Home......hopefully!

The forecast on Wednesday night said patchy cloud with a clearing shower or two in the morning.  I was hoping this was one time they would get the forecast right as I had an important appointment to get to on Thursday afternoon.

As I stuck my head out of the motel room door it just didn't look promising! (My heart samk!!) I thought the weather Gods might helpout just this once, so Lida and I headed down to the airfield, get the aircraft ready for a quick depeature when a break in the weather came, if at all.

Well the Gods this time must of been listening, just as we were driving to the airfield small patches of blue started appearing  Its funny how a small patch of blue can make you feel so much better!!

The cloud base was lifting a little but it was hard to see if we could still get through without  running into a hill or two.  I was freezing by this time, and just wanted to get going, atleast get the heater on even if we had to land again and wait.

As we lifted off and banked to the left towards the direction of Geelong it was such a beautiful sight to see a clear parth ahead with the sun breaking through in spots.  Must of been the weather Gods shining their light, or just the sun!  Either way I was glad to  be heading home with blue shy in the distance.

The last six days were a great adventure with really great people and some very memorable moments.  Things don't always go to plan, but everyone got home safely which is the most important thing.

I'm planning my next adventure to the Kimberley next year.  Any takers?

Over & Out

Day 4 & 5, French Oasis in the middle of know where!

It was great to lose the strong winds that we had experienced the previous days . Leaving  Hawker with the sunny blue sky and calm air was really enjoyable and relaxing, the plane practically flew it self. Without all the up and down flying Louise maneged to hold her breakfast down.  Wentworth was our next refueling stop and to have lunch.  Unfortunately Pauly had to get back to Melbourne, so both Louise and Pauly departed for Bacchus Marsh leaving Lida and myself to go to our final overnight stop at Mungo Lodge, Mungo National Park in New South Wales.

Mungo Lodge below with Lake Mungo in the background.  It hasn't had water for thousands of years.

It was such a surprise to find 5 star accommodation in the middle of know where.  It is a French oasis!  Jacque  the manager is French with his wife who is the chef and makes one of the best French Creme' Breulei's I've ever tasted. 

The best experience was just meeting the other guests that were so friendly, in the dinning room we chatted across tables talking about each others travelling experiences. A great couple I met was Ray and his wife Pam.  As soon as we had landed Ray came down to offer assistance with tying the plane down and help carting our bags to our room.  Ray is also recreational pilot who flies a Savanah aircraft and we talk for hours about flying and our next adventures.

It would of been great to spent another night so we could see more of the fascinating Mungo area.  We headed off this morning with clear blue skies but not far past Swan Hill the cloud started appearing, an ominous sign of what was to come.  The cloud got thicker and the distance between the ground and the cloud  got narrower by the mile.  As we were approaching Marybourough the showers began to appear and it was matter of zigzagging around them to get some clear air.  Approaching Ballarat the cloud was down very low limiting our options.  As I could not see a clear path ahead I decided to land at Ballarat and wait for the showers to pass.  It was very good decision as the weather didn't abate and looking at the weather radar at the Ballarat Aero Club it confirmed my decision.

Showers towards Ballarat

Graeme the Chief Flying Instructor was very kind and hospitable to help us to arrange accommodation to stay overnight and drove us to our motel.

Hopefully the weather will clear tomorrow and allow us to complete the final leg.

Over & Out

Day 3: Desert, Salt Lake, Desert, More Salt Lakes, Desert, Mountains



Birdsville Hotel Car slogan "We may be rough, but at least we're expensive". So is the AvGas!

Woke up in Birdsville after finally getting a decent night's sleep.  I had felt shattered from only three hours sleep the night before.

There was a glorious blue sky and again, strong gusty winds.  Brian and Linda left our party to head up to Bundeberg, Queensland.  While our much reduced crew flew out over the arid Simpson Desert towards Lake Eyre in South Australia.  The lake was rumoured to be full of water and brimming with birds.  While it was great to cruise over Australia's lowest point and largest lake, the rumours may have been exaggerated...  There was a bit of water in North Lake Eyre and we did scare a few ducks.

Mouth of the Warburton River at Lake Eyre

Pink algae blooms in the Lake Eyre salt crust

After three hours straight flying and a last minute vomit from Louise (from now on we're not wasting money on bacon and egg breakfasts for her), we landed in Marree to refuel and restock our stomachs.  There was a little bit of confusion on which direction the runway was and Pauly and I flew in at opposite ends.  I ran into the refueler I met earlier this year on the Central Australia flight.  It was nice to have a chat with a familiar face.  Dodgy weather was heading for us so we decided to leave stright away and head for sunny Hawker.

Me and Tommy the refueler at Marree

It was great to leave the cloud and strong winds behind.  Although Pauly and I had radio chat for quite a while trying to work out where each other was flying.  After constantly scanning the horizon we realised that he was flying about 1000 feet directly below me.

The scenery changed dramatically from desert to the spectacular Flinders Ranges.  Approaching Wilpena Pound was an awesome sight, standing up like a monolith against all the other mountains.  You really get an appreciation of the two mountain ranges that join to form a natural amphitheatre seeing them from the air.

Flying over the Flinders Ranges, Wilpena Pound

Inside the amphitheatre of the Pound

18 nautical miles from the pound to Hawker, we set up the plane on its glide slope and aimed for the airfield.  I always love flying into these remote towns, some of which have the best airstrips - long and bitumen like Hawker.

Tomorrow we head to Mungo National Park to stay at the Mungo Eco Lodge, which has been recommended by some flying friends.

Over and Out

Some days you should stay in bed...

Sometimes you get up in the morning and you realise it might not be your day...

After a bacon and egg breakfast we were all looking forward to see the some of the highlights of the trip...  Broken Hill had a cold morning and we couldn't wait to get up to 35 degrees in Birdsville.

The south-easterly winds were 15-20 knots and very gusty so we knew it was going to be a challenging day ahead to land on some of the remote airstrips we had planned to.  All of them were going to have a pretty stiff crosswind (the wind blowing at an angle across the air strip making it harder to land).

We had a great 20 knot tailwind pushing us up to Tibooburra, our first refueling stop.  There is no other fuel between here and Birdsville.  We booked the fuel a month in advance to ensure we had our ration.  Refueling was a cool setup with a guy coming out to the airstrip in his four-wheel drive with a tank on a trailer full of Avgas.  Couldn't wait to get going to our next stop at Camerons Corner, but had a "debate" about which runway to fly out on as the wind was swinging around a bit.

Phone box at Tibooburra Airstrip

Remote refueling at Tibooburra

On route to Camerons Corner we got up to about 6,500 feet to avoid the thermals.  Louise opted to take a fly over of nearby lake and felt a bit green, but no vomiting...yet (still 3 days to go).  Coming into Camerons Corner, where the three states of Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia meet, proved to be the challenge of the tip so far.

Pauly and Louise landed but got bogged at the end of the runway in soft sand.  Greg and Kate came in for the rescue and helped push the plane out.  Brian and Linda had a couple of goes and aborted, opting to continue on straight to the Dig Tree.  Myself and Lida gave it a crack, but aborted because it didn't feel right with gusty crosswind and a tall tree at the start of the strip making it hard to get low without overrunning the airstrip.  I headed to the Dig Tree with Brian and Linda.

Meanwhile, Pauly's plane was dislodged from the sand and the two planes decided to make tracks and head straight to the Dig Tree as well.  Unfortunately, on take off, Greg's plane took a nose dive off the side of the 

runway.  The propellor, wheels and wing were damaged beyond immediate repair.  The locals gave a helping hand and towed the plane to the hotel/pub.  Pauly and Louise took off okay and reported in at the Dig Tree.  We later heard that Greg and Kate hitched a ride to Tibooburra, but the car were in got a flat tyre.  It just wasn't their day!

Oops! Nose-dive damage to Greg's plane

Not many people can say their plane crashed in all three states at once!

I've wanted to see the Dig Tree for many years.  I finally got there.  It is the place where the explorers, Burke and Wills came back to find their support team had left earlier that day after months of walking up towards Cape York.  Their team had left supplies buried at the foot of a tree and carved a message into the tree.  The tree itself is a bit less spectacular than what I thought, but you realise how amazing it was for them to traverse the barren landscape that it was and that we flew over so quickly.

Me at the Burke and Wills' Dig Tree

I guess everyone felt a bit flat after we received the news that Greg's plane has crashed.  But we were all thankful no-one was injured.  The radio chat to Birdsville was very quiet.  Louise also had her usual afternoon siesta.

Flying over Lake Eyre tomorrow should be spectacular.  Hoping to see a few more birds than last time.

Over and Out

Birdsville and Back...

Another test flight is underway for On a Wing & a Chair. This time is to see whether Louise (coordinator for the round Australia flight) can hold her lunch down. Miraculously, with some good meds and being pilot in command for a while, she averted distributing her stomach contents within the aircraft.

We're doing this trip to refine the team and work out some of the logistics and possible glitches associated with the future round Australia flight. Today is day one.

The weather was looking very dodgy at Tooridan, our take off location. Myself and Lida (a friend helping out in a 'carer' capacity) were to meet three other aircraft at Maryborough to accompany me on the flight. Luckily the weather cleared enough to fly and we finally met on route to Maryborough, and in person at Swan Hill.

Crop circles at Swan Hill - can't believe the aliens are still at it.

A very bumpy landing at Swan Hill

Flying between Swan Hill to our final destination for the day, Broken Hill brought back some memories as I passed over the cattle station - Tor Downs. I had engine trouble there in July last year and ended up having to stay overnight with the farm owner and their family. I will always be grateful for the hospitality they showed myself and my passenger, Brian that day. This time, circling over the airstrip and homestead to see if anyone was at home, I could barely recognise the landscape from the previous year when it was so red and barren. Today it was green and full of shrubs and greenery, barely recognisable.

We were up high at 8,500 feet avoiding the turbulence and getting the smooth air, but after circling low over Tor Downs I couldn't resist doing a bit of sight seeing and checking out a rice crop farm in the middle of nowhere. It's amazing what you see out here, miles from anywhere.

Tomorrow we're off to two spots that I couldn't make during my Central Australia flight. These being Cameron's Corner and the Burke and Wills Dig Tree. Ever since I was 17 and wanting to drive through the outback, it's been something I've always wanted to do...experience a little bit of Australian history.

Louise, Pauly, Brian, Linda, Greg, Kate and Lida at the Junction Hotel in Broken Hill

Busy, Busy, Busy......

Its been a busy few months, with a nice break to a warmer climate to thaw out for a week.  It was great!

I did a talk to Trinity Catholic Primary School in May which was a great experience with the kids, but I got a huge surprise not long ago when I received a package from a grade 6 class, 6 Jones/Finkelde, containing heaps of wonderful letters and a significant donation to the On a Wing & a Chair Round Australia Flight.  It is the support and encouragement from people like these young kids that will help make the flight a reality.

I have had the opportunity to do a number of talks over the last few months, to Telstra, Lightweight Aircraft Association and the Sport Aircraft Association of Australia Chapter 21.  I have received a lot of support from members of these organisations which is greatly appreciated.

I am planning on doing many more talks in the lead up to the flight in 2013.  By sharing my experiences and challenges I have had to face over the years, I hope to raise the awareness of what people with disabilities can do and hopefully provide some inspiration for others to have a go at their own goals and challenges in life.  If anyone would like me to speak at a club, school, corporate business, etc let me know.

I have finally got my aircraft back in the air after 3 months.  With alot of work done on the engine it is now running very nicely.  I  took my father up to Orbost for lunch two weeks ago to see how it ran, and it was great.  The perfect flying day and an engine that keeps running!

I'm planning on heading back up to Birdsville in late October to see the Bourke & Wills Dig tree and Camerons Corner, it will be nice to enjoy the flight up there this time.

Over & Out!

Lots of work done...

We have been busy the last few weeks having the Board of Directors Meeting, putting together the sponsorship proposal template and now we are finally going to potential sponsors.  Its been a long road to get this far, but we are getting there at last.

Also we now have our Donation facility on the web site up and running, so spread the word about what we are doing to anyone who might be interested!

The drama of my aircraft is still going but the end is nigh!  Geoff, the mechanic who services my plane, has pulled the engine down and has found what the problems is.  There are two stuck exhaust valves and a shattered piston ring, which looks like it was caused by overheating.  The design of the aircraft just doesn't provide enough cooling to the engine.  Its very dissapointing that a new aircraft has these problems, but I'm not the only one!

Geoff is looking at doing some minor adjustments to get better cooling.  With a bit of luck I will get the aircraft back in the air this weekend and see how she goes.  Fingers crossed.

Over & out

Things are moving along....

Its been a pretty busy couple of weeks, getting the Donations link on the web site up and putting together the sponsorship proposal with the aim of going to potential sponsors shortly. 

But a highlight this week was doing two talks to the garde 5 and 6's at Trinity Primary School.  A friend of mine, Dianna is a teacher there, and the kids have been looking at the On a Wing & a Chair web site which has increased their curiosity as to what someone with a disability can do.  It was a very rewarding experience and I was amazed by the maturity of questions they asked me!

I'm still waiting on some parts for my plane so I can resolve the vibration issue.  Hopefully it should be up and running this week so I can get back up in the air.

Over & Out

Final Leg 11 officially complete.....Swan Hill - Tooridan

It has been really frustrating trying to work out what is causing vibrations in the engine of my aircraft.  After deciding to leave my Jabiru at Swan Hill last week and getting home by train, Cliff Banks from Sun Centre Ultralights had a look at my aircraft to see what could be causing the problem.  

Jabiru advised it could be a stuck lifter so the oil was changed to a different grade to see if it would free it up.  The vibration is still there at certain revs, but no where as bad as when I was coming into Swan Hill a week ago. 

So with the aircraft being flyable my mum drove myself and Kirsten, a  carer, up on Saturday to fly it home, officially completing the On a Wing & a Chair Central Australia Flight.

We had nice and uneventful flight back.  The aircraft went fine, and there were no problems at the higher revs so I kept it at that and avoided the lower rev range.

It was pretty hazzy between Swan Hill and Geelong, from lots of fires.  It looked like there was alot of people burning off! 

Colorfull Beach Boxes at Dromana

After Geelong the air cleared to a nice  blue sky.  Flying over Port Philip Bay was really spectacular, the water in the bay was so blue from the reflection of the sky.  Its amazing how the color of the bay changes with the color of the sky.  When its cloudy the water is really grey.

Over Port Philip Bay looking west with the setting sun

Port Philip Bay

Near Martha Point Dromana

Now that I have the aircraft back at Tooridan, I will be getting the engine  pulled down to sort out this problem once and  for all, hopefully. 

Over & Out!

Leg 11 Broken Hill - Home... well almost!

I was planning on going to the Nat Fly (National Fly-in) at Temora over the Easter weekend and get back Sunday so Lida (my support crew) could get back to work, however as the engine on my aircraft wasn't being totally cooperative I decided it would be best to go straight home from Broken Hill.  Good decision!

Although it had moments of running rough, I knew the engine wouldn't stop, and the rough running was only periodic.  On the flight from Broken Hill it was really nice, smooth air, aircraft purring along, and the scenery was slowing changing with more roads and buildings coming into view.  Its funny how used I got to the empty landscapes devoide of civiliseations in such a short time.  It was a a novilty seeing more cars, crops and the expanse of towns towards the Murry River.

Wentworth on the Murry River - more civiliseation!

 Just after passing Mildura the engine started to run rough again, so I cleared it by throttling back and up again.  This seemed to cure the problem.  As I got closer to Swan Hill, it became much more consistant, so I decided that this would be the final stop.  

Overflying Swan Hill with the town in the distance

If I continued, it probably would of got me home, however I'm not willing to take the risk to my passenger or aircraft.    Its dissapointing not to make it back, but better to play it safe and fly another day.  Anyway thats flyng for you!!

V/line had a train leaving at 4pm so it worked in quite well.  We tied the aircraft down, so glad I got the cover for the aircraft from Punkin Head Airsports to keep the water out with the rain, contacted Cliff Banks of Sun Centre Ultralights and he will look at the engine on Monday, then went to the  RSL for a couple of beers.

Out of the pilots seat and now the passenger.  Damn!

Hopefully it should be something fairly simple and I will go back to Swan Hill next weekend and fly it back home, which will officially complete the On a Wing & a Chair Central Australia Training Flight.

It was a great adventure, with many experiences, a few stressful moments, many fun ones, and met some great people.  I have learn't alot from this experience which will help alot with the planning for my Solo Round Australia Flight.

Stay tuned for more blogs to come.

Over & Out!

Leg 10 Noccundra Hotel QLD - Broken Hill NSW

The flight from Noccundra was short, only 2.5 hours. I refueled at Tiboorburra NSW, I had to book this fuel 6 weeks ago. When I rang up to confirm the fuel in the morning they had no record of me. Don't know what happened there, but they had some for me anyway.

I'm starting to notice much more civiliseation now, I got used to seeing no buildings or roads.
Broken Hill is a really nice place, I have been here twice before, but there were a couple of sights I wanted to see before leaving as I have missed out each other time.

Over flying Broken Hill

We went to the Pro Hart Gallery, I had no idea he had done so much work, it was well worth a look. Alot of it is of the Broken Hill area which is really interesting.

Pro Harts Rolls Royce, he painted a murel on it.

Finally got to the Palace Hotel. This is where Pecilla Queen of the Desert was filmed and it has these great murels painted on the walls and ceilings by some well known local artists years ago. Its a great old pub and has really good food.

Palace Hotel where part of Precilla Queen of the Desert was filmed

Murels painted on many walls

Murels also on many ceilings

Going home tomorrow, back to the Big Smoke!

Over & Out!

Leg 9 Birdsville - Noccundra Hotel QLD

I was planning on stopping to see the Bourke & Wills Dig Tree on this leg but unfortunately it is still under water from the flooding river. On route though the Cooper Creek was an amazig sight the whole area an array of greens and creeks that look like arteries. There are no places to land out here, and this is some of the most remote area of the flight. It puts me on edge if the engine sounds a little rough at times, but most of the time its my mind.

The Cooper Creek

Noccundra Hotel was a great place to stop at, it has its own airstrip and when you land you taxi to the front of the pub, get out and have a beer. It was really cool and I have been looking forward in coming here for a while. The hotel is heritage, built in 1882, and is on a cattle station, that Packer used to own.

Overflying Noccundra, it has a huge strip



The historic Noccundra Hotel

 The accommodation is basic which are "Donga's" like a site shed with a bed. It was a good experience. They guy's were great, helping me to fuel the plane, tie it down, and were really interesting to chat with over a couple of beers. I learn't a bit about how to muster cattle. No imported beer out here!

Parked out the front of the Noccundra Hotel

Over & Out!

Leg 8 Mount Isa - Birdsville

I tried getting an aircraft mainteance company to check out my engine before leaving Mount Isa, but they wouldn't help me out so I ended up getting a local auto mechanic to have a look. Everything looked OK so we continued on.

The problem came back when I was half way to Birdsville which is becomming a real pain. I spoke with Jabiru and others but no-one can put their finger on the problem. I just need to get the plane home. The engine wont stop but it makes flying real stressful and takes the fun out of it.

Water is the main theme for this trip, it was amazing to see so much water with towns cut off such as Bedourie surrounded by water.

The town of Bedourie

It was great to get to Birdsville and finally see it.  The Birdsville Hotel had a great wheelchair accessable room and the food was really nice.

Bridsville Hotel

Overflying Birdsville

I have to go back and see the Birsdville Race this year.

Over & Out!

Sunshine, 28 deg C, great to be in Mt Isa QLD, Leg 7 done

I had my first good night sleep for the trip!  Its great not to feel so tired.  The flight and Alice Springs has been really hectic, but I need a rest, so decided to have a day off and do NOTHING today (Sunday) and recouperate.   

The most I have done was get up late, 9.30, I normally get up round 5.30 - 6am, went to the shops for breakfast, do this blog and facebook, watch 3 movies and do my flight planning for Leg 8 from Mount Isa to Birdsville.  The Outback Motel is set up well for a wheelchair and is very nice, which makes it just that much better for relaxation.

It was a slow flight from Tennent Creek to Mount Isa.  I had a 30 knot head wind to the first refuel spot Barkly Homestead NT.  Its not far from Tennent Creek, round 1.25 hours flying following the highway, but there is nowhere else to refuel.  Barkly Homestead has camp ground and motel units, it looks like a bit of an oasis out there, and nice gravel runway.

There were some interesting sights along the way, I had to fly over smoke reaching 4000 ft from scrub fires which looked really ghoastly, and running rivers that are a normaly rare event.

Smoke from scrub fires

From Barkly I  flew higher to get the lighter head winds which were only around 10 knots.  I had the rough running engine issue again which is becoming a real pain as it keeps me on edge the whole time. This is the type of thing you don't want flying out here.   The engine runs fine at high revs, so it doesn't appear to be anything major to stop it running.  I'm going to get a mechanic look at it on Monday before going to Birdsville.  I will be following the roads just in case.

Mount Isa is an interesting sight when you come into land with the mine right next to the town.  They mine copper, lead and some gold.  The town is really nice, clean, has everything you need, and I could even get a good coffee from the Coffee Club cafe'.

Mount Isa mine right next to the town

Over & Out!

Half way there....Leg 6 Alice to Tennent Creek done & dusted!

First impression of Tennent Creek from the taxi driver "Don't go out after dark and the taxi doesn't operate at night!"

Well there goes our night on the town!  Taking a roll down the main street, was a little confronting, security screens on many shop windows, and that wasn't for cyclones.  

Tennent Creek Hotel with bars on every window 

When I booked the motel accom the manager told me that the pizza shop has a delivery van used as a taxi and is wheelchair accessable.   I was surprised as its such a small town but you never know!  Put the plane to bed with its protective cover donated by Dianne McNamara from Punikin Head Air Sports, called the taxi, they have a van alright but surprise, surprise, its not accessable at all.  Its been a bit of a common theme on this trip.  But thats just part of the adventure!!  It all worked out, a really kind bloke, Graham from the pizza shop agreed to come with the taxi driver and help get me in.  It may be a little rough in this town but there are some very kind people here.  I'm getting the motel manager to get me in the taxi tomorrow!

The flight from Alice to Tennent Creek was nice and short, only 2.5 hours, and just followed the highway up.  I can go direct from Alice which saves around 20min but you cross tiger country (bush & scrub), and if the fan decides to stop, your a little screwed being so far from population.  There were a couple of moments that the engine ran quite rough, but I think it was a bit of carburettor icng, where ice forms in the jet of the carburettor.  It cleared up, but it gets your heart going, all the same.  I rang up Jabiru for their opinion and they advised the same.  I will see how it goes tomorrow, and yep following the highway again.   

Over flying Tennant Creek prior to landing

Next stop Mount Isa.

Over & Out!

Leg 5 Ayers Rock - Alice Springs

I set of early on Tuesday for the next leg to Alice Springs, but before, to fly around the "Rock" Urulu and the Olgas with the clearer air in the morning.  It was spectacular seeing both formations from the ground but from the air it gave it a totally different dimension and was absolutely stunning.

Uluru at 4000 ft

Onto Kings Canyon, leading into the Macdonall Ranges some of the most spectacular scenery yet.  The outback is always changing which I find it hard to get bored of. I was expecting to see just red dirt, but with all the rain there is vegetation every where, this is something that hasn't been seen for 25 years, so a couple of the locals say.  I will have to come back again and see it when its just red!

Macdonnell Ranges

As I am licensed as a recreational pilot, I can't fly into controlled airspace, so I had to land at Bond Springs just 20km north of Alice Springs.  The Chief Flying Instructor Ciff McCann from Alice Springs Aero Club got one of his instrctors to drive him up and Cliff flew in with me to  Alice Springs Airport, which was alot of fun as I hadn't done it before. 

I needed to get my aircraft serviced, Cliff made arrangements with the airport maintenance company which took alot of stress off me.  In addition to giving me hangerage, Cliff got approval for me from the Air Traffic Control to allow me to fly out and back to Santa Teresa which was awesome.  Cliff McCann and the Alice Springs Aero Club, http://www.alicespringsaeroclub.com.au/ have been so generous with their time and assistance to make my trip so much easier, I can't thank them enough.

Chief Flying Instructor Cliff McCann and myself

Others have given me support in various ways such as Andrea Sullivan manger of the Memorial Club in Alice Springs, who gave myself and Lida a great meal.  I have received support from different people and groups on the flight so far, whether its just giving me a hand to get into a 4wd, its these people who are making this adventure much easier.


Alice Springs has been busy, I haven't had any time to see the sights, with local news paper, ABC radio, and TV interview over the last two days.

A highlight of Alice Springs was going to Santa Teresa Community today (Thursday) meeting some of the kids at the school, gave a quick talk to one of the 6th grades and having a bbq.  The kids were so friendly and really inquisitive, especially how I got my scar on my throat (tachiostomy scar from my accident).  Its funny I've found indiginous kids are the only ones that have ever asked me about it.

Giving a talk to Santa Teresa grade 6's

Following a briefing by an instructor, Jackie Chan, no not the actor, getting through controlled airspace at Alice was a little challenging, as its new to me, but I got there and back without any dramas which was geat. 

Onto the next leg tomorrow, Tennant Creek.

Over & Out!

Leg 4 Coober Pedy - Ayers Rock (Yulara)

To fly from Coober Pedy to Ayers Rock is over remote desert country so if something happens it would take a while for anyone to get to you.  I stopped first at Cadney Homestead which is a Roadhouse around 150km north of Coober Pedy to top up my fuel and to add some more oil.  I'm keeping a very close eye on the oil consumption in the engine as I'm buring much more than I should, so to be safe I gave it a little top up.  There were a number of remote air strips close to my route, which gave me a little confort if I had to land.


The flight was quick with a 15 knot tail wind and as we approached Ayers Rock it was an amazing sight.  This flat country, then these two huge rock formations appear, Ayers Rock (Uluru) and the Olgas, much more prominent and spectacular than I thought they would be.

 I wanted to see Ayers Rock from the ground as well as well as the air.  I soon found out that it was looking as though I wont see it from the ground, apart from the view out of the door of my hotel room.  There aren't any taxi's here, the only mini bus that is wheelchair accessable was booked out for Tuesday and there were no available rental cars, or accessable busses.  I couldn't believe it!  A place that was built for specifically for tourists with alot of elderly ones, there is no transport for the disabled.  Figure that one out! 


My day did change for the better in the end, the Desert Sands Hotel assistant manager was very understanding and arranged for one of the porters, Matt, to drop me and Lida out at Uluru and bring us back for a fee.  This hotel has gone the extra mile to help make my experience memorable, which I greatly appreciate.

Getting out to Uluru was a fantastic experience, it was much more impressive than what I had seen in photo's and I can see why the indigenous people find it such a special place.  When you approach it, it does have a real spiritual quality about it.

With all the rain they have had it has been a great time to come and see the Red Centre maybe they should call it the "Green Centre", even flying out here you'd think it was Victoria.

Some of the walking tacks are indicated as wheelchair accesable and I could push on most of it, however there were some spots that were a bit hard due to soft sand. The funny thing is that although some of the walks are specifically indicated as wheelchair accessable, you can't get their if you don't have your own car or can get on a standard coach by yourself.

This experience has been a highlight of the Central Australia Training Flight and I'm looking forward to flying around Ularu and the Olgas tomorrow, on the 5th Leg to Alice Springs.

Thorny Lizard rescued from being squashed on the road

Over & Out!