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IHC150

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About IHC150

  • Birthday 13/05/1967

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  • Aircraft
    Xenos Aerovee, ProMecc Sparviero
  • Location
    Beechworth
  • Country
    Australia

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  1. Thanks Nev! You're on the money about how flat it is! Great place to send an overconfident student pilot for a Nav exercise with nothing but the basics (i.e. no GPS/EFB etc switched on). Not many big lumps of dirt or rock or big puddles to use as landmarks and if you are coming in from the south it can be tricky to work out if you need to go left or right when you cross over the Murray or hit the Murrumbidgee! Especially if you haven't been keeping a close eye on the compass - you can easily end up ๐Ÿฆ˜Edward! Cheers Lawrie
  2. Hi all, I finally had the ๐Ÿฆ†๐Ÿฆ†๐Ÿฆ† line up last week (not the holes in the swiss cheese - fortunately!) where some free time coincided with some decent weather so I ventured out for an overnight camping trip to Hay. There have been a number of days recently where fog has been an issue around the aerodrome at Corowa - inevitable given the location next to the Murray River - but with a bit of patience, safe flying weather can often be found in the afternoons. I managed to join together enough shreds of video footage from the trip to make something that is watchable - at least my daughter tells me it is watchable, but she is biased! Anyhow, feel free to click on the link if you are stuck indoors and need a bit of an aviation fix or as a distraction from one of the coldest starts to winter in a long time. Alternatively, if you have access to an aircraft and it's not blowing a blizzard outside, turn off the PC/tablet/mobile phone and get out there and aviate! ๐Ÿ˜ ๐Ÿ›ฉ๏ธ๐Ÿ›ฉ๏ธ
  3. Evening all. Here's a little video of a flight to Urana NSW I did recently - making the most of a little fine weather in the south eastern Riverina. Grab you favourite bevvy, put your feet up and enjoy the trip ๐Ÿ˜ Cheers to Ralph Emery who maintains the airstrip at Urana. He keeps it in excellent condition. If there has been recent rain, give him a call before flying in to ensure the grass/clay strip is suitable for landing. See contact details in the video.
  4. Not wanting to hijack your thread Alan, but on a related issue, how many non-private aerodromes allow dogs airside anyway? I know several council run airstrips in my area and they do not permit dogs on the grounds. If this is widespread then does that negate some of the benefits of relaxed regulation in relation to carriage of fur people? Now on another tangent (just so I can vent!) - I felt compelled to have 'words' with some visitors to my local aerodrome last Saturday. I had just flown back in and I knew another aircraft was not far behind me when I pulled up and noticed a large black dog frolicing around the apron area (I think it was a big Labrador so frolic is probably the correct term). I walked over to the people who I perceived to be the owners (who had also let themselves in through the gate airside) and asked if it was their dog. They indicated it was and how they thought the aerodrome was a wonderful place to come and throw the ball and let the dog have a run. I pointed out to them that dogs were not permitted at the aerodrome and how having an unleashed dog airside was a particularly bad idea, especially when aircraft were taxing close by. I then watched as the owners tried unsuccessfully several times to call the dog back - they clearly had no control over it - which just added to my frustration at their lack of commonsense. Goes to show that despite signage at the entrance to the aerodrome you, will still get ignorant/entitled/inattentive people doing silly stuff. Righto, now I have that off my chest (deep breaths!). Cheers Lawrie
  5. Hi All. I did a nice little flight from Corowa NSW to Mount Beauty Vic via Wangaratta about a week ago in the Sonex Xenos, so I took the opportunity to try out the 360 camera to capture the flight and I put the result on YouTube. We had a bit of an impromptu morning tea with some of the Mt Beauty crew and had a diverse range of aircraft turn up from around the region (eg. Tumut, Wang, Benalla, Corowa and some private airfields). The video runs for about 15mins - and no the Xenos isn't that fast (I wish!) - I have sped up the video in sections. Good for a watch while chilling out with your favourite bevvy. Cheers Lawrie https://youtu.be/QSyP-Ut0XiU
  6. Hi RF - I have a Garmin Aera 660 in my ProMecc Sparviero and it has an option to set a reminder to switch tanks. I have mine set for every 30mins but from memory you can customise the length of time. A grey dialogue box with "Switch Tanks" pops up which catches the attention but is not obtrusive. One touch and it disappears and the timer automatically restarts. I'm not sure if it has an audible warning as well, but of it does I don't use it and I don't see any need for it as the dialogue box is effective.
  7. Great topic! I hope one day to tackle the Morning Glory over the Gulf in my Sonex Xenos. The idea of riding those air currents for 100s of kms really inspires me. Not an unachievable dream by any means, however it is a case of getting all the planets to align. Eg. favourable weather conditions, work & family factors, Covid restrictions, etc. It would be an epic adventure in the Xenos just making the trip from down south to Burketown - one that would need to be carefully planned for with plenty of allowance for contingencies!
  8. I doubt anyone here will throw the book at you over a simple spelling mistake. (Although I may get a roll of the eyes from my straight faced German relatives over that dad joke).
  9. I went there a few times when the museum was open and in my opinion it was a top notch display. It also used to be a stop over for Deluxe Coaches. On my one and only bus trip from Melbourne to Sydney we stopped there and the quick tour of the museum was a welcome distraction to the monotony of the trip. I have photos somewhere (the old fashioned printed type!) but no video. A quick plug for Precision Airmotive who now occupy the museum hangar - Doug and the team are a highly professional bunch who keenly support aviation of all types. I recently undertook a instrument upgrade on my Xenos and Doug provided hangar space and access to his team to design the new dash on CAD and then cut it out on their water jet cutter (for a reasonable price). They were very tolerant and assisted with advice, equipment and consumables while I muddled through the process. Great to be sharing hangar space with the likes of the Electra, P40, FW190, Grumman Goose etc. I believe Doug is amenable to people having a look at what is in the hangar so long as prior contact and appointment is made. Keep in mind that this is a business and no longer a museum, so no photos/video are allowed and no "drop-ins".
  10. Hmmm. Here in the sunburnt country we have traditionally been a parochial bunch when it comes to brand allegiance. Eg. Ford Vs Holden, Vic Vs NSW, NT Vs Canberra and the eastern states, Jabiru Vs everyone else. Sometimes this is based on fact, but often it is not. It will be interesting to see if any brave soul is game to enter the fray and provide unbiased insights.
  11. Not from the Log Book, but I found the attached photo while cleaning up the study to allow my wife to work from home. My first ever flight in an aircraft of any type was at the Yarrawonga Air Show in 1993 (I thought it was earlier but my wife tells be otherwise). It was April and my birthday was coming up so my better half decided to take me to the air show as part of my birthday gift. Little did I know, that she had organised a flight in a Tiger Moth (one of my favourite aircraft as a kid). We arrived and commenced looking around at various aircraft and then my wife started ushering me towards a particularly nice DH-82A and introduced me to 'Captain Bogglesworth' (if memory serves me correctly). My mind was a blur as the realisation hit me that my childhood dream of flying was about to occur. Like many, the younger version of me had started off dabbling in making balsa wood gliders. These were launched off the top of the cricket practice nets at the local footy oval, or I'd recruit someone to tow launch the gliders. The tow launch versions had a rudder which was held straight by a linkage to the tow hook and once the pressure came off the tow hook a rubber band would pull the rudder to one side causing the glider to circle in big loops back to the ground (not always successfully - some were lost into properties bordering the oval, never to be recovered - hours of work down the tube!) I'd spend many afternoons on the weekends, sitting and watching enthralled as local RC enthusiasts flew their aircraft from the school grounds at Macleod Technical School on Kingsbury Drive. These were the times when heat shrink was relatively new and for the well heeled. Being restricted to the income from a morning and afternoon paper round, I initially had to be happy covering my gliders in tissue and dope. Later, with assistance from my mother I graduated to control line and then RC aircraft (I still have my first 29mhz, 2 channel mustard coloured Kraft Transmitter). I digress - back to the main story. Captain Bogglesworth (CB) led me to the aircraft and began the pre-flight briefing. His sobriquet seemed a perfect fit given he sported a dark and full moustache on his top lip and was dressed in a beige flying suit and flight cap. Predictably, I asked when I was going to be given my parachute. With a slightly pained expression on his face, CB advised me that I would not require one. It was about this time that I also found out that I wasn't merely going on a scenic flight around the aerodrome and over Lake Mulwala, but that this was going to be an aerobatic flight. Once I was strapped in the front seat, we taxied to the holding point and my stomach was full of butterflies as the excitement continued to grow. Soon we backtracked onto the runway and the memory is still vivid of the sensation as the aircraft picked up pace as we rolled down 19 and gently rose into the air. How many times had I dreamt of that moment! It was different to what I expected, but in many ways exceeded my expectations. Once we had gained altitude, CB yelled over the noise of the engine and the wind to check if I was ready for our first aerobatic manoeuvre. We proceeded to do a variety of rolls and loops and I was very conscious of the little mirror mounted on the strut in front of me which allowed CB to keep a check on me and ensure I wasn't about to discharge my breakfast all over him. I did my best to keep my head up through the first loop and looking ahead as the horizon disappeared below the nose and the sky, then the upside down horizon and then the ground filled my view, but I have to admit on the second loop to becoming fixated on the instruments inside the cockpit and I didn't look around. After a while, we finally settled into a couple of gentle circuits before CB brought us down for a very smooth wheel landing. Once released from my harness and standing back on terra firma (on slightly shaky legs I must admit), I shook CB's hand vigorously and thanked him profusely for the experience. I then turned to my wife and gave her a huge hug and kiss for facilitating one of my greatest wishes. It was not quite all over however, and I was approached my one of the organisers who asked me to come across to the announcers station and be interviewed about my experience. At that time I was very inexperienced with public speaking, but the buzz I was still feeling carried me through the interview. The announcer was in on the secret and was aware that this was my first flight so he asked me how I enjoyed the flight. Having lost my inhibitions, I proclaimed that "it was better than sex" and then immediately regretted my poor choice of words. The announcer looked uncomfortable, but I received some chuckles from a number of the pilots and cockies around the grounds. Despite living not very far from Yarrawonga Aerodrome, it was not until last year that I finally returned to Yarrawonga Aerodrome, this time at the controls of one of my own aircraft. It had not been on my radar as a 'must do' thing, however I did feel a certain sense of nostalga as I touched down on 19 once more. I see that VH-AIP is still on the register. I must catch up with the owner and see if the old Moth is still actively flying.
  12. All good Methusala. Perhaps my post came across as being a bit flippant, but I do in fact support strong measures to exercise social distancing, limit unnecessary interaction and discourage congregation of large groups. I have an elderly parent in care and I'd be extemely pi$$ed (to put it mildly) if negligence or stupidity resulted in the virus finding it's way into the facility where she resides. My previous post was intended to highlight that perhaps there are now starting to be further steps taken to monitor movements, even if there is no obvious additional policing/security at aerodromes. As discussed elsewhere, these are difficult times for everyone and recreational aviation will suffer collateral damage. No flying in any circumstance will lead to skills diminishing and a lack of currency and when the constraints on leaving home are eventually lifted, we can expect there will be a spike in incidents/accidents.
  13. Interesting. I undertook an afternoon flight on Friday across the border to a private airstrip and return (no problem with social distancing as I knew no one was home at the remote strip). On touchdown back at home airfield there was a text on the phone from Telstra simply stating "Stay at Home". Coincidence? Perhaps big brother is watching??
  14. A big thanks to the team at Deniliquin AD for the hospitality and hearty continental breakfast on Sunday morning. It was a good turnout with aircraft arriving from all points of the compass. The Wang Bugsmashers (photo) were in attendance and we enjoyed a pleasant flight over and back - although a little bumpy at times (84nm each way). I'd recommend the Sunday breakfast at Deni to all - a bargain at just $10 for the full breakfast. Don't forget the RH circuits on 06 and 12! Cheers Lawrie
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