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.