Visitor to YBNS

[biggles]

Forumite Alf Jessup braved the 15C Max. to visit Bairnsdale today.... Bob

 

 

 

[alf jessup]

Forumite Alf Jessup braved the 15C Max. to visit Bairnsdale today.... Bob

[ATTACH=full]51070[/ATTACH]

Thanks for the catch up Biggles, now where is your mug shot old mate

 

 

[biggles]

Thanks for the catch up Biggles, now where is your mug shot old mate

OK Alf , if you insist ! ..... Bob

 

 

 

[alf jessup]

OK Alf , if you insist ! ..... Bob[ATTACH=full]51072[/ATTACH]

Thanks Bob

I did insist

 

 

[Love to fly]

Glad to see the new parking areas are being used :) Be nice when they put in tie down cables though.

 

 

[Oscar]

A great part of Australia.

 

I spent over 10 years (on and off) restoring an old trawler at Paynesville Slipyard, made many wonderful friends.

 

Most vivid aviation-related memory of there: late one afternoon, enjoying an after-work vino rosso on my boat moored beside the main slipway: heard what I instantly recognised as a Merlin on full throttle incoming. Raced outside and saw a dot approaching up the channel between Paynesville and Raymond Island, watched it fly under the power cable to Raymond Island and then turn right behind my boat - about 50 metres away at best - to run for Bairnsdale airport in practice for the next day's airshow. Its rh wing tip would not have been 5 metres above the water, and it was pulling nearly max. airspeed - just a blast of sound and fury - stunning. I reckon you'd need to be stationed in a Reno Turning Tower to witness a P51D at full noise in a 90-degree turn at 50 metres.

 

But - that wasn't the highlight!. It was a delightful summer evening, and maybe five or six of us who were on our boats there that evening, gathered on my boat to chat and consume beverages (as did tend to happen..) As the dusk closed in, there was aviation related banter..

 

One of the guys said: 'There's an old bloke I know from near here, who reckons he shot down a Zero in PNG, when flying a Wirraway. Is that true?'

 

Cue, amazed reactions. Since I had been at the Australian War Memorial and took a great interest in our aircraft, I was able to tell him that it was in fact an Oscar ( bit of irony there..) - but the Oscar was so similar to the Zero, that the confusion was understandable.

 

A remarkable vignette of Australian wartime history... shared on the back of a boat in a delightful Victorian evening.

 

 

[Love to fly]

My home is up that way. And of course the Ben Buckley stories abound :)

 

 

[biggles]

A great part of Australia.I spent over 10 years (on and off) restoring an old trawler at Paynesville Slipyard, made many wonderful friends.

 

Most vivid aviation-related memory of there: late one afternoon, enjoying an after-work vino rosso on my boat moored beside the main slipway: heard what I instantly recognised as a Merlin on full throttle incoming. Raced outside and saw a dot approaching up the channel between Paynesville and Raymond Island, watched it fly under the power cable to Raymond Island and then turn right behind my boat - about 50 metres away at best - to run for Bairnsdale airport in practice for the next day's airshow. Its rh wing tip would not have been 5 metres above the water, and it was pulling nearly max. airspeed - just a blast of sound and fury - stunning. I reckon you'd need to be stationed in a Reno Turning Tower to witness a P51D at full noise in a 90-degree turn at 50 metres.

 

But - that wasn't the highlight!. It was a delightful summer evening, and maybe five or six of us who were on our boats there that evening, gathered on my boat to chat and consume beverages (as did tend to happen..) As the dusk closed in, there was aviation related banter..

 

One of the guys said: 'There's an old bloke I know from near here, who reckons he shot down a Zero in PNG, when flying a Wirraway. Is that true?'

 

Cue, amazed reactions. Since I had been at the Australian War Memorial and took a great interest in our aircraft, I was able to tell him that it was in fact an Oscar ( bit of irony there..) - but the Oscar was so similar to the Zero, that the confusion was understandable.

 

A remarkable vignette of Australian wartime history... shared on the back of a boat in a delightful Victorian evening.

Ah, reminiscing about the " good old days " Oscar. I recall when, as a rather impatient fishermen (and often hungry) we used to use the ' square bait,' otherwise known as a 'net'.I also remember being in the bar of the, (then new, and now gone),Paynesville Hotel/Boatel/Aerotel, when a chap sidled up to me saying that he had just flown down the Straits and didn't see the power line, bringing it down. I think it was a Cessna ... a high wing anyway. There used to be a grass strip next to the Hotel but,I wasn't into aviation then, and thought it was a great joke until I arrived home on Raymond Island to find there was no power ! Another day my mate from R.I.and I decided to clear a few blocks we had near the pub . He said, all we needed were a few hessian bags to control the burn ,and being a dumb 30 something year old, and him nearly fifty, I naturally believed him . The grass was long and the day warm . It soon became obvious that we were out of our depth, and hightailed it back to the old Dodge 114, and headed out of town . We met the fire engine about 2 k's out of town with its bells ringing and lights flashing, heading the other way....... Ah yes Oscar, "those were the days" ..... Bob

 

 

[biggles]

Glad to see the new parking areas are being used :) Be nice when they put in tie down cables though.

Mmm, yeah good point . The Bairnsdale Shire council are hopeless when it comes to things 'aviation' . We have a new Manager, but haven't met him yet. Will talk to him sometime soon ... Bob

 

 

[alf jessup]

My home is up that way. And of course the Ben Buckley stories abound :)

Where you at now LTF

I got Bens Book

 

"Buckley's Chance"

 

Great read about Ben and his escapades

 

Signed copy also

 

Alf

 

 

[Love to fly]

New airport manager seems good. Very committed. Lots of plans, whether he'll get them across the line remains to be seen. Helped me tie my plane down when I flew in a couple of weeks ago.

 

Home for me is still https://www.facebook.com/justsublime But I work in Melbourne so I get kind of confused ..

 

 

[alf jessup]

New airport manager seems good. Very committed. Lots of plans, whether he'll get them across the line remains to be seen. Helped me tie my plane down when I flew in a couple of weeks ago.Home for me is still https://www.facebook.com/justsublime But I work in Melbourne so I get kind of confused ..

Nice place LTF

What are you flying in to BNS

 

I keep my eye out for it and I'll introduce myself to you if I see it parked there when I fly in

 

 

[Love to fly]

Nice place LTFWhat are you flying in to BNS

 

I keep my eye out for it and I'll introduce myself to you if I see it parked there when I fly in

Either my RV6A or my partners RV9A. Cheers, D'

 

 

[biggles]

Glad to see the new parking areas are being used :) Be nice when they put in tie down cables though.

Spoke to Jason today ... Like you say , a nice guy with many good ideas . The parking areas in front of hangars will have loop tie downs, which somehow lay flat when not in use . Discussed the area South of the terminal and cables may be utilised there, but apparently nothing finalised yet .... Bob

 

 

[Love to fly]

Spoke to Jason today ... Like you say , a nice guy with many good ideas . The parking areas in front of hangars will have loop tie downs, which somehow lay flat when not in use . Discussed the area South of the terminal and cables may be utilised there, but apparently nothing finalised yet .... Bob

Cables near the terminal building would be great. Near the car etc. but until they do I'll keep parking the RVs on the grass. But getting the stakes in through the gravel etc in the grass can be quite difficult.

 

 

[alf jessup]

Spoke to Jason today ... Like you say , a nice guy with many good ideas . The parking areas in front of hangars will have loop tie downs, which somehow lay flat when not in use . Discussed the area South of the terminal and cables may be utilised there, but apparently nothing finalised yet .... Bob

Biggles

You never cease to amaze me

 

How does one man have so much talent one must ask

 

Alf

 

 

[bexrbetter]

A great part of Australia..

Indeed but I stray way inland for car rallys and dirtbike weekends years back.

 

 

[Love to fly]

Nice place LTFWhat are you flying in to BNS

 

I keep my eye out for it and I'll introduce myself to you if I see it parked there when I fly in

HI Alf, not YBNS but flying in to YLTV today in the RV-9A :)

 

 

[alf jessup]

HI Alf, not YBNS but flying in to YLTV today in the RV-9A :)

Sorry Love to fly but I sortied off to Mallacoota today for something different

Cracker day for it

 

I fly out of West Sale