Pilot Killed in Accident near Moomba

[facthunter]

A suitable aircraft is probably it. If you are going to do thousands of fairly demanding hours , the airframe would need inspections or beefing up in places. Dust devils etc would put the plane into the deck and flying like that makes you do things a little closer to the edge, the more you do it. .Nev

 

 

[turboplanner]

You're thinking from the point of view of supplying an aircraft FH, but there's nothing built that can turn 180 degrees in half a second and instantly reach 40 km/hr then switch 90 degrees half a second later then round up that beast and the four others who saw what was happening and decided they would break out too.

 

You have to come at it from what is needed for the cattle.

 

The days of scaring cattle into the yards are coming to an end if you want to be a supplier of Prime beef at prime prices.

 

These two links on Dr Temple Grandin, Assistant Professor, Livestock Handling and Behaviour at Colorado University show where mustering and handling are going. You don't get to be a supplier to McDonalds unless Dr Grandin has inspected and approved your facilities.

 

I don't doubt that there are Cessnas out there with 7000 hours on them as there are in the Cities, but there's no magic, they are the shopping carts, not the ones doing low level aerobatics.

 

 

[facthunter]

Light structures won't last. you can't treat it like a tractor. But I guess we are thread drifting. Nev

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

The old Lightwing seems to have held up pretty good, the doors were always left off so it is coated in red dust inside and out. Other than that it's still flyable but will enjoy a complete rebuild, and come back looking like new for some more punishment. The inside of the wings are like new, and only require a look over, some new aileron cables, and a good clean before recovering.

 

Looking over them I was impressed just how well Howie built his wings back then................Maj.....

 

 

[Guest nunans]

You're thinking from the point of view of supplying an aircraft FH, but there's nothing built that can turn 180 degrees in half a second and instantly reach 40 km/hr then switch 90 degrees

Maybe a horse...

As for soft handling for meat quality, that might work on quiet cattle that are yarded regularly but not on the more wild beef from western stations

 

 

[frank marriott]

Big difference in looking after stock. You 'drove' stock with horses and 'chase' them with aircraft.

 

The main advantage with aircraft being cost/time savings. As with everything these days the cost of wages is big consideration.

 

 

[turboplanner]

Maybe a horse...As for soft handling for meat quality, that might work on quiet cattle that are yarded regularly but not on the more wild beef from western stations

That's where the big beef volume comes from.

 

About three weeks ago Dr Grandin was featured on Countrywide in Outback Qld or the Territory, talking to cattle producers who in turn are talking about adopting her methods to get competitive pricing. They will then set up trainers/auditors here to match the results being obtained by overseas beef producers so they can complete with them.

 

Horses could return to some degree, but the main thrust is in fencing layout for natural movement.

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

Many farmers and graziers resent the image of them that often appears in the media. Most are highly innovative and willing to adopt best practice; the ones that don't are soon out of business. If only the same could be said for all Australian industries.

 

 

[Head in the clouds]

That's where the big beef volume comes from.About three weeks ago Dr Grandin was featured on Countrywide in Outback Qld or the Territory, talking to cattle producers who in turn are talking about adopting her methods to get competitive pricing. They will then set up trainers/auditors here to match the results being obtained by overseas beef producers so they can complete with them.

 

Horses could return to some degree, but the main thrust is in fencing layout for natural movement.

I'm sorry I missed the documentary. There is also an excellent movie and there are very few movies I could recommend more highly to anyone with an interest in the cattle industry (or animal husbandry in general) than the one about Temple Grandin and the development of her methods. Dr Grandin is autistic and as a result of her (dis)ability has a special understanding of, and empathy with cattle. Here is a link to a wiki article about the movie and here is a link to Dr Grandin's autism site which has some unusual insights into the condition. She is a truly remarkable lady.

 

Apologies for even more thread drift but worth mentioning I feel, any knowledge about improvement of animal conditions in primary industry is worth promulgating.

 

I just saw OK's post while writing this and I agree. I don't think there's any lack of willingness and concern out there but in my experience knowledge of modern methods is at a premium on some stations.

 

 

[rankamateur]

Many farmers and graziers resent the image of them that often appears in the media. Most are highly innovative and willing to adopt best practice; the ones that don't are soon out of business. If only the same could be said for all Australian industries.

I use very gentle stock handling on my place, it isn't all advantage though, my cattle stress more in the unfamiliar, higher stress environment being processed and don't grade as well because they don't have well developed coping strategies. Sometimes human pshycology dosen't transfer seemlessly to stock, they don't need someone to hold their hand, they just need somewhere to move away to, so they can be mustered by a plane but no need to fly right on top of them. Just need to fly near the opposite end of the paddock to where you want them to move and give them time to move there.

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

Does she have a kinder gentler way of denutting them ?.....currently a quick cut with the sharp pocket knife followed by a spray of antiseptic and they're gone forever, before they even know what happened !........and Prarie oysters on the barbie tonight !..........Maj.....

 

 

[turboplanner]

I use very gentle stock handling on my place, it isn't all advantage though, my cattle stress more in the unfamiliar, higher stress environment being processed and don't grade as well because they don't have well developed coping strategies. Sometimes human pshycology dosen't transfer seemlessly to stock, they don't need someone to hold their hand, they just need somewhere to move away to, so they can be mustered by a plane but no need to fly right on top of them. Just need to fly near the opposite end of the paddock to where you want them to move and give them time to move there.

And of course that can be done very safely in virtually any type of aircraft.

 

I was lucky enough to have a grandfather who passed on his special skills in stock movement along the lines you mention - no need to make a noise, just move out to the left and they will retreat to the right principle. Giving them time is everything.

 

It's the processing methods which are going to change the most, so you should see some benefits from your animal husbandry in the future.

 

Getting the adrenaline out of the meat can only e good for marketing.

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

...It's the processing methods which are going to change the most, so you should see some benefits from your animal husbandry in the future.Getting the adrenaline out of the meat can only e good for marketing.

No matter what we do this end, we can't change the medieval practices in some markets.

 

 

[Jabiru Phil]

I worked on a large sheep station mid-60's. the owner had a 172 that was used mainly for daily water inspections during the hotter months.

 

I had purchased a Phillips all band radio with flying doctor frequencies to listen to the chat channels including school of the air.

 

The 4 mustering paddocks on the remotest area of the property were each 25 sq miles. The usual method had been to employ mustering teams on horseback to get the sheep closer to the shearing shed which took about a week to 10 days each paddock.

 

I devised a way to cut this time to 2 days.

 

The boss would fly over and with me with my radio strapped to the bike, he would broadcast the position of the mobs by a grid that we both had on a chart. I would then push the sheep towards the fence line where the mustering team would convey to the yards.

 

The next day would be the same to collect any stragglers.

 

I guess that this method has been vastly improved due to two way communications nowadays.

 

At no time did the boss try and muster with the plane.

 

Scrub blocks and sheep not cattle, so a different scenario to what happened here.

 

My experience of mustering 50 odd years ago.

 

Phil

 

 

[M61A1]

That's where the big beef volume comes from.About three weeks ago Dr Grandin was featured on Countrywide in Outback Qld or the Territory, talking to cattle producers who in turn are talking about adopting her methods to get competitive pricing. They will then set up trainers/auditors here to match the results being obtained by overseas beef producers so they can complete with them.

 

Horses could return to some degree, but the main thrust is in fencing layout for natural movement.

The concept is interesting, the last station I visited, I don't recall seeing much fencing at all. It would have to be quite expensive to put much fencing on any decent sice property.