St George – Vineyard – Cotton Farm

Well, it was a beautiful spring day in October 2020 when we had the first Redcliffe Aeroclub flyaway to St. George. St. George is on the Balonne River, about 500 kilometres to the west of Brisbane in cotton farming country, just north of the NSW border. Originally Mike was going to join us but he pulled out so we put out feelers for another passenger. One mention to our friend Beth and she was in. A lover of travel with a difference, Beth has been all over the world and was having cold turkey from being unable to travel outside Australia due to Covid. It was time for a trip within Queensland.

Five planes with 11 passengers ventured off one Saturday morning. It was perfect flying weather, very smooth and no significant winds to affect the flight. Despite different planes and departure times and some different routes, four of the planes arrived at St. George airport within a few minutes of each other.

Of course, we didn’t know there was a safari of six other planes arriving at the same time! It was busier than Brisbane airport had been for months. In addition, we had a crop duster spraying in a field just below final approach who sounded a bit panicky as the skies above St. George suddenly became so crowded. Anyway, we all got down and fuelled before boarding our tour bus.

Driving the bus, our tour guide “Sno” Harm, a cotton farmer in real life, provided us with a wealth of information about the district. You will see him in the photos dressed in a blue shirt, shorts and work boots. Our first stop was the Riversands Wines Estate which was a few kilometres out of town.

It actually produces mainly table grapes for Coles and Woolies, with only a relatively small amount of wine grapes being grown. We toured much of the estate in the bus going up and down between the vines while David, the owner, showed us the different varieties of grapes and explained various aspects of the operation. This was followed by a discussion between the vines, wine tasting and a light lunch.

The wine tasting allowed us to choose some of the wines that we thought were worth taking home so we bought a few bottles before we returned to the bus. We ended up spending about two hours at the estate. The tour is highly recommended if you ever get out that way. (By the way, the wines were surprisingly good too!)

After leaving Riversands Estate, Sno took us to his cotton farm where he gave us an exhaustive tour and explained his operation and the intricacies of the cotton industry in general. He even started up a big cotton harvester to show how the cotton is picked. We spent about two and a half hours receiving our education. He would have kept showing us other parts of the district however thirst drove us back to our motel for checkin.

Our accommodation was clean and comfortable and we headed off to one of the pubs, a short walk into town, for some drinks and a big country dinner. Everyone behaved, probably because we were all pretty tired from the day and it was a relatively early night for all. Sunday morning was a leisurely affair with some people sleeping in and some exploring the town. It was particularly pretty along the river.

We met up for breakfast at another pub, the Australian, opposite the river.

Sno picked us up from the motel just after 10 and we headed about 50 kilometres out of town to the Nindigully Pub.

This pub is a bit of a bush landmark and looks exactly like what a bush pub should look like. From the photos you will see how dry it is out the front of the pub but the beer garden inside was green, shady and cool; a great spot for a bit of lunch.

The pub interior is quirky, with plenty of “outback souvenirs” on show and a mini museum that tells the history of the area.

After lunch, we headed back to the airport to load and leave. We got away around 2 pm and first headed overhead Nindigully before setting course for Redcliffe over the Darling Downs.

It was a great weekend and everyone enjoyed themselves. Definitely St George is a place to visit!

Town of 1770 – Lady Musgrave Island – Agnes Water

Beth had been wanting to go on another trip with us since the trip to St George in 2020 so we arranged that she and another friend Sandra join us for a few days at Agnes Water/1770, one of our favourite destinations. This time there’d be the special attraction of a day trip out to Lady Musgrave Island in the southern reaches of the Great Barrier Reef. It would give us the opportunity to snorkel amongst the coral and the turtles and other fish. Originally we had planned to depart at a reasonable hour on the morning of Saturday March 27 and had booked a boat trip to lady Musgrave on Sunday but two days before they cancelled the Sunday boat trip to Lady Musgrave so we had to get the boat on Saturday instead. This meant being up at 4 in the morning, taking off from Redcliffe at 6:30 and making it into Agnes at 8am to catch the trip.

Despite the early start we made the rendezvous and Beth delivered us to Redcliffe nice and early. After a quick preflight and passenger briefing it was all aboard for Agnes Water.

Taking off we were treated to an amazing view of the Sunshine Coast and its hinterland as the sun rose in the east.

I never get tired of flying over this part of Queensland. It is really quite beautiful, especially first thing in the morning.

We tracked on up over Maryborough, Hervey Bay and Bundaberg, flying over some sugar cane fields on the way.

After about 80 minutes’ flying we rounded the head at 1770…

and were soon touching down on the Agnes Water airstrip.

Our taxi arrived shortly afterwards and took us the 5 minute trip to the 1770 marina where we boarded the boat.

Ninety minutes later we were at the island, ideal for snorkelling.

Lady Musgrave Island is the southern-most island in the Capricorn Cay, formed entirely of coral and covered by pisonia trees.  Its only inhabitants are a variety of breeding bird species, including Black Noddy Terns, known for their voluminous pooping behaviour.  Perilous to the unsuspecting walkers! This island sanctuary is surrounded by an 8 km turquoise lagoon with an abundance of sea life. 

First up, struggling with our flippers (fins for the experts), was snorkelling, delighting in the coral, beautiful fish and turtles!  Magic!  Beth’s go pro came into its own capturing the extensive marine life and certain ungainly fellow snokellers!

Next, the glass bottomed boat ride to the Island afforded us great images, including some very curious turtles.

Our guide’s enthusiasm and knowledge of the marine world below was just amazing.  Upon arrival, we had a guided walk to learn about the Island formation and bird life.  Interestingly, there are no predators for the birds such as snakes or lizards.

All of us left Lady Musgrave Island with a new appreciation for the pristine beauty of this stunning area.  We finished with a cooling lager at the newly opened wine bar at 1770 marina to watch the brilliant orange hues of the sunset over Bustard Bay. 

A perfect end to a perfect day.

On day 2 of our reef trip Sandra, Sigi and I were eager for a swim (where was Beth?) first up and met Beth for breakfast at Holidays Café with its fabulous beach views. Beth and Sandra left Sigi and me and took a taxi to the Paper Bark Forest. 

That was another highlight for them.  Only 400m long but a beautiful walk along planks and stepping stumps enjoying the paper bark tea trees, dappled sunshine, somewhat elusive butterflies and birds.  Some of the path was underwater due to recent heavy rains but was easily traversed in bare feet! Faced with a long walk back, their feet were saved, by yet another wonderful local who offered them a lift to our morning tea destination at the Getaway Garden Café to meet up with Sigi and me.

Now for the much awaited vanilla slice, which, we have been told, is one of the best in QLD.  Of course, we had to sample. Having tasted with great gusto it could well be true!

Our walk back to the motel took us via Discovery Trail Lookout with fabulous views. 

Sandra enjoyed another swim (where was Beth?) then they were off to the LARC (Lighter Amphibian Replenish Cargo) tour. 

The LARC tour, 1 hour across sand and water with a couple of exciting splashdowns, was great fun with a humorous and knowledgeable guide.  They then walked along the beach to the Captain Cook Monument – a cairn commemorating the first landing of the Endeavour 24/5/1770.  It stands near Bustard Bay, which was named after the crew shot a bird for dinner claiming it was the best meal since leaving England in 1768!

Meanwhile, Sigi and I, having done the LARC tour on our last trip to 1770, relaxed at Agnes Water and enjoyed the beach.

That evening, we enjoyed bubbles and nibbles at the beach, watching the sunset and the moonrise. We were joined by fellow Cirrus pilot Brett and his wife Sharon who happened to be staying at Sharon’s sister’s new beach house just up the road!

I began day 3 of our reef and beach trip with breakfast at the beach cafe then a short drive out to the airstrip with Stefan, Brett and Jodie. They’d asked whether they could have an early morning flight out to Lady Musgrave so who was I to quibble? I did the aircraft preflighting while Brett and Jodie chased a couple of kangaroos off the airstrip then we were all aboard for departure over the water to Lady Musgrave, about 20 miles out to sea. We had a great view of the 1770 cape as we departed.

Ten minutes later we were over Lady Musgrave and its turquoise lagoon.

Flying north, we followed a chain of reefs and islets until we reached Heron Island about 20 miles away.

From there it was a quick trip back to Agnes via Round Hill Head at 1770.

Meanwhile, Sigi, Beth and Sandra had begun their final day in paradise with a beach visit, breakfast at Codie’s Place, then a quick taxi ride to the airstrip to meet us for our return. We swapped crews and took off at 0930.  Following the coast we tracked to Bundaberg to top up the fuel tanks.

From Bundaberg we headed for home. Knowing that there would be some cloud along the way I planned IFR and sure enough we encountered some friendly cumulus that caused a few minor bumps and some instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) at times. 

Despite this, we had some great views as we flew past Woodgate, Fraser Island, Maryborough and the Sunshine Coast hinterland.

Shortly after we were passing over Redcliffe airport.

And then final for RWY07.

Landing smoothly we taxied to the hangar to put MSF to bed. Beth summed things up well – it was a “truly magical trip”. 

Moreton Bay – Stradbroke Island – Sunshine Coast

March 14, 2021 was a perfect day to fly so Vonnie, Ros and John accompanied me in MSF on a “grand orbit” of Moreton Bay, Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast.

Taking off from Redcliffe we flew up to Bribie where the radio was just full of chatter. Everyone must have agreed it was the day to fly with a week of wet weather forecast from the day after. We headed over to Tangalooma on Moreton Island and on to Point Lookout on Straddie.

Tracking over North Stradbroke Island we headed for Archerfield and obtained a clearance to traverse their controlled airspace.

We passed to the west of the CBD and over the top of Indooroopilly Golf Course on our way to a scenic orbit over The Gap.

From there it was a gentle climb via Dayboro and the Glasshouse Mountains to Maleny and the Sunshine Coast hinterland.

We then descended towards Cooroy and on to Noosa Heads.

We passed Noosa and turned over the heads with a great view of Hells Gates.

Following the standard scenic coastal route now we headed down the coast past Mooroochydore and Mooloolaba.

Soon we were over Caloundra and heading for Bribie Island.

Soon we were approaching Redcliffe.

After a standard mid field cross wind entry we joined the circuit and finished with a soft touchdown on runway 07.

About 1h 40min all up. Thanks to John and Vonnie for the photos.

So this was what all the training was for. March 9, 2021 was the big day. It was finally time for my Commercial Pilot Licence practical test. After 12 months of theory study and 7 exams followed by 12 months of practical training that was interrupted by COVID-19, the day had arrived. My plans of reducing the stress in the morning by having the C182 VH-ROC fuelled up and ready to go the evening before were foiled by another member returning it from Roma after closing time. So I was out there at 7am to preflight and top up the fuel. Luckily the test examiner was running one hour late so it gave me some extra time to prepare.

I submitted my flight notification YBAF-YBOA-YKRY-YBSU-YRED and did some theory revision with the examiner before heading out to the aircraft. I asked for a transponder code and clearance direct to Boonah as we taxied out but once we were in the air it was clear from the amount of chatter on the radio that I wasn’t going to be cleared through Brisbane airspace. It was too busy. The cloud was down at 2500ft so there wasn’t much point anyway. This was VFR after all, so we had to stay clear of the clouds. So I switched on the autopilot and climbed to 1500 on heading 220 then near Petrie turned towards the TV Towers and climbed to 2000 as we approached Keperra and The Gap. As we passed Archerfield Brisbane Centre asked whether I’d like a clearance through Amberley airspace so I responded “yes if possible” and they handed me over to Amberley Clearance Delivery who rapidly gave me my clearance direct to Boonah at 2000ft. Dodging around Flinders Peak we started descending into Boonah and did a circuit and approached for a short field landing but the examiner said “there are kangaroos on the runway – go around” so we did, and set off in the direction of Kingaroy. Of course there weren’t really any kangaroos, he just didn’t want to stop at Boonah and wanted to see how I handled an emergency go around.

On the way to Gatton we did a practice forced landing without power and then after reaching Lake Wivenhoe the examiner instructed me to do a diversion towards Gympie. I climbed to just under the clouds and we did some steep turns and stalls over Lake Somerset, then some limited panel work wearing “the hood” as we made our way north. A lost procedure was conducted over Kenilworth and then we headed back to Redcliffe for a couple of circuits with one normal landing and one short field.

It was 2.6 hours of flying all up in less than ideal conditions. And the result? A pass. Time to celebrate!

I’d have to say thanks to the whole RAC team for the training over the past 12 months but especially Mal for constructing a tailor-made syllabus for me, Stephen White for helping me to lose my fear of the wing drop stall and Mark for his professionalism and patience while showing me how to polish up the gamut of aviator skills to CPL level. And also thanks to examiner Tim Holland who put me at ease during the test so I could concentrate on the job at hand.

Some take homes were: 8 hours bottle to throttle doesn’t really mean that. It’s 8 hours before commencing any safety sensitive aviation activities (which includes anything airside and flight planning), use rudder more in general and remember to balance those steep turns, use the VTC whenever possible rather than the VNC (more detail when you’re trying to work out where you are) and always notify ATC after making a diversion from your planned route (no search and rescue pilots should have to risk their lives looking for someone who’s gone missing in the wrong location). I highly recommend CPL training to any PPL holder who would like to rid themselves of any bad habits they may have acquired over the years and lift their skills back up to PPL test level and beyond, to achieve a much higher level of competency.

Boonah – Kingaroy – Sunshine Coast – precautionary search – lost procedure – FLWOP

On March 5, 2021 I had an opportunity to do a pretest exercise. It was another cross country practice in ROC, once again accompanied by Brett. This time was different however. The testing examiner had given me the route we’d use for the test the following week so I decided to make as much use as possible of this critical piece of intel by flying the route beforehand. I planned direct from Redcliffe to Boonah at 4500 via Brisbane and Amberley controlled airspace and before starting up I called the Air Services shift manager to give him a heads up and ask whether we’d get a clearance. He said it may be possible, so I asked for a transponder code from Brisbane Centre while we taxied and then took off and lo and behold, pretty well immediately obtained our clearance and climbed to 4500. We could track direct for Boonah as we had our clearance, first passing over Keperra with a great view of the CBD.

Next we were over The Gap with a great view of the dam.

This was all going pretty well so we settled into a smooth flight past Archerfield and into Amberley airspace.

Brisbane Centre handed us over to Amberley who guided us past Flinders Peak and on towards Boonah.

From top of descent we descended to circuit height and carried out a precautionary search and landing on RWY04 at Boonah. First pass at 500ft AGL, second at 200ft, third at 100ft then a short field landing. After a short break I did a short field takeoff and headed for Kingaroy, obtaining a clearance from Amberley Clearance Delivery to climb to 6500ft through their airspace.

We passed over Laidley and the Ripcord airstrip, and passed the Cressbrook Reservoir where we had to descend to 4500ft to avoid clouds and on past Tarong power station and into Kingaroy for a glide approach on RWY16. I did a full stop and we climbed out and stretched our legs.

Starting up again we did another circuit and another glide approach then took off again and set a heading of 080 towards the Sunshine Coast. After 10 minutes Brett had me turn onto a heading of 028 for 8 minutes then did a lost procedure. Turns out we were over Gallangowan. I then replanned direct to Sunshine Coast passing overhead Manumbar, Brooloo and Kenilworth Bluff. Amazing lush green country around there.

Approaching the Sunshine Coast we had to do two orbits over Bli Bli while we waited for various aircraft to land and take off, then we joined final as a Jetstar took off in front of us and a short field landing with full stop.

ATC instructed us to do a Stop and Go landing to avoid the wake turbulence of the jet. So after touching down, ever so gently, we stopped and sat on the runway for about 4 minutes, waiting for the wake turbulence to settle and were then cleared to take off and head to Redcliffe. Over Bribie we did some steep turns and stalls then a practice forced landing without power at Hazelton, finishing with a flapless landing at Redcliffe. Lovely day for it.

Wondai – Bribie Island – FLWOP – steep turns – stalls – dead reckoning

The CPL training continued on February 27, 2021. As they say, practice makes perfect, so I was off on another cross country flight in ROC, accompanied by Brett, fellow Cirrus pilot, who for once agreed to fly in an aircraft that doesn’t have its own air frame parachute. The first leg was a dead reckoning one from Redcliffe to Linville, originally planned for 4500ft but limited to 3000ft by scattered friendly cumulus cloud. There was a 6 knot cross wind from the right (don’t you love a G1000?) so I changed our heading by 3 degrees to the right and it brought us right over the top. After an orbit over the town we were off on another dead reckoning leg to a place called “Boomtown” near the Bunya mountains where OzRunways allege there’s an airstrip, so we tried to find it. There had been no strip showing on Google Earth so I was interested to see whether we could find anything in real life. Passing over Blackbutt we were on track and on schedule and we arrived over the airstrip location on time but there was no airstrip to be seen. Deciding it was all a ploy by OzRunways to check whether other app creators were copying their database we headed north on a further dead reckoning leg to Wondai, flying to the west of Kingaroy, listening out for traffic on the approach as someone did circuits there.

At Wondai we did a couple of short field landings and takeoffs then did a full stop landing for a short break to chat with one of the locals and sign the visitors’ book.

After about 20 minutes we took off again and I did three practice glide approaches with touch and go landings, while contending with an RAAus pilot who was doing circuits and refused to respond to my radio calls. The first two approaches were a bit high and steep but we landed smoothly nevertheless. The third approach was pretty much textbook. Next was a final dead reckoning leg to Jimna, initially at 3000ft to remain under the clouds but as the ground rose to meet us we climbed to 3500ft to remain 1000ft above ground level while remaining clear of cloud. Once again there was a slight heading correction for cross wind and we arrived over Jimna right on time. Originally I’d planned some steep turns overhead but the clouds limited our height above ground so we headed for Bribie Island via the Kilcoy Gap to avoid the tiger country and hills, practising a FLWOP near Woodford. There was quite a bit of traffic around Bribie but I managed a few good steep turns before heading back to Redcliffe and a flapless landing. A good bit of practice on a lovely morning.

On February 22, 2021 I continued my CPL training with more air work as I progressed towards the CPL test. An instructor and I flew up to Bribie Island for a series of steep turns (60deg bank) then stalls (clean, approach configuration and wing drop) at 3500ft. Definitely improving but still not quite up to CPL standard 100% of the time.

Then it was off to the Sunshine Coast that was sooooo busy. We had to orbit over Caloundra for almost 15 minutes waiting for a clearance and then extend downwind on the new RWY 13 nearly all the way to Mt Cooroy while a 737 landed and another took off. Eventually we were cleared to land and could taxi to the western apron.

After a short break we taxied back out to RWY13 for departure at 1500 ft for Redcliffe via Hazelton for a few practice forced landings without power. These involved pulling the throttle to idle at 2500ft then gliding at best glide speed, going through emergency checks and shutdown procedure, and establishing ourselves on short final on the grass strip, then putting power back on at 500ft and climbing away. They went fairly well but I did pick up a few more hints for fine tuning the approach from Mark, my instructor.

There was so much traffic out. Must have been the good weather. Even at Redcliffe we had four in the circuit when we arrived back.

Watts Bridge – Brisbane River – Mary River

Sunday February 21, 2021 was another perfect flying day. It was time for the monthly breakfast at Watts Bridge Memorial Airfield and I wanted some more practice for my CPL test so I gathered up a crew and we headed out to Redcliffe and were soon taking off in the ROC, heading west over Dayboro and Lake Samsonvale, then over the hills to Lake Somerset. In 15 minutes we were on the ground and having breakfast with fellow aviators.

After a feed of bacon and eggs, and a cup of tea we wandered up and down the line inspecting the various aircraft.

There was a large variety of planes as usual, including some biplanes. We watched as one was hand cranked by someone who was skilled in the art.

Then it was time to depart again, this time to the north, following the Brisbane River (which meanders its way around Watts Bridge) to its source. The upper reaches are not easy to pick so it was a useful navigation exercise with my crew assisting with spotting duties. Eventually we exhausted the Brisbane River and flew over the hills to the Mary Valley and its lush green pastures.

From there it wasn’t far to Maleny and the rolling hills of the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, with the coast in the distance.

We carried on over the Glasshouse Mountains and were soon back at Redcliffe. This really is a great area to fly around.

On February 16, 2021 I continued the preparation for my CPL test with a cross country (nav) exercise in VH ROC. We started with a dead reckoning leg (using compass, watch and map) from Redcliffe out to Eskdale homestead where we did some steep turns. Next there was more dead reckoning to Nanango with a precautionary search and 500ft and 200ft overfly. Then I donned the hood and flew on instruments for 12 minutes and carried out a lost procedure over Blackbutt. That was followed by a diversion to Kilcoy and on to the Glasshouse Mountains and Bribie Island for more steep turns and some stalls just below the clouds. Finally I did a couple of glide approaches into Redcliffe. Just under 3 hours in the air. Quite a challenge but it all went well.

February 12, 2021 was a mild summer day. More like autumn really. A good excuse for a flight to Boonah. I’d never landed there before but knew it was likely to be on the route for my CPL (Commercial Pilot Licence) test in the coming weeks. Nestled in amongst the hills of the Scenic Rim, Boonah is a beautiful spot. It’s home to a few light aircraft and gliders. I took off from Redcliffe and flew to the west of Brisbane, “threading the needle” between the Brisbane airspace, Archerfield airspace and Amberley airspace. I knew that one of the other club students had recently failed her CPL test because she almost inadvertently flew into Amberley airspace without a clearance so I wanted to make sure I knew all the visual cues to help me avoid making the same mistake. Flinders Peak is one such landmark, so I identified that and stayed well clear of it.

I could then head straight for Boonah and enjoyed the rolling hills as I approached.

Boonah appeared, I joined downwind, did a 500ft overfly to check the condition of the strip and then did a second circuit and landed. Pulling off to one side I shut down and prepared for the next leg.

Taking off to the north west it was on to the Lockyer Valley and over the top of Gatton. Lake Wivenhoe appeared to be fairly dry for the time of year. February is nearing the end of the wet season in Brisbane so normally the lake, which is Brisbane’s largest water storage facility, should have more water in it.

Soon we passed over Esk and I was pleased to see the water level in Lake Somerset was reasonably high. We needed more summer rains but the country was still looking pretty amazing.

From there it was short hop back to Redcliffe. Good practice for the upcoming test.