Well then! The grand final
Flight #10 to Innisfail signify the end of the GAAR 2018. Time flies!
A late afternoon flight, but in good time at the airport to prowl around! Let’s see who else is here!
Ah! The green/white one looks a bit battered! It’s a
de Havilland Dove and belongs to Mr & Mrs McCruickshank from Scotland.
WOW! Here we see a
Fairey IIIf. A rarity! It belongs to Mr Baker, an American millionaire!
Another Oldtimer:
Armstrong Whitworth A.W.15 A modern airliner of Imperial Airways 1932-1942
As a loan from the British Historic Aircraft Restoration Company. Pilot Cmdr. Appelton (Member of the Order of Merit!)
Well, and that is me in starting-up modus operandi!
Jazzthom and his
C-47 „Erika“! ..waiting eagerly till I leave ! Easy Pal.. you will overtaking me anyway!!
The first called participants..
.. are on their way!
Now it’s my turn..
.. and soon later ready for take off on runway 32!
Ha, looks like Jazzthom is burning a little more taxifuel then average!!
A bit nose down to gain speed and distance to that half sunken ship!
And pulling up.. speedometer is going the otherway!
At 4500ft AMSL my cruising level! On my left, Shute Harbour!
Once second only to Sydney’s Circular Quay as the busiest commuter port in Australia and hosting the largest seaplane airbase in the Southern hemisphere! Shute Harbour has faced many years of uncertainty as most ferry and flight operations have moved to marinas in Airlie Beach.
A nice view to some islands near Airlie Beach.
Airlie Beach and vicinity! The beach is small and the sea is inhabited from November to May by marine stingers, the box jellyfish! Definitively
not my holiday destination!
Bowen.. The town enjoys a diversified and prosperous economy based on agriculture, fishing, tourism, and mining. During World War2 Bowen hosted an air force base, flying PBY Catalina flying boats to search for enemy ships and submarines.
The Burdekin River Delta! Apart from the Murray River, the Burdekin River is economically the most important river in Australia.
Cape Upstart National Park. A Cultural Importance to Australians indigenous people.
Haughton River. An estimated 77% of the catchment is cleared. Cattle grazing is the dominant land use in the area, with production of sugar cane!
The city of Ayr is the metropolis of sugar cane! It is within the Burdekin Shire, which produces the most sugar cane per square kilometre in Australia!
Approaching Townsville! Like most of North Queensland, Townsville is susceptible to tropical cyclones. They usually occur between December and April, forming mainly out in the Coral Sea, and usually tracking west to the coast.
Magnetic Island. The island is a haven for wildlife and is famous for its angling opportunities. Fish around the island include: blue marlin, black marlin, sailfish, mackerel, wahoo, giant trevally, dogtooth tuna, coral trout, mahi-mahi, tuna, red emperor and sea perch.
If you like fish, you will be on the right spot here!
Slowly but surely the sun says "arrivederci"..!
In the nick of time I can spot Great Palm Island with it’s aiport. Great Palm Island is rich in natural beauty, both fauna and flora, however it has been impacted by human settlement and introduced species.
A sundowner overhead the coral sea! But something is missing!! .. a glass of a nice and cold Chardonnay! (not a good idea to land with a smell of alcohol..)
A few miles south of the Innisfail airport I start my descent and changing to CTAF 126.70
What a busy frequency! The controllers micro runs hot!!
Unmistakable!
From overhead to downwind and base into a nice and easy grande finale runway 32!
I think Innisfail never had such a concentration of flying machines!
Tower-men says : "After landing follow the marshaller for parking".. A very good Idea!
Must say, they do it in style!!
Well then..
GAAR 2018 was a thriller with a lot of unforeseen events happened.
Three cheers for the GAAR-Committee and an additional glass of Chardonnay for Jazzthom an me!
Take it easy and See ya!