Tell us about your last flight

[biggles]

Yes Kaz , I also often think about those who didn't return, many still in their teens . My father was captured by the Japanese at Milne Bay when his Catalina caught fire and went in (Feb 1943 ).The entire crew were executed . I was born three months later to a still grieving widow .I will be marching with what's left of the Catalina boys in Melbourne on Anzac Day...Bob

 

 

[kaz3g]

Yes Kaz , I also often think about those who didn't return, many still in their teens . My father was captured by the Japanese at Milne Bay when his Catalina caught fire and went in (Feb 1943 ).The entire crew were executed . I was born three months later to a still grieving widow .I will be marching with what's left of the Catalina boys in Melbourne on Anzac Day...Bob

Hello Bob

 

Many of those that stayed behind did it hard, too. I'm sorry about your loss, mate. My dad was away when I was born but he came back. Like my uncles, he never really talked about service life.

 

Milne Bay saw the first defeat of the advancing Japanese army and really was a turning point in the war in the islands. The P40s of 75 and 76 flew from Gurney Field in appalling conditions to support the 7th and 18th infantry.

 

In Bluey Truscott's biography there is a graphic account of the assault on the airfield and the massive destruction wrought on the invaders. I think I recall some commentary about the Catalinas in that, too.

 

The airfield was named after SL C R "Bob" Gurney AFC who was killed in a B26 crash.

 

I don't know if we were related but there weren't many of us here back then and most originated from Cornwall back in time.

 

Kaz (Gurney)

 

 

[kaz3g]

Hi again, Bob

 

I have a copper lithograph of a PBY on patrol but I thought this little vignette might be something of interest to you.

 

Kaz

 

 

The Catalina flying boat was a slow aircraft, vulnerable to enemy fighters. A number of Catalinas were lost while on reconnaissance flights over the Coral Sea in early May 1942. The crew of an aircraft that disappeared on 6 May was thought to have been picked up by a Japanese ship and taken prisoner of war and executed. Catalina on patrol, Richard Ashton, 1942

 

[Oil on canvas on cardboard, 40.6 x 45.5 cm. AWM ART23667]

 

 

[poteroo]

Reference the Milne Bay/WW2 discussions above. I flew C185's and Piper Aztecs into there between 1966 and 1970. The strip was not much improved from pics I've seen at end of WW2. There was no 'terminal', other than a grass roofed shack. The few coconut palms all had shell holes and scars on their trunks The Marsden matting had sunken into quite alarming wide holes and when you rolled the wheels on there was the most frightening clatter of the steel sheets trying to pull apart. Patair operated DC-3's there during those years and it was rock-&-roll for them. What was obvious at Gurney, was just how close the water was off the strip end. The many books written about the MB campaign note that the Kittyhawks were strafing soon after their wheels retracted - and you can believe that. Gurney is now a sealed strip with a modern terminal. had the Japs gained a foothold here it would have been all over-red rover for Oz. Luckily for us - they lost their 1st battle of WW2. happy days

 

 

 

 

 

 

[poteroo]

Just as a matter of interest - 2 pics of the Marsden matting (steel planks) which were laid onto smoothed off soil/sand/coral/whatever to create instant roads,strips,taxiways etc in the pacific WW2. The 2nd pic is a really rare historic one of S/Ldr Bluey Truscott parking a Kittyhawk at Gurney during 1942. Pic #3 is of Tadji, (nr Aitape in the Sepik district of PNG, showing what a dangerous practice they had of landing between the parked aircraft because of the lack of hardstand. If not for the ingenuity of Mr Marsden - everyone would have been bogged up to the eyeballs because it can really rain at Milne Bay and Tadji. The reason for the other pic of Kikori is that Kikori, ( a patrol post in the Gulf District), receives more than 7500mm, (300 inches) rain per year and was so soft that it was decided to collect Marsden matting to use on it - and this was in the 60's ! Living in the Gulf District was like being in a continuous sauna!happy days,

 

 

 

 

 

[Kununurra]

My last flight in a 172 Cessna late April was a great flight did a flight review and finished off my RPL

 

The views in Albany that morning were spectacular as always

 

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

Lots of that matting ended up in fencing in Oz. Apparently not ideal for sheep farms, because dogs sometimes get a front paw thru a hole when jumping the fence.

 

 

[crashley]

Hi last trip was to Benalla was on sunday for their aviation swap and flyin , The weather was great and it was well organised and well set up at Benalla. We flew up with four other planes from Latrobe valley

 

 

[Birdseye]

Nice 140nm triangular x-country on a beautiful sunny morning out of YPJT. The only bumps were from a few stubble burn offs. Clear skies and 30km+ viz. God's zone.

 

 

[Gookin]

Last week - Caloundra/Roma/Longreach/Winton/Cloncurry/Mt Isa/Tennant Creek/Halls Creek/Fitzroy Crossing/Anna Plains/Port Hedland/Karratha.

 

Flew a 50 year old Bell47 which didn't miss a beat and had a great time. The Great Sandy desert was simply magnificent at 500 ft AGL.

 

:)

 

 

[SDQDI]

We had a perfect flying day at YQDI today. To start with we had a bacon and egg breakfast at our hq at 0800 with a nice roll up of locals as well as a few from scone and Manilla. Once we had finished breaky we all departed for Gunnedah for a morning tea of scones and pancakes and fancy machine made coffee:coffee:, the gunnedah aero club outdid our expectations and there were quiet a few of them there to welcome us:thumb up:.

 

After socialising for an hour or so we all departed for one of our local aero club members strip where he had a beautiful BBQ lunch organised. There we got to kick back and watch OUR (we do claim ownership of him sometimes....... Mainly when he is flying his Superstol:wink:) local boy Brett do some nice slow flight and STOL demos as well as a couple of gyro flights. After another hour or two we all split up and went our various ways.

 

All in all a beautiful day:thumb up:

 

I have a few pics but am having hassle uploading them.... It's saying they are too big. I'll have a go in a separate post.

 

 

[IBails]

YWOL to Nowra and Back, just nice in a Pipestriel with a friend who had not been up in a light plane before. Westerly wind making for a few bumps but clear skies. Home in time to do the Mother's day stuff.

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

We had a perfect flying day at YQDI today...

 

 

[IBails]

Was a bit windy this afternoon but I still felt like a fly, it wasn't real bumpy out over the flats so I poked around for a smidge over an hour. Watching the shadows lengthen from the air is beautiful. Here's a pic of my neighbour's inlaws carting sorghum from the paddock and the second one is the header. Pics taken through the window so a faint shadow of me there too:wink:[ATTACH=full]35076[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]35077[/ATTACH]

A beautiful part of Australia Quirindi , hope to fly low over here in the not to distant future. Have spent a life time driving past on the way to Moree from the big smoke.

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

...then make sure you call in and see us. YQDI Aero Club has lots of keen and interesting members with all sorts of aircraft. Send a message when you're heading our way.

 

And now to more important things: your avatar looks like a proper mororcycle, with cylinders sticking out the side at 45 degrees. Not a factory original either. More info please.

 

 

[IBails]

...then make sure you call in and see us. YQDI Aero Club has lots of keen and interesting members with all sorts of aircraft. Send a message when you're heading our way.And now to more important things: your avatar looks like a proper mororcycle, with cylinders sticking out the side at 45 degrees. Not a factory original either. More info please.

Well I 'm a fan of two wheels , currently have a R1200GS , but have had an affair with Italian twins. The avatar is just about bikes I really like the Guzzi's but they really need to come into the 21st century, would own one then . I do a lot of bike miles , have ridden around Oz , and do quite a few long trips each year . Seems many pilots share the freedom of motorcycling , and you know what they say , driving a car is like watching a movie, riding a motorcycle is being in the movie.

 

 

[IBails]

...then make sure you call in and see us. YQDI Aero Club has lots of keen and interesting members with all sorts of aircraft. Send a message when you're heading our way.And now to more important things: your avatar looks like a proper mororcycle, with cylinders sticking out the side at 45 degrees. Not a factory original either. More info please.

Also noticed a Super Stol in the Photo above ? I have a mate who is currently building one , they are quite impressive based on the you tube files I've seen. Is it owned by a club member ?

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

...I really like the Guzzi's but they really need to come into the 21st century....

...and be like all the other wiz-bang ultra-modern bikes?

 

For a long trip you need a big, stable reliable modern machine with a turbine-smoothe engine, but you can't beat the excitement of riding an Italian V-twin. I still rush to the window at the most stirring sound in motorcycling: a Ducati with Conti pipes decelerating for a corner.

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

Also noticed a Super Stol in the Photo above ? I have a mate who is currently building one , they are quite impressive based on the you tube files I've seen. Is it owned by a club member ?

Yep. The Australian agent, in fact. Brett is developing and refining this impressive aircraft for local conditions.

 

http://justaircraft.com.au/superstol/

 

 

[IBails]

...and be like all the other wiz-bang ultra-modern bikes?For a long trip you need a big, stable reliable modern machine with a turbine-smoothe engine, but you can't beat the excitement of riding an Italian V-twin. I still rush to the window at the most stirring sound in motorcycling: a Ducati with Conti pipes decelerating for corner.

I had a new 1200 Multi Strada, and yes the engine was fantastic, a very fast motorcycle, 160 BHP on mine with some changes . But take it off road and it tended to break up , wind noise well ergonomically it just wasn't great for long days in the saddle. I sold it last year as I tended to ride the BM more.

 

 

[IBails]

We had a perfect flying day at YQDI today. To start with we had a bacon and egg breakfast at our hq at 0800 with a nice roll up of locals as well as a few from scone and Manilla. Once we had finished breaky we all departed for Gunnedah for a morning tea of scones and pancakes and fancy machine made coffee:coffee:, the gunnedah aero club outdid our expectations and there were quiet a few of them there to welcome us:thumb up:.After socialising for an hour or so we all departed for one of our local aero club members strip where he had a beautiful BBQ lunch organised. There we got to kick back and watch OUR (we do claim ownership of him sometimes....... Mainly when he is flying his Superstol:wink:) local boy Brett do some nice slow flight and STOL demos as well as a couple of gyro flights. After another hour or two we all split up and went our various ways.

 

All in all a beautiful day:thumb up:

 

I have a few pics but am having hassle uploading them.... It's saying they are too big. I'll have a go in a separate post.

Notice the Hornet , I made a visit to the factory about a month ago. The boss wasn't in but had a great tour of the aircraft and how they do things by the off sider, who if I remember was a retired LAME ? was very impressed by the build quality of the aircraft shown. Was thinking that the only issues would be the need for a more powerful engine based on my assumptions. They had an orange tandem seat aircraft in that they were doing up for sale, it looked a treat . I image going anywhere in these air craft would be quite slow, is this your experience?

 

 

[SDQDI]

Notice the Hornet , I made a visit to the factory about a month ago. The boss wasn't in but had a great tour of the aircraft and how they do things by the off sider, who if I remember was a retired LAME ? was very impressed by the build quality of the aircraft shown. Was thinking that the only issues would be the need for a more powerful engine based on my assumptions. They had an orange tandem seat aircraft in that they were doing up for sale, it looked a treat . I image going anywhere in these air craft would be quite slow, is this your experience?

'Slow' is relative. I find I can cruise at 75 knots quiet comfortably (and that is with the big wheels.) in smooth air but once the thermals start 70 knots is the max turb penetration speed but I find 60 a lot more comfortable. I run the 914 (115 hp turbo) and find it perfect for all that I do.

My inlaws live around 300 nautical miles away, I've done a few trips down there and average around four or five hours depending on the winds. My worst ever trip took me six hours (no fuel stops although I calculate I had just hit my reserves when I arrived!) with a diversion that was around 60 nm off track due to weather, but by car it takes me between 7 and 7 and a half. So it is slow compared to a lot of other aircraft but I can literally stop anywhere along the way which I think makes it an awful lot safer. I've had nature stops in paddocks and even pulled up and parked overnight in a paddock due to running out of daylight, which is something I would hesitate to do with a 'fast' plane.

 

There are of course limitations when going by air and if you 'need' to get somewhere go by ground. Just the other week I 'had' to go down to the inlaws to help out for a few days, the weather was perfect for the day I had to go but the forecast was a bit iffy for later in the week when I 'had' to be home, so rather than risk getting stuck with gethomeitis I drove down. It wasn't a complete waste though as I carted down a 44 of fuel for my next foray:thumb up:

 

So yes the hornet is slowish but that suits me just fine, it gives me time to think and enjoy the scenery:thumb up:

 

 

[IBails]

'Slow' is relative. I find I can cruise at 75 knots quiet comfortably (and that is with the big wheels.) in smooth air but once the thermals start 70 knots is the max turb penetration speed but I find 60 a lot more comfortable. I run the 914 (115 hp turbo) and find it perfect for all that I do.My inlaws live around 300 nautical miles away, I've done a few trips down there and average around four or five hours depending on the winds. My worst ever trip took me six hours (no fuel stops although I calculate I had just hit my reserves when I arrived!) with a diversion that was around 60 nm off track due to weather, but by car it takes me between 7 and 7 and a half. So it is slow compared to a lot of other aircraft but I can literally stop anywhere along the way which I think makes it an awful lot safer. I've had nature stops in paddocks and even pulled up and parked overnight in a paddock due to running out of daylight, which is something I would hesitate to do with a 'fast' plane.

 

There are of course limitations when going by air and if you 'need' to get somewhere go by ground. Just the other week I 'had' to go down to the inlaws to help out for a few days, the weather was perfect for the day I had to go but the forecast was a bit iffy for later in the week when I 'had' to be home, so rather than risk getting stuck with gethomeitis I drove down. It wasn't a complete waste though as I carted down a 44 of fuel for my next foray:thumb up:

 

So yes the hornet is slowish but that suits me just fine, it gives me time to think and enjoy the scenery:thumb up:

Well I now know a little more about the Hornet. Notice the slats, was just reading the pros and cons of Vortex Generators seemed to be some consensus that the VG's allowed same STOL performance but with less drag ? I have only seen one flying example and that was when I flew in to the Glenn Innes club B B q last year. I really like the looks of the hornet but think 75 cruise would be a little slow for me. Very nice plane and you have lots of good reason to enjoy, I often think that years ago people toured Australia in Tiger Moths.

 

 

[Maritime_Ev]

Went for a local ride in the Cessna on Friday, Gympie to Biggenden and back, lunch in the aptly named Grand hotel.

 

Beautiful flying weather, nice views and a very decent $10 lunch special.

 

To prove that you should always be alert for other traffic a Bonanza called in behind us, just when I remarked that we'd be unlikely to see anyone up in the circuit. And additionally to bring to point home that there's always someone with an even better toy!

 

Looking forward to doing some more destinations from the pub+airstrip list this winter.

 

 

Biggenden airport apron

 

 

The Mary River still flowing from the rains last week.

 

 

 

Is that a good looking aeroplane or what?

 

 

Even looks fast from behind

 

 

[facthunter]

Prefer the conventional tail Bonanza. Beech are well made. Nev