What`s Happening???

[Bernie]

How time changes...when I was ten I used to take joy flights at Bankstown, no parental needed.

10 shillings a time.

Bernie.

[spacesailor]

My first " joy flight " was a freebie in a D H Dakota . ( under a flight test  )

And it wasn,t called Anything. Just sit down , shut-up. & don,t move.

Frightened the life out of me ! LoL

spacesailor

[onetrack]

Spacey, you sound a bit confused. De Havilland didn't build the Dakota, Douglas Aircraft Company built it. Did you mean some other model of De Havilland, or did you confuse the manufacturer of the Dakota?

I've never had the pleasure of a ride in a Dakota, but I've ridden in a Caribou DHC-4, and in a Fairchild C-123 Provider - both P&W radial-engine powered, and rough as guts! The Caribou's slow speed was a great way to view the countryside, though!

 

Edited August 3, 2022 by onetrack

[spacesailor]

Yes !. You,re right it is a Douglas Dakota . ( under a flight test  with odd wings !. One longer than the other )

And it wasn,t called Anything ( like a Joy flight). Just sit down , shut-up. & don,t move. As Very noisy and vibrations  bumps etc. , not long after the " Berlin Airlift .

spacesailor

[Old Koreelah]

1 hour ago, spacesailor said:

Yes !. You,re right it is a Douglas Dakota . ( under a flight test  with odd wings !. One longer than the other )

…not long after the " Berlin Airlift .

spacesailor

Crickey Spacey, tell us more.
I once read a story about a DC-3 being stranded somewhere (possibly China, during WWII) with a damaged wing. A wrecked DC-2 was canibalised and its smaller wing fitted as a replacement to fly them out.

[facthunter]

It will fit and has been done more than once. Nev

[facthunter]

It's fairly easy to change a wing on a DC 3. It's joined just outside of the engine nacelle/wheel well with a large number of small bolts and nuts in a raised flange all round the wing with ease of repair/swap on mind.  This circa 1936 all metal design was a quantum leap in aircraft safety  and reliability and to my mind the most notable aircraft of all time comparing it  to others at that stage of aircraft development, and the time it stayed in service around the world .Nev

[Flightrite]

Just ask Buffalo Joe😂👍😉

[farri]

Jason Crane has already been back for his second fly with me! we did this one over the last weekend.

 

Jason has caught the bug and would like to take it up so I`ve been giving him all the information and assistance that he needs, to start learning to fly, but unfortunately! there`s no one up here in the Cairns area, running an R.A.A flying school, using a Drifter.

 

 

Franco.

 

 

Edited August 9, 2022 by farri
Typo

[facthunter]

Very few places left anywhere I would think. Mornings here are below zero and about 12 max at ground level.  Nev

[farri]

Jason Crane and Myself, flying for the 'World Ultralight Fly-In' (W.U.F.I), event, held over this last weekend.

 

The World ultralight fly-in (WUFI) is an annual global event that takes place in October. All pilots of small aircraft are encouraged to participate by sharing the sky on the same day together.

 

[facthunter]

Getting a bit warmer up there now, Franco? The sky is for using.  Regards Nev

[farri]

G`Day Nev, Yeah! good weather up here at the moment and I`m certainly using the sky! hope everyone else is, also. 

[farri]

Still no shortage of those wanting the 'Drifter experience.'

 

Some of my family and friends, I`ve taken flying, over the last couple of weeks. 

Franco. 

 

 

 

[Steve L]

Thanks for posting Frank, your definitely in gods country 

 

steve 

[farri]

 

My Christmas gift to some of the family members, of one of my neighbours`, who don`t get to see each other very often! Merry Christmas, Everyone! 

[BrendAn]

10 hours ago, farri said:

 

My Christmas gift to some of the family members, of one of my neighbours`, who don`t get to see each other very often! Merry Christmas, Everyone! 

Lovely scenery up there

[Blueadventures]

11 hours ago, farri said:

 

My Christmas gift to some of the family members, of one of my neighbours`, who don`t get to see each other very often! Merry Christmas, Everyone! 

Merry Xmas Franco; have nice time.

 

[farri]

In the last 2 weekends I`ve had 5 people wanting to experience Drifter flying with me! this is one of the flights I did.

 

This is Sam Churchward and his partner, Taiga! Sam is from Melbourne! he`s a Commercial and also an RAA pilot.

 

Sam found me on facebook and decided he wanted to have a fly of the Drifter, so, as he was flying up to Cairns for the weekend he took advantage of the situation, so I was able to take him and Tagia, flying.

 

This was Sam`s first go at the Drifter! after I demonstrated a few stalls, I let Sam fly me around and I was quite impressed with his ability.

Franco!

 

https://youtu.be/0DtoG7zJFwk

[facthunter]

 And why not? Drifters don't have any vices.  Nev

[farri]

This is what Sam said on facebook! I forgot to put it in my post.

 

Sam Churchward

Thanks so much! This was an incredible experience, the drifter is a joy to fly and you couldn't ask for more spectacular scenery.

[farri]

This lady in video is Natarsha! Natarsha, with her husband and daughter, moved into our area 4 years ago! She`d been watching me fly and thought that one day she would like to try! this last weekend she decide to have a go...You tell me if she enjoyed.

 

We`ve had an enormous amount of rain, already this year and a couple of patches, on the strip were still a bit wet, but that`s nothing new for me to have to deal with! 

 

Franco.

 

 

 

 

[farri]

Another one I did this last 2 weekends! This is Lisa O`Mara, coordinator of the Mulgrave Landcare Group, who are doing a tree planting project, here on our property.

 

As my wife Frances and I are no longer farming we decided to let 90ha of our 100ha property go back to nature, as we call it! 2 years ago the Mulgrave Landcare Group and the Wanyurr Majay, Aboriginal Corporation (traditional owners), started a tree planting project, here on our property and, to date, 15,000 native species trees, have been planted and the project is ongoing.

 

Please note! at the end of the video, Lisa says "we flew through the clouds"! rest assured that we didn`t fly through any cloud, but we certainly did fly around some.

 

Franco.

 

[facthunter]

I have to let you into a little secret Franco. It's your body they're after. They are just pretending to be NOT scared to impress you. Happens all the time with pilots. Nev

[Garfly]

6 minutes ago, facthunter said:

I have to let you into a little secret Franco. It's your body they're after. They are just pretending to be NOT scared to impress you. Happens all the time with pilots. Nev

Especially when they're also Rock Stars!  (see lower right)