taoftedal

Ooh ... I have competition for the coveted Tim Tam award ... rats!

Been enjoying the sights and sounds of Alice Springs this last week. The Nevil Shute Memorial Library (April Springs Public); Anzac Hill (now that’s a familiar name); the RFDS Base and Dispatch Center; John Flynn Memorial Chapel; and The Gahn; are just a few of the highlights. You can get a little taste here Alice Springs - Wikipedia; Royal Flying Doctor Service - Wikipedia; John Flynn (minister) - Wikipedia for starters … and of course I’ve found coffee shops and cafés to keep me ‘in-the-pink’ during my stay. As for our Australian adventure it will be ending soon, and I’m wondering where and when the Committee will be hosting the Awards Banquet (if any). I’ve heard nothing from them … ?

Sorry SMike ... I think JSMR and myself have come down with a bad case of Aerostar fever ... (or is it just envy) ... I just had to pull my old Mike Stone model out the hanger and take her up!

What a link to history. They were in many ways the 747's of their day. TomP's reference to four-pipers (used I believe by the USN) triggered the more familiar four-stacker or four-funnel phrase in my mind. The Titanic perhaps being the most famous.

Oh yes ... I've heard of them ...

In a whirlybird to boot! Well done VP2!

Sydney to Cairns huh ... what Piper model is that?

Interesting route ... did jgf plot this out?

As long as we're getting a little side-tracked (Tokyo?) ... anyone have any rw experience with one of these bad boys?

A low and slow bird she is not ... but if asked to do it no complaints ... but if you need to get above it all and run ... not a problem. (Of course ... your fuel burn won't impress anyone driving a Prius).

'He heard, passing away above his head, the high scream of an ungeared engine in fine pitch, and automatically his mind said: ‘Harvard' ... It would not have woken him if it had been a Wellington. Wimpies were part and parcel of his life, the very texture of his work. He was awake now, though he lay with his eyes closed. There was a Wimpey running up one engine, somewhere …’ … and the story begins. ‘Pastoral’ is perhaps my favorite Nevil Shute novel. Set in the confines of an air force base in Oxfordshire during the Second World War the novel centers around the relationships of the bomber crews, as well as those supporting them at command (no spoilers from me).

I have read a number of Nevil Shute’s novels over the years, several of which take place in Australia. ‘A Town Like Alice’ is one of his best and as such a side trip to Alice Springs seems in order. Not that a tad over 1,000 nm from Bankstown is a side trip but … At the airport for an early morning departure with my flight plan in hand (YSBK>YOOM>YBAS) in little time the Twin Comanche lifts off from 29C and we turn to the northwest and rise above and over the Blue Mountains again. Once at cruise and with little traffic this morning I settle back with my Flat White, grab a Tim Tam and watch the hills turn into plains ... and plains into range. The further to the northwest the flatter and browner everything became. Through the southwest corner of Queensland and into South Australia Moomba is just ahead and a straight in approach to 30 made for an easy arrival. Time to find some fuel (there it is) and perhaps a little lunch ... if not ... I still have some Tim Tams left in the cabin. Being directed to the ‘office’ I learned that Moomba is something of a ‘private facility’ set-up to serve the company town adjacent. Members of the public are not able to fly in ... only employees, contractors and authorized visitors. With an apology for my lack of planning the facility manager grabbed a couple bottled waters and sat me down. As I reached into my fight bag and pulled out the Tim Tams the whole mood changed and we ended up having a nice conversation. The afternoon flight to YBAS was in comparison ... uneventful. The terrain below never seemed to change even as the Northwest Territory welcomed ... similar to the Nullarbor? ... maybe ... but yet different somehow ... regardless I was thankful when the Alice Springs VOR/DME let me know we were not lost. The tower put me in a right hand pattern for 12 and the Twin Comanche practically landed herself ... which happens once in a blue moon. Soon I was off to the B&B but stopped at a market on the way ... needed to pick-up a package of Tim Tams ... ‘don't leave home without it.’

Indeed SMike ... Ted Smith knew something about designing aircraft ... and the Aerostar is special.

Beautiful bird Sirrus ... trusting you'll be back in the air soon ... thanks for the update! Take care ...

Interesting ... may have to jump into some soaring ... and great to hear from you Sirrus! Hope all is going well ...

Ooh ... now there's a future challenge to think about ... a x-country soaring event ... ?

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

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

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 ...

That's great news! You've been missed ...

Melbourne is a big place and as I kind of over-did-it in Adelaide I took it easy in ‘Batmania’ (no ... nothing to do with DC Comics) ... booked a hotel within walking distance (expensive digs - thank you Piper) and just kind of hung around the airport (hope I didn’t make a nuisance of myself). When folks discovered I was part of the GAAG the questions never stopped ... “Who’s leading? What are they flying? How does the scoring work? That chopper bloke who came through and asked directions to the museum ... he in the race too? Thanks for the Piper hats! Need another Long Black?” Good thing I had my laptop ... YMMB>YTOC>YNAR>YPKS>YBTH>YSBK will be the pathway to Sydney/Bankstown. After a final farewell to Moorabbin the PA-30 lifts off 35L into the northern sky and we settle in at 5,500 feet. Again, I hand the controls over to Otto and settle back to enjoy the views. Heading out of Melbourne the view is much the same as coming into Melbourne ... only in reverse and soon the landscape reminds me of the Midwest again. Just before Tocumwal we say farewell to Victoria and enter New South Wales ... home to Sydney/Bankstown. A few more hills here and there but the Nullarbor it is not. At Parks we turn back to the east and Bathhurst is soon behind ... crossing the Blue Mountains we pull back the throttles about 15 minutes out and start a slow decent into Bankstown. With the checklist complete and a ‘cleared to land’ the Piper touches down on 29C. A memorable trip and fair taste of this great 'Land of Oz' ... now ... still plenty of time before the banquet ... what to explore ‘down under’ next ... (On a personal note I did bake a batch of Anzac Biscuits (really) this past week and they were better than advertised ... the recipe I used is attached below ... enjoy)! Anzac Biscuits.pdf

Nice ...

... but MAD ... don't they have Canberra's there?

Given my experience with the marque that's not saying too much ... but don"t tell my sponsor! (respectable ... sure ... speed demons ... nope).

... but a wonderful technique should you encounter the 'jgf experience @ Cairns' along the way.