Sometimes in this Club pilots get notification of the next flight via a phone call, or fax or e-mail or a full-blown package on the doorstep - heck, I've even been KIDNAPPED before and taken to the next FOTM against my will! So, there I was relaxing on the Beach in Central Peru when one evening there was a message for me at the hotel desk from Bill Smith, "Head to Melbourne for the next feature." With that bit of information I was headed off, across the entire Pacific Ocean.
I took a private Gulfstream-V to a former FOTM location, Easter Island (where I knew there was a nice looooong runway). I had an interesting time landing however... I had already planned on using a fully-coupled autopilot for the landing http://www.flightsim.com/cgi/kds?$=main/howto/ilstutor.htm but in landing to the west I had no ILS and was not planning on even using the backcourse hold! So, I had the VOR/DME but that is only accurate to about 2-3 miles, then I had the lights but with only adjusting HDG and ROD on the autopilot it added to the challenge. Here's the thing, it was LATE in the day and I was staring fully into the setting sun - which is to say that I could not see the runway nor the red/white lights! Well, we all survived none-the-less.
From there I hopped into a quickly-painted Flight Club International Boeing 787 for an all-day flight directly into a rainy Melbourne.
"Winter is June, July and August in Australia so weather may be unpredictable" Bill had said. I had been watching the weather and planned on landing "straight-in" on runway 34 but from 25 miles out ATC told me to come in on runway 16 instead. I was in-and-out of clouds and showers as I set up for my 22-mile finals, I landed in rain but parked at the gate under only scattered clouds.Once settled into my very nice hotel room (this Club generally treats it's pilots very well!) I headed to a bay-side eatery for some good food. A couple of days later, on June 1st, we all met in a local conference room, 'round a big table, to compair our stories from Peru and to hear Bill's briefing talk for this FOTM feature. Bill began talking about flying from Melbourne to Sydney...the most travelled air corridor in all of Australia...snow-covered mountains?...ski areas? "Obviously Bill does not know what he is talking about because ANYONE KNOWS that there is no snow skiing in Aussie!" At that point I began tuning out from the Blah-blah-blah-blah going on from Bill's mouth...I picked up a flyer there on the table, an advert from the Royal Australian Flying Doctor Service. They were flying a continental circumnavigation to raise funds for the airbourne emergency medical service. This flight would feature many if not all of their planes, PC-12s, DC-3, JS-31s, GA-8 Airvans etc. As I read on I saw that volunteer pilots could KEEP 5% of their earnings to travel with an airplane making several stops and receiving donations from greatful citizens. I suddenly felt awash with guilt. You see, back a few years ago we all did a Fly-In to/from the Perth area. Then, just a few months later Bill featured a "MediVac FOTM" based in the area around Perth. (That was July 2005) Since I had just done that, I flew some heavies instead. (A380, 757, 707, C-5 etc) As I had this figured, this could be my chance to redeem myself by flying a MediVac AND maybe I could make some money as well. Excusing myself from the table I stepped out to a payphone and called the Flying Doctor Service. There was, indeed, a JS-31 available which I could fly, starting Monday, between Melbourne and Sydney. I signed up right then. Meanwhile, back in the meeting room Bill was talking about "Leg number 6" and something about "a tour of downtown Sydney" and et cetera.
On Monday, June 4th, I loaded up into a RAFDS JS-31 at 7 AM and set out to see how many places I could stop, (and earn some money for a very good cause), between here and Sydney. For those keeping track, my route was roughly something like the following:
Lillydale 112.30
Lillydale 112.30
NDB 284
Mt. Hotham 117.20
Corryong I had to be at 7,000 feet to clear the mountains!
Cooma - Snowy Mountain Cooma -
Polo Flats Canberra 117.90 -
Wee Jasper
Goulburn
Bathurst
Katoomba
Camden
Bankstown in Sydney All-Told about 562 miles 
I departed under cloudy, rain-soaked skies and headed out over the city on 072*. It was a pretty short little hop over to Lillydale which has a nice long, less-than-smooth, grass runway. At this point it was still raining cats-and-dogs and after 90 minutes on the ground I had seen exactly two customers and earned five whole Aussie Dollars for the good cause. So far as I was concerned it was time to move on!
I departed northeast, headed over a near-by VOR (which I think was one Bill had mentioned in his briefing?), then over an NDB and in to Mt. Hotham which, folks, is over 5,000 feet ASL. I got a bit slow on finals and nearly stalled out, having to go missed and come in a little faster/steeper the next time. Let me also say that Ayer's Rock is NOT the only elevation on the continent and that Bill was indeed correct - there is some amazing-looking scenery around these parts! I heard myself saying, "Look what I've been missing!" Truly Bill, I was awe-inspired by the views of this FOTM. THANK YOU!
Okay, Mt Hotham: At this stop I raised nearly $200 AUDs so it was much more productive than the previous stop. After just over two hours on the ground I wanted to head on out just after a quick lunch.
Okay, Mt Hotham: At this stop I raised nearly $200 AUDs so it was much more productive than the previous stop. After just over two hours on the ground I wanted to head on out just after a quick lunch.
The next stop was Corryong and I landed here with a tailwind which shoved me down the runway right off into the grass. But once parked near the hangars I again set up my tent and collected another $200 AUDs. I also had "productive" stops at BOTH of the Cooma airports and ended my day right there.
After one day's work I had nearly $500 AUDs in my bag and was feeling happy about that - it goes to a good cause, right?
Tuesday I headed out in foggy (real world) weather, with the next scheduled stop in Canberra. (The videos this month will be of my RETURN trip, Sydney to Melbourne via Canberra: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKwPYtD5ahc)
What a great-looking city. From Canberra I flew over to the "Wee Jasper" VOR (I'm amuzed by that name, it sounds like the name a little kid would give certain of his own anatomical parts). From Wee Jasper I dropped down just into the upper layers of the soup and proceded on into Goulburn. So there I was at 3,000 feet and 120 knots, looking...looking...looking for the airport. Suddenly, there off my left wing I saw runway 4 about a mile away. Really it was too tight but feeling confident ("These medical planes can land anywhere...") I rolled her over and dove for the runway! I should have gone missed but I didn't, choosing instead to land half-on and half-off the runway. As I came under hard braking I noticed the sock...I had again landed with a stiff wind out of my 4 o-clock! ~sigh
Another few hours with my Columbia Sportswear jacket and hood on, hunkered under my RAFDS tent and I had secured another $150 AUDs and was ready to move on. At this point my mind sort of numbed out - I think I was missing out on some sleep or something? Anyway, the rain, the wind, the IFR conditions, the many stops...I had well over 100 photos by the time I arrived into Sydney! It's all kind of a blur - I think the photos pick up from Canberra? Oh well, I gave you my itenerary already, you'll have to go back and figure out where I was 'cause I'm in no condition to do that - but hey, I can still fly!!! Enjoy the photos:
Another few hours with my Columbia Sportswear jacket and hood on, hunkered under my RAFDS tent and I had secured another $150 AUDs and was ready to move on. At this point my mind sort of numbed out - I think I was missing out on some sleep or something? Anyway, the rain, the wind, the IFR conditions, the many stops...I had well over 100 photos by the time I arrived into Sydney! It's all kind of a blur - I think the photos pick up from Canberra? Oh well, I gave you my itenerary already, you'll have to go back and figure out where I was 'cause I'm in no condition to do that - but hey, I can still fly!!! Enjoy the photos:
Let's pick up the story again ... This part I'm up to speed with. Camden was thick but flyable. After I left (with some $1,500 AUDs in my bag) I noticed lightning in the clouds below. I took about two-dozen photos trying to catch it but only got one little tiny flash. Weather in Sydney was horrible - thick, heavy clouds etc. I requested clearance to Bankstown as I had filed an IFR flight plan for this FOTM. But after having made so many landings and take-offs and stop-overs ATC said, "We are IFR only, request denied." "Well," I muttered, "I'll show you - I'll land anyway!" I landed safely on runway 11C, taxied to the air services terminal and shut down.
After all that flying and all that rain and a couple of questionable landings, I had earned just about $2,000 AUD for the RAFDS. This left me $100 to by tickets back to Melbourne - and dinner in Sydney.
Some days later I was rested up and ready to finish my assignment with a VFR tour of Sydney. I think the phtos will speak for themselves.
From downtown I landed on the unused runway at Sydney's main airport. From here I climbed into a Dash-8 Q400 for the flight back to Melbourne. Again, please note that this month's video will be of that return flight: Bill, I'm amazed! Amazing scenery...MOUNTAINS...challenging weather...this was really fun...wet, but fun! Now, I just need to find a REAL WAY to get myself to Melbourne - it should be well worth the trip! Great FOTM!!
