Flying Memories – Chapter 10 (the final chapter)

WA trip in VH-MWL with Liz. As I reach the end of this record of my flying memories I want to record in some detail an account of at least one trip that I remember as being simply a great trip in an aeroplane. There were of course many candidates. But a standout trip was … Continue reading Flying Memories – Chapter 10 (the final chapter)

Flying Memories – Chapter 9 (of 10)

Near miss when two aircraft cleared for collision course in controlled airspace between Westgate Bridge and Essendon Airport on 18 February 1996. I was pilot in command of a Twin Comanche registered VH-TPS, flying from Hamilton to Essendon after completing the Ansett 60th Anniversary Air Race in early 1996. At the time I held a … Continue reading Flying Memories – Chapter 9 (of 10)

Flying Memories – Chapter 8 (of 10)

Chapter 8 contains my memories of the following events: a charter flight to a station on the Diamantina River, a late-night flight in moonlight above cloud over Adelaide, encounter with a lee wave over the snow fields of NSW in mid-winter, an aerial tour of the Great Ocean Road shortly after Ash Wednesday, flying shark … Continue reading Flying Memories – Chapter 8 (of 10)

Flying Memories – Chapter 7 (of 10)

In this chapter I recall: a former flying student of mine who became a QANTAS captain, a potentially fatal error made by an overconfident trainee commercial pilot, surfing a 3,500 foot wave over Bass Strait in a single engine aircraft with power set at idle, a near mid-air collision between two aircraft at Moorabbin and … Continue reading Flying Memories – Chapter 7 (of 10)

Flying Memories – Chapter 6 (of 10)

In this chapter I recount a few memorable experiences from my time as a flying instructor. They include nearly being struck down in my prime by a student on his first solo flight, the vigilance required when flying with a student who flies very well until suddenly he doesn't, and how a dirt strip 5,200 … Continue reading Flying Memories – Chapter 6 (of 10)