Diary of an aviation nut: September 2019

Wednesday 4 September 2019

Final flights 😕

After a pleasant two nights at Arkaroola it was time to embark on the last flights of this trip.

We left Arkaroola early for the short flight to Broken Hill so we could spend the afternoon looking around there.

On the leg to Broken Hill we crossed the beautiful Lake Frome but, unfortunately, it had no water in it so we missed out on seeing the lovely pinks and blues exhibited when water is present. However, we did cross the dog fence which stretches for miles along the South Australia / New South Wales border. It’s always fun to drop down (to 500ft of course) to fly along the few miles of this iconic fence that stops feral animals from getting into the farmland of New South Wales,

My son Andrew had arranged for us to meet Neil Taylor who is a Flying Doctor Pilot at the Broken Hill base and we enjoyed a tour of the base with Neil. It was Neil’s day off and, he was prepared to show us over an aircraft but they were all out on jobs - bugger. The RFDS does a fantastic job in the outback and are a vital service that is well regarded by all Australians.

We hired a rental car and went out to Silverton where Mad Max, Razorback and A Town Like Alice was filmed and also visited the Pro Hart gallery and the Miners Memorial at the top of the now decommissioned Broken Hill lead and zinc mine.

Andrew is a First Officer with Rex Airlines and months ago had asked to operate the evening flight into Broken Hill so he could meet up and spend the evening with us. That wasn’t to be which was disappointing. One of Rex’s Saab 340 aircraft had broken down earlier in the day and disrupted the schedules. Andrew did get to Broken Hill as planned but then had to promptly crew the aircraft back to Adelaide again. Bugger - so close but so far.

The following morning Simon and I said goodbye to Shelley and Pete who have accompanied us in their Cessna 182 for much of our trip. Their last flight was to Camden (south of Sydney) and we had to return to Bathurst. We’ve had so much fun with Shelley and Pete on this trip. They’re great company and easy to get on with. I’ve done several trips with them in Australia and South Africa and hope to do many more.

On our flight back to Bathurst we had a stonking tailwind and our little Cessna 172 was blown along at a paint-blistering 150kts at times. On our track was a little town called Condobolin that we called in to stretch our legs, empty the bladder and swap pilots.

It was my duty to fly the last leg into Bathurst to return VH-BAC. During the last 30mins we encountered some decent turbulence and VH-BAC bucked and kicked. I'm sure she was resisting going home.

During our travels we must have flown through most of the bugs in Australia that had become baked onto the leading edges and VH-BAC’s fuselage was coated in the fine red dust that’s prevalent in the outback. On a warm afternoon it was good to give her a well deserved wash before handing the keys back to the Bathurst Aero Club.

During the last 19 days we’ve enjoyed beautiful flying conditions in clear blue skies and lovely warm temperatures. Most of the time we’ve enjoyed tailwinds or no wind and, although we’ve flown 4,571nm / 8,465km in a total of 50hrs none of the flights have seemed to drag. Flying with Simon has been great, we’ve had many laughs and I’ve really enjoyed his company. I’ve learned a lot from Simon and hope he also was able to take something away from this trip.

Flying in Australia is so different from flying in New Zealand. Yes, the laws of aerodynamics are the same and the procedures we use are similar, but the country is vast, the distances are huge and the scenery (particularly in he Kimberley) is pure artwork. We are blessed to be able to fly in New Zealand but I love the magnificent desolation here just as much.

Until next time ...

Final team photo before departing Broken Hill

(Simon, Shelley, Pete & me in front of C182 VH-BMJ)

Departing Broken Hill

Simon concentrating on the needles

The dusty land gives way to farms as we approach Bathurst

A wide approach into Bathurst to stretch our last flight just that wee bit longer

It’s a tradition of mine to say thank you to any aircraft that has transported me safely on a fantastic trip. If you look after and appreciate an aircraft, it will look after you.

A day off in Arkaroola

Over the last couple of days we’ve done a lot of flying as we’ve crossed the middle of the Australian Continent so it was nice to have a day off in Arkaroola.

I like the Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary a lot. This was my 3rd or 4th visit and I was looking forward to seeing Simon’s reaction to it. Arkaroola is at the north end of the Flinders Ranges and is a dry and dusty place. It boasts some of the oldest rocks in the world and you don’t have to look far to see evidence of massive geological lifting and tilting of the rock.

Arkaroola is owned by Doug Sprigg and we were honoured to be collected from the airstrip and driven the 10km or so to the village by Doug. There was another pilot landing at the strip and so Simon and I really enjoyed a conversation with Doug about the assistance he provided to Jon Johansen while we waited. Doug is a very clever guy and what he doesn’t know about aircraft engines doesn’t matter. He helped Jon get the most power out of his Vans RV-4 engine for his two flights around the world and attempt to reach the South Pole.

Our full day at Arkaroola began with an 8km walk on one of the trails with Shelley and Pete and then I had a nice lazy afternoon reading my book while Simon went on the Ridgetop Tour.

I’d deliberately not told Simon much about the Ridgetop Tour but encouraged him to do it. It’s a half day ride in a Landcruiser high up among the peaks of Arkaroola while learning about the geology, botany and wildlife of the place. Arkaroola has a fascinating history which you learn about on the tour but the highlight is the Landcruiser ride up slopes that have to be seen to be believed. As you climb these rough tracks you’d swear the vehicle will loose traction and/or the front wheels will lift and you’ll flip. It’s a wild ride and you have to hold on tight. Simon really enjoyed it - phew.

In the bar on the second night there was a big influx of people who’d arrived that day. They were members of the Harry Ferguson Tractor Club who were touring the Flinders Ranges in their tractors! 19 tractors and associated support vehicles were on a 28 day trip and they were great people to talk to. Most of the time they have been camping out at the Stations they were crossing so they were enjoying Arkaroola’s barb and restaurant when we met them. It’s interesting to note they were just as passionate about their tractors and travels as we are about our aircraft. Mind you I’d rather travel at 203km/hr at altitude and out of the dust rather than their sedentary 20km/hr.

Australian “bush” walk at Arkaroola

(Simon, Shelley, me & Pete)

Having a spell on a hot morning

(Me, Shelley & Pete)

Endangered Australian Yellow Footed Rock Wallaby which are well established at Arkaroola

Harry Ferguson Tractor Club lined up outside Arkaroola reception

(Photo shamelessly stolen from someone else's Facebook post as it was taken the day we left)

Monday 2 September 2019

Crossing the continent

Over the last few days we’ve completed the crossing of this big, dusty continent. The route “through the middle” crosses some of the most remote areas of Australia and fuel and flight planning is important.

One of the longest legs on this trip is the 457nm flight SE from Halls Creek to Ayers Rock. In zero-wind this requires a flight time of 4.2hrs with few options to land (at places where you could takeoff from). A slight headwind was forecast for the day we completed this flight which, if you’re not careful, can quickly exhaust the fuel reserves. Aviation law requires that flying of our type includes a planned fuel reserve of 30mins. Australia has recently introduced a rule that requires you to declare an emergency if you begin to consume your fuel reserve. Declaring a fuel emergency is the last thing we would want to need to do as there’s likely to be a mountain of paperwork and some hard questions asked.

Simon flew this leg and we departed early from Halls Creek to take advantage of the smooth flying conditions and as the forecast winds were more favourable at the lower altitudes earlier in the day. After about 30 mins we passed Wolfe Creek crater which is impressive from the air and then set heading for Ayers Rock 400nm away.

During this leg we chatted away, had long periods of silence, consumed Minties and muesli bars. For the first half of the leg the horizon is dead flat for 360 degrees. However, it’s far from boring and I never tire from watching the land slide by lost in my own thoughts. “Magnificent desolation”.

During the second half of the leg rocky outcrops start to appear on land that is otherwise billiard-table flat. Of course, as we’re tracking toward Ayers Rock, every bump on the horizon looks like The Rock! About 70-80nm miles out the real Ayers Rock starts to come into view but it’s not the largest bump on the horizon. I’m no geologist, but I understand much of Australia was at one time underwater. As the land rose and/or the water receded, erosion of the softer soils occurred leaving a number of big rocks. Ayers Rock (Uluru) is only one.

We snuck into the Ayers Rock airport between a couple of jets, fuelled up, grabbed a coffee, swapped drivers and we were off again in less than an hour. If you park an aircraft any longer than an hour at Ayers Rock Airport they charge you $50. Simon is still grizzling about not being able to finish his coffee before I herded him toward our aircraft.

There’s a prescribed route you must fly around Ayers Rock and the adjacent soaring rock domes that are the Olgas. This ensures all scenic flights get a good view and remain separated. Due to the prevailing wind conditions and runway in use at Ayers Rock Airport, as we taxied toward the runway we were asked by the Unicom operator (who coordinates but doesn’t control) air traffic if we would fly the scenic route in reverse. Uh - OK (shit)! A hasty re-reading of the procedure, turning it on its head all as we entered the runway. Thank goodness for two pilots. However, all was well as we flew the route with Shelley ahead in her Cessna 182, three helicopters and a parachute drop plane. It was mid-afternoon and the lowering sun cast some great shadows which showed Ayers Rock and the Olgas in a great light.

Leaving Ayers Rock we flew about 40 mins onto Curtin Springs Roadhouse for a well-deserved beer after a long but satisfying day of flying.

The following day we were dropped off at the Curtin Springs airfield by a staff member about 9am and quickly entered the drill of packing and pre-flighting our aircraft. We’re getting good at this now.

Curtin Springs airstrip is quite stony and so once the aircraft is started you keep it moving so the prop doesn’t pick up stones which can damage its leading edges. We run up and down the runway a few times while the engine warms and do our checks on the run. On our 3 or 4 trips up and down the runway we quickly realised we were sharing it with a good sized bull who’d got through a fence somewhere and was standing beside the runway watching with some curiosity. We kept a careful eye on him! Bull vs aeroplane would not end pleasantly.

On the Curtin Springs cattle farm and a short distance away is Mt Connor. This is actually bigger than Ayers Rock I think and looked impressive with the early morning sun on it as we slid past in smooth air. We had a great tailwind at 3,500ft and a steady ground speed faster than Shelley & Pete 2,000ft above in their Cessna 182.

Our next stop was William Creek for fuel and lunch. Andrew (my son) spent two seasons based at William Creek flying tourists over nearby Lake Eyre when he was a newly-minted Commercial Pilot. I’ve called into and stayed at William Creek numerous times but it’s changed significantly since I was last there in 2009 when I visited Andrew. It now offers a sealed runway and the one pub “town” (stretching the definition of town) supports 40 pilots and associated support staff.

Leaving William Creek we headed east to Lake Eyre North which still had some water in it. Lake Eyre is the lowest point of the Australian Continent and, although is huge, is very shallow. It can dry up for years on end and, when it fills, is a major tourist attraction with people driving days into the outback to see it. With that tourist attraction out of the way we then set heading for the next - the Maree Man.

The Maree Man is the stuff of outback legend as nobody knows who created him. “The Man” is a huge outline of an Aboriginal Man holding a spear. It was created by person or persons unknown years ago - who knows why as it's in an isolated area. Last time I flew over the Maree Man years ago you had to use your imagination to see him as the outline had eroded. In the last few years “person or persons unknown” recreated the Maree Man and now he looks great. The second incarnation of The Man is particularly well-endowed which must be particularly pleasing to those ladies fortunate enough to fly by.

We’ve now got two nights at Arkaroola which is one of my favourite places to visit. That will be the subject of my next post ...

Leg Summary:

Route: Halls Creek (YHLC) - Ayers Rock (YAYE)

Distance: 457nm (846km)

Time: 4.3hrs

Alt: 3,500 & 5,500ft

Route: Ayers Rock (YAYE) - Curtin Springs (YCSP) excl Ayers Rock Scenic

Distance: 44nm (81km)

Time: 1.4hrs

Alt: 4,000 & 4,500ft

Route: Curtin Springs (YCSP) - William Creek (YWMC)

Distance: 325nm (602km)