hi everyone

[p279]

hi

 

Just registered. I haven't flown for 5 years. Sold the plane as it was time to get a mortgage. Trained at Ballina with Bob Goodey, was a great bloke. Flew around Coffs Harbour for 5 years in a Drifter 503 brought it down to Canberra but flying here is not as good as the coast. Not in a Drifter anyway. It was great fun and I took plenty of passengers. Loads of adventures. Out to Narromine from Coffs. Flew up to Brisbane a couple of times. Along the beach. Got into big trouble early in my career, flew through Evans Head while the F111s were conducting a bombing run. Got into heaps of s**t. Survived the ordeal and continued to fly. Flew Gazelle, Thruster, Grumman Traveller, cherokee and jabaru. Loved it. Sometimes I wish I was up there going out to the runway at 6.00 in the morning and flying my heart out. I miss it. Will start up again one day.

 

Steve

 

 

[Guest b1rd]

Welcome Steve. You obviously like the wind in the hair, seat of the pants stuff. Any interesting stories about the Thruster ?

 

 

[Ultralights]

Ahhh the Big wheel. sold a Sapphire i built years ago to fund a house purchase, now im selling the house to fund a new aircraft! (whenever the house sells)

 

 

[p279]

Welcome Steve. You obviously like the wind in the hair, seat of the pants stuff. Any interesting stories about the Thruster ?

Not many, my brother owned the thruster and hangered it at Watts bridge. He flew it a lot but it was a 503 and struggled a bit on take off. It carried the two of us ok in fine weather and I flew it on a few occasions. It was not like the Drifter to fly owing to the windscree which I'm sure is there so that you are able to perform leasurely vertical dives, It's a great air brake. It came in handy one day when we had a difference of opinion in the cockpit and I let go of the controls and sat there with my arms folded. I then informed him that he could fly it himself. It went into it's leasurely dive but he hadn't experienced it before and nearly wet his pants. The ground appeared to come up fast, well it was the huge dam near Watts Bridge and I nearly wet my pants laughing at the reaction I got. We reconciled our differences and I kept flying.

 

That's about the best one.

 

He had CASA after him on one occasion for putting in a certified triangular stainless fuel tank and they wouldn't let up until the then AUF got involved.

 

steve

 

 

[p279]

Ahhh the Big wheel. sold a Sapphire i built years ago to fund a house purchase, now im selling the house to fund a new aircraft! (whenever the house sells)

Yeah I did it the wrong way around. Coastal flying is such good fun though. I flew the Drifter from Coffs to Brisbane at 500 feet all the way owing to headwinds up higher. It was hard and I had to stay on the ball but it was very enjoyable. Coming around the headlands was great and avoiding showers was the challenge. The rain started to pelt down and I was at 500 feet and getting lower zipping around the hillock things near Murwulumbah airport, thank god for the GPS which was confirming my navigation to the runway, kept my cool and stayed focussed was ok but pretty exciting. I didn't really want to land there as they don't like Ultralights, there was a sign on the club door signed by the CFI to the effect. I was also told so I just asked them where else I was meant to land in an emegency. They left me alone, I waited till the sun came out and left quickly. I kept away from Coolangatta by going round the back west of the radar. Climbed out of New South Wales and into Queensland. Stayed on the left of the highway and headed to Beenliegh where there was a little runway on a pilots property landed there and caught the train into Brisbane.

 

Great fun.