On 1st May 2024 Garry Ayre and I decided to go flying again. At first we were going to attempt to reach Tyagarah after our failed attempt a few weeks previously but the wind wasn’t favourable for the strip there so we decided to go to Pittsworth instead. Garry hadn’t been there before and I’d only been during very early PPL training.
We took IVW and I flew out to Pittsworth with Garry flying back. Dee from the aeroclub told us that the bowser at YRED was under repair so asked whether we could refuel while we were gone so I checked that the bowser was working at Toowoomba and we agreed we’d stop there to refuel on our way back.
Taking off at about 10:30 we tracked direct to Esk where I’d recently completed a ride on the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail.
We also passed over Lake Wivenhoe and I noticed a couple of private airstrips I hadn’t seen before.
I’d planned to fly over the top of Toowoomba but we were flying just under the cloud at 3000ft and with the Toowoomba airfield at 2100ft elevation that was too low to have enough clearance to avoid circuit traffic so we skirted around the east of the escarpment and then south of the city before heading to Pittsworth.
There were quite a few aircraft flying in and out of Toowoomba and Wellcamp so we had to keep a good lookout. The AvTraffic app incorporated into OzRunways certainly helped our situational awareness.
Landing at Pittsworth we watched as a crop duster landed, refuelled, and then took off again.
We swapped seats and Garry flew the short hop into Toowoomba, passing Wellcamp on the way. Once again there were numerous aircraft in the vicinity.
After refuelling we checked out the aero club and had a chat to a couple of people then climbed back aboard YRE and took off over the city.
Retracing our steps we passed over Esk and Lake Wivenhoe again.
We had a great view of the Lacy’s Creek Valley as we descended towards Redcliffe.
We also passed over the Lakeside Raceway.
I think Pittsworth would make a good lunch time flyaway sometime in the future.
It was another pre-dawn ANZAC Day service at the Redcliffe Aero Club on 25th April 2024 followed by a first light departure for a dawn patrol in company with seven other aircraft. We flew over water to Noosa at 1000ft and returned at 1500. Perfect morning for it.
On Saturday 20th April 2024 Garry Ayre and I made the most of the perfect weather in the morning to fly to the monthly breakfast at Dunwich on North Stradbroke Island.
After topping up with fuel we departed at 7:30, crossing over to Moreton Island and flew past Tangalooma Resort.
There were numerous pilots on the Dunwich frequency announcing their intentions as they headed towards YDUN or joined the circuit. All were joining downwind for RWY15 as there was a strong southerly blowing. I decided to delay our arrival a bit by tracking to Point Lookout first. Garry hadn’t flown over it before and it would also allow us to enter the circuit mid downwind.
From Point Lookout we flew direct to YDUN and by the time we arrived all the other planes had landed or were on final. Joined downwind, turned base and then final and were buffeted a bit by the wind over the hills. Nevertheless it was a smoothish landing and we taxiied up to the parking area where a guide showed us where to park.
It was a great breakfast where we caught up with old friends and made some new ones.
After brekkie we watched a few other planes take off, including Mark and Phil Ware in Mark’s 182 NDP.
We took off again and headed south for a 10 minute hop to Heck Field near Jacobs Well.
It was my first time there and it was bit difficult to spot the strips at first but once we were only 3 miles out it became clear. We joined downwind for RWY10 ahead of a Sling that was doing circuits and made another smooth landing on the rather narrow sealed strip.
After a cup of tea and a chat to a few of the members we noticed some clouds were building up so Garry climbed into the left hand seat and we headed back to Redcliffe, taking off over Jacobs Well.
Now I was in the passenger seat so I had time to take photos. We headed direct to Target and crossed over the South Eastern Freeway.
Garry obtained a clearance from YBAF tower to fly direct to Walter Taylor Bridge and we passed over ANZ Stadium, Griffith Unit and had a good view of Archerfield airport.
From there it was the old route via TV Towers and Enoggera with a great view of the CBD and the inner northern suburbs.
We also had a great view of the bay as we descended into Redcliffe.
We landed and parked the plane just as the first few drops of rain fell. Perfect timing. Oh and it was a bit of a personal milestone for me, as I passed 1000 hours total flying time.
Thursday 11th April 2024 was one of those autumn days that are perfect for flying. Blue sky, no wind and about 27 degrees so not too hot. Garry Ayre and I decided to make the most of it and go flying. I’d planned to fly to Tyagarah near Byron Bay with a short stop in Kooralbyn on the way. Garry would then fly back via the coast.
We’d tried to book C172 IVW but it was booked out so we’d booked YRE instead. Also a G1000 glass cockpit and similar vintage to IVW so we thought it would do just as well. We wanted to get away early so they guys at the club had left the plane out on the line overnight and the paperwork was in the hangar so we could sign in and do our preflighting before they arrived at 8am. I met Garry at 7:15 and just on 8:00 I was taxiing to the bowser. We filled up and took off to the west, climbed to 1500ft and were soon passing the Pine Rivers Dam at Lake Samsonvale. It was overflowing after all the rain.
We could then climb to 2500 as we headed for Spring Mountain, passing Keperra and The Gap on the way.
I called up Archerfield Tower as we passed the TV Towers just to let them know we were staying clear of their controlled airspace. They seemed to appreciate the heads up and told us there was no other traffic in the area we were passing through. Nice.
We had a good view of the Brisbane River, the CBD and the bay as we passed over Kenmore then Pullenvale.
We skirted the eastern edge of the Amberley controlled airspace as we passed Spring Mountain, avoiding the Greenbank Firing Range restricted airspace to the east as well.
Another 15 minutes and we were arriving at Kooralbyn. The runway is nestled in between hills, so basically surrounded except to the east. As luck would have it, the wind was from the east, so I decided to land over the hills.
After checking out the windsock from 2500ft I descended to 1300 on the dead side and joined midfield crosswind for RWY12.
It’s a right hand circuit due to high terrain on the northern side. There are hills to the west as well of course so you can’t do a very wide turn onto base. As a result we were a bit high turning onto final and dived down to the threshold, passing over trees growing not too far from it. As I said to Garry, “we can always go around”. But it’s a 1200m runway so has plenty of length even if it’s only 10m wide.
We did a firm touchdown and backtracked to the apron.
After shutting down we strolled off to the reception of the golf resort to pay our $10 landing fee. We caught up a bit on the history of the place while we were there and inspected some of the facilities.
Knowing we had limited time to get to Tyagarah and back to Redcliffe we headed back to the aircraft and clambered aboard. That’s the problem arose. The engine wouldn’t start. The propeller turned about 30 degrees each time and then stopped dead. There was plenty of voltage in the battery so it wasn’t the problem. I climbed out and carefully rotate the prop a few times and then tried the starter again. No luck. After a few more attempts I decided to call the aeroclub. I was wondering whether anyone else had had this problem. I had noticed on the maintenance document that there had been a problem with the starter motor in March so it could have been connected with that. I spoke to Valerie, one of the instructors, and she didn’t know what the problem could be. She rang the maintenance people at AMS in Caloundra and the only advice they had was to wait 30 minutes and try again.
Another pilot landed in a Jabiru so we had a chat to him. He’d flown in from Heck Field for a coffee and told us we should fly there next time. Meanwhile he’d be happy to rotate the prop a few times for us if we try again. So, after 10 minutes I tried the engine again. There was some life there but not much better than before. Our new friend rotated it a couple more times and each time it spluttered a bit then stopped. We contemplated waiting a few hours for someone to come and get us from Redcliffe. Not appealing. I said to Garry “one more attempt then we can go and have a coffee”. I gave it one more turn of the ignition switch and this time it worked! The engine started. We were off!
Waving to our new friend Garry and I agreed we’d fly straight back to Redcliffe and go to Tyagarah another day. I phoned the club and told them we were heading back. Lining up on RWY12 we heard another plane 10 miles out heading for Kooralbyn.
Climbing out we turned left and headed back to Spring Mountain at 3000ft. I called up Brisbane Centre and advised of our change in flight plan and asked for a new SARTIME at Redcliffe.
Passing Archerfield we called up the tower again and they advised us of traffic in the opposite direction heading past the TV Towers. We spotted them then carried on towards Samford. Noticing another aircraft flying across our path on our iPads, we kept a good lookout and I changed our heading a bit west, so we were heading over the western part of the Samford Valley. Once we’d spotted the other plane and he’d passed us I turned towards Redcliffe.
Touching down a bit earlier than we’d planned we parked YRE then headed into the clubhouse to discuss our troubles with the starter. One of the other instructors was there and when we mentioned we’d had problems starting he asked “Were you in YRE?” Yes we were. “Oh that’s just a problem with the ignition key. You have to push it in as you turn it as there’s a poor connection”. What? Why didn’t anyone else tell us that. Or maybe write it up on the dispatch sheet? Poor communication had meant we only did half of what we’d planned and Garry didn’t get to fly at all. But hey, you get that.
It had been an excellent morning and I’d practised my tricky landing at Kooralbyn so it wasn’t that bad. We’d try for Tyagarah another day.
Wings dinner – Club open day – Stanthorpe flyaway – Adels Grove flyaway Part 2 – How I landed my first job – Camping under the wing – Bob Hoover RIP – Kooralbyn flyaway – Restricted areas can catch you out
Anzac Day dawn service and patrol – Remote piloted aircraft – St Maarten in the Carribean – Mountain flying in New Zealand – A lifetime of aviation – One way to cut the cost of flying – A trip to 1770 – The multi crew environment
Jimbour opera – The Bahamas by 172 – Tailwheel endorsements – Stanthorpe flyaway – Where are they now? – Our new sim – Avalon vs Paris – Evans Head flyaway – Double Bonanza – Mount Gambier aero club
Oshkosh – Outback and gulf safari – Under pressure – Red centre odyssey – Four miles up in a 182 – PIFR theory to practice – A visit to a Cirrus factory – Stanthorpe pilgrimage
Cirrus pilot proficiency program – Amberley restricted airspace – Grand Canyon and Oshkosh – Wings dinner – Total GPS failure – Test anxiety – One long table – Night circuits under the IFR – Hunter Valley airventure – Club open day – Children of the magenta beware!
50th Anniversary issue – RAC moments – The accidental theory specialist – A day at Amberley – Avalon Airshow – The great beer lift – The ski’s the limit – Outback air race – Life of a VET student – Winter weather – Childers flyaway – Memories of RAC – RPA operations
This tiger flies like an angel – Are you really that good? – Wings Dinner Awards – Cirrus life – Fright VFR – Lifting the lid on Bernoulli – We did return – RTO roundup – A dusty diamond part 2 – Instructor intro – Master the 5p’s – Learning to fly at RAC – Curly’s corner
Friday the 15th March 2024 was a bit of a windy day. Garry Ayre and I had decided to fly to Orchid Beach on Fraser Island / K’gari as I’d been wanting to go there for a long time but the strip is too short for a Cirrus. Garry with his newly minted PPL is keen to get to know a few more airstrips around SE Queensland and despite being a local had never been to K’gari before – ever. Now I’m back to flying in the 172 the opportunity arose so we grabbed it.
I flew the outbound leg so I would have the challenge of landing at Orchid Beach on a short-ish strip in fairly windy conditions. Taking off from Redcliffe we crossed Bribie Island and breezed past the Sunshine Coast and Noosa. Tracking up the Cooloola Coast we were soon at Double Island Point and passed Rainbow Beach before crossing to K’gari. It took about another 20 minutes from there up the eastern coast of the island before we reached Orchid Beach. We only saw one other aircraft on the way. It looked like a sight seeing aircraft as it landed on the beach below us just near Ely Creek.
We were flying at about 2000ft to avoid a ceiling of stratocumulus cloud at about 2500ft so couldn’t see that far ahead. Coming around the final headland the airstrip at Orchid Beach appeared before us like a big green paddock right next to the beach.
Now my dad flew into Orchid Beach a few times in the 1970s and had told me that the strip they used at the time had fallen into the sea long ago due to coastal erosion. The current strip was built sometime later I suppose.
There was a strong and gusty south easterly blowing so it was sort of parallel to the 13/31 airstrip but as we watched the windsocks they were definitely moving around with a westerly component at the northern end. Ah well there was nothing else for it but to give it a try and if it was too wild we could just “go around”. First I set up for a 500ft overfly however, to have a bit of a look at the strip, check its length and scare away any prowling dingoes. As we approached the strip from the north at 500ft the turbulence was pretty impressive and Garry mentioned something about a “washing machine”. The windsock was dancing around quite a bit as we flew overhead.
Climbing out again to 1000ft it was also fairly turbulent so we agreed that even though I’d give it a go if I felt at all uneasy I’d put the power on and we’d climb back out again. Our plan B was to go to Maryborough for a coffee instead.
Coming around on base leg for RWY13 the turbulence seemed a bit less and the windsock was remaining fairly stable and parallel to the strip. I turned onto final and descended. At about 300ft we got more of the turbulence we’d had on the first approach and the crosswind component increased as the windsock danced up and down. I could feel the tension rise, but hey it wasn’t any worse than some of the cross wind days at Redcliffe. The gusty nature of the wind meant that my airspeed was not very stable. For a short field landing I had been originally aiming at 61 knots but with the airspeed varying +/- 5knots I decided 65 knots was a reasonable average to aim for. Applying power and dropping it back again I held it within the 60-70 range as we flared, maybe a bit too much and then lowered again and finally touched down with a firm but not too firm landing. We still had a way to go to the parking area so the strip was certainly long enough. It had just been a bit awkward. But it’s important to practise these skills every now and then and that’s exactly what we’d come for so a big tick there. I felt suitably proud of my achievement. I cancelled my sartime and we locked IVW before exiting the parking area.
The airstrip is located next to the general store, cafe and bar/restaurant so ideal for lunch or a coffee. Garry and I headed over, paid our $30 landing fee and ordered a coffee each. And surprisingly good coffee it was too! There’s a deck that looks out to the airstrip and the ocean and a beer garden up the other end. The shop is well stocked and the bottle shop prices aren’t really much more expensive than in the city. All in all a very nice little joint.
Over coffee we discussed the trip back. Garry would take off and fly the leg to Maryborough, passing over Hervey Bay on the way. We’d land at Maryborough for a short break and then head back to Redcliffe via the Sunshine Coast hinterland. On the way out to the strip we agreed on a go/nogo point being the windsock near the parking area. The grass was fairly short but it was a bit bumpy so we couldn’t tell how fast we’d accelerate. We decided that if we hadn’t reached rotate speed by the windsock he’d abort the takeoff and try again.
We backtracked to the very start of RWY13 and had a good view of the airstrip.
There were only some fairly low bushy trees at the far end but there was a bit of a hill. The highest point was straight ahead and we could head to the right a bit to avoid it if need be. But we’d done our calculations for take off distances and knew that it should be fine. There was about 10 knots of headwind too that should decrease our distance further still.
Garry put his feet on the brakes and applied full power. The tacho showed maximum RPM and the crosswind seemed to have died away – we were ready to go. Releasing the brakes IVW started to accelerate down the strip. There were a few undulations so we were up and down a bit and each time we went down it slowed us down a bit so we accelerated more slowly than normal. Even so, we were approaching rotate speed well before the windsock go/nogo marker. Garry rotated and we lifted off slightly, then held in ground effect to increase our speed further and then climbed out well before the end of the strip. We were up!
Climbing out we were hit by the gusty crosswinds again and were thrown around a bit as we turned left and headed out over the sea, then climbed and turned further, departing to the south west overhead the airstrip. It was easy navigation down the coast towards Hervey Bay but I put a “direct to” Maryborough in the GPS just to make use of it.
Approaching Hervey Bay another aircraft advised he was taking off and heading for Lady Elliot Island. Garry mentioned we were about to overfly Hervey Bay at 2000ft so the other pilot agreed to fly no higher than 1500ft until he’d passed underneath us. We kept a good lookout for him as we flew closer but didn’t actually see him until he’d pass in front and below us. We told him we had him sighted and he could start his climb for his flight out to the island.
It was only another 10 or 15 minutes to Maryborough. Garry decided to do a straight in approach on RWY17. A Sling2 from Caloundra was also heading for Maryborough but he was a bit closer to us so he landed and was taxiing into the parking area as we were on final. There was a bit of a crosswind again but not as gusty as it’d been at Orchid Beach.
It was a good landing and we taxied to the parking area for a short “pit stop”. Climbing back in again 10 minutes later we backtracked on RWY17 and then departed to the south passing over the Mary River and the Maryborough CBD.
We passed over some lush green country as we tracked towards Borumba Reservoir in the Sunshine Coast hinterland.
This reservoir will be used for pumped hydro in the future and Queensland Hydro will build a new dam to hold water higher up in the surrounding hills.
From there we tracked straight for Redcliffe, descending to 2500 ft to stay below the clouds. I told Garry he needs to get his instrument rating so he can fly through the clouds and doesn’t have to stay below them. First though he has to do the CSU endorsement so he can fly the Cessna 182 that is a bit faster than the 172.
After passing Maleny and the Glasshouse Mountains we were descending into Redcliffe.
There was a raging 15 knot crosswind at Redcliffe so sensibly, after one bounce, Garry did a go around on his first attempt to land. We came around for the second attempt and he put it down nice and firmly. A Lufthansa pilot would be proud.
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