UOW.htm http://www.airwaysmuseum.com/Downloads/New Guinea Gold.pdf

Yes, Lae is on the coast, which is where the gold-mining equipment was landed. But then it had to go from Lae to Bulolo, which is way up in the highlands, and inaccessible by road. I can remember one story where upon takeoff with one of the Junkers, the centre engine tore itself clean out of its mountings and tumbled to the ground below the aircraft. The takeoff was aborted.

The 2 stroke GM or Detroit Diesels are far from dead. The U.S. military still has over 30,000 of them, powering large amounts of their equipment. There's still 250,000 Detroit Diesels in operation. The MTU company still makes new components for them, and you can even buy new V8 and V6 Detroit Diesels, you just can't use them in on-road equipment. https://www.mtu-solutions.com/au/en/stories/company/history-detroit-diesel-2-cycle-engines/keeping-a-good-thing-going.html

Only brake lines are double flared, because they have to resist substantial pressure levels. I have a Rothenberger RoFlare double-flaring tool, it's the dux nuts for perfect double flares on Bundy tubing. I've only ever done double flaring on steel (Bundy) or copper lines, I've never used or tried double flaring aluminium tubing. Copper is unsatisfactory for brake lines as it "work hardens" with vibration and the pulsing of brake pressure, so it must not be used in that application. https://www.amazon.com.au/Rothenberger-26033-RoFlare-Compact-Flaring/dp/B002JASATC

.... to tell Loxie, that he once flew BAe-146's, and he outranked Loxie on every level. "But I know you nearly wrecked the Queens one, with a runway overrun!", cried Loxie. "Ssshhhh!", said Charles. "You're not supposed to know about that - and making a big noise about it, could see you possibly lose your head!" "I've never lost my head yet!", said Loxie, "and I've been in some horrifying flying situations, including running out of battery reserve in an electric Drifter, and having to ...........

One small consolation is that Vanessa Hudson is going to be paid less than Joyce. However, no doubt her total renumeration will be vastly increased by bonuses, the same as Joyces income was. https://www.afr.com/companies/transport/new-qantas-boss-to-be-paid-up-to-5-8m-in-first-year-20230505-p5d5wq#:~:text=Incoming Qantas chief executive Vanessa,his first year in charge.

....stayed black, and Loxies brow furrowed as he typed "Red", Blue", "Green", "White", in increasing desperation. Meantimes, the ground was getting closer and closer and...........

.....the new array of switches and controls in the new Electric Drifter, and it wasn't long before he was struggling to land it. After 15 attempts at landing, 6 of which he accidentally buzzed the Coronation Coach - thereby raising a level of alarm amongst the Kings security detail, not seen since the last IRA bombing - numerous weapons were trained on the Drifter as it descended for another landing attempt. But as Loxie reached an altitude of around 200 feet, he heard an almighty.....

Gee, are you building a tank with 3m thick polycarbonate windows, Skippy?? I guess you really meant 3mm - but hey, that metric system is foolproof, isn't it?

Yeah, there's a few things I wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole! Sounds better than a 3.048M pole, and I know exactly how far 10 feet is! What bugs me is, in the transition to metric sizes, we managed to get ripped off at nearly every turn. 1/4" and 1/2" steel plate became 6mm and 12mm - when it should've been 6.35mm and 12.7mm - but we still paid the same price, as the inch sizing! Vast amounts of other items were "shrunk" in the same manner - and I still like MPG, it's far better than that abortion of a measurement, "litres per 100kms"!!

I reckon I've seen very few life insurance policies that cover private flying in single-engine light aircraft, unless cover for it was specifically requested. When that occurs, the premiums go up substantially.

I'm with facthunter, aluminium is terrible stuff for becoming brittle, and fracturing with movement. You'd want to do pipe clamping at short intervals to ensure no possibility of movement.

It always pays to remember that insurance companies operate on the same principle as banks - they hold an umbrella over you when the sun is shining - but pull it away when it starts to pour. I give both of them as little money as possible. Put the money you'd pay an insurance company into an asset that gives good returns, and the amount will soon build up into a sizeable backstop. After all, isn't that what insurance companies do with your money, anyway?

I enjoy flying with the Middle Eastern airlines, where the aircraft aren't full, and the Middle Easterners are happy to keep funding their loss-making flying. My partner and I once flew business-class Doha to Perth with Qatar in a beautiful B777-300ER - complete with lay-flat seats, with inbuilt massager! There were only 9 people in the 34 seat business class cabin, and we got the seats for the princely sum of $1700 each on special. That was 10H and 55mins of the most enjoyable commercial flying I have ever done - even the meals were cooked for you, to order.

A good CEO keeps worker morale up and keeps the clients happy - and thereby makes good profits and keeps the banks, finance houses and shareholders happy. But the current crop of CEO's are taught the American way - shaft the employees to add a dollar to the bottom line, treat the customers like the wood ducks they are - have no empathy for any employee who displays loyalty - and continue to ensure that pay rises of senior executives far exceed the pay rises of the employees. And if it's necessary, simply fire thousands of employees without even a thank you, or a kind word. Monetary Greed rules in their closeted world, and everything and everyone has to kow-tow to those Great Gods - massive ROI, and huge Profits. I'll wager if detailed studies were carried out, most CEO's and senior executives would be classed as sociopaths.

John Wayne was 6' 3-3/4" (193cm). Not exactly short by anyones measure. Here's your shortlist (pun intended) of short intimidating leaders. I don't know who was the worst of them, Franco was the most brutal, ruthless leader in Central Europe, Stalin in Eastern Europe, and Kim Jong-il probably beats them both. https://www.ranker.com/list/shortest-world-leaders-from-history/katia-kleyman

Yes, as a vertically challenged individual, I can advise I have never had any aims of becoming a tyrant!! However, I believe PM Billy Hughes was a bit of a short-arse? Although he was still taller than me. Allan Joyce is reportedly the same height as Billy Hughes - although some sites tell tales, that Joyce is 5' 10". Must have been a corporate site, aiming at "booming him up".

....the general area with White noise - thus outraging the BLM group, who wanted to know why White noise was chosen, and Black noise was treated disdainfully, thus making millions of.........

OME, don't forget you need follow the NSW Raffle Regulations, even if the prize is small. https://www.rafflelink.com.au/raffle-regulations-for-nsw/#:~:text=If you are an individual,sign off on the Application.

Biomimetics refers to manufactured systems or processes using chemicals, that mimic biological systems or processes. It looks like the Chinese have invested a lot of effort into this new battery design. The claimed increase in energy density is very substantial, it will be interesting to see how it pans out in practical use.

She speaks all the corporate gobbledegook well, she'll fit in nicely. Whenever I hear "going forward" spoken repeatedly, I know exactly where they've got their obfuscation training. This is pretty relevant ..... QUOTE: "While Qantas has returned to profit, a report by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission released last month showed it was contacted 1780 times about Qantas over the 2022 financial year, an increase of nearly 70 per cent on the previous year, and the most complaints it has ever received about an airline." https://www.smh.com.au/traveller/travel-news/memo-to-the-new-ceo-here-s-what-qantas-passengers-want-20230502-p5d4xe.html?utm_content=INTRO&list_name=10078_traveller_news&promote_channel=edmail&utm_campaign=traveller-wednesday&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_term=2023-05-03&mbnr=MTAwODM2NDQ&instance=2023-05-03-12-00-AEST&jobid=29631042

The RR Condor I engine utilised a Bristol gas starter. http://all-aero.com/index.php/component/content/article/64-engines-power/9249-rolls-royce-condor

Vapour compresses a lot more easily than a liquid, so all the recommendations from agencies with authority, are not to overfill fuel containers, to allow for liquid expansion. The U.S. Army handles more petrol than anyone else in the world, so I guess they know what they're talking about. https://www.army.mil/article/246291/respect_the_dangers_of_gasoline_protect_you_and_your_family