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)

I just got the same thing downloading a new livery for the Gaggle. Using Firefox on W8.1. First time I've ever gotten a warning from anything I've ever downloaded from FlightSim.com. It turned out that I already had the file, so I kept the one I had, scanned it with Avast (clean), and installed it with no problems.

Just to clarify: I'm fine; my flightsim computer is not. I'm going to give it a thorough cleaning and reseat everything, but if that doesn't work, the graphics card has packed it in. I'll let you all know what's happening once I've taken the machine apart and put it back together.

The Daily Update (Cue “She Sells Sanctuary”) EP: “Hello and welcome to our Daily Update for the 12th of February, 2024. I’m Elias Pacheco, for the Radio Chachapoya team. As I predicted facetiously yesterday, the Chiefs’ win over the 49’ers with just seconds to go in the first overtime period was only the second most exciting sporting event going on in the world yesterday. Let’s go to the Leaderboard: “Melo965 remains in first, with a perfect CV and 4 legs left to go. “ScottishMike has moved into second place after yesterday’s run to Parkes. He flew a perfect run to Tocumwal, scored a +1 into Narrandera, and topped his day off with a perfect run into Parkes. This puts his CV at -1, with only 2 more legs to go. “This drops ViperPilot2 into third, with a -1 and 8 legs left to go. “There was some confusion regarding dj’s flight status, and she flew one last stint with her father. What a stint it was – 6 legs, from Melbourne to Sydney, to finish the race. Their numbers speak for themselves: A +1 into Mangalore, perfect into Tocumwal and Narrandera, then a -1 into Parkes, and perfect into Bathurst and Bankstown. Their final score: -2, on 11 February. So, 2’s the CV to beat for those still running. Currently, defaid and dj sit in fourth place. “Now fifth is our other finisher so far, Captain Dirk Doovalacky for the PhrogPhlyers, with a +7. “JSMR moves up into sixth place, also with a +7. He’s currently in Renmark, with 9 legs left to go. “But now for the news that we’ve all been waiting for: Bossspecops and his Short Sealand are back running. They took a hop to Moorabbin, arriving 4 minutes early. Added to his previous -5, this puts the Bosss in seventh place with a CV of -9 and 6 legs left to go. A respectable test run for sure, but now it’s time to slow down and eat away at that 9. “Meanwhile on the Free Flying front, jgf had a sweet run from Derby to Learmouth, which puts him in fuel range of Jandakot now. “We arrived in Perth yesterday afternoon. If you remember, yesterday Claus was flying and I was talking. We’ve been switching back and forth for fun and fairness, but I was feeling a little off on the run into Darwin and didn’t feel up to flying yesterday. Getting into Perth, I went to the Royal Perth Hospital to get checked out. The doctor who saw me ran some tests, but since he also happened to be a flight surgeon, he pulled my medical. So, I’m grounded. “Claus, who’s been a wonderful flying companion, noticed something that she didn’t like about the Saratoga on yesterday’s flight. She accompanied me to the hospital and then went back to Jandakot to tear apart the Piper. She was noncommittal about what the team found in the aircraft, but from her demeanor I suspect that it isn’t good. “So, plane and pilot are back where the 1976 Australian Air Rally started, and unless we get some good news this afternoon, here’s where we’re stuck. I’m going to wrap up the Daily Update here – I’m Elias Pacheco, for Radio Chachapoya, signing off. Have a great flying day!”

Great to see you back in the air, Kit! I went through the thread and found your report for Renmark, where you reported as 8 minutes early and it was recorded as a -. So, your 4 minutes early "adds" to your CV of -5 for a -9. There are plenty of legs ahead of you to make that up, though. Eli and Claus are looking forward to calling a great recovery run. Feel free to take splash-and-go's; you need to arrive later than estimate.

Mine was on my last-ever real-world flight in the left seat. It was also my first time in a Cessna Skyhawk. A sales rep from my branch was married to a CFI, and they invited my wife and me to go up one weekend. We flew from Dallas Addison to Fort Worth. My favorite aircraft of all time is the B-58 Hustler. There happened to be one, in mothballs, on the ramp at KFTW. I taxied us right up to it. That was a really special day.

The Daily Update (Cue “She Sells Sanctuary”) EP: “Hello and welcome to our Daily Update for the 11th of February, 2024. I’m Elias Pacheco, for Claus Ullrich in the left seat and the Radio Chachapoya team. There’s been movement on the Leaderboard: “Melo965 set a -3 to Mangalore, which put ViperPilot2 into the lead and dropped him down into fourth. He then made the run to Tocumwal and scored a +3, which restored his perfect CV and his lead of the race. Brilliant stuff, Melo! “ViperPilot2 set a -1 to Naracoorte, which tarnishes his perfect CV but still leaves him in second place. “ScottishMike’s -2 CV at Mangalore has him in third, while defaid is even with him on CV and is only 1 leg behind, in fourth. defaid is planning an aggressive run to the end of the 1976 Australian Air Rally, though. Let’s see how he fares alone in the cockpit, without dj as navigator. Let’s hope he does better than the Kansas City Chiefs would do without Travis Kelce – should he leave, the Chiefs’ newfound popularity would Swiftly vanish as well. “Bossspecops remains in Warrnambool, in fifth with a -5. He’s hopeful, however, that his ailing aircraft will be fixed in time for him to finish the 1976 at least. “The PhrogPhlyers are currently in sixth place in the 1976 with a +7, and in first place in the Eastern with a -20, having completed both courses. What’ll you do for an encore, PhrogPhlyers? “And JSMR currently rounds out the 1976 field with a +7 in Renmark. “In the Free Flying arena, jgf has been brushing up on his crosswind techniques in his Staggerwing. You know, I’ve flown the Staggerwing, and we’re right behind him in the Saratoga, so we’ve been dealing with the same crosswinds. I admire his skill at keeping the aircraft on the runway, and do not envy the challenge of demonstrating that skill in that particular plane. He’s made it to Derby. We overnighted in Darwin after a zero-zero instrument landing in a monsoon yesterday that was made even more difficult by the fact that the ILS for 29 was about a hundred feet to the left of the runway. Those VOZ developers certainly have an odd sense of humour. “As we end our fourth week of racing in this great southern land, what do we have to look forward to? The race is still anybody’s to win. The PhrogPhlyers’ 7 could stand, but is beatable. Melo and his mighty ‘Munk have proven capable of setting perfect times, having done so for five legs already – and when they do vary from their plan, they’ve shown an uncanny ability to erase the variance on the very next leg. ViperPilot2 is only a minute behind him, though, and is at the halfway point, leg-wise. He has complained of fatigue flying the longer legs, so the second half of the course, with its quick hops, might suit him well. I’d expect some very competitive running from him from here on to the finish of the ‘76. “But a minute behind VP2 are ScottishMike and defaid, both with -2. There’s no way to sugarcoat this: Mike’s individual timings have consistently been wider of the mark than the other racers. Despite this, he is in third, two minutes shy of perfect, which is a testament to his ability to mount a recovery flight. I’m looking forward to surprises from him up until the very end. I’m not looking forward to the coronary those surprises are going to cause me as I call his final runs. “defaid, as I mentioned, will be without his navigator for the quick sectors between Melbourne and Sydney. As we’ve seen since the Bendix, he’s a really good pilot in his own right, and the Arrow’s a great aircraft for this part of the course. Given his plan to finish, he has his work cut out for him – let me remind our listeners that, the way the rules are written, the first team to reach Bankstown with a CV of 0 wins. Two lousy minutes, mate! “The Sealand’s mechanical troubles and its time on the ground in Warrnambool have caused us to overlook it and only briefly mention it during the Updates. The last report that Timing and Scoring has from him was on the 27th of January. It’s easy to forget that he’s only 5 minutes off of the lead and 3 minutes out of fourth. His poorest run was a -8; the rest show that he’s perfectly capable of setting whatever time he wants. If anyone has any doubt about that, let me just remind you of his exploits piloting the Lysander during the Route 66. “JSMR has more of the course left to run than anyone else, and a great aircraft in the Centurion to run it in. I suspect that he’s just getting her dialed in, too, planning-and-performance-wise. That +7’s going to be coming down, methinks. How far is anyone’s guess, and six other teams’ fear. “Four weeks in. It seems like yesterday that Tom PenDragon floated the idea of me coming down and providing radio coverage of the Great Australian Air Gaggle. Seems like a lifetime ago, at the same time. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed covering this race for you so far, and I believe the race is just getting started. We have 18 days to go. This is going to be fun! “And with that, I’ll bring today’s Update to a close. I’m Elias Pacheco, for Claus Ullrich and the Radio Chachapoya team, signing off with a reminder: If the excitement of this air race overwhelms you today, there’s another little sporting event being played today. While it might not receive the hype or have the audience of the Great Australian Air Gaggle, it still might be worth watching, if you can catch it – there are a handful of broadcasters covering it, I hear. Support it, and this, ‘Football,’ thing might eventually grow to be something, notwithstanding the fact that Roger Goodell and the United States Supreme Court, circa 2018, should’ve watched, ‘The Last Boy Scout,’ again before deciding to allow organized gambling to invade the sport. So, have a great flying day if you’re going up today, and enjoy the game whether you fly or not, in the company of your favorite people, your favorite snacks, and your favorite, ‘adult diversion’ – some people prefer this in its liquid form; I’m going to be kicking back with a super bowl. Have fun, folks! “Breaking news, and good news it is! Just as I was shutting down the broadcast equipment, I got a note from Bosss that the Sealand’s control issues have been sorted and Austral Rose will be back on the course Shortly.”

The leg between Sydney and Coff's Harbour is only counted when running the Combined Route (same aircraft from Jandakot to Cairns). The Eastern Route starts in Coff's, so I scored from Ballina to Cairns (there is no slot for Coff's in the Eastern Route Leaderboard). I entered the whole numbers shown, but I think they may be rounded up from decimal place or two, which would explain the difference between the individual leg score total (26) and the calculated total (27.3). The way I've calculated times is; early - ; late +. If you calculated your times differently during the '76, no problem, as long as you were consistent.

The Daily Update (Cue “She Sells Sanctuary”) CU: “Hi, everybody! I’m Claus Ullrich, for Elias Pacheco and the rest of the Radio Chachapoya team, and it’s time for our Daily Update for February 10th, 2024. Let’s go right to the Leaderboard; there’s a lot to discuss: “First – and in first – is Melo965’s perfect run to Melbourne. The Leaderboard for the 1976 Australian Air Rally is unchanged from yesterday. “However, we also have our first racer to not just run, but complete, the Eastern Route. PhrogPhlyer – coincidentally, Eli’s first flight instructor – has shown up, and he's brought a Vampire. Due to the change of aircraft from the Bell 206, his run to Coff’s Harbour is considered a Free Flight for the purposes of timing and scoring, and thus will not be entered in the Combined timing sheet. “His run from Coff’s to Cairns opens the Eastern Route’s timing sheet – and what an opening, people! Were it a traditionally-timed route, his sub-two-hour run would be very hard to beat. Using the Cumulative Variance method, here’s his score sheet: A minute early to Ballina. Another -1 to Coolangatta. 2 minutes early to Brisbaine. His only bad run was the long one to Rockhampton; he had a -8 for that one. Then, 3 minutes early to Mackay, another 3 minutes early to Townsville, and finishing up with a -2 into Cairns, for a total of -20. For those thinking of timing an Eastern Route run, that’s the number to beat. “As for out Free Fliers, taoftedal reports that the Gaggle is piquing the curiosity of the people who hang around airports in Australia – at least in Melbourne. We’re getting noticed, if for nothing else than the seemingly endless supply of Piper hats that Tao has been doling out. He and his Twin Comanche made the run from YMMB to YSBK, fueled by avgas and Anzac Biscuits. He posted a really simple recipe for them in his PIREP. They seem kind of like oatmeal cookies. As soon as we overnight in a place with mixing bowls, a rolling pin, and a baking sheet, I’m going to try making some. “Yesterday, I reported that we were turning the end of the Eastern Route into a circumnavigation of Australia. I spoke a little too soon – shortly after our last broadcast, we ran into thunderstorms that were so severe that we ran back to Cairns for the night. We were discussing where to head next – Eli wanted to fly right back to Sydney so that he could try to best PhrogPhlyer’s times in a jet, and I was thinking of trying a timed run at the Eastern in the Saratoga. “Then jgf wrote that yesterday’s mention of a whole lap of Australia had committed him to completing his, which meant that we were heading to Jandakot via Darwin. That was where jgf ended up yesterday, making his run from Borroloola to YPDN in 2:18. We’re trying to catch up with him today, before he heads out to Derby. Right now, we’re on the jig north to Gove from YBRL, cruising at 22,000’ with a True Airspeed of 218 knots, which is pretty close to our groundspeed. The skies had been clear until we passed Borroloola, but the cumulonimbus are building as I speak. “So let me bring this Daily Update to a close before the weather turns too nasty. I’m Claus Ullrich, for Eli who’s flying and the rest of the Radio Chachapoya team, signing off. Fly safely, everyone!”

The Daily Update (Cue “She Sells Sanctuary”) CU: “Hi, everybody! I’m Claus Ullrich, for Elias Pacheco and the rest of the Radio Chachapoya team, and it’s time for our Daily Update for February 9th, 2024. The race is heating up, so let’s go right to the Leaderboard: “Melo965 had a superb run to Warrnambool, setting a +1 to bring him back to a perfect CV after 10 legs completed. He’s still hanging onto the lead. “ViperPilot2 also did just what he needed to, his +1 into Renmark now giving him a perfect CV. He’s in second place, 2 legs behind the leader. “ScottishMike and defaid both have CV’s of -2, with Mike in third after 12 legs and defaid in fourth after 11, nipping at his heels like She Who Must Be Played With. “The Bosss – now with a friend to keep him company – the PhrogPhlyers, and JSMR round out the field in fifth, sixth, and seventh, respectively, their positions and times not having changed since the last Update. “While Melo and VP2 battled it out for the lead, this past day has been one for Free Flying. dj is not going to be able to participate in the rest of the Rally, so instead of completing a couple more legs, she and defaid decided to take their Arrow on a tour of the Snowy Mountains, ending up once again in Melbourne. “ScottishMike flew back to Melbourne for an invitation to test-fly a just-restored Short Solent. He and his university friends took it up around Mount Kosciuszko, then over to Merimbula. “By the way, Chachapoya Chronicle has a wonderful article on the Snowy Mountains in their latest edition. It’s worth catching whether you’re planning a flight to the area or simply want to understand the PIREPs a little better. “jgf, meanwhile, decided Cairns was not enough, so he’s heading back to Jandakot by way of Darwin, to complete a full lap of Australia. The idea sounded just crazy enough to get us to do the same. Yesterday, we went from Sydney to Mackay and today, after a fuel stop in Cairns to complete the Eastern route, we’re heading west at 16,500’ and 210 knots over ground. “And with that, let me conclude our Daily Update. I’m Claus Ullrich, for Eli, who’s flying today, and the rest of the Radio Chachapoya crew on the ground, signing off. Don’t spend too much time in the left seat, everybody – you don’t want to get Bung Fritz. Bye, bye ‘til tomorrow.”

The Daily Update (Cue “She Sells Sanctuary”) EP: ”Hello and welcome to the Update for the 8th of February, 2024. I’m Elias Pacheco, for Claus Ullrich and the Radio Chachapoya team, still at Sydney Bankstown. Here’s the Leaderboard: “Melo965 completed a couple of more legs. He was perfect once again into Renmark, then decided to give everyone else a chance and had a -1 into Naracoorte. This is his CV, which still has him in first place. “ScottishMike flew an outstanding run to Mangalore, taking 8 minutes out of his -10 CV to move up into second place, after 12 legs. “defaid, with his -2 at Moorabbin, drops into third place. “ViperPilot2 made the run to Port Augusta, scoring a -1. His CV is -3, which places him in fourth place. “Bossspecops is still in Warrnambool, now in fifth place with a -5 CV. “The PhrogPhlyers fall into sixth, with their +7 in Sydney. “JSMR rounds out the field in seventh, with a +10 in Adelaide. “Chachapoya Chronicle has put out a new edition; be sure to catch it wherever fine publications are sold. “And this concludes our Daily Update. I’m Elias Pacheco, for Claus Ullrich and the Radio Chachapoya team, signing off. Stay classy, Seaplanes!”

The Daily Update (Cue “She Sells Sanctuary”) EP: ”Hello and welcome to the Update for the 7th of February, 2024. I’m Elias Pacheco, for Claus Ullrich and the Radio Chachapoya team, at Sydney Bankstown. There is much to report, so let’s get straight to the Leaderboard: “Melo965 is still in the lead after another perfect run, to Parafield. He did try to make us think that it was a little challenging to him by his landing. A word: The kangaroo on the roundel is not landing instructions. But I do understand ending up just off the runway like that. I’ve done so myself many times. A long cross-country, a brand-new Thermos full of coffee, and you can’t get out of the cockpit fast enough. “defaid is enjoying Melbourne, in second place with a -2. “ViperPilot2 retains third, also with a -2, in Ceduna. “Bossspecops is in fourth, with a -5 after 10 legs. “PhrogPhlyers: phinished, phifth. “After MAD1’s switch to Free Flying, ScottishMike’s now in sixth, in Melbourne with a -10. Awww… give her a hug and a treat for me. “JSMR remains in seventh. A +1 into Port Augusta ties him with ScottishMike’s CV with a +10, although Mike’s ahead of him on the course. Congratulations is due him for a perfect run into Adelaide. “And this concludes our Daily Update. I’m Elias Pacheco for Claus Ullrich and the Radio Chachapoya team, signing off. Have a great flying day, folks!”

The Daily Update (Cue “She Sells Sanctuary”) CU: “Happy February 6th, everybody! I’m Claus Ullrich, with Elias Pacheco in the left seat, for Radio Chachapoya, here with our Daily Update. We’re cruising along at 7,500’, on our way to Sydney, where Eli says he has a surprise for me. I have a surprise for you, or at least news: One of our Free Fliers, jgf, has completed the Combined route! I knew that something was up on Sunday, when he flew from Parkes to Bathurst to Bankstown, filled up, and then ran up to Coff’s Harbour and Ballina – I thought he might drop in on MAD1. Yesterday, he ran the rest of the Eastern Route to Cairns. Congratulations, jgf!! As far as the Leaderboard goes: “Melo965 is still in the lead. Not content with that, he decided to steal some of jgf’s thunder and put down two perfect runs, to Ceduna and Port Augusta. He has a CV of 0, now after 6 legs. Is the Chipmunk the plane to beat? Stay tuned. “defaid and dj are in second, in Melbourne with a -2. “ViperPilot2 is in third, also with a -2, in Ceduna. “Bossspecops is in fourth, with a -5 in Warrnambool. “Captain Dirk Doovalacky is in fifth, having finished the 1976 Route with a +7. “MAD1 is in sixth, with a -8 in Katanning. I agree: Katanning is really a lovely little hamlet, but would he really want to retire there? “JSMR is in seventh, in Ceduna with a +9. “ScottishMike rounds out the field in eighth, with a -10 in Melbourne. “And this concludes the Daily Update for today. This is Claus Ullrich, for Elias Pacheco and the rest of the Radio Chachapoya family, signing off. Safe flying, everybody!”

Nah, it's an obsession for me. Has been for 40 years. Gonna have to bury me with my hand still around the joystick...

Might I suggest the following: Switch to Free Flying - take the pressure off. Finish when you finish. Take some good screenies; write some great stories. Fly home to Lismore from Katanning. Follow the route if you wish, or plan your own. Focus on the following: You've stepped up from a Cessna 172 to a 182RG - from a simple trainer to a complex, medium-high performance single. This is a big step for RW pilots. Learn how to manage power, remember to raise/lower the gear, etc. Get familiar with SkyVector and flight planning. Your 8 minutes off on the run to YKNG was a really great start. Work on it and you'll be setting 0's consistently by the time you reach Ballina. Do that and by the time the next rally rolls around, I'm going to regret ever suggesting this to you.

If you're going to be free-flying the Eastern Route, feel free to light up the skies with whatever you've got in the hangar. If you wish to time the Eastern Route, you can also switch aircraft, free-fly to YCFS, and run the Eastern Route as a separate Challenge. If you want to set a time for the Combined Route, however, it all has to be done in the same aircraft. This raises a broader question: Time-wise, we're halfway through the Rally. How many of you are planning to do the Combined or time the Eastern Route? Thanks!

The Daily Update (Cue “She Sells Sanctuary”) EP: “Hello and welcome to the Update for the 5th of February, 2024. I’m Elias Pacheco for Radio Chachapoya, once again in the right seat as Claus Ullrich pilots us toward Melbourne. We’ve just left Warrnambool, and it’s a nice day for flying. Claudine has Sara cruising along at 3,500’. We completed the run from Adelaide to YWBL with better than half tanks yesterday, so that’s what we’re on today. The fuel computer says that, running lean-of-peak as we have been ever since Claus showed me how, we could finish the ‘76 route with a comfortable margin. There’s nothing like flying with someone who has her Doctorate in Aeronautical Engineering, is there? “So, to start our fourth week of racing – we’re at the halfway point, folks! - let’s run down our Leaderboard, because there has been movement: “Melo965 is still leading with a 0 CV, at Forrest, waiting for just the right day to fly the longest leg of the course, to Ceduna. “defaid and dj made the four-leg run from Adelaide to Melbourne, arriving a minute early for each. Their -4 for the entire run had the effect of flipping their previous +2 to a -2. They remain in second place, with 11 legs now completed. Superb running, you two!. “ViperPilot2 is still holding onto third place, with a -2 after 5 legs. “We had a lovely dinner with the Bosss yesterday evening. The Sealand’s repairs are not difficult, except for finding parts for the aging aircraft. He hopes to be back in the air next week. He is now in fourth, with a -5 after 10 legs. “The PhrogPhlyers have now moved up to fifth place with their +7. “MAD1 is now in sixth, with his -8 in Katanning. “JSMR is now in seventh, with a +9 after 5 legs. “ScottishMike now rounds out the field in eighth. He has a new passenger on board, Dr. Craig Allardice, who is helping him figure out the mystery of the cairns. They made the run from Adelaide to Melbourne. A 10-minute early arrival at Renmark proved insurmountable. They were 1 minute early coming into Naracoorte, had a perfect arrival at Warrnambool, and made up 5 minutes on their last leg, to Moorabbin. They now have a -10 CV after 11 legs. “And we’re now in Melbourne, so I’ll bring this Daily Update to a close. I’m Elias Pacheco, for Claus Ullrich and the Radio Chachapoya crew, signing off. Have a great flying day, folks!”

My work computer's new wallpaper:

The Daily Update (Cue “She Sells Sanctuary”) CU: “Hello everybody! I’m Claus Ullrich, for Elias Pacheco and the rest of the Radio Chachapoya family. It’s time for our Daily Update for February 4th, 2024. We’ll start with the Leaderboard: “Melo965 leads the field with a perfect CV, at Forrest. “defaid is in second place in Parafield, with a +2. dj is back, and he’s planning a run to Melbourne next. “ViperPilot2 is in third, in Ceduna with a -2. “ScottishMike’s now in fourth with a -4 in Adelaide. “Bossspecops is now in fifth, in Warrnambool, with a -5. We’re flying there to keep him company and see if he needs anything. At least his sick Sealand’s near the water – that should cheer her up. “The PhrogPhlyers’ +7 in Sydney has moved them up into sixth. “MAD1 is still showing in Katanning. His -8 is good enough for seventh. “JSMR made a run to Ceduna yesterday. His +7, added to his previous CV of +2, now gives him a +9. This has dropped him into eighth place for the moment. “Adelaide was a nice, comfortable base to fly from. It was nice to spend a little time with some of the racers and free fliers as they passed through, too. We had a beautiful, big house, with enough privacy for both of us. The field is moving on, though, so we figured that it was time for us to do so as well. “Eli is the PIC today. I’ve been monopolizing Sara while we’ve been here, so I figured it was time to let him have a turn.” EP: “It wasn’t all bad. While you were up gallivanting around solo, I rented a nice J-model Lightning…” CU: “...with some decidedly un-woke nose art…” EP: “...which is period-authentic. This isn’t a new thing, folks; we’ve been arguing about it for a week...” CU: “...in which you still haven’t explained why you couldn’t have rented a less offensive aircraft…” EP: “...which I could have, certainly, but I felt like a Lightning, ‘Miss Virginia,’ was the only J available, and I never even noticed the nose art until you brought it up…” CU: “...which calls into question your preflight practices…” EP: “…in which nowhere on the checklist does it specify, ‘Verify that the aircraft carries no sexist imagery.’ Don’t ask me to apologize for a past I wasn’t responsible for. I’m old, but I was still born after the Second World War ended.” CU: “Oh, I know you weren’t responsible for the original nose art. But aren’t you responsible for glorifying it by flying around with it?” EP: “I just wanted to fly a plane. It wasn’t a political statement. The problem with, ‘woke,’ is that it doesn’t give people time to wake up. I didn’t notice the nose art when I rented the plane for a week. I’m sure I saw it, but it never registered as offensive. She’s wearing what would be a rather conservative bathing suit – she’s not naked. “But since it’s offensive to you, I’ll be more careful in the future. I’ll walk the mile in your shoes. Walk a few steps in mine. I still remember being 28, although I’ve never been a Black woman. You’ve never been 70. I’m third-generation American; you’re second-generation – we’ve got that in common. But, you learned about the Moon landing in school; I watched it live on TV. You love Nina Simone. I saw her live. What you hear in covers and samples was the music I grew up with. Most of the military actions you’ve seen on the news are small, local conflicts. I learned to duck-and-cover as a kid, as if hiding under a wooden school desk could do anything in the event of an all-out nuclear war. You read about the Cold War; I lived it until the Berlin Wall came down. President Kennedy getting shot is ancient history to you. I remember classes suddenly being dismissed, going to a school assembly where the principal told us that the President of my country had been killed, and then going home to watch Walter Cronkite try to explain the unexplainable to us. You admire Dr. Martin Luther King. When I was nine, my parents loaded up the car and took us to Washington, D.C. for the March. I saw, ‘I Have a Dream,’ real time. I saw Nixon resign, and screamed when Ford pardoned him. “You like, ‘Saturday Night Live?’ You never saw it with the original cast. You’re the Internet Generation. You watched it grow into what it is today, but you still remember when it was primitive and used telephone modems. I’m the Television Generation. In New York – the largest media market in the world – we only had 7 channels, out of a possible 11. The signals were broadcast through the air, like radio, and we had antennas to pick them up. I was a teenager before our TV had more than two colors – Black and White. There was no such thing as a remote.” CU: “But there is such thing as a top-of-descent. We missed it. We’re right on top of the airport. That town ahead is Warrnambool.” EP: “Oh, shioot. We’re still broadcasting, aren’t we? All that went out over the air? Well, let me shut up and land the plane. This is Elias Pacheco…” CU: “...and Claus Ullrich, for Radio Chachapoya…” EP: “...although the views expressed here were entirely our own, not those of the station…” CU: “...signing off. Bye, bye.” EP: “Have a great flying day, folks!”

Responding to MAD1's questions from yesterday: Re: ATC, I fly GA and Warbirds, rarely anything larger than a Citation X or a Howard 500. ATC in FS9 seems to use a form of AI that I call, "Absolute Idiocy." At least I'm not the only guy in my simworld who doesn't know what he's doing. I used to use the ATIS to check the winds and the FS active, but I found that, as my simworld became built-up, it would cause CTD's (always on arrival). Now, I tune the tower frequency, listen for the active, and try not to cut anyone off in the pattern. Re: Joint flying, it's a lot of fun, but you've got to be careful of ashes in the keyboard and burning holes in the screen - I prefer a bong. Re: Flying with other people online, I've never really been interested in it. Most of the time I've had FS9, I haven't had an internet connection to support it anyway. But then, I don't do social media, either. I once tried signing up for an antisocial media platform (that Facebook-Twitter mashup, "TwitFace"), but they wouldn't have me.

The Daily Update (Cue “She Sells Sanctuary”) EP: “Hello and welcome to the Daily Update for the 3rd of February, 2024. I’m Elias Pacheco, for Claus Ullrich and the Radio Chachapoya team. After yesterday’s excitement, it’s been a quiet day on the course for our eight racers. The Leaderboard looks exactly the same as it did yesterday: “So, I will not be doing a rundown of the positions today. Instead, today’s Update will focus on our Free Fliers. “Let’s start with taoftedal and his Twin Comanche. He’s spent the past week in a bed-and-breakfast in Adelaide. He hasn’t posted any pictures of his bed, which is probably for the best, but he has posted pictures of his breakfasts. Now we know why you haven’t been flying, mate. Claus and I have been renting a house off of the airport in Adelaide and have been sharing cooking duties, which explains the 32 hours we put on the Hobbs this week. Tao headed off to Melbourne yesterday and had a relaxing run, which was probably also for the best as another few days of eating like he has been would put his Twinkie over maximum take-off weight with full tanks. I’ll take those Tim Tams! “In what is the best news of the day, Molly is feeling well enough that Rupert could log some flight hours in his Baron. He took a run to Parkes, during which fuel efficiency was hampered by a late gear retraction. While mechanics check his aircraft for damage from excessive speed with the landing gear lowered, he is perfecting his avocado toast-making skills. “jgf has spent a while now getting to know Renmark, but that ended yesterday with a beautiful run to Parkes, made all the more impressive by the fact that he made it with the fuel that was still in his Staggerwing’s tanks from his fill-up in Adelaide, and with stop-and-go’s at each of the airports between YREN and YPKS. The man certainly knows how to milk the miles out of his aircraft! “In other news, ScottishMike is inquiring regarding the arrangement of cairns that his passenger was found dead by. Chapapoya Chronicle’s travelogue of the 1976 race destinations has reached Sydney. Melo965 has found a delicious cafe in Forrest – the Spruce Goose – and is hard at work testing the Chipmunk’s carrying capacity. And Bosss’ stay in Warnambool looks like it will last at least a week. “One final word: PhrogPhlyer is trying to put together a composite shot of all aircraft that are participating in the 1976 Australian Air Rally. Please take a shot of your plane following his instructions at your earliest convenience and post it to the FBO. “This brings us to the end of today’s Update. I’m Elias Pacheco, for Claus Ullrich and the Radio Chachapoya team, signing off. We’re nearly halfway done with the Gaggle, and can see the light at the end of the tunnel. It’s probably the Bosss in the left seat of an oncoming Advanced Passenger Train – Experimental. Have a great flying day, everyone!”

The Daily Update (Cue “She Sells Sanctuary”) EP: “Hello and welcome to the Daily Update for the 2nd of February, 2024. I’m Elias Pacheco, for Claus Ullrich and the Radio Chachapoya team, with big news: We have our first finisher! Captain Dirk Doovalacky and the PhrogPhlyers, in a marathon that included nearly six hours on the sticks and, if that wasn’t enough, tours of every aviation museum along the way, have made it to Sydney Bankstown. “Even more impressive than the mere posterior resistance required in a hard-seated helicopter for that length of time is what he did with the nine remaining legs. If you recall, Double D had been sitting in Renmark with a Cumulative Variance of +44 minutes. A helpful tailwind let him take 8 minutes out of that by Naracoorte. He was able to reduce this another 5 minutes in his run to Warnambool. Melbourne saw him make up another 3 minutes, his deficit dropping below 30 minutes for the first time. “500 miles to go. A half-hour still to make up. And not a leg over a hundred miles long to do it in, save for Parkes. Double D faced a daunting challenge. Even the geography was discouraging, as he had to overfly Mount Disappointment on his way to Mangalore. But, he took another 2 minutes out of his CV. He pushed it the 70 miles to Tocumwal, gaining another 5 minutes. The run to Narrandera saw him eat into his time by 4 minutes more, dropping his CV below 20. “He repeated this on the long run to Parkes. 4 minutes gone. 13 to go. Another 4 minutes to Bathurst. 9 minutes. And then finally the hop to Sydney. Fatigue and air traffic control conspired to keep him pretty much to his plan, only managing to eke out another 2 minutes to finish the 1976 Australian Air Rally with a +7 CV. “It was a truly Herculean effort, flown as an officer and a gentleman – no creative flight planning, no fudging of the numbers, taking his lumps from inclement weather when he had the option to go back and re-run a disastrous leg, then fighting back to come within 7 minutes of a perfect score. My hat’s off to you, Captain Dirk Doovalacky! I haven’t seen a recovery run of that caliber since Maxime Martin’s at the Nurburgring 24H, a decade or so ago. And those last nine legs – the team should change its mascot from a frog to a well-endowed spider. Great stuff! “So now let’s run down today’s Leaderboard, because there is even more action to report: “Melo965 proved that you don’t have to be an Aussie Army chopper jockey to have a good run – his +2 to Forrest has left him with a perfect score and in first place. “defaid remains at Adelaide, in second with a +2. “ViperPilot2 is two legs behind them in third, at Ceduna, with a -2. “JSMR’s in Forrest, presumably planting a forest. He has a +2, currently in fourth. “ScottishMike is in Adelaide, in fifth with a -4. “Bossspecops is in sixth, in Warnambool with a -5. Unfortunately, he might be there for a while because he has discovered critical issues both with his Sealand’s flight control and its communications systems. Let’s hope that he can get these resolved in short order. “The PhrogPhlyers’ +7 in Sydney moves them up into seventh position, with a completion date of the 1st of February. I certainly hope their pilot can stick around for the rest of the month; I’ve finally learned how to spell, ‘Doovalacky,’ without having to look it up. “This moves MAD1 into eighth, with his -8 at Katanning. “And this concludes today’s Update. I’m Elias Pacheco, for Claus Ullrich and Radio Chachapoya, signing off. 7’s the number to beat, everybody. Have a great flying day!”

The Daily Update (Cue “She Sells Sanctuary”) EP: “Hello and Happy February! I’m Elias Pacheco, for Claus Ullrich and the rest of the Radio Chachapoya team, here with the Daily Update. We’ve got a lot to get to today, so let’s go right to the Leaderboard: “JSMR’s -1 CV at Caiguna is still good enough to put him – for the moment, JSMR; you have fourteen legs left to go – at the front of the field. “defaid remains in second, with a +2 at Adelaide. “ViperPilot2’s in third, in Ceduna with a -2. “Melo965 had an excellent run to Caiguna, shaving 2 minutes off of his previous -4 to move up into fourth place. “That drops ScottishMike into fifth, at Adelaide with a -4. “Bossspecops is in sixth, with a -5 after 10 legs. “MAD1 is in seventh, with a -8 after 1 leg. “And the PhrogPhlyers round out the field in eighth, with a +44 after 8 legs. “And now, we’re here on the tarmac of Parafield with ScottishMike and one of my favorite aircraft, his Mooney M20J. How are you doing today, Mike?” SM: “Very well thank you, now that I've left Ceduna. Elias isn't it? Eli just grab that rag, give me a hand with the back windows. We can talk as we scrub.” EP: “Sure thing! Now, I just love the Mooney M20 series - like a sports car with wings. What made you choose this particular plane for the Gaggle?” SM: “The big windows are easier to clean than lots of small ones. Sorry, just joking! As you know I competed in both the Bendix re-creation - and won that one in a Griffon powered Spitfire, well me and the team - and the Route 66 challenge, where I was not so successful, for that I had chosen a Beagle Airedale, a delightful aircraft but underpowered, especially for a time trial, Suzanne and I were at max cruising speed just about all the time. If for any reason we were behind projected time there was no chance of speeding up: 100 Kts max cruise and absolute max busting the engine speed of 107 kts. For this trial I wanted an aircraft with plenty of power in reserve. In the M20 I can happily cruise at 140 kts, and if needs be increase that to 175 Kts. In other words it gives me the ability to correct for my poor flight planning. As a bonus this Carenado model is delightfully balanced, poise and speed combined. Like a fighter, if coming in too low, a touch of power lifts you back onto the glideslope. Originally I had decided on the Porsche power plant but it turns out it is no longer supported by Mooney, so went for the Lycoming and no complaints.” EP: “Now, we have to talk a little about your passengers – Giorgio Bianchi and the late David Segfield. How did you meet them? When did you first begin to sense that something was off about them? Did you ever feel in danger from them? Claudine Ullrich and I flew back to Forrest yesterday morning and spent the day going back and forth to Ceduna to try to see what was described in the police report, without any luck. Do you have any idea what they were really looking for when they said that they were searching for native Australian landmarks from songs? How satisfied are you with the official finding that Mr. Segfield’s death was accidental?” SM: “I have no doubt they were looking for something and no doubt they thought they found it around Cape Adieu. I had a look at one of the Police scene of crime photos and it shows a large hole they were digging in the centre of a triangle delineated by four cairns. The cairns would have been visible from the air. Three cairns forming the base of the triangle and the fourth and largest cairn at the apex. I hope to have a chat with an expert, a friend of a friend, lecturer in Indigenous and Australian studies at Flinders Uni here in Adelaide. Apparently The Prof., David Segfield, was an academic with what appeared a bright future. I've heard rumours that there was some sort of incident with the Dean's daughter. Segfield was studying for his doctorate but left the university and the academic world abruptly. “He certainly sounded very knowledgeable when I first met him in Sydney at the AOPA event. As for Wombat Willie I first met him in Perth at the start of our timing adventure. Never liked him from the start, aggressive and threatening, not what you would expect from a Professor's assistant. In retrospect I wonder if he had some sort of hold on Segfield. “As for the post mortem, although officially it was recorded as accidental death the Constable that drove me from the station to Ceduna airfield said it could be interpreted otherwise. The forensic team found a rock behind Segfield's head with skull fragments and brain matter on it. They assumed Segfield fell backwards hitting his head on the rock. The Constable - who should not have been telling me this - said what if the Prof had been pushed? Or hit with the rock?” EP: “The two were supposed to be covering the expenses for the Rally, as I understand it. Did they actually do so? How is their absence going to affect your continuing participation in the Rally?” SM: I think I'll have to whistle for any contribution. It's not a problem financially, the Mooney is leased to Golden Aviation Supplies one of my Golden group of companies, we will cover any costs, probably put it down to marketing costs, we are always looking for reputable companies to partner with Down Under.” EP: “So, what are your plans for the rest of the race? You’re in fourth right now with a -4, which with ten legs still to go seems easy to make up. When are you planning on finishing?” SM: “As I said I have a few meetings with old friends here in Adelaide, and an old school pal who has ended up as Senior Lecturer in Aerospace and Aircraft Maintenance at The University of New South Wales. We used to build balsa gliders together back when. He took an academic route and I went into business, but I guess that's another story for another day. “I fully intend to finish the timed section, then enjoy the free run up to Cairns. It would be nice to share the journey with a companion or two, I hope no one is afraid to fly with me now. (joke) “I am not too worried about the times, after all it's not a matter of life or death, is it?” (laughs) EP: “Well, thank you very much, ScottishMike. And this concludes today’s Update. I’m Elias Pacheco, for Claus Ullrich and Radio Chachapoya, signing off. Have a wonderful, safe, and successful February, folks! Bye, bye.”

The Daily Update (Cue “She Sells Sanctuary”) CU: “Hello and welcome to the Daily Update for the 31st of January, 2024. I’m Claus Ullrich, for Eli Pacheco and the rest of the Radio Chachapoya crew. Let’s kick this off: “JSMR’s excellent run to Caiguna has put him in the lead, with a CV of -1. I have to say, I just love that Cessna Centurion. And he’s been planting grass along the way – the ground cover kind, not the fun kind, but it’s still prettying up the airports and keeping the dust down. Let’s hope it survives until the rains start again. “Yesterday, it seemed like everybody had a 2. That’s been broken up. defaid, dj, and their cute T-tailed Arrow are the first of our remaining 2’s. He remains in Adelaide Parafield, in second place. “ViperPilot2 and The Lady have a -2, in Ceduna, for third place. “ScottishMike left Caiguna as soon as he could, and flew out of there as quickly as he could – so quickly, in fact, that he arrived in Port Augusta 19 minutes ahead of plan. He deftly made up most of this as he continued on to Adelaide, finishing his run 13 minutes late for an aggregate for the run of -6 and a CV at Parafield of -4. He’s in fourth. “Melo965, and somebody named Charlie who Melo helped out, made the long run to Norseman in his Chipmunk. His -3 puts his CV at -4, dropping him into fifth place. “Bosss is still ahead on the course, at Warnambool, in his Sealand. He’s in sixth place, with a -5 CV. “MAD1 and his 182RG are enjoying the wonders of Katanning, in seventh with a -8 CV. “And the PhrogPhlyers’ Bell 206, with Capt. Dirk Doovalacky in the rather firm right seat, rounds out the field in eighth, in Renmark with 44 minutes to make up. “Eli, are you there? Oh… That’s okay… Sorry, listeners – live radio. I’m going to wrap up today’s Update here. This is Claus Ullrich, for Elias Pacheco and Radio Chachapoya, signing off. Good flying, everybody!”