Final Thoughts on Crossing the Tasman

• Fly with others

Many brains focussed on the same challenge ensure nothing is missed.  There's a reasonable amount of planning associated with a crossing of the Tasman Sea and it's good to be able to divide that up.

Even though you may only be a mile apart in flight and unable to help directly if one aircraft encounters difficulty, it's comforting to know you're flying with others who will do everything they can to assist and liaise with the authorities if the worst occurs.

It's fun to be able to chat in flight, compare aircraft performance, winds at different altitudes and your thoughts and observations.

• Only fly to a destination that has stable or improving weather.

When flying to Norfolk Island or Lord Howe Island there are no alternate airfields and most aircraft do not have the range to be able to return to their point of departure.  Therefore it's foolish to try and "race the weather".

My decision making process begins with building a picture of the weather systems in the Tasman Sea using the synoptic charts published by the New Zealand Meteorological Service and Australian Bureau of Meteorology.  Then check the TAF at the destination.  If that indicates stable or improving weather during the planned period of flight then consider the enroute winds.  I used the NZ Met Service's MetJet to get the enroute winds but they can also be sourced from the Bureau of Meterology's Grid Point Wind Forecasts.  I have found both the general and aviation weather forecasts for the Tasman Sea to be very accurate.

If you decide not to fly due to unacceptable weather - relax!  There's no point checking the weather every hour as it doesn't change that quickly.  Take the time to explore wherever you're stuck.

• Allow 1 week to cross the Tasman Sea in either direction.

Weather systems normally take 3 - 4 days to cross the Tasman Sea.  Based on my 2014 and 2016 experiences, you'd be lucky to encounter a stable weather system that would allow a crossing on successive days.

• Take your time and enjoy the experience.

---

Intrepid adventurers at Port Macquarie
L to R: Dave Wilkinson, Peter Merwood, Bill Luther, Don Wilkinson

This concludes this blog for now.  I'm very grateful for the help and support Dave & Don Wilkinson, Bill Luther and I have had from our many flying mates and interested friends and family.  I'm not overtly religious but I offer a prayer of thanks on behalf of us all for having the means and ability to accomplish a safe return crossing of the Tasman Sea.  I know there were aviation friends who have passed on that were looking over us - thanks Clive Stephen, Brian O'Hagan and, most of all, my Dad.

I hope you've enjoyed this blog.  My mind is always full of potential aviation adventures.  You just never know - there might be another one to read about in the future 😏

I fly because it releases my mind from the tyranny of petty things

 - Antoine de Saint Exupery

Return to the Land of the Long White Cloud

We departed Norfolk Island at 8:30am local time on our last 483nm over water leg back to Kerikeri.

I was more uneasy about this leg than any of the other Trans-Tasman legs but I'm not sure why. Perhaps it was because this was the last long overwater leg and we were in sight of the finish line.  Was "Murphy" lurking to cause some disruption at the last minute?

The flight from Norfolk to Cape Reinga was pleasant and on top of scattered cloud.  The 20 - 25kt westerly winds were a bit stronger than expected but as they were right on our beam they didn't really give us any headwind or tailwind component.

One thing that was quite noticeable was the air temperature.  Over the Tasman at the heights we've been flying the outside air temperature has been around 12 deg.  Today it was a consistent 18 deg and didn't decrease as Dave climbed to about 6,000ft.  This is unusual as the air temperature is supposed to decrease at about 3 deg / 1,000ft.  We all commented on higher oil and cylinder head temperatures on this leg than we'd seen previously.

All was well until we got to Cape Reinga and then Murphy did present us with some challenges.

There was a forecast wind shift that should have swept away the low cloud and drizzle around Northland between 10:30am and midday.  However, when we arrived at the Cape at 12:15pm it was shrouded in low cloud and drizzle.  We were forced to crawl around the east coast at low level with limited visibility which is no fun.  If you remain seaward and in sight of the surf then you have no fear of bumping into anything.  However, the risks of the weather closing in around you are high.

I chickened out and climbed up through a hole and reached the top of the cloud at 4,500ft.  My thought was that the cloud was reported to be broken at Kerikeri so I should be able to get back down again.  If I couldn't I had sufficient fuel reserves to fly direct to Auckland International Airport, get assistance with locating a clear area to let down and clear Customs and Immigration there.  It would have caused some questions to be asked but it was a safe option.

Fortunately, there was a nice big hole in the cloud just to the north west of Kerikeri and I descended through that and landed with no difficulty.  It was a relief to be on the ground after the stress of the last 40 mins of the flight.

Clearing Customs and Immigration was simple and straight-forward.  They were interested in any insect eggs on the aircraft and we were congratulated for finding these at Norfolk Island and removing them ourselves.

Bill, Dave and Don live in Auckland and opted to continue on home.  The forecast for the remainder of the North Island today was not good and deteriorating during the afternoon so I've opted to stay in rainy, drizzly Kerikeri for the night until the weather clears tomorrow.  I don't know why anybody lives in the Far North.  All it does is rain!

There's Worse Places to be Stuck

We delayed our departure from Lord Howe Island by half a day yesterday to let the weather settle at Norfolk Island.  That resulted in us having a lovely 3.1hr flight with steady tailwinds all the way.

Although there is nothing but water between Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands the flying was spectacular.  Most of the time we were flying within a few miles of each other and could see each other in the distance.  On our route there was scattered cloud at about 4,000ft with tops around 8,000ft.  A few rebellious puffs extended down to the 3,000ft level where we were flying and it was fun to blast through them and blow them to bits to punish them for daring to venture toward our track.  We passed amongst several lines of cloud and showers that were no more than 1 - 2nm thick which I guess were shallow fronts.  On each occassion it was easy to steer a little left or right of track to pass between clouds that were building and there was nothing more than a harmless bump or two as we did that.

I'm sure people who are not as obsessed with flying as I will find it hard to understand that I could spend all day flying in this way.  I never tire of looking at the sky.

 

Thunderbird 6 is performing sweetly and she seems as happy as I. She feels "light and free" and purs along.  Dave, Bill and I have all come to conclusion that the best thing we can do for our aircraft engines is to take them on long trips like this where they are running at reasonably high but constant revs.  You can certainly feel the difference.

Enroute we passed over a container ship, fishing trawler and yacht.  Although the sea looked reasonably calm when you got close to them you could see their bows ploughing into large swells.

Dave ducked down to circle the yacht and got a wave from the guy who was on it.  He was about 100nm west of Norfolk Island and must have wondered what he was seeing.  Dave reckoned he was naked!

We were planning to leave Norfolk Island today on our final over-water leg to Kerikeri.  Although the weather is lovely here the north of New Zealand is subject to low cloud and strong North East winds that won't ease until late today.  Although we're all now looking forward to getting home, flying into forecast bad weather is not an option so we've delayed our departure 24hrs.  There's worse places to be stuck!

Lord Howe Island - An Island Paradise

As I write this it's Tuesday 7 June 2016. In my earlier post I indicated that we had hurriedly scuttled back to Port Macquarie the previous Friday to take shelter from a severe storm that was forecast to lash the east coast of Australia.  That proved to be the right decision.

The storm that passed south along the east coast of Queensland and New South Wales over the weekend of 4/5 June was a good one.  There were winds in excess of 120km and torrential rain.  4 - 5 people were killed in storm related accidents and properties in the northern coastal suburbs of Sydney had significant parts of their land washed away. The houses on those properties are sure to be condemned.

We used the time in Port Macquarie wisely.  We lazed around, visited other aviators, Looked at their aircraft in the shelter of their hangars and went to seafood restaurants!

We are now chasing the front and associated low pressure area east across the Tasman Sea back to New Zealand.  We have to watch the weather carefully to ensure we don't fly into the back of the front and encounter the weather that's lashed the coast of Australia.

This morning we were airborne by 7:45am and launched into a clear blue sky on a cold, 6 deg Celsius morning.

Over the weekend we took great care to file our flight plans for our Lord Howe and Norfolk Island legs with Airservices on-line.  Theoretically all we then had to do was radio Brisbane Centre on the ground at Port Macquarie and ask them to activate our flight plan for that leg and nominate a SARTIME, (Search & Rescue Time).  When the controller was contacted immediately prior to take-off he told us he couldn't access flight plans for VFR flights - what?  He accepted our SARTIME but seemed disinterested in our flight.  Prior to this trip I'd heard Airservices weren't really interested in private Trans-Tasman flights operating under Visual Flight Rules and this was clearly demonstrated to us today.

There was broken cloud over much of our route that we climbed on top of to take advantage of the nice steady tailwinds.  It was fun cruising amongst puffy clouds but we were eventually forced up to 9,500ft.  It's not a good idea to spend too long at that height as hypoxia can set in so I ducked down through a nice big hole in the cloud to a more comfortable 5,500ft.  It was a pleasant 2:14 flight to Lord Howe which included a short diversion to fly around the impressive 1,800ft Balls Pyramid that rises like a steeple from the sea.

On landing Peter Phillipps introduced himself.  He's a local aviation nut (like us) and has published books and DVDs on interesting aircraft that have visited Lord Howe Island and the days of the flying boats that serviced the island before the airstrip was built.  Peter took us on an aviation related tour of the island and is a mine of information.  Our trip included a short walk to an Australian Airforce Catalina crash site.  In September 1948 this amphibious aircraft was making an approach across a ridge at night for an emergency landing in the lagoon.  It had a fuel leak and apparently there was fuel ankle deep in the bottom of the hull (not good).  It clipped the top of a ridge and plunged down the other side.  The two engines are still where they fell and other parts of the wings and miscellaneous wreckage surround them.  It was most interesting but this is the closest I want to get to an aircraft wreck thanks.  If you find yourself on Lord Howe Island I recommend contacting Peter's "Chase 'N' Thyme" bus tour company and booking a tour.

Lord Howe Island is a delightful place.  The beaches are gorgeous, the topography is impressive and the pace of life is pleasantly slow.

Dash to Port Macquarie

As can be expected we keep an eye on the weather forecast for the next 4-5 days over our intended route.  When we were in Longreach it became clear there was a deep low sandwiched between high pressure areas over continental Australia and New Zealand.  This sets up a fast moving stream of air up the east coast of Australia with high winds and lots of rain.

On Thursday night we made the decision to skip our stop at Lightning Ridge on Friday night and make a run direct from Charleville to Port Macquarie with a stop mid route at Moree for fuel.  We would then hunker-down at Port Macquarie and sit out the storm.

We were at the airfield early and departed at 7:45am.  The forecast for the 459nm route wasn't flash with low cloud and rain (but not much wind) and we had agreed multiple "escape" options to the east coast if the weather precluded tracking direct to Port Macquarie.

After leaving Charleville we encountered low cloud and rain within 20mins of leaving and Dave and Bill, who were ahead of me, reported there was no way through.  I use the AvPlan EFB flight planning and electronic Flight Bag application (which is awesome).  AvPlan allows the rain radar to be overlaid on the moving map so you can steer around weather.  I could see a 60 x 30nm rain band extending west from St George right over our track.  We elected to track east around the rain band ensuring that we always had an escape to the east if the rain band extended further than thought.  As it happened the rain was exactly where it was depicted on the moving map and it was easy to steer around it.

I know there's people who are critical of discarding traditional aviation charts in favour of tablet based flight applications.  They believe pilots who are over-reliant on such applications will get into strife if the application fails or the tablet goes flat.  Sorry I don't agree.  The situational awareness AvPlan provides makes me a far safer and informed pilot and the benefits far outweigh the risks.  Amazingly throughout most of our route through the outback we've had cellphone coverage which allows up-to-date METARs (actual weather conditions) at airports to be retrieved at any time using AvPlan and weather radar and situation maps to be available.  The risks associated with a technology failure can be mitigated by carrying a second synced iPad as I do (or charts), and a means to keep the devices charged from the aircraft.  In areas I'm unfamiliar with my procedure of noting all headings and times as I cross each planned waypoint ensures that if there is a total blackout, I have a fair chance of finding my destination by using a compass and watch.  

Once we cleared the rain around St George we had a clear run to Port Macquarie.  The crossing of the Great Divide was accomplished at 6,500ft on top of scattered, puffy cumulus clouds.  Port Maquarie had clear skies and negligible wind.

As there was storm warnings in place for the Australian east coast we managed to find hangar storage for our aircraft so all three are tucked up, warm and dry which is a considerable relief.

As I write this the weather in Port Maquarie is wild - just as forecast.  It has rained heavily and there's been nasty rain squalls passing through most of the day.

We're resigned to sitting it out here until the current front crosses the Tasman Sea and we will cross behind it in the arms of a nice big high pressure area with tail winds.

Diversion due weather

Sadly we've travelled as far north as we have planned on this trip and took up a south easterly heading as we left Longreach this morning.  At 208nm today's leg to Charleville is one of the shortest on the trip.  As we had all day to get to Charleville and the forecast was for low cloud that wouldn't clear until after 9am we weren't in too much of a hurry to get away.

On leaving Longreach just before 10am we immediately encountered the low cloud that was supposed to have moved on and struggled to stay much above 1,000ft AGL.  The normally distinct outback horizon came and went as the visibility lowered form time to time.  There was also a SPECI issued (special weather forecast) issue while we were in flight that indicated the cloud base was just as low at Charleville.  I chickened out and declared to the others that I was going to divert to Blackall which was only 20nm to the east of our track.  Prior to making this call we were maintaining legal Visual Flight Rules (VFR) but the conditions were clearly not going to get any better to Charleville and, as we had all day, there was no point unnecessarily pushing on in less than desirable weather. Especially when it was forecast to improve anyway.

There's nothing much at Blackall but the local airport Reporting Officer saw us come in and came down to say "hello".  He opened up his hut for us, and made a coffee and we spent a pleasant hour chatting with him.

The onward flight to Charleville was no problem as the cloud had lifted by the time we left Blackall and it was pleasant flying.

Gary had arranged for us to have a look through the Royal Flying Doctor Service base at Charleville and we spend time there crawling over one of their lovely Pilatus PC12 aircraft.  The chief pilot and chief engineer told us all about this very capable aircraft and their operations out of Charleville.  They fly 35-40hrs most weeks which is a long way when you're travelling at 250kts.

My son Andrew flies for General Aviation Maintenance (GAM) in Melbourne.  On arriving at Charleville I noticed a GAM Aerocommander on the apron.  Andrew coordinated a meeting between the pilot and I which has resulted in us scoring GAM's pilot car for the evening.  Another example of the flying community working together to help each other yet again 😌

Stockmen & Airliners

Our itinerary included a day off from flying yesterday to give us plenty of time to explore the town's two major attractions: Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame and the QANTAS Founders Museum.

We tackled the Stockman's Hall of Fame first and I lost myself in there for about 4 hours.  The Hall of Fame is a great tribute to the fortitude and hard work of the Australian pastoral pioneers.  The challenge of trying to eke out an existence from an inhospitable land must have been so hard.  Add to that the isolation and occasional tests that Mother Nature chucked at you in the form of fires, floods, droughts and even locust plagues.  The museum deals with how the early farmers enlisted the help of the Aborigines, the formation of the Royal Flying Doctor Service, how the big land owners like Sydney Kidman grew enormous land holdings and culminates with information on modern farming practices.

In one section I read the following poem which I think sums up the efforts of the pioneering farmers of Australia

A farmer stood at the pearly gates, 

His face was lined and old,

He stood before the man of fate,

For admission to the fold.

"What have you done?" St Peter said,

"To gain admission here'.

"I've been a farmer sir", the old man said,

"For many and many a year"

The pearly gates flew open wide,

As St Peter rang a bell, 

"Come in," he said, "and choose your harp,

You've had enough of hell."

When we arrived at Longreach and were sheltering from the rain on Tuesday, we spent time on the inside of the QANTAS Founders Museum.  Outside in the "birdcage", are a Boeing 747-200, 707 and Douglas DC3 which were significant types for QANTAS.  We were guided on an afternoon tour of each aircraft which was interesting for aircraft geeks like us.  Gary Spicer who is travelling with us is a retired Air New Zealand pilot and, although the young tour guide was very good, it was great to have Gary on hand to tell us even more about both the 747-200 and 747-400 which he flew.

As good as it is to see these aircraft I always find aviation museums kinda sad.  Aircraft belong in the air.

Drenched in Longreach

After a hearty breakfast we took off from Birdsville at 9:20am yesterday on the 307nm leg to Longreach.  As there was no other traffic in the area I took-off immediately behind Dave and felt a few bumps from his wake as I did so.  This meant that Dave and I stayed in sight of each other for most of the 2.2hr flight to Longreach.

Along the way we had fun taking photos of each other. I got some good video of Dave's lovely Vans RV-8 cruising beside me. However, trying to get that off a GoPro, onto an iPad for insertion in a Blog with any degree of quality is not easy so it will have to be added later.

The first part of our journey had us flying north east up the Diamantina River.  This area is known as the Channel Country where the rivers all flow inland eventually discharging their water into Lake Eyre which is the lowest part of the Australian continent.  I've flown over the Channel Country several times and couldn't get over how luscious and green it was on this occasion.  The Diamantina is up to 5nm wide in places (it's actually made up of dozens of smaller streams) and there was lush emerald green grass within the river boundary that would rival anything we have in New Zealand.

As our track continued we eventually left the Diamantina and passed over a slightly higher plain that was peppered with weird sedimentary rock (I think) formations that are 100 - 200ft higher than the surrounding land.   It was fun veering slightly left and right of track to have a look at these as we passed over them.

I use a Bose A20 aviation headset which has a music input. Like most audio devices Bose make, the quality of the music that's played by my iPhone through the headset is really good and the music source is automatically muted if a signal is received by the radio - or you forget and sing into the microphone!  As I scooted from rock formation to rock formation at about 500 - 700ft AGL I had Fanny Be Tender (With My Love) by the Bee Gees, which is one of my favourite songs, belting out through my headset.  You might not like my taste in music but I couldn't be happier with where I was, what I was doing and what I was listening to.

About halfway to Longreach we started to encounter the showers that were forecast but these didn't amount to much.  There was little wind and the flying was great under a high pearl-coloured overcast.  However, that was to change as we reached Longreach and encountered the "moderate" rain included in the Terminal Area Forecast (TAF) for the day.

Bill was approx. 15mins ahead of Dave and I and when he landed he reported heavy rain but was able to tell us where there were clear(er) areas we could use.  There was no traffic around Longreach other than us so we had the freedom to manoeuvre around the worst of the rain.  As the visibility was low I held in a clear area south of the field until I knew Dave had the airfield in sight and was established on final.  When Dave reported that I began my run in to the airfield. I didn't have much option other than to steer a GPS heading straight for the runway and then breakoff onto a close left hand downwind leg for runway 22.  The rain was torrential but there was no wind. As I began my flare onto a very wet runway it crossed my mind that I needed floats not wheels fitted to the undercarriage of Thunderbird 6.

My aircraft doesn't like the rain much and leaks where the canopy meets the turtle deck just behind the engine cowl.  After parking I leapt out and fitted the aircraft cover in teaming rain and got saturated for my trouble.  I then made a made dash for the nearest buildings but unbeknown to me the bloody gate had been shifted since I was last in Longreach.  I was reduced to running along the airside fence line looking for the gate while getting drenched.  Not amused!

The rain eventually reduced to showers and we all gathered under a veranda looking like drowned rats.  The QANTAS Founders Museum was not far away so we took shelter in their cafe before spending a great couple of hours in the museum.

The QANTAS airline we know today was started in Longreach and the story of their early route and aircraft challenges is great.  It's not hard to lose yourself for a couple of hours in the museum that records the early history of the airline.  The museum is not part of QANTAS but is well supported by them.  Sometime ago QANTAS donated a retired Boeing 747-200 and the museum itself has sourced QANTAS' first Boeing 707.  Panels of these aircraft have been removed so you can see what "makes them work".

By the time we left the museum the rain had stopped and we were able to unload our aircraft and get to the motel just down the road from the airfield.

We're here for two nights to ensure we have time to thoroughly visit the QANTAS Founders Museum and the Stockmans Hall of Fame.

A little bit of Australian history and lots of flies

We had a day off from flying in Arkaroola yesterday and had a pleasant stroll around the village in the morning. At 1pm we all joined the Ridge Top Tour. This is a 42km 4WD tour over rough disused mining tracks. They pack 10 seated people onto the tray of a Toyota Landcruiser and set off. You're squashed in like sheep in a sheep truck but it quickly becomes apparent why.  You bump and grind up some of the steepest tracks I've ever seen.  There is some support from the squashed people beside you but you still have to hang on tight.  The tour lasts about 5hrs and takes you high onto the peaks of the Arkaroola wildlife and geological sanctuary.  All the while you're being told about the pastoral and mineral history of the area. There's times when I thought the track we were going up or down would cause the vehicle to flip.  However, we all returned battered and bruised but well. It's good fun and most informative.

 

Although the the northern Flinders Ranges where Arkaroola is situated is rugged with peaks that reach 2,500 - 3,000ft it was silky smooth flying today as we took off and circled the village with a waggle of the wings to the friends we had made.  I flew north following the route of the Ridge Top Tour track to Sillers Lookout where you stop for coffee before heading back.  Leaving Sillers it was recommended that we fly north to the Mawson Plateau which is lovely rolling high country peppered with water courses and the occasional abandoned mine.  At the edge of the plateau I set heading for the Dig Tree Airstrip about 1.2hrs flying away.

The route to the Dig Tree takes you right across the barren Stryzlecki Desert.  There ain't nothing out here and this is the bit I love about flying in the outback. No sign of human habitation from horizon to horizon.  The ground is covered with sparse scrub and saltbush, dry lake beds and sand traps.  On flights like this I offer a small prayer of thanks for my health, ability and means (not to mention a reliable aircraft) to be able to do trips like this.

On the north western flank of the Stryzlecki Desert there are numerous unattended oil and gas fields which are interesting to fly over.  I believe there's hundreds of kilometres of pipelines under the desert that retrieve the oil and gas although there's not much evidence of them.

The Drig Tree historical reserve offers a nice long sand runway which wasn't difficult to find. We followed four other aircraft into the strip from the Gunedah Aero Club who were on a two week flying safari so it was good to swap flying stories with them.

The Dig Tree Reserve is the site of the Burke & Wills expedition's depot camp 65 from which Burke & Wills and their party of explorers journeyed to the Gulf of Carpentaria in 1860.  The depot party they left behind remained at the camp for 17 weeks but gave up waiting and returned to the Darling River after burying supplies for Burke & Wills near the "Dig Tree".  As luck would have it Burke & Wills returned to camp 65 on the evening of the day the depot party left.  The depot party left a "flame" on the Dig Tree - an area where they removed the bark of the tree and carved a message on the exposed trunk to "Dig 3ft NW" for the cache of supplies.  In the 156 years since it was carved the bark has grown over much of the flame but parts of it and messages and figures on surrounding trees can still be seen.

Burke & Wills eventually perished some weeks later near Innamincka.  What would they have thought of three kiwi aircraft flying over the Tasman to cross parts of their track that they struggled along for weeks and weeks?

 

The flying conditions from the Dig Tree to Birdsville were great. Calm winds, warm and unlimited visibility. For those watching my Spidertracks track you would have seen that I diverted off track to fly along about the last 40nm of the Birdsville Track. At approx 500ft I whistled over several "grey nomads" in their caravans on the track as I flew north to Birdsville.

Birdsville is a great place and full of Aussie character.  It's one of the most remote settlements in the outback and hosts the iconic annual Birdsville Races.  Thousands of people drive for days and days to attend the races which is high in the calendar of outback events.

The flies here are terrible and the other guys are having trouble adjusting to them.  If you stand still for too long they'll cover you and are more persistent than a wife with a list of weekend chores.  In the end you just have to give up and ignore them - the flies that is!

After fuelling the aircraft and checking into the pub it was off to the Birdsville Bakery where a "Kangaroo & Claret" pie  with a cold beer was had for lunch.

I'm looking forward to swapping stories in the bar with the locals tonight ... 

It rains in Australia

Our first overnight stop on our eight night tour of the outback was to be at Bindara Station. Over the last 7-10 days they've had about 20mm of rain at the Station and that's enough to make the clay airstrip sticky and unsafe. Further rain was forecast and Barb, Bindara's owner, was concerned we would get stuck there.

As our visit to Bindara was removed from our itinerary we elected to stay in Port Macquarie for two nights. This gave Dave & Don a chance to catch-up with friends and family and for us all to have a couple of good nights sleep after the long Norfolk Island to Port Maquarie flights.

The plan then became a day's flight from Port Macquarie to Narromine and Broken Hill for fuel and onto Arkaroola.  However, on waking on Saturday morning we found there was an upper level trough crossing our track from Port Macquarie to Narromine that would bring rain and severe turbulence.  We didn't fancy that sort of weather in an area none of us had flown in before so we opted to skirt the northern flank of this weather system and track northwest to Walgett for fuel and then onto Broken Hill.

After taking off from Port Macquarie a climb to 4,500ft is required to clear the Great Dividing Range. This range runs inland up the east coast of Australia and keeps most of the population on the coastal flats. As we passed to the north of Tamworrh we ran into the rain system associated with the trough and it was a tense 50nm as we flew through heavy rain showers under dark threatening skies. The flight planning software I use, Avplan, overlays a rain radar on the moving map so it was good to have my iPad handy and be able to see where the worst of the rain was and to be able to pick our way through it.

Walgett is a small country airfield and there was a few guys at the local aero club preparing to go flying when we arrived. They were most interested to hear about our adventures as we fuelled up.

The first half of the 3:05hr leg from Walgett to Broken Hill was tough. There were strong westerly headwinds (when will they ever go away) which made flying under the scattered 4,000ft cloud base bumpy and unpleasant. The ride was smooth above the cloud at 6,500 but the cloud was gradually thickening and I risked getting caught on top of cloud without being able to get down.  In the end the best place to be was between 500 - 1000ft above the ground where the headwinds were a bit lighter. It was still a bit turbulent at first but the view and proximity to the ground was worth it.

The rains over the last few weeks has made a stunning transformation to the country between Walgett and Broken Hill.  Substantial patches of lush green grass which are rare in inland Australia were prevalent and standing water could still be seen everywhere.  The ponds, natural areas of sand and sparse trees made it feel as if I was flying over a huge golf course.  Sheep in Australia must associate the noise of an aircraft with mustering and as we passed at a safe 500 - 1000ft above them they would scatter. Weird - New Zealand sheep rarely move even when you fly over them trying to clear them from an airstrip.

Dave has a friend in Broken Hill who is a Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) pilot and we spent an interesting hour looking at a Beech Kingair, its medical equipment and touring through the maintenance base. The work the RFDS does in the outback is amazing. It must be very satisfying being a pilot to be able to use your flying skills to help those in remote locations who are in need of medical help.  But landing on remote station airstrips at night only guided by flare pots would be a bit scary.

As we took up a northwest heading from Broken Hill to Arkaroola finally we've left the headwinds that have dogged us from Norfolk Island behind.  The short 1:08 flight to Arkaroola was under clear skies and over land that was still peppered with ponds of water from the rains.  I've flown over Lake Frome several times but have never seen much more than a couple of buckets of water in it.  On this occasion the lake was about 75% full of glassy calm water that reflected the clouds and it was impressive flying over this.

The northern Flinders Ranges is one of the most tectonically active landscapes in Australia.  Movements along faults as well as folding have resulted in the rugged ranges that host the Arkaroola wildlife and geological centre. The area is very rocky and stony and there is not a blade of grass to be seen anywhere.  However, apart from the sounds we humans introduce there's not a sound to be heard. It's great - I love it.

There's a lot of water out there - Norfolk Island to Lord Howe Island and onto Port Macquarie

We had waited two days in Norfolk Island for a front to pass through the Tasman Sea and for a high pressure area to establish itself over our route. Arrangements had been made with the Norfolk Island airport to open up at 7:00am so we could make an early departure as there was a long day of flying ahead.  The aircraft had all been fuelled and packed up the day before so on arrival at the airport all we had to do was check the weather, perform our pre-flight and then get underway.

As we had the Norfolk Island airfield to ourselves at 7:40am we did a steaming take-off - each aircraft immediately taking off behind the one in front.  This worked well because it meant for the first hour of the flight to Lord Howe Island we were flying in sight of each other until our relative speeds slowly seperated us.

On departure from Norfolk Island the forecast was for patchy rain as we passed through the the tail of the front which had just passed through and then clear skies until we reached the coast of Australia when more rain and drizzle was expected. Unfortunately headwinds were also forecast and they were present the whole way. Most of the day we were flying into 20kt headwinds which was frustrating. However that was to be expected when flying against the prevailing winds and we consoled ourselves that when we come to fly home we should have a much quicker ride.

For the first 80nm we passed through or dodged rain showers and then the skies opened up and contained lovely scattered puffy cumulus clouds between 2000 - 4500ft.  We all jockeyed around trying to find reducing headwinds without much success but it was fun manoeuvring amongst the cloud to the sound of David Gilmour's latest album playing in my headset. It was all quite idyllic even though we were surrounded thousands of square kilometres of water.

Roughly halfway between Norfolk and Lord Howe Islamd is the TEKEP reporting point and this marks the boundary of the Australian and New Zealand Flight Information Regions (FIR). As we passed TEKEP I called Brisbane Centre and passed on our position and an ETA for Lord Howe Island.

For a long time I have worried about the approach and landing at Norfolk Island. The island is notorious for strong winds and turbulence and the landing plate contains the following sobering warning:

Because of the topography of Lord Howe certain wind COND may generate SEV TURB in the APCH to the RWY & preclude a safe LDG. The only safe course of action in such cases is to divert to a mainland AD.

Lord Howe Island is a volcanic remnant and rises steeply out of the sea to a height of 2,871ft.  As you approach most islands from the air you see them slowly forming on the horizon. Not so with Lord Howe. It announces itself by looming menancingly in front of you.  About 11nm to the south is Ball's Pyramid, an equally impressive rock that rises steeply from the sea to a height of 1,800ft. Apparently this is the world's tallest volcanic stack.

Despite my fears the approach and landing at Lord Howe Island was uneventful.

Prior to leaving Norfolk Island we'd contacted the Lord Howe Island airport manager and asked him to arrange a quick turnaround for us.  That worked well and we were met by Australian Customs and the fuel truck.  After fuelling and the customs formalities were taken care of we had a few minutes to swallow a museli bar and some water, check the weather and file our onward flight plans. We were underway in about 1.5hrs.

The leg from Lord Howe Island presented the most challenging winds.  25-30kts right on the nose. Fortunately this leg at 319nm is the shortest over-water leg so it presented no problems but watching my groundspeed fall to 115kts at times was a bit depressing.  To add to our frustration a large military flying area off the coast of Port Macquarie was closed and we had to go around it or fear being shot down.

Although a bit lumpy the 50nm run south down the coast and approach to Port Macquarie was uneventful. On the ground we were met by friends and family of Dave and Don and a number of local aviators that were expecting our arrival and were keen to meet us.

The flight time from Norfolk to Lord Howe Island was 3:51 and from Lord Howe to Port Macquarie was 2:53.  Without checking my log the total of 6:44 for the day is probably the most I've flown in a day.  I crashed into bed knackered but very satisfied with the day's flying and to be in Australia.

A pleasant few days in Norfolk Island

After our arrival on Monday 23 May 2016, we decided to stay in Norfolk Island on Tuesday and Wednesday as there was a front crossing the Tasman Sea that we'd have to fly through. That would potentially mean rain and low cloud but the biggest problem was the strong headwinds.  Some headwind is to be expected when travelling west but headwinds >35kts erode our fuel margin which is not acceptable.  On the Norfolk Island airfield there is a Met Office so we've befriended those guys and they've not only given us the official forecasts (that we can get off the web anyway), but have also added to that their own local knowledge. Such advice is invaluable.

The time on Norfolk Island has passed pleasantly and we've all enjoyed exploring the island which is home to about 1,600 people.  The locals enjoy a pleasant non-threatening pace of life where leaving the keys in your car is no problem and if you've not eaten in a restaurant or cafe by 8pm you'll miss out on dinner.

After landing on Monday Bill was unable to retract the flaps on his RV-7 so we spent Tuesday morning at the airfield resolving that.  With some ingenious hot wiring that would make most car burglars proud we got the flap motor spinning and the flaps retracted. However there's obviously a fuse blown somewhere but we weren't game to start pulling and straining wire looms to look for it. The flaps are an aid to landing but not essential and "flapless Bill" is more than capable of flying without them for the remainder of the trip.

After leaving the airfield we had a pleasant few hours driving around the island. Dave is reading a book about Francis Chichester's visit to the island in his Gypsy Moth and the trouble he had while here so we sought out the places where his aircraft (on floats) landed, was pulled from the water, repaired and then taxi'd in open water around to the other side of the island to take off in relatively calm water within a reef. Amazing stuff. When I think of what guys like Chichester achieved with no maps, a compass that fell to bits in flight, and a sextant it makes my flight with lots of electronics and three GPS' aboard look pretty insignificant.

Picturesque Emily Bay

Northern coast line

On Wednesday it was back to the airfield to fuel the aircraft and prepare as much as we could for an early departure to Lord Howe Island and onto Port Macquarie after a stop to stretch our legs, have a good drink of fuel and clear Australian customs.  International flight plans have been filed so we should be able to quickly pack the aircraft, perform our pre-flight, suit up and be underway. As we plan to leave at 7:30am, Norfolk Island Customs won't be open at that time to process our departure.  A quick visit to the office in town had the date changed on our departure papers so we're technically out of the country about 16hrs ahead of our departure time.

The rest of the day was spent touring the Kingston penal settlement and learning about the harsh way they treated criminals brought to the island first from Australia and then the United Kingdom.  It was pretty barbaric by today's standards.  The Kingtson World Heritage park is immaculately kept and the museums very interesting.

Some random thoughts for pilots who may visit in my footsteps:

• The airport staff, met officers and Customs officers are amazing. Nothing is too much trouble and they are a great help.
• In May 2016 there was no landing or parking fees for aircraft under 1 tonne.
• Internet access on the island is slow. Hourly or daily Norfolk Telecom Hotspot Internet access can be purchased per hour or per GB and works well.  However, WiFi is free at the airport even when it's closed and is available for sad people like me who sit outside the terminal in the car park to send blogs like this.
• The Aloha Hibiscus Motel is great. It's at one end of Bunt Pine township and everything is within walking distance. They are very sympathetic to weather bound pilots.
• Dinners at the Bowling Club and RSL are reasonably priced and you get a great feed. Recommended.
• Rental cars are cheap (AUD$50/day plus fuel used). However the road conditions are shocking. You won't be driving any faster than 40km/hr.

The first big over-water leg - Kerikeri to Norfolk Island

As I've come to expect in Kerikeri it was raining when we were getting ready for our first overwater leg.  This made packing the aircraft a pain as you can't place anything on the wet ground or wing as you open the canopy, rearrange stuff inside and close the canopy again. Aside from the obvious equipment damage, water is to be minimised in the aircraft because as soon as the canopy is closed and the engine started everything steams up and you can't see where you're going.

Clearing customs was easy and only took a few minutes as we'd pre-prepared the necessary paperwork. The Customs Officer took photos of the aircraft (I guess so he knows we bring back the same ones) and chatted to us about our trip.

We had a delay in departing as I had to sort our a radio problem resulting from my headphone jacks getting wet. However, with that sorted we departed at 10:35am.

Enroute Air Traffic Control (ATC) only wanted to talk to one aircraft who would pass on position reports for all three. They gave us complex instructions on what we were to do after departure and a radio freq to report on which turned out not to be monitored.  After getting the aircraft setup in the cruise I, as "flight leader" spent about 30mins getting ETAs from Dave and Bill for the ELNOS and MUGEN reporting points and Norfolk Island and then passing them onto ATC.  By the time that was done Cape Reinga was sliding under the left wing.



Flying past the top of New Zealand - Cape Reinga Lighthouse just about to pass under the port wing

 

For a long time I had wondered how it would feel to fly north from New Zealand. Would there be second thoughts, fear or a calmness associated with "what will be will be"?  In reality it was none of those. Dave and Bill were ahead of me and approaching the ELNOS reporting point and I had to note down their times for that, the other reporting points and ETA for Norfolk Island.  To be honest the concern I felt for what I was about to tackle was when I rang Sharon and Mum from the motel before heading out to Kerikeri airfield.

Flying with others is great fun.  We chatted on the radio comparing heights and ground speeds, fuel consumption rates, cylinder head temperatures and a host of other inane things that would bore a non-pilot to tears. However, it passes the time and is interesting.  Dave's RV-8 has a True Airspeed (TAS) of 150kts, Bill's (RV-7) was slightly higher than that and my RV-6 has a 145kt TAS so they were slowly pulling away from me. However, we all landed at Norfolk Island within 10 mins of each other.

For the first half of the over-water leg there was cloud with a 2000' - 2500' base and lots of rain showers all around.  However, I didn't have to vary my track to dodge the showers and just watched them moving quite quickly all around me.  I would have preferred to fly higher but the strong quartering westerly wind would have too much impact on my ground speed.  Winds of 45kts dominated the flight and didn't abate until about 50nm from Norfolk.

Inbound to Norfolk Island were two commercial airliners and the three of us.  Norfolk doesn't have ATC and only has a UNICOM service who aren't allowed to do much more than advise you of local weather and runway conditions, other traffic and terminate flight plans.  All aircraft were arriving within about 20mins of each other so it was up to us to sequence our arrival with the big guys.

Prior to leaving New Zealand we had got some Top Of Descent spray. This is an insecticide that is inserted into an airliner's air conditioning system as you approach into an international airport to kill all the creepy crawlies before they get a free ride to another country.  About 10nm from Norfolk I dutifully gave my aircraft a liberal spray of the stuff. Bill told us later he discharged the whole can and nearly died of asphyxiation.



Approaching Norfolk Island

 

Norfolk Island airport is beautiful. Big wide smooth runways and manicured grass and a lovely small terminal. As our aircraft pulled up we had to show that we'd done our own Top Of Descent spraying and we were then allowed to open the canopy.

Again clearing Customs was too easy. While all the passengers from the inbound commercial flights queued for Customs, we were taken out the back and quickly cleared. I think that's what they do for royalty.



Safely on the ground at Norfolk Island

 

 

Together in Kerikeri

Dave and Don in ZK-WLK, Bill in ZK-WLL and I assembled in Kerikeri today ready for our trip across the Tasman.  My 2.9hr flight from Paraparaumu was challenging in parts with strong westerlies all the way and rain interrupting my track.  We're obviously already a tight team as Dave and Don arrived from North Shore, Bill from Ardmore (Auckland) and I all arrived within 15mins of each other.

Bill's RV-7 ZK-WLL, Dave's RV-8 ZK-WLK and my RV-6 ZK-VRV on arrival in Kerikeri

We're grateful to John Nicholls of Bay of Islands Aero Club for arranging hangar spaces for our three aircraft. They're much happier indoors and sheltered from the showers that have been passing through all afternoon.

This afternoon we've been re-checking all our plans and equipment. Fortunately with a few minor exceptions our plans are all in sync and the only equipment we're missing is Bill's toothbrush and toothpaste which his wife Anne has confirmed are in their usual place at home!

We're all set for a departure to Norfolk Island tomorrow morning. We've agreed we'll probably stay at Norfolk until Thursday to let a cold front pass through the Tasman Sea. There's a nice big high pressure zone following the front which should provide calm and clear conditions for the trip into Lord Howe  Island for fuel and then onto Port Macquarie.

Spidertracks is awesome

What started as a simple phone call to ask the Spidertracks guys a few months ago about our in-flight tracking costs during an intensive period of flying has resulted in a great partnership.  Todd O'Hara and his team were enthusiastic about what we were doing as private aviators and has provided considerable assistance with our flight.

Spidertracks is a world leader in satellite tracking devices for aircraft.  Designed and built in New Zealand, Spiders continue to push the standard of real-time aircraft tracking. Spidertracks’ partnership with the Iridium network allows Spiders to track an aircraft over every inch of the globe from take-off to landing.  If MH370 had a Spider installed it would have been found by now!

With Spiders installed in Dave's, Bill's and my aircraft our friends and family can watch our progress on the Across The Ditch web page Spidertracks has provided for us.  They can also be assured that should we encounter any difficulty the Spidertracks system will quickly alert those who are performing flight-following for us and the appropriate rescue authorities.

Thanks Todd, Helen and the rest of the Spidertracks team - you rock!

Our route

Click to display full size

Departing from my home airfield in Paraparaumu, I'll fly north to Kerikeri where I'll meet up with friends Dave, Don and Bill.

Our aircraft do not have the range to fly across the Tasman Sea in one go so we island hop from New Zealand to Norfolk and Lord Howe Islands before reaching the Australian mainland.

Arrangements have been made to clear Customs & Immigration at Kerikeri and when that's taken care of we'll be off on the 485nm (898km) leg to Norfolk Island.  That's expected to take approx. 3.5hrs.  The distance from Norfolk Island to Lord Howe Island is coincidentally the same.  We'll make landfall on the Australian Continent at Port Macquarie and at that point I expect to be very relieved to leave all that water behind.

Dave, Don and Bill have never flown in Australia and have trusted me to put a 8 day tour through New South Wales and Queensland to give them a taste of the outback.  I'm looking forward to introducing them to some of my favourite places and exploring some locations I've not visited.  We'll be joined in Port Macquarie by another pilot, Gary who will ride with Bill during the outback phase of our trip.

After leaving Port Macquarie we'll head straight into the outback with a brief stop at Narromine for fuel before our first overnight stop at Bindara Station.  Bindara is on the banks of the Darling River and is full of history and wildlife.  It's a great setting and it will be great to sit outside around the fire and swap stories with Barbara and her staff or other guests.

It's a short hop then to Broken Hill to fly over the scar that is an opencast mine just on the town boundary before landing for fuel.  While here we'll visit the Royal Flying Doctor Services museum and hopefully talk ourselves into one of the Doctor's aircraft for a look.

Enroute to Arkaroola we'll fly over Lake Frome with its calm waters and mesmerising colours.

Arkaroola is a geological sanctuary and boasts some of the oldest rocks in the world.  It's a dry dusty place but the tours they offer up onto the high northern Flinders Range peaks in 4WD vehicles and the stories they tell about the geological history are fascinating.

After having two nights in Arkaroola to explore the place it's off to the iconic town of Birdsville - home of the famous Birdsville Races.  Enroute we'll cross the featureless Stryzelecki Desert and call into the remote Nappa Merrie Station strip and walk to the famous Dig Tree.  The Dig Tree was where instructions and provisions were buried by one of the depot teams for outback explorers Burke & Wills in 1861. 

Birdsville is one of the most remote towns in the outback and people travel for days by road to get there.  It has a great atmosphere and you meet all sorts on interesting people in the Birsdville Pub.  Hopefully we'll get to go out to "Big Red" - a huge sand hill to watch the sunset across the desert.

Longreach is our next stop.  Husdon Fish started QANTAS in Longreach and there is a fascinating museum centred on the original QANTAS hangar that you can lose yourself in for an hour or two.  Just down the road is the Stockmans Hall of Fame which is equally interesting and which tells of the hardships of pioneer farming in the outback.  We'll have two nights in Longreach to give us plenty of time to explore the area.

We're off to Charleville next and hope to take in the Cosmos Centre & Observatory.  Away in the outback and far from city lights this open air observatory promises to offer a never to be forgotten journey of the night sky.

Our final stop before returning to Port Macquarie is Lightning Ridge.  The Lightning Ridge area is a world-renowned centre for the mining of black opals and other opal gemstones.  I've not been to Lightning Ridge before but if it's like the opal fields I've visited elsewhere in Australia it will look like Mars with holes and craters everywhere and plenty of characters scratching away for their next big mining break.

All good things must come to an end and it will then be back to Port Macquarie to prepare for the long flight home.

I've completed five trips in the outback of Australia and can't wait to get back there and introduce Dave, Don and Bill to flying experiences and distances we cannot comprehend in New Zealand.  Flying in the outback is like flying over an oil painting - full of texture and colour.  Bring it on!

Trans-Tasman Flying Adventure - Take Two

Don't ask me to explain it but I'm obsessed by long flights to faraway places.  There's not many books and blogs that I haven't read about epic flights around the world in classic "man & machine" conquests over vast distances and political/bureaucratic challenges.  To pursue a dream you have to start somewhere and for a long time the challenge of flying to Australia has beckoned me.

In 2014 I tried a crossing of the Tasman Sea to meet up with friends for an outback flying adventure but was foiled by the weather.  Four days in a Kerikeri motel watching torrential rain and then finding my plane full of water after months of planning for the crossing was a bit tough.  But the challenge of a Tasman crossing didn't go away.

Late in 2015 I was contacted by Dave Wilkinson and Bill Luther and asked to help them with their planning for a Trans-Tasman crossing.  The answer was easy.  "Of course - but only if I can come too"!  We've had many conversations and lots of fun planning this trip.

I love the outback of Australia.  The colours, textures and ... nothingness are amazing.  The more isolated and remote it is the better I like it.  The down-to-earth (take no bullshit) characters you meet in outback pubs are priceless.  Introducing Dave, his Dad Don and Bill to the outback is something I'm really looking forward to.  I hope you'll follow us ...