Woolooman Airfield

[boleropilot]

G'day all - got a surprise this morning when I looked at the satellite pix of our property, address is 620 Woolooman Road, Woolooman, Qld, 4310.

 

Woolooman International Airport is there! I hadn't looked at it for quite a while, these pix were taken in January 2016. As you can see, there's not much grass yet - hopefully by the time I hope to have a Drifter weekend fly-in sometime in 2017 it will have a full and luscious green runway (and the worlds biggest firepit).

 

Length is a tad over 300 metres, approach from the south is straight down the slope, from the north will require a little low flying and then a 45 degree turn to the right at about 100 feet agl. I'll post some pix asap.

 

Cheers,

 

BP

 

 

[WayneL]

Interesting Dave, Google Earth measurements show about 200 metres from edge of dirt both ends.

 

Wayne

 

 

[boleropilot]

hmm, will have to get out with a measuring wheel and get an accurate length - I know that from my Drifter flying that I won't have a problem getting in/out, but I think being 'light' would be a good idea - perhaps the strip should be classified as 'experienced pilots only' - I wouldn't think Savannahs or Foxbats would have major problems though

 

there are good options to the west for emergency landings - another Drifter driver suggested arriving high overhead and spiralling down onto final, 'tis a little hilly so not a bad idea, rotor could be a problem so really a fair weather strip - suits me, because I happen to be a fair weather pilot

 

with departures I will be building up speed just above the runway (light weight again) and zooming up, then turning to the west (toward lower ground) in the case of the fan going quiet at the back of the aircraft....

 

I have 'enjoyed' flying in/out of Walkers Scary Place east of Boonah, and I can assure you that Woolooman is a LOT nicer than that little strip - big kahunas and fingers crossed for that one...loved the challenge but

 

BP

 

 

[boleropilot]

yeah Wayne you are right, 200 metres it is...obviously I will be doing lots of test approaches once (a) 0455 is back in the sky and (b) the runway is all grassed and no rocks found....

 

I recall a landing I did at Roadvale (6nm N of YBOA) from the south where I sideslipped all the way to abt one second before touchdown (just past the 45 degree drop-off at the start of the runway), kicked her straight and whacked her down and got hard on the brakes, the lil beasty pulled up just past the turnoff to the hangar - that must have been around a hundred metres...main problem at Woolooman is the lack of stopping distance if the engine hiccups during take-off - there are at least some options if things go banana shaped but they all involve a turn to the west toward relatively open ground that is lower than the runway...my testing will be done on a day when there is a gentle breeze straight down the runway.

 

 

[WayneL]

G'Day Dave,

 

You know Clifton well....back on the 1st Oct I took the Drifter up for WUFI day in a South Westery blowing a fairly smooth 20 knots with a low wind gradient change near the ground. Was able to land like a Gyro in only 2 aircraft lengths stopping each time before the first 100 metre cone beside out from the hangar. Gee....I had fun! I would not want the strong wind on your strip though. Calm or light breeze for a nice controlled arrival at the threshold would do it!

 

Wayne.

 

 

[WayneL]

(just past the 45 degree drop-off at the start of the runway)

Did a glide approach with Greg to that end of the strip once. Bit like landing on a Carrier deck!

Wayne.

 

 

[boleropilot]

yeah all the Tigers refer to it as a carrier landing strip - at both ends! haven't flown there for ages but the bloke that owns it is now interested in a tenant for his hangar - if we can come to some agreement in relation to (a) the cattle, and (b) installing sliding doors on the hangar, we might see 0455 there again - might be a better option than trying to find the dollars for a hangar at Woolooman...

 

BP

 

 

[farri]

Is this it

 

 

 

Frank.

 

 

[WayneL]

I will jump in Frank and answer for Dave, yes that is his strip. Hope you don't mind Dave.

 

Wayne

 

 

[boleropilot]

hey Wayne, thanks m8 - yeah Frank, that's the little puppy...a bit overgrown after us being o/s for a month, will be doing some work on it tomorrow.

 

got some big thorny weeds to eradicate and maybe drag the rack (depending on the state of the grass - we've had sfa rain here and 40+ temps).

 

currently setting up a 500 litre water tank that I can fill from local dams to try to promote grass growth - tank in the trailer, pump in the back of the unbreakable Hilux, boom spray to cover 4 metre width

 

what could possibly go wrong?

 

will have to do some investigation on public liability insurance before I can set a date for a Drifter etc. weekend...fly in Friday/Saturday, out Sunday. Biggest firepit in The World on Saturday night!

 

on that auspicious occasion, anybody arriving at the 'field and deciding to land at Roadvale instead (about 6nm west of here) will be collected by moi in my Fairlane limo! How good is that???

 

cheers

 

BP

 

 

[farri]

Frank, will have to do some investigation on public liability insurance before I can set a date for a Drifter etc. weekend...fly in Friday/Saturday, out Sunday. Biggest firepit in The World on Saturday night!BP

Hi BP ...Goodonya! I`d love to be there,bit far away though......Biggest stumbling block is Liability and I sincerely hope you can be covered, but at what cost...You`ll most likely find that those who want to take part, won`t want to put some $$$ towards it, but if they do, it will then present other issues for you.

 

The Devil is in the Fine Print.

 

Frank.

 

 

[boleropilot]

yeah Frank - hoping the 72 hour window will help with the cost = 1200 Friday to 1200 Monday. at this point also it appears that proof of hours flown + STOL "endorsement" from a CFI will also help. problem words are '200 metres", "hills" and "surrounding vegetation" - who wooda thunk? apparently you even have to cover food/drink supplied - wtf? BYO everything sounds good to me but not what I had planned...

 

might have to re-name the occasion if it gets off the ground - the STOL fly-in might work - youse guys got any other ideas? please - no mention of gonads/coconuts!!!

 

it might even come down to "DO NOT LAND HERE - OH YOU DID - WELL, TOLD YA NOT TO" - don't think that will work somehows...

 

as far as distance is concerned m8, you don't have to do it all in one go ya know...

 

cheers

 

BP

 

 

[boleropilot]

UPDATE - short term PL insurance is not an option, have not bothered to look into annual $ numbers because I am not rich...

 

a local lad has taken approach videos of the 'strip with his drone and I have to say it looks a lot nicer than I expected - mind you, that's viewing at drone speeds and not 50 knots, so...

 

he's going to put the video on something called SlewBoob or something, I'll post the link here when he's done that

 

cheers

 

BP

 

PS - hey Frank, you hear about that mob of 60 knot drivers planning a trip from Victoria to Port Douglas in June '18? hardest thing will be trying to get them to turn South I reckon......

 

 

[farri]

BP - hey Frank, you hear about that mob of 60 knot drivers planning a trip from Victoria to Port Douglas in June '18? ......

B.P, Yes, I have! Take a look here. Hot Tips Anyone? Post#13

 

These days ,liability issues are concern to all of us who allow anyone to land on our private strip...Without sufficient insurance cover and how much is sufficient, we either take the risk,or,not allow others to land.

 

Frank.

 

 

[boleropilot]

ah jayzus Frank, I shooda remembered I saw that post - old man syndrome - hoping to tag along with that mob for the Qld legs, haven't heard back from them yet...if they say no I'll just follow them

 

as for others landing at our strip, it won't happen - a bit sad that people won't take responsibility for their own actions these days...

 

BP

 

 

[farri]

ah jayzus Frank, I shooda remembered I saw that post - old man syndrome - BP

, for remembering you shooda remembered!!!...I once told a doctor, I was instructing that I was concerned about my memory, he instantly replied, " Frank, if you are remembering you forgot, it`s OK."...Apparently, those with severe memory loss, arn`t aware they forget.

 

Frank.

 

 

[SSCBD]

Just put a white cross X on each end of your four wheel drive track. And Frank when is a cane field a runway?

 

And all that may land of course did due to some rough running engine or some small failure or concern of safety overhead, put in maintenance notes.

 

Or you could say no one lands without x thousand hours (example Whitsunday has 250 hours pic I think before you can land)

 

 

[farri]

Just put a white cross X on each end of your four wheel drive track.

Seriously! I don`t want to put a white cross at each end and I don`t want to stop anyone coming in but it is private property and anyone coming in requires my permission...Technically, they should have written permission, verbal permission ain`t worth much and I won`t give anyone written permission.

 

And Frank when is a cane field a runway?

That`s the way I see it, I`m flying off the paddocks that I keep mowed.

 

Frank.

 

 

[boleropilot]

the young fella up the road has taken a video of the approaches with his drone - and I gotta say, it looks a lot better than I expected - might speed up the video next time I watch it and see if I can get it to what looks like about 50 knots?

 

will see if I can get it on YouTube, if so I'll post the link here

 

cheers

 

BP

 

 

[boleropilot]

Kiwi ! I can't believe you voted Woolooman International Airport as SCARY....m8, I've been in/out of Walkers Scary Place and as far as I can see, Woolooman is a doddle !!!

 

anyway, finally got the videos up on YouTube, so take a look and feel free to tell me what you think - except for YOU Kiwi, ya big woosie !!!! Just kidding, m8 - but I think you might change your mind after seeing these:

 

 

cheers

 

BP

 

 

[boleropilot]

would love to see some comments about the two approaches to Woolooman airfield - pls let everyone know the videos are here and to let me know what you think

 

I reckon it's gonna be the bees knees meself...can't wait to get 0455 in the air so I can try it out !!!!!!!!! gonna mount a camera to my RC Drifter and send the video to my FPV goggles - what a way to practice !

 

BP

 

 

[farri]

would love to see some comments about the two approaches to Woolooman airfield BP

G`Day BP, as you want to see some comments, here goes.....From what I see on the videos`, it`s similar country to some of the Atherton Tablelands, that I did a lot of flying over, when I was flying out of Pioneer Valley airstrip...That airstrip would be a bit over twice as long as yours.

 

Coming in to land shouldn`t be too much trouble for an experienced pilot provided sufficient altitude is maintained so that a glide to the strip can be carried out in the event of engine failure or wind shear, causing a loss of altitude.

 

Please correct me if I`m wrong, but from both videos, it appears to me and I repeat, appears, had the engine failed you wouldn`t have made the strip and there were a lot of trees ahead of you.

 

Frank,

 

Ps, I`d like to see a video of taking off from there, before commenting about getting out of there.

 

 

[boleropilot]

thanks franks, that's exactly the sort of info I want to hear - I'll address your comments below:

 

yeah it is very short - I won't be using the strip unless I'm light on fuel and no pax, plus good conditions inc. hopefully some light breeze down the strip - I will have 'turbulence markers' everywhere

 

my intention with landing is to approach from above and spiral down to the point where I would be able to do a glide approach to the touchdown point

 

South approach - if you stand at the touchdown point and point at the horizon the angle is less than a Drifter glide approach - so the best option for engine failure will be straight ahead deadstick

 

North approach - much the same as the South except I must remember to take into account that little turn to the right just before the touchdown point

 

for take-offs I will be getting on the throttle quicker than I normally do and getting as much speed up as possible before zooming up, flattening out, and turning to the West

 

there are quite a lot of fairly flat grazing paddocks lower down in that direction and I would expect to reach one of those if I get EFATO - problem here would be fences and creeks...

 

I will be doing a lot of walking in that area before my first flights in/out of here to check out what the best options are

 

I intend to do a LOT of practice at a private local strip using the methods above, it's at Roadvale, about 6nm North of Boonah, marking out the 200 metres during testing

 

if it turns out that it's all just too dangerous I will enjoy the best RC strip in a backyard anyone has ever seen, and keep 0455 at Roadvale

 

and finally, if I manage to get in/out fairly comfortably but braking is an issue, I will fit disc brakes to 0455 and see if that helps - if not, RC only

 

bottom line is I actually enjoy life and if any of this starts getting too uncomfortable I will just go back to the RC field idea.

 

thanks again for the input m8, much appreciated

 

BP

 

PS.....at this point in time I have ruled out using the airfield unless my wife is at home

 

 

[farri]

thanks franks, that's exactly the sort of info I want to hear -

BP, What is the elevation of the runway?

 

 

[boleropilot]

good question - I'll just go and check....