About time for a thread

[Mountain Flyer]

I thought it about time to post a thread here. I have a common enough story - watched planes overhead when a little fella, dad took me to the airport occasionally to watch planes take off and land when I pestered him enough, started my GA training at about 22 then kids. Continued on to RPPL at Bundy when I was about 25 in Sierra Charlie Uniform, a Cessna 172. After that of course, more kids, mortgage, schooling, one income family until my last child was about 17. After that, about 9 years ago, I started buying Pacific Flyer and bought a Lightwing GR582 25 0324 in pieces as a project. First big commitment. 2 years later, still in pieces and as I wanted to fly I went down to see the guys at the Sydney Recreational Flying Club on a socked in, drizzly Saturday. Pylon 500 took me taxying first then with a break in the clouds we went for a fly over the training area down around Picton. I bought Old 81 off the club that day which had been the club trainer since 1987. Rego 25-0081, Lightwing LW1, airframe number 5 and first flew in February 1987. Now over 4800 hours on it. It flies beautifully. After lots of visits to The Oaks I finally passed my Pilot Certificate. One thing and another then happened and I have only just recently passed and received my cross country endorsement. I want to thank Greg, Joe, Arthur and all the people associated with the SRFC for keeping me inspired and hanging in. It is guys like these, all over the country that help the rest of us keep the dream alive. Hopefully 81 will be coming home soon to my place in the Mountains. Still only 55 minutes from The Oaks via the highway or 40 minutes over tiger country. I look forward to getting around a bit more very soon.

 

 

[facthunter]

Nice first one, Mountain Flyer. Nev

 

 

[planedriver]

Welcome to the forums Mountain Flyer.

 

If my memory serves me correctly, 81 was the yellow one which had an outlanding at Oakdale with a broken crankshaft quite some years ago?

 

4800hrs and flying well, just goes to show how durable Lightwings are.

 

I've witnessed many a landing (read that as plant) in Lightwings that would have given other aircraft a true pain in the bum, not even mentioning anything about the bloke on the stick inside it.

 

Are you now based at Katoomba?

 

PS Welcome back Nev, we've missed you. Hope you're not too sadle-sore.

 

 

[Mountain Flyer]

Thank you both for the welcome. Yes, 81 has had various shades of yellow and still is yellow. There are lots of pictures of it including one on the ALW database. Yes, it has had a few out landings, most of them engine related. Having been a training aircraft for so many hours it has lots of stories to tell but others know it's history better than me.

 

No, not at Katoomba. Home is midway between Bathurst and Lithgow. Strip is at 1000 metres and house at 1080 metres.

 

Pete