Comeroo

[rdarby]

My big once in a lifetime bucket list trip is to fly to Comeroo and see camels.

 

I wanted to do it in June and got rained out. It's not looking like great weather this weekend, but I'm going to give it a go.

 

Hoping to leave Redcliffe early on Saturday, refuel at Goondiwindi, then along the border dog fence until I turn left to Comeroo.

 

On Sunday to the Hunderford pub for one of their famous steak sandwiches.

 

Back home on Monday.

 

I think Saturday is the worst day for weather, it looks like it will blow through after that.

 

The synoptic chart has a lot of low's and an approaching trough on it, but the overall rainfall forecast isn't bad. 10mm forecast for where I will be going through on Saturday, and I will be able to divert straight back home as I approach the rain area if it doens't look safe.

 

This should be an experience!

 

 

[Tomo]

I think the place you'll have the most interesting play with the weather is along the ranges. Generally once you're west you can dodge any small patches of rain. Just keep and eye on it, and a back door open and you'll be right. I can almost guarantee it will be windy though, so keep that in mind.

 

You'll have fun. Camels are funny animals!

 

 

[ayavner]

Well??? Didja go? how was it?

 

 

[rdarby]

Well, we set out and headed for Goondiwindi with a 15kt headwind but not too many bumps. I had to climb and decend a few times to find a smooth level, mainly as I had a passenger. The sky and the air were a little murky but visibility was fine, it just didn't seem as clear as it could, more reflective than usual. At Goondiwindi I had to go around then changed to the cross strip due to wind. While getting fuel (Lowes Petrolleum come out and fill you up, really nice people) some showers came through. So we waited an hour for them to pass then set off again. Still windy (Westerly) and I knew it would be a cross wind at Comeroo. The whole day was just windy.

 

We headed West as that would take us North of the showers on the radar. However, we ran into light but constant showers/rain and were pushed further North. I thought I could go up North and then around and then head South, but after an hour of flying I was still 70mn from my first weighpoint, which was the dog fence on the border. It was about 70nm when I set out too. So it was decision time.

 

I decided to try for Charleville. I was keeping an eye on my back door all the time and it was clear there, but I couldn't see the horizon in front or to the sides of me. It was legal visial distances and I flew over many little farm stips all the time so no danger, but I was being pushed North all the time to avoid showers. Then the sky got darker in the direction of Charleville, so I through I would try for Roma as it looked clear that way. After a bit if got dark there too. Still nothing showing on the radar, and none of this was forecast.

 

At that point I had to look at my fuel and where I could land that would not be in the wrong direction, as I only had a certain budget to pay for hire of the aircraft. If i had flown all day I would have got round, but couldn't afford it. I was also not finding the murk to be fun anymore.

 

My only option was Chinchilla, which by then was an hour away. That shows you how far the murk had pushed us to the North East. So we went there and had lunch, and then decided to just go home. After 6 hours of flying I was only an hour and a half away from home, in the wrong direction, and not liking the weather.

 

Everyone I met said stay the night. Not easy as there is little accomodation in mining towns. But mainly they said it will all clear by the morning and right now I won't get over the ranges. I looked at the forecasts, liked what I saw and set out knowing I could come back.

 

It was a smooth ride over the ranges and home, with a loverly tail wind.

 

Later on I looked at the rain radar again for Roma and it was very wet there. If I had tried to get round it would have never worked.

 

Then on Sunday it rained, so I made the right choice. And Monday was really crappy weather, and this is evidenced by the accident that happened to the Dragon. I would never had made it home on Monday.

 

So I never made it to Comerroo. I took the blue sky option and literally fly to the lightest patches of sky until I was pushed back home.

 

I learned how long I can fly in a day before I get too dehydrated is 5 hours. I learned that you can't always fly around showers. And I learned to look at the forecasts and make up my own mind as although there are great people on airfields to advise you, they arn't flying, you are. I learned if you land at Chinchilla call the RSL and a courtesy bus will come get you and they have great steak. The terminal at Goondiwindi is very nice and worth a stop there.

 

But mainly I learned that weather comes from nowhere. None of this was forecast, and it was trending better all week which is why I set off. But then it changed badly.

 

There will be other trips. If it doesn't feel like fun anymore, land somewhere.

 

 

[ayavner]

what a great story, thanks for sharing... you're right, the camels and everything will always be there (barring a meteor) but you got the best out of it and lived to fly another day and best of all shared it with us! Let us know if you ever do get out to Comeroo (and be sure to take pics)

 

 

 

[Tomo]

Great story Ryan, thanks for sharing... my instructor said to me when I was learning, look at the forecast but then go outside and read the sky, what the wind is doing and where it's coming from yourself. As the two don't oft' meet...

 

 

[Keenaviator]

Thanks for your report, especially the info on the RSL and Goondawindi's nice terminal.