The 2024 Australian Air Rally - The FBO

[taoftedal]

9 hours ago, TomPenDragon said:

I'll let you all know what's happening once I've taken the machine apart ...

 

A rally of technical difficulties ... bummer TomP.  Hopefully you'll be up and running soon ... wouldn't want you to miss the banquet! ... or should I say it ... barbie?  At least I sure hope the Committee is putting one together ... 

 

[Melo965]

3 hours ago, TomPenDragon said:

Just to clarify: I'm fine; my flightsim computer is not.

 

Best of luck getting it sorted out!

 

[Bossspecops]

Just flew into Mangalore, at probably the LOWEST airspeed possible in a Sealand in order to get my aggregate time somewhat better than -9 minutes. And it's now at +1 minute! 

 

Full flight report in the morning as it's bed time here now. ZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz..............................

[Melo965]

54 minutes ago, Bossspecops said:

And it's now at +1 minute! 

 

Awesome, great work!

 

[jgf]

10 hours ago, Bossspecops said:

Biosolids Storage Area. Whatever that may mean....................

 

Ah, a giant cesspool

[PhrogPhlyer]

1 hour ago, Bossspecops said:

And it's now at +1 minute! 

Keep whittling it down!

[PhrogPhlyer]

On 2/11/2024 at 12:27 PM, TomPenDragon said:

What’ll you do for an encore, PhrogPhlyers?

It's all hush hush at the moment, but soon to be made public!

[PhrogPhlyer]

On 2/11/2024 at 3:07 PM, defaid said:

I can see why you didn't notice it originally. 

[PhrogPhlyer]

On 2/11/2024 at 3:13 PM, ScottishMike said:

I get the feeling all these sea/float planes know something we don't. And not a rain cloud in sight.

[PhrogPhlyer]

On 2/11/2024 at 10:48 PM, jgf said:

Two B-2s or not two B-2s. That is the "stealth" question.

[ScottishMike]

TUESDAY 13^th Feb.

Last two legs today. The difference in accuracy is remarkable, before Sunday's three legs I was not using GPS and had no easy way of knowing my ground speed. The way I was taught as student pilot (and that was before GPS or “the web”existed) was to spot two landmarks on the map that I could identify from the air, measure the distance between them then time how long it took to fly between them. Once done you had distance and time so could work out your GS. The problem in FS is knowing which landmarks on a map will appear in the sim.

Anyway, time for the last two legs. That bitter sweet ending feeling is creeping up on me, but I am looking forward to getting at the controls of the Aerostar 700/PA 60 and free flying up the coast:

YPKS to YBTH Heading 89 73 nm. @ 130 kts. = 34 mins. + 2 for take off = 36 mins.

YBTH to YSBK Heading 102 74 nm. @ 130 kts. = 34 mins. + 2 for touch and go = 36 mins.

All preps done. Fuel; added 200 Lbs to take it to 50% . Weather report:

 

Powered up and ready to go:

 

Wind is 316 @ 5kts so using rwy 290. Take off time 10:06

 

It should be a much more interesting landscape, I am heading for the Blue mountains and Nat. Park. KIAS is 102 GS 122 kts Wind 316@ 13 kts ETA at YBTH is 10:42

 

This looks like countryside I could live in happily. Orange below to the right:

 

Messy approach to Bathurst, sort of downwind leg:

 

Base leg:

 

Overshot base and subsequent squint final:

 

Straightened things out a bit:

 

Touch and go (Time 10:44 Variance +2) and I must have crossed a time zone:

 

Heading for Sydney and the Blue mountains:

 

Golf course on a ridge and I just realized I have been gawping at the scenery my GS has crept up to 160 kts. This Mooney does not like taking it slow.

 

Sydney basin ahead, not far to go now.

 

I think that is Bankstown on my left, but it's not easy to tell:

 

Definitely Bankstown ahead and this is not the best approach:

 

A curving final. What is it they say? “A bad approach makes for a bad landing” or is it the other way around?

 

Almost there:

 

Not the best landing. (Time 12:21 Variance +1 and I must have crossed another time zone).

 

The end of the adventure and the tower directed me to this crowded parking area. Everything off and open the door for fresh air.

 

It felt a bit like the emotions at the end of an exam; relief it's over, wondering how well or badly one has done and where to go from here. I was collecting thoughts and notes together going over the last few days.

“Hello stranger, long time no see.”

It made me jump but I recognised the voice immediately. Swirling auburn hair dancing around her smile.

“You startled me! What on earth are you doing here?”

“It's a long story, to be told over a good meal. Just now if anyone asks: I'm your chief engineer. That's my excuse for getting airside OK?”

“Yeah sure.” I really didn't know what to say. So much to catch up on. Where does one start?

“Here, let me help you with your stuff. You always were an untidy so and so.”.

[taoftedal]

12 minutes ago, ScottishMike said:

That bitter sweet ending feeling is creeping up on me ...

 

The Aerostar will certainly be a joy SMike ... but I for one will miss the Mooney ... welcome to Bankstown!

[TomPenDragon]

The Daily Update

(Cue “She Sells Sanctuary”)

 

EP: “Hello and welcome to a very special Daily Update for the 13th of February, 2024. I’m Elias Pacheco, for Claus Ullrich and the Radio Chachapoya team, and today’s special because we have a winner of the 1976 Australian Air Rally. Here’s the Leaderboard:

 

 

“Two days ago, I mentioned that the first flier to finish with a CV of 0 wins. Melo965 was listening. Four perfect goose eggs put an exclamation point on a spectacular run, from his little Trans-Australia shakedown run to his late start and quick catch-up, consistently turning in times close to plan, more than half of them perfectly on plan. Congratulations to you and your mighty Chipmunk, Melo!

 

“Motorists between Melbourne and Mangalore reported seeing a Sealand taxiing along the roadway. This could explain Bosss’ 10-minute late arrival into YMNG – traffic. He’s now in second, with a +1 CV.

 

“ViperPilot2 is in third with a -1, 3 legs behind the Bosss.

 

“defaid, who finished on the 11th with a -2, is in fourth.

 

“ScottishMike has also finished the race, with a +2 to Bathurst and a +1 to Bankstown for a final CV of +2. Congratulations, Mike; it’s been rather a more harrowing race for you than it should have been. But I hear that you might have a new flight engineer for your switch to the Aerostar.

 

“The PhrogPhlyers and JSMR round out the field in sixth and seventh respectively, with 7’s.

 

“In signing off, I’d like to thank all of you who kept me in their thoughts yesterday. The doctor who saw me at the hospital was a Doogie Howser type who pulled my medical temporarily out of an abundance of precaution… because I’m old. He saw an old pilot who was just being cautious when he felt a little off and decided to clip his wings. Maybe he gets a commission on the tests, because he gave me every one in the book. All to say I’m just a bit run-down and I haven’t been eating right. And he finishes by reminding me I’m 70 and I should slow down on the flying.

 

“The Piper people are going to take a bit longer with the Saratoga. Once it’s ready, Claus is going to fly it until we’re ready to leave. I’m going to fly something a little different:"

 

 

(Slow down on the flying, my ass)

[PhrogPhlyer]

4 minutes ago, TomPenDragon said:

(Slow down on the flying, my ass

+1

[PhrogPhlyer]

3 hours ago, ScottishMike said:

but I am looking forward to getting at the controls of the Aerostar 700/PA 60 and free flying up the coast:

It doesn't get much better than this.

[taoftedal]

Take a bow Melo ... congratulations ... well done!  

[TomPenDragon]

Real world translation: I was able to get my computer back up and running.  While it's up, I decided to take a quick run to Sydney:

 

Tomcat on the ramp at Jandakot

 

Getting ready to take the active

 

Climbing out over YPJT

 

Turning past Katanning, 13,500', Mach 0.81

 

Rounding Adelaide

 

Warrnambool

 

Melbourne

 

Parkes

 

Bathurst

 

Sydney

 

This isn't how you're supposed to fly Down Under?

 

A busy Bankstown

 

Down and parked.

[Melo965]

32 minutes ago, TomPenDragon said:

This isn't how you're supposed to fly Down Under?

 

LOL! Of course it is! 

 

Really like your choice of aircraft.  Kit and I saw one flying when he visited me in California.

 

[Bossspecops]

Oh yeah, that Tomcat looks REALLY good in RAAF markings. 

 

What was your average speed on the run Tom?

 

After making a TOTAL idiot of myself on Leg 11, by flying as fast as possible when I should flown as SLOW as possible, I ended up being even further away on my aggregate timing, so I've got a big task on my hands to get back on time, and only a few legs left to do it in.

 

Leg 12, which I flew y'day, was only 69 nms and the FST estimate was just 27 mins. To get my aggregate time to 0 I had to fly the leg in 36 mins which resulted in some serious throttle juggling, to say the least!

 

The wind direction had me taking-off on 22 again, and it's a looooong trek out there from the ramp at Moorabbin, but here I am waiting for ATC to give me the green light.

 

 

The 22 SID is bizarre as it calls for levelling off at 500 ft and making a sharp right hand turn when you're only just above roof top height, so I hope the citizens of Moorabbin will forgive the racket of my two Gypsy Queens right above their heads!

 

 

Almost immediately the SID called for another right hander onto my final course for Mangalore, and I thought I'd be heading directly over downtown Melbourne, but not so. I was headed some way to the east of the city centre, but it's pretty obvious there in the distance.

 

 

I wasn't to see Melbourne for very long as a bank of cloud at around 500 ft loomed up and pretty soon I was in IMC.

 

 

I'd climbed slower than usual in order to maximise my flight time, and it took maybe 13 mins to reach my 5000 ft cruise altitude, but once there I was able to assess my speed and times more closely, and for sure I needed to back off the throttle a bit. It soon became apparent that the throttle setting and ground speed had very little connection to each other, and whatever the Sealand was doing, it wanted to keep on doing it! So I'd take a measurement, and find I needed to speed up say, open the throttle a tad, and the Sealand just kept on slowing! And the opposite occurred too, closing the throttle to slow down made not a jot of difference to G-AUST, she kept on accelerating! I think it's something to do with the high thrust-line of the Sealand, as opening the throttle causes a nose-down pitch, and vice versa. There's nothing I can do about that so I'll just have to be vigilant. 

 

This made timing the flight very difficult, and I found it was easier to open up the throttle to maybe 75-80% and adjust the speed by selecting some flap! Weird, but it worked................

 

One thing I noticed once I'd cleared the cloud bank was the small rivers in the area all seemed to have lots of ox-bow lakes alongside them, presumably because the land was so flat and that assisted in the lake's formation.

 

 

Heading ever northward I was expecting quite a good time on arrival, but then local ATC directed this guy right across in front of me! And he was at the same altitude too!

 

 

On such a short leg I was soon descending, and right over another set of ox-bows as well.

 

 

My final turn got me nicely on line with Mangalore's 05 runway, and a final time check showed I was in with a chance of a +9 minute arrival which was just what I needed!

 

 

As luck would have it I was a tad late and arrived 10 mins after the estimate, but that meant I'm only one minute out on aggregate, with a couple of legs to go.  I did put her down RIGHT on the numbers though, and just a bit to left of centre.

 

 

Feeling very pleased with myself, for a change, I taxied in to the ramp, which WASN'T at one end of the runway for a change, only to find that Mangalore Ground had cleared a guy in a C208 right in front of me! After a 'free and frank exchange of views' I exerted my 'Twins Go First' mantra and taxied over to parking.

 

 

There was a space right next to a Lear 45, and it seemed only appropriate that I should have that space, after all I was a 'corporate' aircraft too. 

 

 

So now I'm only one minute out on aggregate and I ought to be able to zero that out, with a bit of luck and an ever vigilant throttle hand, but it looks like my long time mate Melo has gone and done it!

 

Well done Melo, Scanman Airmotive Rule OK! 

[Melo965]

13 minutes ago, Bossspecops said:

Well done Melo, Scanman Airmotive Rule OK! 

 

Thanks a lot!  Looks like you are on track to finish really well too!

 

[Melo965]

Here is a picture of me and my Chippie parked at Bankstown. (YSBK)  The most crowded parking area so far in Australia.

 

I will post my previous legs flight descriptions soon as time permits.  My wife's sister and her husband are visiting this week so I won't be flying again until next week.  And for the eastern route I will be switching aircraft and flying a Canberra PR9 once I get it sorted out.

 

So the Combined route trophy is up for grabs.  Good luck everyone!

[TomPenDragon]

38 minutes ago, Bossspecops said:

What was your average speed on the run Tom?

I didn't time it , but I'd guess around 490 - 500.  I was holding a steady 445 kts. IAS at 13,500' and around 550 over ground.  Climb-out took a couple of minutes; Descent was, after I took the inverted shot, I cut the throttles and pulled back on the stick.  Time of descent was the time it took for my brain to reach my knees.  I leveled out of the half-loop at 2,500 (I think; everything was black), dodged departing traffic over YSSY, and finally had her down to 180 on downwind for YSBK.

 

I've made the decision to not replace my flightsim machine, a 10-year-old Alienware, when it gives up the ghost.  I might replace the graphics card if I can, but if not, that's it.  The failure yesterday reminded me that the machine won't last forever.

 

So I figured, why not go out in style?

[Bossspecops]

28 minutes ago, TomPenDragon said:

 

So I figured, why not go out in style?

 

 

Why not indeed, way to go! 

[PhrogPhlyer]

2 hours ago, Bossspecops said:

but then local ATC directed this guy right across in front of me! And he was at the same altitude too!

Next you'll complain that the only controller on this watch can't take his 30 coffee minute break... sheesh!

 

[PhrogPhlyer]

3 hours ago, TomPenDragon said:

Turning past Katanning, 13,500', Mach 0.81

Not bad I guess for a twin engine variable sweep. My 60 year old single engine straight wing Vampire did  just over .82 mach and an TAS of 575kt. Then again, I "may" have exceeded a few limitations.