Clifton Charity Day in support of the Toowoomba Hospice.

[WayneL]

The club members decided a few months ago to arrange an open day for the public to come out to the field and go for a 15min flight around the local area in exchange for a 25 dollar donation to the Toowoomba Hospice.

 

Preparation started a couple of weekends before the day (Saturday the 8th Oct.) with the mowing chores completed.

 

On the Friday afternoon aircraft were washed and fueled, the club hangar was decked out with seating and tables and some of the food requirements for the day were planned and/or prepared. Early on the day members setup the shade shelters, BBQ, food prepared and display aircraft positioned. At 0800hr local time Trevor Bange called all pilots in for the briefing. Weather was looking kind, light NW winds swinging SW late into the afternoon. We had a high cloud cover which helped keep the heat down slightly on the forecast temp. The plan was to operate off Rwy 24 and do very large left circuit that took us to Clifton Township at the end of the downwind leg and a 3 mile final with the only agreed call point being over a new tin shed on final. With up to nine aircraft in the circuit at any one time this kept the radio chatter to a minimum. Aircraft were to line up one behind each other waiting for a passenger. At the start around 0830hrs LT the line looked like a mass production line of Jabiru's (or maybe a taxi rank with waiting passengers).

 

The event was reported in local media and we expected around 40 people to fly.......on the day, somewhere around 130 odd tickets were issues to go for a flight with more than 120 passengers flying on the day. We had two Drifters, a Savannah, Piper Colt/Tri pacer and 5 or 6 Jab's doing the circuit again & again. I flew 11 passengers in a Drifter for the day with a change of pilot at lunch time. About 5 of my passengers were from Clifton, one from Brisbane and the rest from Toowoomba. Everyone enjoyed their flights, some had two flights, daring to try the Drifter after enjoying their flight in the cab of a Jabiru first. All my passengers called out 'WOW' after leaving the ground in the Drifter, enjoying the view immensely. Nearly all said this was something that they wanted to do for a long time. As the volunteer pilots we all enjoyed the pleasure of taking these people for a flight. We had families of 5 lining up to fly one at a time, each time they exchanged waves as they came in to land past the waiting point. Club member Justin flew his Gyro during the day to the enjoyment of the people waiting for flights. We put on display 4 aircraft for the public to look at while waiting for flights. Trevor's 1936 Porterfield, replica Spitfire & Nieuport and Loehle Sports Parasol. Our last 2 passengers were in the Club Drifters at 1500hrs the it was time to packup and return the field to normal again. I can say that I was tired later that evening! The air was good to us all day, not many bumps, some smoke haze but clearer later in the morning.

 

I didn't get a chance to take any photos while flying but here are some photos the the display aircraft in the morning before intending passengers arrived.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Oscar]

To all: BRILLIANT!

 

Rec. Aviation is a community asset. This sort of action proves that.

 

 

[SDQDI]

Love it!

 

good to see and should be more of it done everywhere.

 

 

[WayneL]

All my passengers that lived in Clifton were very happy to point out their house to me. I am sure some saw the aircraft flying over in the morning and decided to come out for a flight just so they could see their place from the air judging by their comments.

 

Wayne

 

 

[Oscar]

The value of having people from the local community who might not have every visited the strip, seeing that the whole operation is well-ordered, that the site is very 'professional', and that Rec. Aviators are not a bunch of crazy 'wannabe Red Barons' but sensible, 'real' people, will have done a heap of good. It's exactly this sort of event that changes people in nearby communities from running out of their houses waving their fists at the occasional lightty overhead to waving happily, on the off-chance that it's their neighbour in that plane!.