Slow plane to birdsville.

[robinsm]

Hi all, I am currently planning a trip from Goulburn to Birdsville around early May. I will be travelling in my trusty Std Xair at an average of 55 - 60kts. I am able to use mogas as well as Avgas and am looking for info. I am tentatively planned the following, Goulburn to Temora (refuel) then to Ivanhoe (Ihave local contacts there for fuel and acommodation). From Ivanhoe I was thinking of Whitecliffs to refuel? then to Tibooburra for overnight and fuel. I will be landing at Camerons corner (because I can) then to Innaminka for fuel and a look around and then to Birdsville. I have 4hrs flying time plus 1/2 hrs emergency fuel per tank (91 lts).

 

Is this realistic, what should I be,or not be doing and any local advice for that time of the year. I will be carrying extra water and a sat phone for emergencies.

 

Any advice greatly appreciated

 

(I need to do this trip as the bucket list is starting to overflow!!)

 

 

[Guest Andys@coffs]

Hi all, I am currently planning a trip from Goulburn to Birdsville around early May. I will be travelling in my trusty Std Xair at an average of 55 - 60kts. I am able to use mogas as well as Avgas and am looking for info. I am tentatively planned the following, Goulburn to Temora (refuel) then to Ivanhoe (Ihave local contacts there for fuel and acommodation). From Ivanhoe I was thinking of Whitecliffs to refuel? then to Tibooburra for overnight and fuel. I will be landing at Camerons corner (because I can) then to Innaminka for fuel and a look around and then to Birdsville. I have 4hrs flying time plus 1/2 hrs emergency fuel per tank (91 lts).Is this realistic, what should I be,or not be doing and any local advice for that time of the year. I will be carrying extra water and a sat phone for emergencies.

Any advice greatly appreciated

 

(I need to do this trip as the bucket list is starting to overflow!!)

You'll get Telstra Next G coverage for a fair bit of the trip if >5000ft. I also wondered instead of a sat phone about using something like the SPOT device which can be set up to send an SMS via satellite every fixed chunk of time with GPS Co-ordinates included with it. For me better that you told people where you were regularly when things were going well, and worst case then nothing than to hope that you can get a message out with a sat phone if it all goes pear shaped. In that case with something like SPOT you have a retrieval crew needing to work a very small area looking for you. Its all just a nother small bit in your favour should things go bad in a hurry. With the SPOT device you can also send a "Come get me" message to your family, or an "OMG" to SPOT themselves which then gets dispatched to AUSAR who action it just the same as a beacon going off....

 

Andy

 

 

[robinsm]

I have a beacon, should I use a SPOT as well?

 

 

[J170 Owner]

Just be sure your legs are not too long. In my younger days I could fly three hours or more between landings but I now find I have to keep each leg to a max of (say) two hours. Easy enough to pull over in a car if the eyelids get heavy (pity more folks don't) but when you're in the air, it's not so easy. How hard would it be to stick a small CB in the plane? Might help pass the time as well as be a useful aid. Just a suggestion.

 

 

[Timold]

Yes Robinsm I would fit a UHF radio for sure. You can get fantastic coverage from a few thousand feet and some local tips. Tim

 

 

[Guest Andys@coffs]

Beacon only comes on in an emergency, and if you can turn it on, SPOT transmits your location every ten minutes to your partners mobile via SMS, the difference is that the beacon comes on only if you are able, the SPOT transmits up until it cant and then AUSAR have only +the time interval of the SPOT to look for. Obviously you dont want your partner ringing alarm bells immediately, but if they do, theres a fantastic set of info to give to ausar. Have you checked out the how it works pages?

 

I'd have both if Im travelling over country with not much in between. Whats the worst that can happen..."I wish I hadnt spent the money on the device and its subscription....", best case, "I was found, even though I was unable to switch on the EPIRB, as quickly as it was possible to do...."

 

EPIRB and Sat phone both require you to do something when it all goes wrong, SPOT requires you to do nothing and they'll come looking for you, they'll come looking faster if you can push the SPOT Emergency button, In which case the service company knows immediately something has gone wrong rather than waiting for your partner to say...haven't heard for a while...wonder why......

 

For absolute clarity I am not saying SPOT instead of beacon rather SPOT plus bbeacon...in fact no beacon puts you in conflict with the rules....

 

There are apps for iphone and androids (where they have a GPS) that can do the same, however they rely on 3G coverage, which in Australia for aviation means telstra NextG at present...longer term the Optus 900Mhxz 3G solution will be good for those traversing the eastern 1/3 of Vic, NSW and QLD, but unlikely to ever be as good as Telstra. The problem with coverage is your partner is left wondering, did I not get an update because there is a problem or just because of coverage? SPOT using satellite has less of that issue in the aircraft, especially if it isnt made of metal. Also your partner doesnt actually have to have a phone for the SMS's if they want an alternate (and you throw some more $ at the provider) you can log onto the service providers web pages and get a google earth track of where your device reported over time.

 

I tried the NextG phone solution and to be honest want that impressed, I worried it would have coverage issues and had to share that with my wife and in the end she was probably more uptight than if we just did the old I'll ring you from time to time in flight to update on progress. Also a few of the apps didnt timestamp the SMS message, people need to remeber SMS is a store and forward protocol, there is no guarentee it will be delivered to the destination phone in an almost real time timeframe, rather depending on network activity (at either end, and in the providers network in general) it may be later. A timestamped message has the benefit that someone trying to work out where you are now can best recreate where you were before you went off the air...

 

Andy

 

P.S re UHF, for fun yes, for real safety no, you cant guarentee that anyone will be listening when you most need them. If its life or death use the area frequency with a pan or mayday call, switch on the EPIRB if able, and if you have the spot, press the OMG button....all the while remebering to aviate, navigaet and then communicate,

 

 

[.Evan.]

What about Spidertracks? Would that be an option???

 

 

[Ferris]

Robin, this sounds like a great trip. I haven't read through the other replies in detail, but have a look in the ERSA about the requirements for remote area travel. Also you need an ASIC for YBDV. If you're not too sure go IFR (I follow roads). Cheers Ferris

 

 

[Guest Andys@coffs]

What about Spidertracks? Would that be an option???

Spidertracks and SPOT are competitors with fundamentally the same technology behind them both. Either would work, it just comes down to your percieved benefits vs cost for either....Having looked at what they do and the costs associated, then for our end of the market I would have thought the SPOT was more cost effective....but at the end of the day its lives we are talking about and the end user must be involved and comfortable with the decision

 

Andy

 

 

[Guest Andys@coffs]

...... Also you need an ASIC for YBDV.......... Cheers Ferris

Wow, thats a relief, for a sec until I read that I was terribly worried about terrorist at Birdsville....I mean if they were to turn up there on race day I have grave doubts as to wether the terrorists would be alive at the end of the day......and not from some terrorist activity but rather a certain lack of tolerance from the locals....:<)

 

Andy

 

 

[.Evan.]

Andy, do you have a web link to SPOT. I can't seem to find it!

 

 

[Guest Andys@coffs]

Andy, do you have a web link to SPOT. I can't seem to find it!

http://www.findmespot.com/en/index.php is the USA site.

 

There is an australian distributor in WA that also has a site http://www.findmespot.net.au/ however his hardware prices seem to be a bit more than can be had on ebay.com.au for example or if really keen, ebay.com using a service like www.shipito.com to bring it back to AU. New Spot 2 messengers from 99USD + $20US or so to get it out to AU seems a bit cheaper than $207AUD to me.....in fact pretty close to half price. The Australian Services through the WA dude are also more expensive than off the USA website ($99USD of USA site vs $115USD of the Australian website....extra mouths cost more $$)

 

Unlike an EPIRB where there is a difference between AU beacons and USA beacons (albeit a bit artificial, but real enough to prevent registering an overseas one with Ausar) SPOT is the same worldwide and the registering for the annual subscription service is what defines the home country...

 

Andy

 

 

[.Evan.]

Thanks Andy, will have a look!

 

 

[Guest Andys@coffs]

Thanks Andy, will have a look!

Heres a "Hooray for SPOT" pilot related story. However bear in mind that the ELT they talk about is the older 121.5Mhz beacon not the 406Mhz beacon that also has capability for adding GPS data, if the beacon you buy has the GPS fitted..... http://www.aopa.org/members/files/pilot/2010/february/feature_spot.html

Andy

 

 

[eightyknots]

Here's the contact details for the Spider Tracks product: http://www.spidertracks.com/where-to-buy/australia