First Fly-in Weekend: AusFly

Well, it certainly has been a while since I got a chance to blog.  My apologies for that!  I have been doing a bit of flying, but have been extremely busy after each flight.  Time got away from me!  In the near future, I'll fill in the gaps - some fun and exciting flying.

This post is all about a recent weekend.  The story began quite a few months ago, when I looked at the calendar of upcoming flying events and saw one in September.  This event is called AusFly, and bares the slogan "Together under one sky".  This appealed to me as it was open to all kinds of aviation - not just one particular facet.  From recreational fixed wing to GA to rotary wing and even business aviation.

I called my friend Shane and said, "I've got a crazy idea... I'm thinking of flying up to Narromine in New South Wales for AusFly. You keen?"   I think he only took three nanoseconds to think about it, but he came back with a resounding "Oh yeah!"  I gave my Dad a call and told him of our plans.  "I'm going too!" he exclaimed. "Yeah, Mark from Tyabb is flying up in his Mooney and asked me to come with him!"  Mark is an old friend from the Aero Club down there at Tyabb Airfield; it will be great to see him again after many years and hang out with Dad in an aviation setting.  I excitedly made the necessary bookings: the plane, leave from work, permission from Home Command, etc.  With all of that in place, it was a matter of preparing the flight plan and waiting for the weekend to roll around.

Long range weather forecasts were looking good initially.  As we got closer, things started to look more troublesome.  There was a large storm with heavy rain sitting over Port Lincoln, extending right up past Port Agusta and across to Adelaide.  It was heading over at a rate that would severely effect our flight from Ballarat to Narromine.  Also, because our North-East track would run right across the face of the East-bound front.  The forecast for our return day was not pleasant, either!  Rain in Narromine for several days could mean we could be stranded until Thursday!

Angry-looking front heading East.

My friends and experienced cross-country aviators Brian and Linda contacted me and said they had made the decision not to fly and drive up instead.  With all this in mind, I made the difficult decision to pull the pin on the flight and drive up also.  If they were nervous about the weather, I had no place risking it!

So, bright and early on Friday morning Shane and I set off on the Hume Highway towards the border.  It was a very cold start, but the sky was largely clear and there was little wind.  We wanted to miss as little of the events as possible; the most enticing being the afternoon airshow from 1:30 to 3:30 PM.  So the trip up contained no mucking about with touristy things...we were on a mission!

Early morning departure...out of the city and on the open road!  Shane PIC for initial leg.

Known icing conditions outside...anti-ice procedures in place.

In-flight catering.

We shared the driving, and arrived in the town of Narromine at about 3:45 pm.  We thought we had all but missed the air show, however as we drove down the main street (the airfield is on the far side of the town) we saw two Pitts Specials roar vertically into the sky.  We were so excited that we almost forgot to look for other cars on the road!  We soon came to our senses and navigated our way to the airport and the adjacent camp ground to check in.  When the lady at the camp ground saw my surname she exclaimed, "Your Father is here already...Eddy!"  "Yeah, that's him!", I said - confused by her gleeful outburst.  We parked the car and endeavoured to find Dad in the crowd.

We met over by the Grumman Avenger parked on the apron.  I had seen this aircraft in pictures before, but to see it in the flesh was incredible.  It was also a handy landmark to meet near-by, as it towers over all the other aircraft (and I later found out it weighs in at over eight-and-a-half tons!)  Dad greeted us and promptly took us over to the reception tent where we signed in, received our entry wristbands and also a few freebies in the form of a safety information pack from CASA.  Neither Shane, nor I could concentrate... Even though the flying display had wound up, there was still plenty of noise and movement to distract us!  Dad told us of the dinner plans and organised a meeting time.

The rather large Grumman Avenger.  It's hard to think that this thing flew from aircraft carriers!

From there, Shane and I walked on to the apron and started looking at the aircraft on static display.  There were so many interesting things to look at, we didn't know where to walk first!  We settled on heading over to the Jabiru display, where we'd most likely see Brian and Linda hanging out.  Just walking over to that took some time... On the way was Gyrocpters, new LSAs, kit planes, and many shiny things!  There was even people walking around giving out cake!  I couldn't refuse, however I ended up carrying a piece of cake on a plate for the next half hour or so.  It didn't take long to find Brian and Linda near the Jabiru display.  They looked weary from the drive too (I'm glad it wasn't just me!)  I also saw that my friends at Skythrills Australia were there too, so we went and said hello.  I'm glad we did, because I found out they were offering introductory aerobatics lessons for $100!  It certainly was worth giving a go...as I needed to get some altitude this weekend!

Some of the aircraft on display late Friday afternoon.

It seemed like only an instant before it was getting dark and we were driving into town for a meal and a few beers at the Serviceman's Club in the main street of town.  In the process of getting our capmsite ready, we got talking to a guy up from Lilydale.  Steve is in the orchard business and was up in Narromime to take delivery of his shiny new Jabiru J230... The very one we'd drooled over in the Jab display area!  Shane grew up in and around orchards, so it turned out they knew many of the same people.  Steve came with us to dinner and they chatted for hours!  We headed back to the camp and turned in for the night.  By this time, the wind had come up - rattling tents, tarps and ropes.  It didn't bother me, though...I was snug in my swag and was off to sleep in no time.

Our little patch of campsite.

The sun was barely up when I awoke early the next morning.  I lay there and enjoyed the now perfect stillness; a nice contrast to the previous evening's wind.  Then, the silence was spectacularly broken by the starting of an aeroplane engine.  At that moment it hit me... I had woken up at an airport! For most people this would be a reason to complain... For me it was pure bliss.  The early morning departure had roused a few other people, so I decided to get up and go for a walk around the parked planes.  I strolled down the rows of parked aircraft in the under-wing camping section (incidentally, where we would have been had we flown) and eventually found Mark's Mooney.  Apparently, there had been a misunderstanding and they were directed by the ground crew to park in the long-term section, not the under-wing camping segment.  So, rather than upset anyone, they parked the plane near the fence and set up their swags just over on the correct side.

Under-wing camping.

The Mooney with camping adjacent.

Yak-52

The "Russian Roolettes" display team parked.

Burt Rutan designed VariEze

As I reached the Mooney, Dad was in the process of unzipping his swag and getting up - perfect timing. Even by this stage, there was not a breath of wind.  Mark got up and said some words that initially didn't make sense: "They've got the Wright Flyer out and it's going to fly"  I looked at him confused.  "Yeah, the Wright Flyer Replica...it was built here in Narromine; it's only ever flown a few times!"  Mark turned and pointed to the end of the runway where I could see a couple of utes, a crowd of people and, in between, the Wright Flyer with propellers turning.  The pilot proceeded to fly a couple of runs up and down runway 29/11.  I grabbed my phone out to take some quick footage:

The video quality isn't the greatest, but you get the idea.  It was a great honour to see this thing fly, I later found out that it has only flown six hours in its entire existence since it made its debut in 2005 in front of Dr Buzz Aldrin! I noticed that the pilot had a certain amount of roll control (this design was made before ailerons), as he was banking left and right.  It uses a similar 'wing warping' design to the original.  Something I did not know.  I am thankful to have been able to see this flying piece of history.  As the team then took the Flyer back to the hangar, we all headed over to the Aero Club for a hot breakfast.  I also wanted to attend the CASA safety update seminar.

With the static displays starting up again, it was time to slap on a heap of sunscreen and stroll around some more.  There was plenty to still see and do.  Every time we'd move to the next display, we'd inevitably spend twenty-or-so minutes just chatting to the people.  It may have been about the aircraft in front of us, or it might have just been general pilot chit-chat (aviation people love a chat!).  We knew that Steve was picking up his J230 at about 10:30, so we made sure we were over at the Jabiru stand to have a closer look and wish him a safe flight home.

Steve's shiny new J230 with the new composite propeller.

Steve, Tony (from Ballarat) and me.

There was plenty more to see and do.  We headed over to the museum hangar to grab a closer look at the Wright Flyer.  We talked to one of the board members from the Flyer association.

CAC Wirraway

Looking at a Bristell

Gyrocopters.

3/4 scale Mustang replica from Tyabb.

Dick Smith's Cessna Citation private jet.

Standing with Ryan Campbell's around-the-world Cirrus.

Messages of support on the flap.  I (along with other PCDU listeners) contributed to one of these messages.

"Hmmm, this could be fun! (In Summer!)"

Single blade retractable propeller glider

Highly modified Pitts Special.

Shane sitting comfortably in a top-of-the-range Cirrus SR22 (Only $800k - the Bentley of private aircraft!)

After lunch, we were at a loss where to go until the flying display began.  We'd drifted over to the Gyrocopters and the kit helicopter when we saw a sign 'Helicopter Joy Rides - $65'.  I figured that if I didn't get to fly up to Narromine I should at least do something new and exciting (and also get a dose of altitude!). We spoke to Matt from Orange Helicopters who turned out to be our pilot.  He found out that I am a fixed wing pilot and that it was my first ride in a rotorcraft.  "You'll be in the front then!"  I then asked him if he'd talk me through what he was doing with the startup and the flight.  "Absolutely!", he exclaimed.

My view.

It was great!  I don't think we got above 500' above the ground.  It's quite thrilling to have the treetops whizzing past your toes (thanks to the amazing view out the front/down). I was also amazed at the acceleration; after only five or so feet off the ground, Matt dipped the cyclic and we zoomed forward and up.  Not how I had pictured it in my head, that's for sure!  It was all over too soon - of course!  Maybe one day I'll have a TIF in a heli!  Thanks to Matt and the team at Orange Helicopters.

The air display didn't disappoint.  From warbirds to aerobatics to water bombing to remote control jets, there was something interesting for everyone.  I was very impressed to finally see that hulk of an aeroplane the Avenger fly.

Grumman Avenger on a low/fast pass.

Grumman Avenger

Wirraway being put through its paces.

The Russian Roolettes aerobatic team.

The Russian Roolettes aerobatic team.

The Russian Roolettes aerobatic team.

The Avenger taxiing back, dwarfing the parked GA aircraft.

The Air Tractor drops 800 litres of water in one hit.

After the air display we headed back over to the Skythrills display to see if they had any spots in the afternoon for their Intro to Aerobatics flights.  It turned out that they were almost ready to go right away.   The harness system in the Decathlon is like nothing I've ever seen before; regular shoulder harness and one up from the seat between your legs, but the hip harness is in two parts.  The smaller of the two straps (that sit closer to the top of your thighs), one just pull up like a regular seatbelt; the wider ones (up closer to your hips) have a large ratchet down each side of the seat.  You literally ratchet yourself down into the seat! After emptying my pockets, got in the plane and ratcheted myself down, we headed towards the runway.   While we were taxiing, I got to chat a little to my instructor for the flight, Andrew.  It turns out that at his day job he works with several people I'm in touch with on Twitter. (*waves to @soapyhb and @ATC_Ben*) It's a small world!

We climbed away from the airport and headed North-West, away from traffic.  Andrew got me to fly it and do some turns on the way to get used to the feel of the aircraft.  Flying from the back seat was difficult, as I couldn't see any of the instruments - eventually Andrew leaned forward so I could see the balance ball to balance the turns.  I was flying this machine like I fly the Tecnam or the Jabiru -  gentle turns with a gentle climb attitude.  Andrew kept saying "Bring up the nose...tighten the turn...more...more...There you go!"

The first manoeuvre Andrew demonstrated was a loop.  When it was my turn to have a go it was the same story... I still got it done, but it wasn't blazing at all.  The roll (next up) was a different story.  I figured, 'I just saw Jeremy throw this very plane around the sky a few minutes ago...it can take anything that I can throw at it'.  I decided to really go for it.  As I returned the aircraft to upright, I heard Andrew laughing.  I said, "sorry, was that too much?"  "Nooooo....that was a BALL-TEARER! It was great!"

Skythrills' Super Decathlon VH-SIS (used with kind permission from http://www.skythrills.com.au)

The final manoeuvre was a Hammerhead Stall.  I listened intently to Andrew's instructions.  Giving the hard left rudder at the top of the climb feels AWESOME!  Even though he'd clearly said "add right aileron" on the downward portion, I still tried to push left.  I felt some sudden resistance on the stick, which was Andrew pushing it over to the right.  "Uh...Sorry!" I said, feeling sheepish.  "Don't worry, it is a little counter-intuitive.."  Andrew wanted to show me a little bit of extended upside-down flying.  I was very glad for that ratchet seatbelt then!  We headed back to the airport, where Andrew put the Super-Decathlon down in a perfect three-point landing.  I was buzzing from the adrenalin!

During the higher-g parts of the manoeuvres, I became acutely aware of the weight of my own face!  This became extra funny to me when the next victim customer wanted to bring a Canon 5D SLR with a huge lens along.  He looked at us all blankly when we told him that camera would weigh about thirty kilograms at the peak of the manoeuvres!  I think eventually Jodie convinced him not to take it.  I bid goodbye to the Skythrills team and headed over to the aero club to catch up with Dad, Shane and Mark.

On the way I met up with Ben, the Western Australia correspondent from Plane Crazy Down Under podcast.  These guys had been doing a great job of providing live radio station, interviews all day and commentary during the flight display.  We eventually strolled over to the outdoor bar where the rest of the crew were sitting.  It was great to finally meet Steve Visscher - I've been listening to their podcast for so long, it was great to put a face to the voice.  I'd met Grant previously when I ground-crewed (along with Dan Pearson, who was also at AusFly!) for a couple of his balloon flights. I could tell they were happy to chat, but several days of driving, setting up, talking, running around and more talking were taking its toll on the energy levels!  They did a wonderful job - it was great to finally meet you all.

Dinner that night was in town.  We considered the big AusFly dinner, but wanted something a little less formal.  Shane, Mark, Dad and I drove into town and found a nice pub bistro that has a reputation for generous servings.  The rumours turned out to be true - and then some!  While grabbing some beers at the bar I met some more Ballarat Aero Club people.  Apparently they were there until close the night before!  Back in the bistro, Dad and Mark were already making plans for next years' AusFly.  They decided to stay at the pub (which has nice accommodation upstairs) and make use of the courtesy bus organised by the Aero Club.  Mark even went and booked it then and there!

Back at the campsite, we headed straight for bed.  I could faintly hear over the PA system in the hangar the sound of Ryan Campbell (youngest to fly solo around the world) speaking to the crowd.  I would have liked to have heard that, but I was far too sleepy and was out like a light.  That night was a lot colder - clear with no wind, however the canvas swag did a fabulous job of keeping me warm.

Sunday morning brought nice weather again; just a hint of breeze this time.  The departures started early, not long after first light.  I got up early in an effort to beat the morning shower rush, but I was too late.  Thankfully there are plenty of showers and I didn't have to wait that long.  Over breakfast at the club, Mark and Dad looked over the aviation weather report on their iPads.  We had a little charging hot-spot going with five different devices charging.  A quick glance around the room revealed we were not alone.  Everyone was walking around looking for power wherever they could get it!

Shane and I said goodbye to Mark and Dad; we wished them an uneventful flight home.  Dad was to fly the first leg back to Wangaratta then stop for a break and Mark would fly the rest of the way home.  We packed up our camping gear and headed South.  One thing we definitely wanted to do was stop and see Parkes Radio Telescope (aka. 'The Dish').

It was well worth the stop, with an excellent visitors centre.  Neither of us were expecting to see the thing move, but it was quite active while we were walking around the information/viewing garden.  The list of discoveries made by or assisted by this facility is mind boggling.  We opted to get back on the road and get as many kilometres behind us as we could.  Brian and Linda left very early and were a couple of hours ahead of us in the drive.  All the way, cursing the weather prediction for making them decide to drive.  I was doing the similar thing, but the words from a much more experienced aviator were ringing through my ears, "The safe choice that allows you to fly another day is the correct one."

I was a little disappointed that we didn't get to fly up, but I still learned a lot, and I did get to accomplish several firsts.  First fly-in, first hands-on aerobatics, first helicopter flight.  It ended up being a great weekend regardless, I'm absolutely glad we went.  Thanks to Shane for using his car.  Thanks to Dad and Mark for hanging out with us, and thanks to our partners Mel and Sharron for having their own weekend together (while letting us go and play).

I'm very much looking forward to AusFly 2014!