Lake Eyre

[Peter Anson]

This was a trip undertaken by Stuart Trist, Brian Ham and Peter Anson in three tiny Sonex aircraft. Was it fun? You bet! Was I nervous about flying my little home-built aircraft in really remote places? Well, maybe a bit.Read all about it at Lake Eyre Trip – July 2018 | Peter Anson – Engineering

 

Peter Anson

 

 

 

[APenNameAndThatA]

Amazing photographs.

 

 

[billwoodmason]

Another really well told story Peter, you clearly have a talent with the written word. The Lake Eyre trip is one I look forward to myself one day. It’s almost like a right of passage for pilots. Everyone needs to do it.

 

 

[Peter Anson]

Thanks Bill. It really was good to do it in the company of a couple of other aircraft. A club fly away would probably be the best way to do it.

 

 

[Neil_S]

Hi Peter,

 

Excellent account of your trip, and lovely photos.

 

And yes, the weather around Mount Macedon is frequently the reason some of our planned flyaways from Penfield have to be postponed/cancelled!

 

Cheers,

 

Neil

 

 

[kgwilson]

Great read and photos. Thank you. Your comment about not making a good WW2 pilot by not seeing an aircraft would not wash with those who were there. An account from one of the "few" Tom Neil in his 70th anniversary speech noted that for the most part he flew and saw nothing. He survived but lost 5 aircraft.

 

 

[Peter Anson]

Your comment about not making a good WW2 pilot by not seeing an aircraft would not wash with those who were there. An account from one of the "few" Tom Neil in his 70th anniversary speech noted that for the most part he flew and saw nothing. He survived but lost 5 aircraft.

I must have read 5 or 6 accounts by WW2 fighter pilots about being in a furious dog fight among dozens of aircraft and suddenly finding themselves alone without another aircraft in sight. I have enormous difficulty spotting other aircraft near me. In the blog I mentioned passing underneath one of the Bristells, but I didn't see him until I was within a couple of hundred metres. Good thing he wasn't coming the other way. It reinforces the need to fly at the correct cruise height, but even that becomes problematic when you are flying north or south.

 

 

[pmccarthy]

I agree that North-South within twenty degrees each way can be a problem. The old quadrant system was, I think, much better for maintaining separation.

 

 

[bobcharl]

Yes PM, agree with your thought on the quadrant system. Have asked a few people whom I thought may have known, but none have been able to tell me why it was abolished.

 

Bob

 

 

[alf jessup]

Hi Pete,

 

I’m pretty sure I heard you guys on your way to BH, we had departed BH that morning heading for Leigh Creek and then on to Coober Pedy on our trip to Ayers Rock.

 

The Monday we flew from Swan Hill to BH in a very strong headwind landing in close to 40kts on 32.

 

I am positive it was you guys on the chat channel discussing all sorts of things from heights to GS, distances to run.

 

Cheers Alf

 

 

[Peter Anson]

Yep, sounds like us. We were using distance-to-go off the ipad to locate each other. The headwind on Monday was the strongest I have experienced. Great for bragging rights if you were going the other way though. I remember doing a trip home from Narromine a couple of years ago when I had 160 knots on my GPS for part of the trip. Reckon I could have beaten that easily.

 

 

[Graham Pukallus]

Here is a photo of my GPS indicating a Ground Speed of 156 kts enroute to Broken Hill from William Creek, in our Tecnam Echo., indicating 100 kts airspeed.

 

Landed, crosswind on 32 also due to the cross strip being closed due to rain.

 

Adelaide Centre informed us it was 23 gusting to 32 kts at 170 degrees which made for a Adrenaline pumped landing experience for all 5 aircraft. All safe with vivid memories as you can imagine.

 

 

 

[Peter Anson]

You didn't think of landing across the runway did you Graham?

 

 

[Graham Pukallus]

One of our pilots did land Pipestrel between the cross strip and main, but that’s another story. We were informed inbound by the Broken hill Airport Manager that the cross strip closed regardless of the conditions.

 

We all put in a great effort and taxied in with white knuckles and a few more Grey hairs.

 

We Were completing our yearly flying Safari, this time it was to Ayres Rock from Brisbane. Lake Eyre was nearly full at the time.

 

A very memorable trip with a great crew, with many to top photos and video made by Scott Hendry.

 

Good to see you enjoyed it too.