Great Aussie Air Race 2006
Flight Reports with Comments
Legs 13-16
Newest pireps on top
Sector
16
052,
16, Spartan, 78, Trouble finding the strip and ran well over my target time.
Bugger!
003,
16, D.H.104 Dove , 80, Having lost one axis on the
joystick, I switched aileron control over to the rudders. Not a recommended
mode of operation.
162,
16, DC-3, 93, Dep rwy 32,
Alt 4,500 ft, Arr rwy 32
with crosswind entry to traffic pattern.
176, 16, DC3, 99, 18 kt headwind
all the way.
040,
16, P-38 Lightning, 52, Sure put a field in the middle of nowhere and then put
a low hanging cloud over that. Had to
fly by twice to see it, but I am in safe and sound. Out of YBOU via 32 and up
to 7500 for the cruise. Arrived via the 2 pass pattern into 32 and on the dirt.
154,
16, C-195, 107, This has got to be the hardest airport
I have ever flown into. It took me two go arrounds
before I landed. Who lives here anyway?
Talking about middle of no where, this is it, but still had fun.
032,
16, B-25J, 62, Had headwind but it was steady from the west at 16 so flying
without navaids most of the trip was no problem,
located YJVS with no problems after crossing NDB, landed rwy
32.
049, 16, de Havilland DHC-3 Otter,
89, Fuel, 455 lbs 3-1-06 1240 hrs.
160,
16, dh dove, 82, YJVS is difficult to see!!!!!!
135,
16, DOVE, 80, Using VOZ Scenery I cannot find an airfield. I landed 3 miles (ish) NNW (ish) of NDB. I don't
know if this counts, but, I did not crash. The thing is can I take off tomorrow
030, 16, DHC-2, 115, HO Humm
flight and strip. Looks like one TMC
might use?
004,
16, Cessna 310, 58, Had to refly
this route after failing to write down my time before I turned the avionics
off. Not much out here. I saw some small bumps in the terrain to the west while
landing. Maybe things will change soon and there'll actually be something to
look at.
145,
16, de Havilland DH-104 Dove, 83, our eagle-eyed navigatrix saw the rwy already
from distance of 20 nm! The kettle is still snoring!
124,
16, Douglas DC-3, 88, Departed YBOU rwy 19, cruising
at 4500ft, straight in approach for YJVS rwy 32 -
heavy crosswinds en route
007,
16, Douglas DC3, 91, Weather correct for this sector. Pity there is only four
more...
127,
16, Beech Twin Bonanza, 87, Only field I recce'd
before the Rally!...had to circle twice before I
finally spotted it.
143,
16, DC-3, 97, Approach worked good but seemed to fly a long way without radios.
001,
16, DC-3, 93, 155gal Viz unlimited!
NOT! Made it down using the last
half of the runway
039, 16, DC-3, 127, Up to 2000 listening for JVS. Wasn't to far off when I head it.
Dang air strip was a dickens to find.
166,
16, DC3, 81, Just as well I arrived early.
I needed the extra time to fly round and round and round looking for a
well-watered rectangular patch of grass in the desert.
014,
16, dc3, 80, NOT SURE MAY HAVE SUBMITTED ALREADY ?????
062,
16, de Havilland D.H.104 Dove, 76, correction in case
of double entry of flight time for this sector020, 16, DC-3, 90,
077, 16, DHC-3 OTTER, 102, Easier to see airstrip with VOZ
installed. Thought I'd arrived early but
pleased to find I was spot-on after taxiing to the concrete - makes a change,
usually the other way round.
038,
16, DC-3, 98, Some stiff head wind! And
no Navaids for long period. Well, it's
109,
16, dc3, 93, Do not try to find this runway with a setting sun:)
103,
16, Spartan Executive 7W, 77, Wow! The airfield was indeed very tricky to
locate. Took me three passes to make sure I had found it. :)
052,
16, Spartan, 78, Wow! Difficult to see,
that was one hell of an understatment. Thought I was landing in a paddock!
014,
16, dc3, 62, YJVS-YBAS worst weather of the Rally made worst by running out of
Daylight, landed at YBAS using ILS to locate the runway due to poor
conditions.
161,
16, DC-3, 94, Head wind all the way drove me north of course a few miles.
Landed rwy 32 1st approach. this place is just an stain in the landscape (in fs9 that
is). Im sure its an ok place to be
???
084,
16, Lockheed Vega 5C, 111, "YJVS is hard to see" - no kidding!
018,
16, Curtiss C46, 81, Talk about a hidden runway. A
bunch of Kangas made it look like a field convention.
Flew over three times before I properly lined up and realized I was looking at
a runway. Really screwed the times on this one.
170,
16, Douglas DC3, 89, Climbed away to the left and quickly reached 4500 feet
with the BOU NDB astern. Wind drift
calculation was better this time and I picked up the Jervois
NDB almost right ahead. Crossed into new time zone here (9 1/2) so needed to be aware of
that. Hard to
spot the runway, especially in VOZ but got down ok.
033,
16, Aero Commander 500, 74, Both airports were clear
with a few clouds in the sky. Flew about half the flight with
no navaids being received. Just dialed the AC
in for wind drift and held on until the JVS NDB went active. Jervois was hard to find. Even with VOZ scenery it was
still difficult.
151,
16, B-25J Mitchell, 77, That runway was sure hard to
spot!
023,
16, DC3, 90, Flew in MP mode with 027.
017,
16, GA Monospar ST-10, 135, Got to Jervois early to make sure of finding it. Wind was 194deg @
8kts so flew a procedural turn for runway 14. Unfortunately there was a cloud
(well more of a very local fogbank) sat 1/4 mile short of the threshold, so I
gave up after one (scarey) attempt, and accepted the
tailwind approach. The impending prospect crossing the hills around YBAS in an overcast is depressing, but where did the rain come
from?
042,
16, Harvard MkIV, 91, Hardest sector yet. No intermediate timing points make it very
interesting. Used
weather to adjust IAS. Hopefully
figured it correctly! Then finding and
landing at YJVS is the cherry on the
165,
16, DC3, 85, Cranked up IAS to compensate for 15 kt
wind on port quarter, but still not enough. Tricky NDB appr!
Landed rwy 14.
031,
16, DC-3, 97, Jervois airfiled
was first not so easy to find.Then all OK
092,
16, DC3, 100, A ton of acerage visible today was
nothing but barren desert.
130,
16, DC-3, 86, Had to compensate for a 18 kt. headwind at 6500.
140,
16, F9F-5 Panther, 46, Thanks goodnes Wallace & Gromet were
in the pattern or i would not have found it....Maybe
the beer is carching up with me...maybe the sun
burning through the canopy...and when the rains come the burn areas will grow
back even greener!!
150,
16, Douglas DC-3, 113, I think I must have had too much amber fliud last night, I was falling asleep during the flight.
Excellent instructions Bill, flew straight in (best landing so far). I wonder
how many pilots dosed off flying in this type of country. Endless
miles of nothing.
094,
16, DC-3, 101, "YJVS is difficult to see...". Can't argue with that.
029,
16, MARTIN B 26, 74, this airstrip was hard to see it blends in with the
terrain
050,
16, DC-3, 102, Weather w/ATC
----------------------
Sector
15
135,
15, dove, 69, Oops for got the elevation of the airport and had to execute a
pretty nifty go around
004, 15,
Cessna 310, 48, Not sure how this time will come out. This is the first time
I've had a tailwind to contend with. Nice dawn flight. Stayed at 8000 til about
50nm
out and began a slow decent to the airport. Gonna refuel here.
23, 15, XP-72, 48, Rough landing due to an inadvertent bump
of the landing gear lever after a bounce.
Damage minor. Should be no problem
to continue.
061,
15, VEGA 5B, 84, Arrived at Boulia with a landing
bounce. Not many navaids
on this sector. Still
in one piece.
4, 15,
C-195, 120, Well, finely, a beautiful day for flying in this country, only a
few clouds, and they were gone long before I found the airport.
049,
15, de Havilland DHC-3 Otter, 77, Fuel 312 lbs.
160,
15, dh dove, 71, Wow
- My whole world has changed colour, gone all
red!
162,
15, DC-3, 75, Dep rwy 32,
Alt 4,500 ft, Arr rwy 32
with right base entry pattern.
79, 15,
Douglas DC-3, 85, Calculated the flight time a bit wrong and started my descent
to late. When I saw the runway I was way to high and had
to do an extra turn for approx. 5 minutes in order to get the approach correct.
032,
15, B-25J, 53, had to keep an eye on the winds cause I was 30 minutes into the
flight when I picked up the NDB at YBOU, did a right base and landed rwy 32.
007,
15, Douglas DC3, 80, Weather this leg very nearly right! Complex
river systems in this area. Wierd.
166,
15, DC3, 72, Winds at 4500' were a bit turbulent half way over. Wow, look at those red dusty plains!
Congratulations VOZ scenery - looks great!
124, 15, Douglas DC-3, 78, Departure YWTN rwy 32, cruising at 4500ft with heavy cross- or frontwinds. Straight in approach to YBOU rwy 32.
2, 15, pby catalina,
103, nice sunday morning flight, still quiet in the
sky. Where are the others on WestCoast ATC?
040, 15, P-38 Lightning, 42, Out of YWTN via 32 and up to
7500' for the cruise. Still looking for that big
rock. Arrived into YBOU via 32
and over to parking. Guess Ill kick back
here for a couple and let you all catch up.
LOL Cya in the air!!!!
143,
15, DC-3, 82, 20 kt headwind
052,
15, Spartan, 62, What a load of nuthin'!
Those Royal Flying Doctor pilots sure earn their money. Imaging finding a
station strip out here.
001,
15, DC-3, 82, 134gal
039,
15, DC-3, 88, Flew at 1500.
054,
15, Globe Swift, 78, Slight x-ing head wind
033, 15, Aero Commander 500, 68, Few clouds here and there. Cross wind helped
keep the ground speed down around where it needed to be. Had a hard time finding the
runway in the VOZ scenery. Landed
long again...
048,
15, DC3, , (no time for this report)
018,
15, Curtiss C46, 64, will leave earlier on next leg,
had sun in my eyes the whole way
023,
15, DC3, 74, Flew in MP mode with 027.
170, 15, Douglas DC3, 71, Lovely flight despite the cloudy
weather. Good navigation and despite descending a
little early, made a good landing.
Approaching the edge of the red bull dust desrt
now as the landscape changes
031,
15, DC-3, 80, Nice flight with fair weather
165,
15, DC3, 71, Yet another head wind @ 15 kts. Was this planned?
042,
15, Harvard MkIV, 75, Again the VOZ scenery is very
effective. Going to
spend a day or so here. Check the
engine, lubricate the pilot, etc. Oh,
and check out the Min Min light!
105,
15, DH-89a, 98, Did this leg reeeel
low and kept away from the breezes. A very pleasant run to the Land of the Min Min
Light.
092,
15, DC3, 91, I wonder if I was flying with the Gear down in cruise for a little
bit!
044,
15, C-45 USAF, 75, Off course by 15 degrees when I
picked up the NDB
050,
15, DC-3, 99, Weather w/ATC
--------------------
Sector
14
166, 14, DC3, 60, No issues, comfortable flight.
032, 14, B-25J, 44, straight-in approach to rwy 32.
154,
14, C-195, 99, Total Fuel used: 7.2gal
052, 14,
Spartan, 53, Tail wind made for an easy flight.
Winton is an odd field, bit narrow and lucky the crosswind was light
162,
14, DC-3, 63, Dep rwy 01,
Alt 4,500 ft, Arr rwy 32
with downwind entry pattern.
040, 14, P-38 Lightning, 36, Out of YBAR via 19 and up to
7500'.
Bit of a bumpy ride with a headwind to LRE then better. Arrived straight in via 32
to YWTN.
049,
14, de Havilland DHC-3 Otter, 64, fuel 310 lbs
117,
14, Spartan Executive 7W, 53, Took wind RW 23 at Winton which blends so well
with the surrounding landscape that I couldnt see it
till almost over the airport. Vista Oz realism factor gets a
thumbs up from me.
061,
14, VEGA 5B, 68, Fairly uneventful trip scenically
dead. Made a straight in on 32 on about
a two mile final but still a little late, just managed to stop before threshold
markers of 14.
007,
14, Douglas DC, 65, Weather file couldn't be more wrong. Still raining at Barcaldine this morning and heavy cloud 8/8ths. Wind
direction at Winton was 342 degrees @4knts, but the Viz
was correct.
166,
14, DC3, 60, Thanks to VOZ the scenery is starting to turn red. Noticed that ground temperatures are only 25C
compared to high 30's (90's)and thunderstorms in real
life.
124,
14, Douglas DC-3, 65, YBAR rwy 19, cruise at 4500ft,
straight in approach to YWTN rwy 32 - Good exercice to practice on time schedule with all those
tailwinds!
024,
14, DC3, 65, Flight Time Over:LRE26. landed RW23Turf
039,
14, DC-3, 70, Flew at 1500.
001, 14, DC-3, 63, 106 gal. Couldn't find grass
runway 5 so landed on another stretch of grass near the far end of rw 32
033, 14, Aero Commander 500, 50, Nice clear sky. Good tail wind. Too good. Made excellent time. Landed a little long on the
runway.
018,
14, Curtiss C46, 47, Ground fog the whole way made
for a very interesting attempted landing. Almost overshot the
runway. Good thing there is lots of smooth grass on the other end.
023,
14, DC3, 62, Do not think that I submitted this one... flew in MP mode with
027.
054,
14, Globe Swift, 58, Shifting winds
170, 14, Douglas DC3, 56, Climbibg
turn back over the airport to head off westbound. Good visual of the
main route 66 highway despite the somewhat heavy cloud at 4500 feet. Weather good enough for a
visual landing into runway 32 at Winton.
Good timing this time I think!
017, 14,
165,
14, DC3, 60, Wind on rear quarter now.
013,
14, DC-3, 79, Flew several sectors ahead of time. I will be out of town for 5
days in real life and didnt want to mess up.
010,
14, Douglas DC-3, 50, I am never gonna catch up if
this headwind keeps up like this!
150, 14,
Douglas DC-3, 69, Landings are getting better...This is a desolate country out
here.
050,
14, DC-3, 72, Weather w/ATC
-----------------------
Sector
13
107,
13, ac500, 64,
052,
13, Spartan, 56, Smooth flight 17 knt
headwind that swung around and dropped to 1 knt on
landing.
032,
13, B-25J, 48, had to keep the power up most of the trip due to stiff
headwinds.
039,
13, DC-3, 86, DP RWY 6, flew @1500. Decided to climb to 3000 in hopes of finding YAPH. Thought I saw it, did a 180 to double check,
found it and continued on.
160,
13, DH Dove, 62, A difficult leg, never even saw YAPH,
but fortunatly picked up BAR NDB in enough time to
find the destination. Changing winds at YBAR forced a lumpy landing on the
grass of r'way 32
166, 13,
DC3, 60, A bit difficult flying VFR when there's virtually no ground reference
to steer by. A bit
unnerving when EML NDB signal dropped out. However BAR NDB came on later and we were
still on track.
001,
13, DC-3, 67, 115 gal
004,
13, Cessna 310, 42, Winds were 100@22kts and clouds scattered at 6000. Good
weather all the way. Cruised at 8000 until about 50nm out then made a smooth
decent to rwy 1.
162,
13, DC-3, 74, Dep rwy 06,
Alt 6,500 ft, Arr rwy 01
with downwind entry to right hand traffic pattern.
049,
13, de Havilland DHC-3 Otter, 68, fuel 356 lbs.
124,
13, Douglas DC-3, 71, Departure YEML rwy 33, cruise
altitude 4500ft, straight in approach and short field landing YBAR rwy 32
033, 13, Aero Commander 500, 61, Nice clear flight. Followed
the road/power lines out of Alpha to Barcaldine. Landed 01.
154,
13, C-195, 115, Wow, what a flight, clouds everywhere and the celing was almost 0 at YBAR, did not see the RW until I was
right on it and then had to fly around again to get the RW in site so I could
land. Was a good landing, well a couple
of bounces but at least I walked away. That was IFR if I ever saw it. Guess it
will get worse along the way. This has been a lot of fun and I like others
don't care what place I come in, I'm just haveing fun,
fun, fun.
119,
13, Beech D18S, 58, I've decided to use the ASV6 weather on these flights as
the FS weather is so boring. This
flight, I had some slight turbulence and great clouds and it made it so much
more realistic. If it changes the times,
it doesn't realy matter. I'm here for the enjoyment.
053,
13, DC-3, 64, A difficult sector to plan and execute because of significant
variability with the winds combined with the lack of Nav
aids to check position. Quite a challenge to get it right on
the 4th attempt.
024,
13, DC3, 72, Flight Time Over: YAPH39.
023,
13, DC3, 68, flew with 027....quiet flight.
003,
13, D.H.104 Dove , 67, Don't snooze in the cruise! Didn't pay enough attention to the headwinds on this one.
054, 13,
Globe Swift, 69, X-head wind
040, 13, P-38 Lightning, 35, Out of YEML via 15 and up to
7000' for the cruise. Kinda miss the
water now. Better visability though.
Arrived into YBAR via 32 and over to parking.
165,
13, DC3, 63, Still butting xwind @ 17 kts which fouls up GS calculations
170,
13, Douglas DC3, 73, Nice testing flight!
Use NDB over Emerald to depart and maintain track despite the
crosswinds. Enede
up north of Alpha but near enough to spot it from the air! Lowish visibility
landing into rwy 01 at YBAR - not the best but
comfortable enough!
018,
13, Curtiss C46, 54, New paint, Fresh coffee,
gorgeous weather. What more could we ask for.
031,
13, DC-3, 54, Nice flight and good weather
140,
13, F9F-5 Panther, 35, Well GOOSE time to buzz the tower.... wait a minute,I'm the only one in here,
better stay out of the pub,and turn in early.
010,
13, DC-3, 54, Drifted off slightly south of course before reaching YAPH. YBAR
was shrouded by clouds so I had to fly by it and then come down to it.
150, 13, Douglas DC-3, 79, Elevator now fixed. The Drift meter came in handy during this flight,
interesting wind changes. About 7-9 degrees drift.
050,
13, DC-3, 90, Weather w/ATC