Old Airfields. . . . What was this one ? ( not a quiz )

[Phil Perry]

Hi Gals 'N' Blokes,

 

During hangar chat this week, I was asked if I knew about what looked like an old airfield near Mildura Vic. When I got back to the ops shed, I had a look on GE and sure enough, around 4km SSW of Mildura Airport there is what looks like a three runway layout in the scrub, which has obviously not been used for a bit ( If that's what it actually IS ) could be just a series of tracks, but the layout is reminiscent of a long disused airfield. I still have ( somewhere ) some old flipcharts of Aussie airfields dating back to the early seventies, but can't remember where I stashed them !

 

I've flown into Mildura on several occasions, but have to admit, I can't recall having noticed it . . .any ideas ?

 

Phil

 

 

[kaz3g]

I think that is the gliding club strip used by Sunraysia Gliding.

 

Kaz

 

 

[Phil Perry]

I think that is the gliding club strip used by Sunraysia Gliding.Kaz

Thanks for that Kaz,. . . . I wonder if it was an existing layout that the gliding club adopted, or an existing disused site theough. . . . have to look up "History of Mildura" I guess, could be interesting. . . I'll wager that Someone in the past has written a history of Australian Airfields. . . bound to be a link on the interwebby thing somewhere. . . . .!

 

Phil

 

 

[Phil Perry]

Just emailed The Sunraysia Club to see if they can shed any light on this. Not important, just curious.

 

Phil

 

 

[Phil Perry]

Just a brief explanation of why I was interested; 1) I can't think why I didn't notice it whilst flying in and out of Bendigo ( sorry not au fait with all the international "Y"designators for Aussie airfields yet, you blokes and blokettes seem to use them in preference to the actual site names, where we Poms rarely use an "E" designator, unless we're completing a flight plan. . . ) as I thought I was more observant than that, and 2) we have loads of interesting old airfield sites from WW2 dotted around the country, particularly on the Eastern coastal areas, some are completely gone now, but you can still see the outlines of lots of others even though they went back to agriculture after 1945 . . . Phil

 

 

[pmccarthy]

I have an unused air ticket dated 1926 and the tip of a propellor from an air crash at Mildura. My grandfather was en route from Narrandera to Adelaide as a passenger when it happened. They had engine trouble but made Mildura. There was some work done and the plane crashed during a test flight, the pilot was ok. Grandpa souvenired the prop tip. I would be interested to know if the location was other than the existing field.. The pilot's signature is on the ticket, he became a well known aviator in PNG.

 

 

[flyerme]

Is this what your talking about? If so yes it's Mildura Gliding Club

 

 

 

[Phil Perry]

Thanks PM, and Tim, . . . it's nice to have a piece of history in your hand, my Paternal Grandfather kept a piston with a hole in it's side, from his very first car ! used it as an ashtray. I've still got it somewhere, but I can't remember what the car was. . .anyway, I digress. Tim, Yes that's the site I saw on G/Earth, and I've since had a reponse from Owen Bray, who flies a Jab 170d from the Mildura area, and also flies Gliders from the Sunraysia site. . . but I still don't know if it was an actual Airfield prior to the existing Mildura airfield, I wasn't very clever when I emailed him, and forgot to ask ! ! Still, when I respond to Owen, I'll get around to asking if he knows the history of the site AND if it was something bigger in 1926 too. . . .

 

Thanks to both of you for your responses and Tim, I hope the new arrival and the Missus are doing really Well.

 

Phil

 

 

[flyerme]

Thanks PM, and Tim, . . . it's nice to have a piece of history in your hand, my Paternal Grandfather kept a piston with a hole in it's side, from his very first car ! used it as an ashtray. I've still got it somewhere, but I can't remember what the car was. . .anyway, I digress. Tim, Yes that's the site I saw on G/Earth, and I've since had a reponse from Owen Bray, who flies a Jab 170d from the Mildura area, and also flies Gliders from the Sunraysia site. . . but I still don't know if it was an actual Airfield prior to the existing Mildura airfield, I wasn't very clever when I emailed him, and forgot to ask ! ! Still, when I respond to Owen, I'll get around to asking if he knows the history of the site AND if it was something bigger in 1926 too. . . . Thanks to both of you for your responses and Tim, I hope the new arrival and the Missus are doing really Well.

 

Phil

All good mate.

 

 

[Phil Perry]

Here's a couple of links I got from Owen Bray, showing some gliding activity at Sunraysia Mildura.

 

 

That winch launch brought back some memories,. . . . although the only gliding I did was at Baccus Marsh, on the Ballarat side of Melbourne. . . . In Blaniks. . . . glide like a streamlined manhole cover, and not a sailplane by any stretch BUT nice aircraft to fly ,. . .had a really good time but didn't get to fly one solo . . I went there about nine separate occasions, but flew with a different bloke each time . . . I didn't get my thirteen engine failures until I came back to Old England and got into MICROLIGHTS . and out of 13, I would say that at least five of them were something to do with Pilot Error. !! I've been watching some of Owen's vids on youtube as well,. . . .under Jabiru 170d . . .theres a few of them there. . . although I'd have my Ar$e twitching a bit flying at fairly low level in a Single Engined appliance. . . .for a couple of places on those videos,. . .Tiger country isn't a good enough title ! ! ! Getting a real cowardly type in my old age mates. . . . But the BUSH . . .it is oh so starkly Potentially very Dangerous to aviators, but beautiful nonetheless. . . . and I miss it !

 

Phil

 

 

[gandalph]

. In Blaniks. . . . glide like a streamlined manhole cover........

Crickey Phill! If that doesn't get the flame throwers going........

 

And you seemed like such a nice guy

 

 

[pmccarthy]

I trained in a Blanik about 150 miles north of Mildura with the Broken Hill gliding club, but like Phil did not get to solo in it as there was a long wait for a short ride and it was bl$$dy hot sitting around waiting. Tow was an Auster Aiglet, I used to ride in that to cool down. Anyway, the Blanik is still the glideiest thing I have ever flown, so now I know why those rides were so short!

 

 

[pmccarthy]

A related story (?) I landed in Renmark, downstream from Mildura, last year. Walked into the Renmark gliding club hangar and there was a group of senior citizens sitting around in front of a Blanik. They said that it no longer flew because of the main spar problem so they just sit around in the hangar and talk about gliding.

 

 

[Oscar]

Blimey, Phil, yer a hard man... a 300K in a Blanik is on, on a good day...

 

 

[gandalph]

A related story (?) I landed in Renmark, downstream from Mildura, last year. Walked into the Renmark gliding club hangar and there was a group of senior citizens sitting around in front of a Blanik. They said that it no longer flew because of the main spar problem so they just sit around in the hangar and talk about gliding.

The "Llewellyn mod" can fix the Blanik, don't know what to do to fix the seniors though.

 

 

[Phil Perry]

Blimey, Phil, yer a hard man... a 300K in a Blanik is on, on a good day...

HEY GUYS Whoah ! . . . . I didn't mean to upset anyone . . . I had nine rides in Blaniks ( winch launched ) and none of them went beyond about 15 Mins, . . . the locals at Bacchus said "now This ( Blanik). . is a Glider. That over there, is a Sailplane. . . ! My only gliding experience up to then was many weekends over 2 years in the Air Cadets at age 14, spent at RAF Ternhill in the UK flying Slingsby T31 tandem trainers, and Sedbergh side by side machines, winch launched to 1000 ft and just about managing a circuit most times, unless it was GOOD gliding weather, then we got 1.5 circuits !

 

 

[Oscar]

Ah, well, trying to fly in Victoria, eh? Brave lad..... Looking through the logbook, my longest flight in a Blanik is 54 minutes, off winch, at Forbes; it was pointedly remarked to me that there were other people wanting to fly, so bringing it back would be appreciated right about NOW-ish....

 

 

[Phil Perry]

Ah, well, trying to fly in Victoria, eh? Brave lad..... Looking through the logbook, my longest flight in a Blanik is 54 minutes, off winch, at Forbes; it was pointedly remarked to me that there were other people wanting to fly, so bringing it back would be appreciated right about NOW-ish....

Ah, well, now,. . . that there is the problem with hiring aircraft isn't it. . . ? When I was travelling sixty miles odd from Boronia to Bacchus Bloody Marsh on weekends, I don't think it was the time WE WERE UP that annoyed anyone, it was a really relaxed atmosphere there,. . .unfortunately the Earth's atmosphere was a bit too relaxed as well,. . .and we couldn't find any lift ! But as you sayk THAT'S VICTORIA if you don't like the weather. . . .wait a minute !

 

I've flown a 170 Mile triangular course in a high performance sailplane in the UK. . .( again - not solo ) but that brings with it other problems, like,. . ."Can we land so that I can have a wee ?" . . .

 

And hiring Cessnas and Piper appliances from club airfields is a minefield as well,. . .the clever ones, fly right up until five minutes before the next booking, then jump out and say " Hey mate, . . .I'm real sorry I didn't refuel it for you, but me mam's had a heart attack and I've gotta run. . . . so you dutifully queue up at the bowser behind a half dozen twats who don't know how to connect the static lead and FINALLY. . .you get your turn to fill it up to the tabs . . .go into the office and sign for it,. . . and by the time you've loaded up and briefed your victims,. . .er, sorry . . .your PASSENGERS and got yourself lifted into the luft,. . . oh dear, . . .we can't go and photograph the roof of your house today because we only have 35 minutes left before Mister Smither's booking at three o clock. . . . . . what a crock of carp.

 

**Edited to add** When I had the temerity to borrow a C-150 from Berwick and actually FLY into Bacchus,. . .well,. . .I got treated like a bleeding leper for having a windmill on the front end. I tried this twice, and although it saved me time and trouble driving through Melbourne and back, I never got a Glidder flight. THAT was when I found out that there's THEM. . . and there's US.

 

Phil

 

 

[Oscar]

Well, yes, I agree the noisy things disturb the bucolic peace of the gliding field.... but often their pilots don't fully appreciate the fact that once in the circuit, gliders don't have the option of going around (often, anyway, unless you're Ingo Renner but he had his own private arrangements with lift).

 

My brother was once heading for home and storming along under a cloud street; a Piper Cherokee, I think it was, was just far enough away to be well in the sink and chugging along to maintain altitude, my brother passed him... The Piper pilot followed him to the airfield and landed behind, taxied up to beside the glider in the assembly area ( which was not really appreciated), got out with steam coming out of his ears, marched over and examined the glider and said 'I KNEW it didn't have a bloody engine, how did you do that?', and got laughed at...

 

 

[Phil Perry]

Last Sunday, whilst I was duty radio op,. a sailplane appeared, no radio call ( bloody typical ) and did a roaring low pass at what looked like around 90 knots, and I mean REALLY low, along the duty runway, then pulled up to at least 1000ft, dropping water ballast as he went, and buggered off back to RAF Cosford, some 15 miles distant . . . .I really wish they wouldn't do that . . . . . the farmer's wife will no doubt blame US for the damp washing hung out on the line. . . . .

 

 

[Oscar]

HMM - bored fighter pilot from the RAF base? 'You can tell a fighter pilot... but you cannot tell him much..."

 

 

[Phil Perry]

HMM - bored fighter pilot from the RAF base? 'You can tell a fighter pilot... but you cannot tell him much..."

Yeah,. . .we have TWO of those in our flying club. . . . . . . . ( well,. . .that's what they tell us anyway. . . .I've flown in a microlight with one of them, and if he was defending my country,. . .well,. . .I'd be somewhat worried. . . . ) We had an Albanian guy a few weeks ago who wanted a flight, but was a bit despondent when we told him that our aircraft were not capable of aerobatics. . . . . I sent him to Halfpenny Green Airport to see a guy who owns a Yak 52, and is an ex-Russian fighter pilot. . .that will, hopefully fulfill his dreams, or make him very airsick. . . .

 

 

[robinsm]

Ah, well, now,. . . that there is the problem with hiring aircraft isn't it. . . ? When I was travelling sixty miles odd from Boronia to Bacchus Bloody Marsh on weekends, I don't think it was the time WE WERE UP that annoyed anyone, it was a really relaxed atmosphere there,. . .unfortunately the Earth's atmosphere was a bit too relaxed as well,. . .and we couldn't find any lift ! But as you sayk THAT'S VICTORIA if you don't like the weather. . . .wait a minute !I've flown a 170 Mile triangular course in a high performance sailplane in the UK. . .( again - not solo ) but that brings with it other problems, like,. . ."Can we land so that I can have a wee ?" . . .

 

And hiring Cessnas and Piper appliances from club airfields is a minefield as well,. . .the clever ones, fly right up until five minutes before the next booking, then jump out and say " Hey mate, . . .I'm real sorry I didn't refuel it for you, but me mam's had a heart attack and I've gotta run. . . . so you dutifully queue up at the bowser behind a half dozen twats who don't know how to connect the static lead and FINALLY. . .you get your turn to fill it up to the tabs . . .go into the office and sign for it,. . . and by the time you've loaded up and briefed your victims,. . .er, sorry . . .your PASSENGERS and got yourself lifted into the luft,. . . oh dear, . . .we can't go and photograph the roof of your house today because we only have 35 minutes left before Mister Smither's booking at three o clock. . . . . . what a crock of carp.

 

**Edited to add** When I had the temerity to borrow a C-150 from Berwick and actually FLY into Bacchus,. . .well,. . .I got treated like a bleeding leper for having a windmill on the front end. I tried this twice, and although it saved me time and trouble driving through Melbourne and back, I never got a Glidder flight. THAT was when I found out that there's THEM. . . and there's US.

 

Phil

Started gliding in 1968 in NZ and the them and us was well and truly alive then. The only good ones were the ex fighter pilots (1967 remember) who maintained that gliding increased their flying skills and made them more weather aware and lift aware to save fuel. Made them very precise pilots too, which wasn't a bad thing. Put the 2 (power and sail) together and you have a great training scheme. The Them and Us attitude at the airfield is to their detriment, not yours.

 

 

[Phil Perry]

The tug pilot told me the same thing the second time I flew in driving a powered aircraft mate,. . . . He was an ex-croppie from up Nhill way. . . . he couldn't understand the attitude either, said he didn't know where it came from., but that it was seriously non productive to have a wedge driven between gliding people and those who chose to fly with engines. . . .It's still prevalent here. . .we have a gliding club around 2.5 NM South West of a site I use regularly, and sometimes act as a volunteer radio op,. . . they NEVER phone and tell us when they are active, so that we can advise incoming pilots. . . . their attitude being that "They should be looking out properly " and they have a superwich, launching gliders up to 2000 ft. What sort of bloody stupid attitude is that ?It's almost as though they actually WANT a collision, so that they can then say "See,. . .told you so.. . " Told us WHAT exactly ? ? ?

 

Don't understand it at all.

 

 

[Oscar]

At Forbes, we always did an extra low scan for Darby Munro as part of the 'all clear above and behind' before starting the winch launch. Darby was the local croppie, who you could see returning to the strip and tell it was him from the air because the shadow under his Pawnee got visible only when he flew over fences, and he never did circuits, just pointed it at his hangar from wherever he was approaching and landed.

 

We'd just waved off a launch when the CFI suddenly screamed out 'BUNG OFF!' - which the pilot did. About five seconds later, an F111 did a pass at about 50 feet straight down the middle of the strip at maybe 400 knots; the glider would have been absolutely right where he went past. The air blast alone would have totalled the glider even if they hadn't hit / the F111 had collected the wire. It shook the hell out of us..

 

The CFI said afterwards, that he hadn't really seen the F111 incoming but 'something looked wrong' in the distance. I believe his call to the RAAF was 'heated' - Forbes wasn't on any 'low flying' route for the jet jockeys.