Tell us about your last flight

Do those rude bastards still cut you off by turning inside you on base and finals then hold you up and force a go around due to their ridiculously slow approach speeds?

Utube video of our recent Victor 1, World Balloon Championships trip.

OK, for the hard core contingent, here's the full length Victor 1 flight. We had superb weather thanks to Cap'n Puk's superior planning skills and the light was perfect for photography.

Getting dark early in Victoria, but if I knock off early I can just squeeze a little local flight in. The light is beautiful as the sun gets low, and it's times like this I wish I was night-VFR.

Maybe one day...

Added a Tecnam Sierra to the list of aircraft I have flown today. Nice light aircraft to handle after the 182 for so long. Looking forward to my next jaunt in it.

YTSW put on a beaut morning for it.

YTSW put on a beaut morning for it.

Do you mean YSTW?

My bad, transposed the letters by accident.

Heading off tomorrow from the beautiful Lachlan valley in search of the inland sea, some 300nm beyond the broken hill. Will let you know what we find and how much expensive avgas the musketeer can consume.

Yesterday I flew the coastal route between Loch Sport and McGauran Beach . The East Sale airspace was active at the time and traffic, both ways, limited to 1000’amsl. I transited at 800’ to ensure minimal interference with the frequent large helicopter traffic between the offshore rigs and Longford base, particularly between Paradise Beach and Seaspray. A proper lookout is essential at all times, and another set of eyes desirable. Close attention to the CTAF frequency 129.75 requires being ahead of the aircraft, even moreso than usual with minimal distraction . There is no recommended separation, either vertically or laterally, so most traffic will also be between 700’-1000’. Here are some pics from the journey....... Bob

- Tracking West along the beach at 800’

- Overflying Loch Sport on the way home, with Lake Victoria (L) and the mostly dry Lake Reeve ® . Further R Bass Strait.

- On approach to 04 Bairnsdale (YBNS)

Yesterday I flew the coastal route between Loch Sport and McGauran Beach . The East Sale airspace was active at the time and traffic, both ways, limited to 1000’amsl. I transited at 800’ to ensure minimal interference with the frequent large helicopter traffic between the offshore rigs and Longford base, particularly between Paradise Beach and Seaspray. A proper lookout is essential at all times, and another set of eyes desirable. Close attention to the CTAF frequency 129.75 requires being ahead of the aircraft, even moreso than usual with minimal distraction . There is no recommended separation, either vertically or laterally, so most traffic will also be between 700’-1000’. Here are some pics from the journey....... Bob

 

- Tracking West along the beach at 800’

 

- Overflying Loch Sport on the way home, with Lake Victoria (L) and the mostly dry Lake Reeve ® . Further R Bass Strait.

 

- On approach to 04 Bairnsdale (YBNS)

Ahhh Bob,

The joys for some who can transit through ESL airspace without a care in the world while some cannot even get off the ground from West Sale in the same parcel of airspace that has a huge boundary.

It’s lovely to look out and see others transiting through the D353 and the coastal route while bureaucratic BS keeps us grounded at YWSL.

I envy you all that can travel through the same parcel of air at anytime that I cannot get off the ground too also enjoy.

RAA still hasn’t offered us a 2/7th discount on our membership and aircraft registration for us that can only fly on a weekends (2 days out of 7) while others in our organisation can fly as free as a bird everyday of the week.

I can go get a RPL I guess for about $5 grand for all of 7 minutes to go out on the Princes route GA lane to get out of the airspace.

Then again I can always relocate to Bairnsdale lol, any decent hangar space up that way that the birds won’t shat all over my plane lol.

It’s all Good Bob

( not in anyway having a shot at you, just having a gripe over the RAAF, RAA and CASA & the local council for their fair and equal treatment (NOT) of people based on a council owned public airport that funnily enough has just had major works done to extend the runway and bitumen seal it as the RAAF don’t like spray seal as it’s hard on their tyres on the new PC21 aircraft.

Might see you at the Monthly meeting Sunday.

Cheers Alf

I had a great visit to Ayr aerodrome for the launch of the Avgas installation by IOR. Ayr YAYR is a seled strip 01/19 and grass cross 11/29. The Mayor and the IOR company representative were there. They put on drinks, BBQ and music. I flew up early from Palmyra Mackay and could only stay until about 1015 and that's when it started. Its a credit to Ayr council and community to see the support they have for such a well maintained airfield, amenities and fuel on site. Emerald council could learn something from Ayr. Put Ayr on your visit list as you will not be dissappointed. Would be good to be able to say this about all airfields. Flying conditions were excellent and it was nice to clock up a 3.8 flight in the Nynja. Cheers.

First trip to Narromine today, test run for new car by after last flights failure ( carby broke inside) Museum is interesting. Will go back again with more time and my young fella with me.

I really enjoyed our trip out to lake Eyre and Birdsville, was a little nervous about flying in such a remote area in an old $25K plane but all whent well. We had camping gear and plenty of water and food but thankfully we didn't need any of it. Only saw one numbered plane on the whole trip, weird. 1700nm, 18 hours, 580l avgas.

While Stevron was poking around to the South East at Benambra on Friday, I joined Geoff and Terry in Geoff's Eurofox (and myself in my Spaviero) to do the short jump from Wangaratta to Mt Beauty. What a magic day it was! Perfect flying conditions and great views of the scenery in our special part of Oz.

There are a few options for a good feed at Mt Beauty, however I can recommend the food at the Mt Beauty Community Centre in particular. It's located on the opposite side of the pondage to the airstrip - a pleasurable 10 - 15min walk - providing time to chat about a range of aeronautical topics.

Mt Beauty airstrip with the pondage wall in the background

Mt Beauty Pondage and Mt Bogong

Overhead Mt Bogong

Return trip with Bright in the foreground and Porepunkah airstrip at the foot of Mt Buffalo. Punters familiar with the area will spot Mystic Bowl - the popular paragliding site - to the left of the Bright township.

Fitted in a nice 1.4 hour fly around the local Mackay area up the valley and across the range to the sea. The air was smooth. Invited two mates but they had other commitments. Either have joined for a fly in the Nynja so a big shame they were unable to come along. Three other local pilots were in the air also although did not see them as we were flying in different areas. Time to add up the hours and renew the RAA membership before next week. Then the annual is due soon after. Cheers

Video of the flight using a Gopro hero 3 at wide setting. Seems to work best as narrow seems very jello / wavey.

Stunning photos, BA. That's what it's all about.

Stunning photos, BA. That's what it's all about.

Did the best part of an annual inspection on the Skyranger Nynja this morning with the first flight after; around the local valley area.  On my way back saw matt in his newly refurbished Lightwing also up enjoying the nice winter weather.

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Last week I flew Kyneton - Renmark - William Creek - Birdsville - Leigh Creek - Broken Hill - Kyneton. We had a look around Lake Eyre and at the Marree Man.

The photos show that the Birdsville pub has changed a bit since I last landed there. In the original photo you can just see my Cherokee on teh left, in 1973.

Last week I flew Kyneton - Renmark - William Creek - Birdsville - Leigh Creek - Broken Hill - Kyneton. We had a look around Lake Eyre and at the Marree Man.

 

The photos show that the Birdsville pub has changed a bit since I last landed there. In the original photo you can just see my Cherokee on teh left, in 1973.

 

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Is it the same pa28 you have now?

Is it the same pa28 you have now?

 

No, I was flying a Broken Hill aero club plane in 1973, VH-BHU. Here is my VH-SVJ at William Creek last week. 

I stopped there last year on my way to the Birdsville Races.

Friendly staff who couldn’t do enough for you.

The only hassle as no Telstra service, had to buy an Optus SIM card.

Not flown yet,

Going gliding in two weeks at Camden with my son.

Weather gods willing.

Been a long time between drinks, getting very thirsty.

I was in the US last week so I hired a C152+instructor (US$125+50/hr) from Glacier Aviation in Olympia Regional Airfield, Tumwater, WA, and flew north along Puget Sound. Stunning scenery. Rich, the instructor, was fantastic, friendly, helpful, and professional. As usual the C152 was a piece of cake to land; I wish the jab was as easy. But the C152 is a slug compared to the LSA/55.