Wayne T Mathews

Now come on Dazza, don't sugar coat it Mate, tell us exactly how you feel....

I remember those 727 landings too... We affectionally refered to them as being "positive", and I had plenty of practise putting the pax oxy masks back into their overhead box thingie...

Thanks Kaz. I have to admit though, the Ole girl is not a hangar queen. She works for a living, and you can see that when you get up close... I haven't flown an Auster yet, but David Isaac has promised me a go when he gets his back in the sky and I'm looking forward to it big time...

I used to have fantasies like that too, Turbs. But my Mum told me it'd make hair grow on my palms, so I almost stopped...

You know, I think it may be a CG Taylor design thing Kaz, for I swear there're times when my Old J3 looks over her shoulder and asks me, "Do you really want to do that again Stupid?"

Further to my previous post re fuel at Gunnedah... The fuel phone number 0408 453 030 is forwarded to the aeroclub's Vice President, Roger's number, so if you call, he will answer and arrange fuel for you. But texting doesn't work because texts don't get forwarded. For those who are wondering, Roger just told me he has a new shipment of fuel and the price of $2.10 per litre for AVGAS and $1.91 for avtur will remain the same for at least the next month. There is also a $10 opening fee at Gunnedah. So if you're flying by and you need fuel, a coffee, and/or a potty break, come on down...

It's been brought to my attention again that the ERSA says Gunnedah requires an ASIC card... It's not true folks. Gunnedah has not needed an ASIC card for about 3 years, but the council doesn't want to tell the ERSA people, just in case they (the council) want to reinstate it or somerthing in the future... I know, I know, it's dumb, but it's what we have to live with... Bottom line? You don't need an ASIC card to come to Gunnedah. The blokes in the aeroclub own and run the refuel facility, and on average, one of them will be there to pump fuel and help you in any way they can, within 5 - 10 minutes of you calling them on 0408 453 030 ...

Australia sure is a big country. If you overlay Continental USA and Australia (we have to leave out Alaska and Tasmania for this to be true), then Australia is some 29,000 sq miles (=75,000 sq kmtrs) biger than the USA. Which is like a nat's nut in the overall scheme of things. Which has nothing to do with the topic of course. Other than, for a country this size with less people in it than the USA has in its biggest city, we're not doing too bad folks... We're not doing too bad at all... And we don't need to follow anybody... We do however, need to know what we want, and then go get it...

Chin up and shoulders back Motz. Most of us weren't there, so we don't know for sure, but from what we're hearing, you and your team did the best you could with what you were dealt. Nobody can ask for more than that. So chin up and shoulders back Mate. It may seem callous, but you're a good man and it's what we expect of you.

Welcome Jack, There's a lot to be said for learning in a crosswind... When I went for my initial license check (a long time ago now), my instructor was sweating it wouldn't be a calm day, for he'd not been able to show me how to land in calm conditions... And I'm still saying a lot about it.

Hear hear... I'll even say it again... Congratulations, Tim. Onward and upward...

Just to add a bit of historical trivia to Nev's post if I may: The first commercial jet, a 36 seat Comet 1 built by De Havilland, flew for the first time in July 1949. Boac were the first to begin commercial jet operations when they began flying the Comets between London and Johannesburg in South Africa in May 1952. Unfortunately, The original Comet's square windows in the cabin were a serious design fault that caused the airframe to fail catastrophically in flight, and allowed Boeing to catch up, and in fact take over the lead in the race that began in the late 50s, and was in full swing by the early 60s, to supply the world with jet transport. As Nev said above, the commercial jets being built today are a hell of a lot more efficient than the four engined commercial jets (EG: B707, DC8, Convair 880 & 990) that were built in the late 50s and 60s, but none of todays jets are as fast. The Convair 880 and 990s as an example, which were built in the early 60s and have the same engines as the B58 Hustler and the F4 Phantom, are recognised as the fastest subsonic commercial aircraft ever built. They cruised at over Mk 0.9. But man alive, they were smokey sons of guns... One of Elvis Presley's personal jets, "Lisa Marie", which is parked across the street from "Gracelands" in Memphis, is a Convair 880. And John Travolta has a B707 (in old QANTAS colours even) which he parks in the back yard of his house just North of Ocala Florida.

If we're going to define yowie country as being a rung or so up the scale from tiger country, then yep, there's some yowie country around Woodenbong. I would have thought though, that the Jodel would have excellent STOL capabilities, and if a Tigermoth can get in and out, I would have thought a Jodel would have no problems. However, having said that, if you're not comfortable taking it into somewhere. Don't ! I don't care what the heroes say... Rough country STOL flying is not something to be nonchalant about.

Hear hear, David... So please tell me Lyle, when you go visiting Kin in Woodenbong, where do you park the little beast? I looked and looked, but danged if I could find an ALA within a bull's roar of the place.

Good morning Kev, it's good to see another F/E coming on board. Were you an APPY or an AT? And what trade? I used to fly with Jim Gardner when I was on Caribous in the late 70s. Any relation?

Old...

Fair enough, Owen. Bill was one of the "founders" of Kununurra. He and one of his mates drove a doubledecker bus up there full of stock and opened the first "store". He was also the Liberal state MP for a fair while. Bill sent me a book he'd written a few years back about the early days of Kununurra, but my son lost it, damn it. Some of the things that happened up there were hillarious. In one of his stories, he talks about the original publican got sick of all the glasses getting broken, so he made the drinkers bring their own containers to put their beer in. Bill talked about blokes comming into his store and buying a can of stew so they could open it, pour the contents on the ground, and stomp off into the pub to get the can filled with beer. Apparently one bloke didn't want to spend that much, so he took the hub cap off his car and took that into the pub. It sure sounds like a place I wish I'd seen.

It's raining outside and the rivers running a banker, that's my excuse for being here at the forum and not at work. What's yours David?

Tools being left in aircraft has been a problem since Charlie Taylor started working on the Wright Flyer. A bloke I knew left a brand new pair of insulated pliers in the wing of B727. The aircraft had left to go to New Zealand before he realized his mistake. He didn't say anything to anyone, he just came to work early next morning, knowing the aircraft would be back from NZ and he'd go and open the panel on the quiet and get his pliers back. Trouble was though, when he opened the panel and reached in to get his pliers, he found some Kiwi had already removed them. But the Kiwi was obviously a gentleman with a keen sense of justice, for he'd replaced the new pliers with the grottiest pair my mate and I had ever seen.

You wish, young fellah, you wish... I can remember rushing to get airborne out of Richmond in the Caribou, so we could dial up triple J and listen to Chickenman's latest exploits/catastrophy. I can't remember the names of the shock jocks who ran the early morning show, but jeez louise, even in the free wheeling 70s, they used to come out with some pretty rough stuff. I remember it was the consensus in the squadron that to be that rough, they had to be wearing hession underpants.

Hmmm,,, we seem to have a credibility problem here. I want to believe you Alan,,, I really do want to believe you... But you also said to Kaz, only yesterday...

Oh come on Alan... Contrary to some people's belief, the sun never shines out of a pilot's bottom end... Well, maybe it did out of Ray Hanna, Bob Hoover, Chuck Yeager, and blokes like that. But us normal blokes are pretty safe Mate....

But Nev has already told you the answer... Tuck your trouser legs into your soxs and get on with aviating... And if you wear shorts when you fly,,, well serves you right, you silly billy...

A great read Owen. Thank you. Having been in Kununurra, I'm wondering if you ever ran into Bill Withers. And if you did, did anyone tell you he was an airframe fitter on the RAAF's #1 intake of apprentices (the Anzacs). While doing his apprenticeship in Wagga, he painted a picture of a PBY Catalina. That painting is hanging on the wall in front of me as I write this post.

It's grand to hear good news stories. Thank you for sharing it with us Shags.