Captain Coffee 2,030 Posted November 12, 2015 Report Share Posted November 12, 2015 Nice shits Loic...that would be interesting doing that in a Morh in RW... I'm totally NOT a spelling Nazi...but that needed saving just in case wain fixes his spelunking. ^^^ hehe. And Loic...totally agree bout risking the pixel planes, but then everyone should know that bout me by now... Link to post Share on other sites
wain 879 Posted November 13, 2015 Report Share Posted November 13, 2015 Matt I thought you was talking about my spelling of Moth...then I read post again... I couldnt see the screen through laughing so much....guess I better start reading before hitting Post... Wayne 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Corsaire31 419 Posted November 15, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2015 New South Wales - Week from Nov 9 to 13 Monday 9 was used for the flight over the Blue Mountains. For the next leg on Tuesday 10 I leave Camden YSCN to fly towards the coast and Wallongong YWOL, then inland over Goulburn YGLB, to land on the small country airfield of Gundaroo YGDO. Take off from Camden with a nice weather and clear sky. Flying over Wallongong and the coast. Past Goulburn, I have a big lake as visual guide. On the other side of the lake is the small airfield of Gundaroo which is my destination for the day. On Wednesday 11, a thick and low cloud layer forces me to make an IFR flight to Wagga Wagga YSWG, with help from the local VOR/DME on 115 Mhz. More infos on : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wagga_Wagga On Thursday 12 I have to cancel the planned flight : low visibility, several low clouds layers and a NW wind blowing from 15 to 32 knots. On Friday 13 the weather gets better. I will fly South with a first waypoint over the town of Albury, then East to the Corryong YCRG airfield. I spot from far away the lakes formed by the Murray River. Shortly after I find Albury and its airfield YMAY. Once I turn to heading East, I fly over a large zone of hills covered with forests, with inside the Mount Granya State Park. I find my destination airfield in a small plain in the middle of the hills. I land on runway 24, facing a 13 knots wind. Next week I will end on the coast my tour of New South Wales and go down to the Victoria region. Link to post Share on other sites
brett 2,284 Posted November 15, 2015 Report Share Posted November 15, 2015 Really nice set of pic's there Loic. Link to post Share on other sites
Corsaire31 419 Posted November 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2015 New South Wales - Week from Nov. 16 to 20 The last leg in New South Wales was on Monday 16 a flight from Corryong YCRG to Merimbula YMER on the Pacific coast. I had to cross over the Snowy Mountains and climb to 9000 ft. I chose an IFR flight as I thought I would find clouds up there. Takeoff from Corryong YCRG early afternoon with a good visibility and some clouds. 9000 ft high between clouds, I fly past the small town of Jindabyne on the high altitude lake with the same name. As we are already descending on the other side of the Snowy Mountains, we can see in front of us the Sapphire Coast. We follow the coast to land at Merimbula YMER by the sea, on the 1600m long 03 runway ... ... before taxiing to the parking. Once the plane parked and secured, time for some rest ! Merimbula is known as the "Jewel of the Sapphire Coast" and a great place for whale watching. ( http://www.merimbulatourism.com.au/ ) Now I'm going to fly down the Victoria state coast all the way to Yarram YYRM where I will cross the Bass Strait to Tasmania. Link to post Share on other sites
mutley 4,487 Posted November 20, 2015 Report Share Posted November 20, 2015 Cracking shots Loic, loving your tour! Link to post Share on other sites
Corsaire31 419 Posted November 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2015 Victoria - Week from Nov 16 to 20 On Tuesday 17 I leave New South Wales following the coast from Merimbula YMER to Orbost YORB, then on Wednesday 18 from Orbost YORB to Yarram YRRM. Departure from Merimbula YMER with an 8 knots westerly wind and a few clouds around 2000 ft. Passing the southeast corner of Australia ... ... then flying over a small strip on Gabo Island. After Honeymoon Bay, I fly by the small town of Bemm River. After that comes a large zone of forests along the sea ( among which the Cabbage Tree Creek Flora Reserve ) until the landing on the airfield in Orbost YORB - 1138m.grass runway. The stop overnight is at the Marshall's Commonwealth Hotel [/url] Leaving Orbost early afternoon on Wednesday, with again good weather, clear skies and westerly wind. Here I close on Lakes Entrance and fly by the local airfield a few minutes later. The last part of the flight is over miles of flat coast with long sand beaches and inland lagoons Landing on the 855m long 27 grass runway in Yarram YYRM, straight into the west wind. I left there the Cessna 172 RG and on the next day crossed the Bass Strait with another plane, which I will use for my trip around Tasmania. But that's another story... =) Link to post Share on other sites
Corsaire31 419 Posted November 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 21, 2015 Tasmania - Week from Nov 16 to 20 The fair weather holds on, so I decide to cross the Bass Strait to Flinders Island, northeast of Tasmania. As I intend to explore all corners and islands, I gor hold of a Cessna 185F "Skywagon" in the taildragger version with large tundra wheels so I can land anywhere. The sky is clear on take off from Yarram YYRM, 15 nm visibility and 24° C. Still some wind blowing at 14 knots from the southwest at ground level. It will increase at 28/30 knots across my path at my cruise altitude, inducing a 10° correction on my heading. A picture of the office, the same as the amphibian C185 I used for flying down the Amazon ( http://forum.mutleyshangar.com/index.php/topic/16638-amazonas-2015/). The only difference is that the lever for the rudders is now used to lock the tail wheel. Flying on the way over Deal Island and its small airstrip along the cliffs. As I arrive above Flinders Island after a 50 minutes flight, the wind has turned west ( 275° ) with 15 knots at ground level. I choose to land on runway 23 on the YFLI airfield near Whitemark, the main village on the island. The approach takes me over the hills in the middle of the island and I must somewhat let me fall on the airfield. It's good anyway for me to keep some speed because of the wind 45° across my path, needing a serious left drift approach. It all goes well and I land right on the gravel runway. Flinders Island is the largest island of the Furneaux archipelago, northeast of Tasmania. It is 75 km long and 40 km large, with 800 people living in three places : Killiecrankie in the north, Whitemark on the west coast and Lady Barron in the south. Matthew Flinders was the first to sail with George Bass around Tasmania in 1798 and therefore proving it was an island. I will stay there over the weekend in an improved beach shack, at the Stewart Bay Shacks. Link to post Share on other sites
Corsaire31 419 Posted November 29, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 29, 2015 Tasmania - Week from Nov 23 to 27 Stopped by bad weather ! Monday 23 : From Flinders Island YFLI to St Helens YFTH The sky is clear, still 11 knots of southerly wind when I leave Flinders Island. I fly over Lady Barron and its air strip before crossing over to Tasmania. Then after flying over Cape Barren Island and Clarke Island, I get near to Swan Island before hitting the coast of Tasmania. After flying along the eastern coast, I am approaching St Helens. Ready to land on 1070m clay runway 26 : Last thing is trying to find a place to park the plane ... I couldn't miss " The French House " Bed and Breakfast in St Helens ! Tuesday 24 : From St Helens YSTH to Cambridge - Hobart YCBG The wind is up to 15 knots from the west, but it's still flyable and it chased the clouds as I leave St Helens. The original plan is to land on the small strip of Lagoon Bay YLAG ( sounds nice...) near the entrance of the famous bay in Hobart, the main town in Tasmania and destination of the world famous Sydney - Hobart sailing race. Following the coast, I find my first visual mark, the small coastal town of Bicheno. I then fly over the Friendly Beaches YFRI dirt strip, another nice name ! After that we pass by several natural reserve islands, among which Freycinet National Park and here Maria Island National Park. We also meet the first clouds. The westerly wind is now around 20 knots on the ground according to the weather report from Hobart. As I close on Lagoon Bay, the small size of the grass runway ( we can see it on the picture between the wheels ) with that wind gets me worried for the landing... I finally wisely decide to continue the flight to Hobart where I land on the secondary Cambridge airfield to avoid the main international one. Hobart is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony, Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. The city is located in the state's south-east on the estuary of the Derwent River, making it the most southern of Australia's capital cities and its harbour forms the second-deepest natural port in the world. In June 2013, the city had a greater area population of approximately 217,973. Its skyline is dominated by the 1,271-metre (4,170 ft) Mount Wellington, and much of the city's waterfront consists of reclaimed land. It is the financial and administrative heart of Tasmania, serving as the home port for both Australian and French Antarctic operations and acting as a major tourist hub, with over 1.192 million visitors in 2011/2012. I found a nice place to stay on the Derwent River, the Waterfront Lodge. Unfortunately the weather got worse over the next days and I had to spend the rest of the week there with low clouds, rain and winds between 20 and 30 knots. It looks good for Monday ! Link to post Share on other sites
brett 2,284 Posted December 1, 2015 Report Share Posted December 1, 2015 Darn weather, makes you hang out and have fun. Still enjoying your adventure Loic, keep on keeping on. That stupid ORBX/FTX Tasmania Demo cost me a lot of money over that past few years, it got me hooked on great looking scenery. Link to post Share on other sites
wain 879 Posted December 2, 2015 Report Share Posted December 2, 2015 Great shots...great scenery.. enjoying your adventure... Link to post Share on other sites
Corsaire31 419 Posted December 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2015 A bit late with my reports, but anyway I'm stuck by bad weather on the western coast of Tasmania. I might get a chance to fly further on Thursday ! Report of last week coming hopefully tomorrow ! Link to post Share on other sites
brett 2,284 Posted December 9, 2015 Report Share Posted December 9, 2015 Life's a beach Link to post Share on other sites
Bruce (a.k.a. brian747) 142 Posted December 9, 2015 Report Share Posted December 9, 2015 The lovely stuff just keeps coming, Loic. I reckon the Oz Tourism boys ought to snap you up (no pun intended). Cheers, bruce a.k.a. bria747 Link to post Share on other sites
Corsaire31 419 Posted December 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2015 Tasmania - Week from Nov 30 to Dec 04 Weather strikes again ! ( Part 1 ) During the weekend the weather improved a lot and I could have a short cruise in the Hobart Bay and on the Derwent River. Monday Nov 30 : Exploration of the south coast - Cambridge-Hobart YCBG to Bruny Island YBYI The wind is from the north and down to 11 knots, temperature on the ground is 26° C, visibility is excellent and we have some clouds around 6000 ft. I get out of the Hobart Bay, heading south. I then flew along Bruny Island where I will land back later ( we can see the dirt strip on the left ). The north island is linked to the south island by a sandy isthmus called "The Neck", supporting the main B66 road. After turning around the south east corner around Trumpeter Bay, I flew along the southern coast of Tasmania, wild and rocky with many capes and coves. I flew all the way to the small strip of Bathurst Harbour YBHB and back, then back up the eastern coast to land on Bruny Island. Where I got a welcome from some local animals. They were clever enough not to cross the runway for the welcome ! Bruny Island is an island off the south-eastern coast of Tasmania, from which it is separated by the D’Entrecasteaux Channel. Both the island and the channel are named after French explorer Bruni d'Entrecasteaux. Its traditional Aboriginal name was Lunawanna Allonah, which survives as the name of two island settlements, Alonnah and Lunawanna. Geologically, Bruny Island is actually two land masses - North Bruny and South Bruny - that are joined by a long, narrow sandy isthmus. Bruny Island has a total length of approximately 100 kilometres. Outside its settlements the island is covered in grazing fields and large tracts of dry eucalyptus forest. Inland forests continue to be logged, but other large sections - mostly along the southeastern coast - are preserved as the South Bruny National Park. While the seaward side of the island features two long beaches - Adventure Bay and Cloudy Bay - it is for the most part extremely rugged, with cliffs of dolerite that are over 200 metres above sea level. Bruny's channel side is far more sheltered and a favourite fishing and recreational boating area for local and interstate visitors. Access to the island is by vehicular ferry, funded by the State Government. The d'Entrecastaux Channel region, sheltered by Bruny Island, is increasingly subject to foreshore erosion, some areas have begun sandbagging to reduce the effects. Link to post Share on other sites
Corsaire31 419 Posted December 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2015 Tasmania - Week from Nov 30 to Dec 04 Weather strikes again ! ( Part 2 ) Tuesday Dec 01 : from Bruny Island YBYI to Lake Pedder YLPR On the next day, the visibility is not as good, but the wind is still light and clouds have disappeared. I leave Bruny Island around 11:30 local time. The central part of Tasmania is wild, covered with eucalyptus forests and hilly. I need to climb over 5000 ft. Arrival on Lake Pedder, the airfield is on the left behind the hills. Because of these hills, the descent is steep towards the long gravel runway. I am on time at the parking for lunch time. I just need to follow the smoke of the barbecue... In the afternoon I went down to the nearby nautical and seaplane base where I could rent a fast motor boat for a tour of the lake. Lake Pedder, once a natural lake, is a man-made impoundment and diversion lake. In addition to its natural catchment from the Frankland Range, the lake is formed by the 1972 damming of the Serpentine and Huon rivers by the Hydro Electric Commission of Tasmania for the purposes of hydroelectric power generation. In early 20th century the original lake was named after Sir John Pedder, the first Chief Justice of Tasmania. The name of the original lake was officially transferred to the new man-made impoundment. Although the new Lake Pedder incorporates the original lake, it does not resemble it in size, appearance or ecology. The new Huon Serpentine impoundment, which filled after the dams were completed in 1972, drains into Lake Gordon via the McPartlan Pass Canal. Together, the lakes form the biggest water catchment and storage system in Australia. Link to post Share on other sites
Corsaire31 419 Posted December 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2015 Tasmania - Week from Nov 30 to Dec 04 Weather strikes again ! ( Part 3 ) Wednesday Dec 02 : To the west coast, from Lake Pedder YLPR to Strahan YSRN Wind had shifted to the west and is up to 15 knots, but the clouds are still high at 5500 ft. Visibility is average and in the mountains temperature is down to 12°C. I decide to keep on going to the coast where the forecast shows it's flyable. I plot a waypoint over a small airstrip near Mount King William III in case conditions would get worse on the way. The local guys with whom I had a few beers last night wave me good luck for the flight. Take off into the westerly wind and goodbye Lake Pedder ! I fly again over the lakes north of the airfield. After 45 minutes over the mountains and the forests of several national parks, I can spot the coast, the airport, and the north-south oriented runway in Strahan. I choose the 18, but we have now 17 knots of wind 60° from the runway heading, so we go again for the now usual procedure of looking at the runway through the window. Historically Strahan has been a port to a small fishing fleet that braves the west coast conditions and Hell's Gates. It is the nearest inhabited locality to Cape Sorell and is literally the 'gateway' to the south-west wilderness - as boats, planes and helicopters utilise Strahan as their base when travelling into the region. Strahan is the location of the only all weather commercial airport in western Tasmania. Also located at the airport is the Automatic Weather Station, an important western Tasmania weather observation point. It is the base for boat trips to Sarah Island, the notorious penal settlement that garnered the reputation as the harshest penal settlement in the Australian colonies, and the lower Gordon River. It is also an access point to the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park, which was declared part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area in 1982. I chose the Hamers Hotel on the harbour. And that's when the weather turned bad for the rest of the week with clouds, rain and wind on the program. Tasmania is situated between 42 and 44° south, right on the way of the low pressures running across the Indian Ocean. Link to post Share on other sites
Corsaire31 419 Posted December 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2015 Unfortunately bad weather has been on for almost the whole week on the west coast of Tasmania. I could have had a short window on Thursday to try a flight, but this was the time when FS Global Real Weather ISP were migrating their servers and they did not record the weather METARs during these hours. So I'm still stranded in Strahan, looks like it should be flyable again from Sunday onwards... Link to post Share on other sites
Corsaire31 419 Posted December 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2015 Tasmania - Week from Dec 14 to 18. - Flying further ! (Part 1) Monday Dec. 14 : We get out of Strahan ! Strahan YSRN to Launceston YMLT After a whole week stranded on the west coast of Tasmania, watching oceanic low pressures pass over our heads with their wind, rain and low clouds, I finally get a better weather window to get outta there. On take off, the visibility is really average but I know it will quickly get better on the way to Launceston. I will also have a VOR and a couple of NDBs to guide me during the flight. After climbing to 5500 ft to be safe from the high grounds, visibility gets better and all is needed is flying some slalom around the clouds. As I get closer to Launceston, the clouds themselves disappear. Guided by the NDBs and the VOR, I come to the Launceston valley, and the primal forest is replaced by a rural landscape. The tower at YMLT gives me clearance for a direct approach and I land at my destination airfield on the asphalt 1980m 32L runway. Launceston is the second town in Tasmania with over 80.000 people. It is situated in a valley where three rivers meet : North Esk, South Esk and Tamar. Its name comes from the town in Cornwall. The first europeans came only in 1798, when George Bass and Matthew Flinders received the mission of checking the existence of a strait between Australia and Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania). They first landed in Dalrymple ( at the mouth of the Tamar River), 40 km north of Launceston. My attraction towards water and boads takes me to the Peppers Seaport Hotel ! Tuesday Dec.15 Looking around ! With the nice weather I take a day to explore the surroundings of Launceston, a boat trip on the Tamar River in the morning, and in the afternoon a quick ultralight flight. A general view of the YMLT airport ( ORBX freeware ) The blue metal quarry in Breadalban ( OZx freeware ) The small town of Perth and the South Elk River. .../... Link to post Share on other sites
Corsaire31 419 Posted December 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2015 Tasmania - Week from Dec. 14 to 18 - Flying further ! (Part 2) Wednesday Dec. 16 : To the north coast ! From Launceston YMLT to Devonport YDPO My original plan is to fly along the coast to Wynyard YWYY, but the weather situation there is not so good ( low clouds and bad visibility ). But it can change so I decide to have a go anyway, there are safety airfields on the way with VOR and NDB. Anyway it's fine when I leave Launceston, a little northwest wind and 24°C on the ground. After flying down the Tamar River to the coast, I fly over my first waypoint at George Town YGTO. I then follow the coast westward to the second waypoint in Devonport. I try to fly further to Wynyard, but as I reach the small harbour of Burnie I meet the bad weather front which is still here, and I must turn around. I come back and land in Devonport YDPO into the wind on the secondary 32 asphalt 880m runway. Devonport is a town on the nothwest coast of Tasmania. Devonport and Burnie, a smaller town, are the two main towns on this coast. It is the boarding place to go from Tasmania to Melbourne. There are over 20.000 people living there. The region was explored by Captain Charles Hardwicke in 1823. First called « Port Frederick », then « Mersey River », from the river flowing through the town, it was then divided in two : « Formby » in the west and « Torquay » in the east. The towns were then reunited under their present name in 1890. I get out of the town center to stay at the Birchwood B and B near the river. Thursday Dec. 17 : Stuck again ! The weather didn't clear up further down the coast and there is a lot of wind at Cape Grim, so I wisely stay on the ground. If it clears up as expected on Friday, I will try to leave Tasmania and fly to King Island. At the same time, I see temperatures are up to over 40° C around Melbourne. Hot days ahead ! .../... Link to post Share on other sites
Corsaire31 419 Posted December 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2015 Tasmania - Week from Dec. 14 to 18 - Hasta la vista Tasmania ! Friday Dec 18 : From Devonport YDPO to King Island YKII After all these bad weather events in the roaring forties, it is a nice day : the wind is down to 6 knots, the weather is clear with scattered clouds around 9000 ft. This is the opportunity I needed to leave Devonport on early afternoon. Today I can fly over Wynyard YWYY which I could not reach on the last leg. Northwest corner of Tasmania : at Cape Grim I fly over the windmills of the Woolnorth Wind Farm, built as a joint venture with a chinese company specialized in green energies. There 37 x 1.75 Mw towers and 25 x 3 Mw make up for over 10% of Tasmania homes energy. Looking at the winds I had the whole last week, they are in the right place ! After a half hour flying straight above the sea, I am on a direct approach on the main runway at King Island. * Another nice freeware airfield by the OzX team. Not far away from Currie, the main village on the island, I stop for the weekend at the Rocky Glen Retreat. Link to post Share on other sites
wain 879 Posted December 22, 2015 Report Share Posted December 22, 2015 Good shots there mate...great adventure you're having... Link to post Share on other sites
Corsaire31 419 Posted December 22, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2015 Because of all the unusual events happening in the coming days, it will be difficult to keep on with the schedule, so I decided it will be wiser to resume the flights beginning of January. That is of course if we survive once more to everything we will have to eat and drink in the meantime... 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Corsaire31 419 Posted December 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 For those like me who are interested in sailing races, I advise you to follow the Sydney-Hobart which is crazy this year with many unexpected events. http://www.rolexsydneyhobart.com/ Two wounded (after colliding with unknown floating objects) american boats (Comanche and Rambler) are leading the race, several of the top guns among which victories record holder Wild Oats XI from Australia had to retire following a southerly heavy buster during the first night of the race. Another aussie maxi yacht (Ragamuffin 100) and an italian VOR 70 srtill apparently in good shape are chasing them in the Bass strait where the winds are calming down. The video of the start in the bay of Sydney is also worth watching ! Link to post Share on other sites
Corsaire31 419 Posted December 29, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2015 And it was a tough race this year ! Read this story about Ragamuffin : they finished second on the line 3 minutes in front of Rambler, who had been second during the whole race. When you read what happened, you're impressed that 88 years old owner Syd Fisher was on board for his 47 th Sydney - Hobart ! http://www.rolexsydneyhobart.com/news/2015/day-4/ragamuffins-trials-on-way-to-line-honours-second/ Link to post Share on other sites
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