Tell us about your last flight

[Old Koreelah]

Make sure you have a 50 year lease signed before you start building. The Armidale Aeroclub put a lot of time and effort in building and maintaining a clubhouse. The rent went from peppercorn rent to $1000 a year then before too long to $4000 a year, they were trying to question the last increase when the lease ran out. The council then threatened them with eviction for non payment. The airfield is run as a purely commercial enterprise to maximise income, community doesn't enter the equation. I haven't heard what the outcome is, it appears the council will evict them and rent the building out commercially.

The Mayor is a really decent bloke and also a member of the Aeroclub, hopefully he will be able to talk the council round to sense. As with most councils now they are run by the CEO not by the people.

Relocate your building to a more suitable location.

[Jerry_Atrick]

Well, the UK is in lockdown... I last flew on Septemner the 14th. A short flight with my son from Blackbushe to Sandown on the Isle of Wight for an organised fly-in/Wings and Wheel day. Couldn't have asked for a better day.. A short clip shot by my son is attached.

 

It was only my second PIC flight in the TB20. We had planned flying from Blackbushe to Sandown, then to Dunkeswell and finally back to Blackbushe, but a late start and overly cautious pre-flight meant we were going to cut it fine, so elecgted to do the 20-odd minute there (and anouther 20-odd minute flight back) and kick back and enjoy the airfield event. The weather was perfect - few cloudsl; light winds and vis was excellent (sometimes it can be really soupy).

 

I throttled her right back as speed was not of the essence. Even so, we were pushing 130kts and it is a different world to the 105kts flat out the Warrior did (I know it can go slioghtly gaster with the nose down - say 110kts). When I throttled back the Warrior to enjoy the sights, it was 90kts.. .So, we arrived a little quicker than I was used to, and I had not yet done my join preparation.. so out to the English Channel a bit and an orbit or 2 as I worked everything out, and then headed in..

 

I called Sandown's air ground service, which wasn't active, so blind calls were the order of the day. It had a standard overhead join (these didn't exist when I was in Aus), so I did that.. The first approach was sloghtly high and fast, so I broke the approach early and went around.. The second approach was spot on.. I thought it was going to grease it ontoi the grass runway and enjoy golfing green like smoothness until slowing enough to taxi off (there is no designated taxiway - just come off when you want). But, it was rougher than a bogan convention to the point I though the retractable undercarriage was going to be left behind at some stage. But all ended well.

 

The Take off was just as bumpy and in my haste to relieve the nosewheel of the loads, I pulled it off too early and it wheelied down the runway, of which the trees beyond started getting too close for my liking. So I relieved the back pressure slightly and amidst bumps, the beast lifted off and climbed into the wild blue yonder. We orbited around a hot air balloon on the way back (as it was getting late, the traffic has died down a bit) and arrived back at Balckbushe in time to close her down and get home for a late supper.

 

All in all, a good day to be had.

 

At the beginning of October, N20TB went in for a 100 hourly and a bare metal respray - should have taken a month.. Certificate of Release to Service was signed on Monday! I need a check ride and that isn't happening. Today, all GA aerodromes are closed... I guess I may be lucky and get to fly again before the year is out.

 

On the grpahic, the red recantgle is mine to highlight the route in the bord cage airpsace in South East England.

 

[Guest Machtuk]

Sounds like you had an interesting day? My sister and bro where meant to be in the UK on holidays right now, they cancelled at the last moment! Phew!

Just some free advice re taking off. Whilst it's a good idea to get some of the downward force off the nose wheel of any A/C during the T/off run overdoing it can be detrimental to the A/C's T/off dist, aerodynamic drag from that thick wing can be significant.

Hope you get yr country back soon?

[waraton]

 

Took the gyrocopter from Broken Hill to Menindee today to check out the water coming down the Darling river. Around 50nm out then a couple of hours exploring. Have more pictures but my brand new Samsung phone will not open most of them which is disappointing. Just showing a grey square with an exclamation mark. Anyway it was a fantastic day clocked up 4.6hrs of incredible flight.

[Guest Machtuk]

[ATTACH type=full" alt="thumbnail_20200328_095023_001 (2).jpg]51753[/ATTACH]

 

Took the gyrocopter from Broken Hill to Menindee today to check out the water coming down the Darling river. Around 50nm out then a couple of hours exploring. Have more pictures but my brand new Samsung phone will not open most of them which is disappointing. Just showing a grey square with an exclamation mark. Anyway it was a fantastic day clocked up 4.6hrs of incredible flight.

 

You where indeed brave?

[pmccarthy]

That is a flight I did more than once nearly 50 years ago in an Airtourer.

[Thruster88]

[ATTACH=full]51753[/ATTACH]

 

Took the gyrocopter from Broken Hill to Menindee today to check out the water coming down the Darling river. Around 50nm out then a couple of hours exploring. Have more pictures but my brand new Samsung phone will not open most of them which is disappointing. Just showing a grey square with an exclamation mark. Anyway it was a fantastic day clocked up 4.6hrs of incredible flight.

 

Thanks for posting, as a farmer in a green place I feel for everyone still suffering from the long drought with covid as well. Flew from Broken Hill to lake tandou farm in a mates jab55 many years ago, part of a great trip.

Edited March 28, 2020 by Thruster88

[waraton]

The road from Broken Hill to Tibooburra. Great morning for a fly today.

[Guest Machtuk]

What sort of survival gear do you carry when operating in that sparse country? My kit is well stocked for that "just in case" event!

[waraton]

Gum Creeks, a feature of the landscape in Far Western NSW. adjacent to where the creek crosses the road you can make out a rectangular stone water tank. It is my understanding these were installed by the government way back when to allow travellers with stock access to water. There are lots of them scattered in some pretty remote areas. Can anyone shed more light on their history?

[waraton]

The picture below shows the Tarrawingee tramway which from 1890 to 1930 ran from Broken Hill, north, to the mining township of Tarrawingee. 1930. The line was used at first to cart limestone, for flux, back to the mines in Broken Hill, it was later used as a stepping off point for coaches heading to places such as Tibooburra and Milparinka. In 1932 the line was permanently closed and the lines were removed in 1936. It was referred to as a tramway as it was privately owned, railways could not be privately owned. The landscape in the area keeps its history visible for a long time with evidence of old roads, settlements and railways remaining obvious for a long time (90 years in this case) after the landscape reclaims itself in other less arid areas. Flying over "history" is a constant reminder of how lucky I am we are in an age where recreational flying is even a thing. During today's flight I found a sheep stuck in the mud of a drying dam, phoned the station owner from the air, who then came and dragged it out.

 

[pmccarthy]

[ATTACH type=full" alt="gum creek.jpg]51788[/ATTACH]

Gum Creeks, a feature of the landscape in Far Western NSW. adjacent to where the creek crosses the road you can make out a rectangular stone water tank. It is my understanding these were installed by the government way back when to allow travellers with stock access to water. There are lots of them scattered in some pretty remote areas. Can anyone shed more light on their history?

If that is the tank just south of Yanco Glen, there is a lonely grave beside the creek just behind your aircraft. Two men, I think father and son, drowned in the tank and were found later. Must have been too deep to climb out of.

[Old Koreelah]

Just in case restrictions on flying cause this thread to wither; this morning I returned to the airport to look for an expensive torch I'd lost last time I was there. I'd needed it because of a very early start- that was the day I brought my plane home. After loading it on the carrier I spent an hour walking the grounds spraying weeds.

 

I'd put the torch in the long leg pocket for my work trousers, which rotates beyond horizontal when you sit on the mower. An hour of bumping over rough ground had dislodged it. I expected to have to search acres of grass, so had brought along my other half to help; she had been cooped up too long and (for the first time ever) was glad to drive to the airport.

 

Searching methodically, I began in our fuel shed, where the mower lives. With another strong torch I searched the whole machine and bingo! There it was resting precariously on the cutting deck. A good start to the day.

[waraton]

If that is the tank just south of Yanco Glen, there is a lonely grave beside the creek just behind your aircraft. Two men, I think father and son, drowned in the tank and were found later. Must have been too deep to climb out of.

 

Thanks pmccarthy for a project this weekend - Found the tank from the air today. Wasn't able to find the graves so will have a closer inspection next time I am out that way.

This sign near the road marks the entrance to the tank, photo below shows the tank which is different to others in the district which are lined stone tanks. This one is a hot rivet steel tank on a stone base. I assume it is the original, the walls are less than 6ft so wonder how the pair drowned.

[Thruster88]

The water must be very soft, normally bore water will rust steel very quickly, they have not made tanks like that for a very long time

[facthunter]

It might just be of "wrought iron". A lot of structural stuff was imported direct from Britain Wrought iron is very low carbon and resists rust well. It might have been relocated from an older structure in Broken Hill proper. Nev

[waraton]

All that remains of Yanco Glen 30km north of Broken Hill on the Tibooburra Road. Concrete slabs are the remains of the Yanco Glen hotel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Below: Landscape South West of Mount Gipps, North of Broken Hill

[onetrack]

....I assume it is the original, the walls are less than 6ft so wonder how the pair drowned.

 

The true story appears to be that the proprietor of the Yanco Glen Hotel and his son were drowned in 1901 in the dam, when their horse and buggy slipped into the dam, when collecting water in casks that were in the buggy.

One can imagine that both would rush into the water to try and save the buggy and casks, and the very cold water rapidly gave them hypothermia. Most people were poor swimmers in those days, anyway.

 

http://monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/people/tragedy/display/20529-alexander-robertson-

 

Dam water is very cold, even in mid-summer - apart from a thin layer near the surface, and the shallow water near the waters edge.

Many a drowning victim has jumped into a dam for a swim, and the cold water just under the surface, causes hypothermia and muscle cramping - more so, if the person is hot when they jump in.

In addition, many people who are reasonable swimmers, overestimate their swimming abilities, and their ability to get out of difficulties when swimming.

Finally, fresh water doesn't support the human body as well as salt water, so swimming in fresh water means you have to exert more effort to stay afloat.

 

The "tank" description confusion has probably come about because "dams" are more often called "excavated earth tanks", or just "tanks" in NSW and QLD (OT is a former W.A. damsinker, or "tanksinker", by profession).

 

The steel tank is made from steel plates riveted to angle-iron frames, which are then galvanised - and the frames are then bolted together, with the angle-iron bolted on the inside of the tank.

The joints between the steel frames are either sealed with lead, or "pitch" (what we now know, as asphalt or bitumen).

Galvanising in the late 1800's and early 1900's was also a lot thicker and a lot more durable than galvanising done in later years, when they found methods to reduce the thickness of the zinc coating.

 

They are great photos of the Outback, thanks for posting.

Edited April 5, 2020 by onetrack

[pmccarthy]

All that remains of Yanco Glen 30km north of Broken Hill on the Tibooburra Road. Concrete slabs are the remains of the Yanco Glen hotel.

My Part time job as a kid was opening gates for the mail truck driver up into the corner country. There was no road for part of it, we would drive along a creek bed. Through Tarrawingee to Corona, Tielta, Joulnie, Mt Westwood, up to Smithville and a dozen other stations. I'm told many of the homesteads are gone now or derelict.

 

 

 

 

[ATTACH type=full" alt="Yanco Glen Hotel ruins.jpg]52056[/ATTACH]

 

Below: Landscape South West of Mount Gipps, North of Broken Hill

[ATTACH type=full" alt="South West of Mount Gipps.jpg]52047[/ATTACH]

[onetrack]

Here's a good article about the old Outback pubs around Broken Hill, which are virtually all gone. Included is the full and interesting story of the Yanco Glen Hotel(s) - because there was more than one!

 

https://timegents.com/2020/01/30/outback-sands-reclaim-yanco-glen-hotel/

 

What is not told in the short news story of the drowning of Alex Robertson and his 13 yr old son, is that the drownings were witnessed by his 14 yr old and 12 yr old daughters, which is reported in the short inquest.

A truly distressing event for the girls, and no doubt they may have tried to help their father and brother, but were cautious enough not to enter the dam water too deeply.

 

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/14360117?searchTerm=Drowned%20Alex%20Robertson&searchLimits=l-state=New+South+Wales|||l-decade=190|||l-year=1901|||l-month=4

[facthunter]

It's really different Country and pretty Barren. I used to regularly fly there for the St. Patrick's day Race Carnival.. You can be a Member for the day and the Plane was "Borrowed" (The best way). An air conditioned Pressurised twin turbo prop let me escape from the farm for a few days. Not too hard to take. Almost balances Farri's idyllic flying at Deeral in the Drifter. Yabbies and 1/2 bottle of champagne for $8.. I didn't bet on horses. That's a mugs game. Nev

Edited April 6, 2020 by facthunter

[Butch]

An air conditioned Pressurised twin turbo prop

Gee Nev ,

It would be great to borrow.

Even if I could fly it I couldn't afford the fuel. ?

How many litres per hour?

[Kiwi]

Flew the 10 nm to the farm this morning to pick up some mozzarella cheese. Looks like the wife had one or two other items she wanted.

 

Lucky I didn't take the Drifter.

 

[Blueadventures]

Took our French designed ''Nynja' for a fly late this afternoon from our private airfield after some light routine service maintenance the past couple of weeks and in readiness for an ANZAC morning fly. Will carry a Poppy, colours of the AFC and RAF Sqn 303 in honour of the gallant military who gave so much.

 

With the propeller dynamically balanced (mates 'DynaVibe') and pretty much vibration free the engine has a real growl power feel. Cheers.

 

Thick late afternoon air is always great to fly around in.

[Jerry_Atrick]

Great shots... A "bit" of envy creeping in! If you have any shots of your steed, feel free to post them...