Whole Program 1976 Air Race
The original air race program was 66 pages including the covers.
I just scanned it in two halves intending to post it all here for the historical record.
BUT Mr Prune has a file limit of 2 mb and each half runs close to 10 Mb so that was a waste of effort unless somebody with some technical smarts can tell a techo simpleton like me how to get around the limit??
And Yes, Ascend Charlie, it was a really well organised air race effort.
But then we were an intelligent race back in 1976.
In November, that learned journal National Geographic published a 45 page article on GLOBAL COOLING.
However, back in 1976 and in this particular National Geographic article, most of the emphasis for concern was the apparent global cooling occurring in most parts of the world. A quote in the article from Dr. J. Murray Mitchell, Jr. of NOAA and member of the U.S National Science Board in 1974 gives the reason:
“During the past 20 or 30 years, world temperature has fallen, irregularly at first but sharply over the last decade.”
Then there is a string of quotes from a variety of other “experts” around the globe listing a range of “strange” climate trends being measured or experienced. Some of these showed warming, but most of the troublesome reports had to do with either cooling or more ice or advancing glaciers such as the Meares Glacier in Alaska that “nudges toward Prince William Sound at 100 feet a year.”
Off topiic? Nah, just had to add something controversial - would not be one of my posts otherwise would it? (Hey google it, its all true.)
Actually it is relevant. When we left Drugsville, your national capital en-route to Perth for the race, the rain was just starting.
It flooded so badly that the road to the airport became impassable and bodies from the Queanbeyan cemetary were washed down into Lake Burley Griffin.
Don't let anyone tell you the rains of the last few days were catastrophic, unprecedented, record breaking etc - just same old, same old land of flooding rains.
DCA then was just as "know all" stupid then as its name changed brethren are now.
When the Operational Control mob found out we were flying VFR in Western NSW we were instructed (not suggested, ordered) to go and land at Lake Menindie.
When asked was that a licensed aerodrome with NOTAMS the answer was NO and the instruction became proceed at once to Lake Menindie and if it appears, suitable, land there.
The airstrip was flooded so that, like most Department of Name Change instructions, got ignored and we landed beside the pub a bit closer to Broken Hill.
Next day we were getting close to Port Augusta when we were told that it was flooded and we were not to land there.
Whilst we were figuring out our next trick, we heard an aircraft report, Landed Port Augusta, cancel SAR.
Turns out it was the local commuter airliner (Navajo?) but we figured if it was good enough for him it was good enough for us in a Cherokee too.
Yes, we got our feet wet at the fuel pump but we got fuel and back on our way.
And at 1500 ft at Head of Bight the O-320- swallowed a valve head, sucked it up into the next cylinder and tried running on two pots.
Never have I been so shook up in all my life; the vibration was so great it was hard to see anything.
Mayday call relayed to Ceduna Flight Service by another fellow on his way west for the race and within minutes we were on the ground at Yalata Mission.
And the FS Officer had managed to get the party line trunk telephone system to work, contacted the Mission and ensured we were safe - he did a darn fine job for us.
Two days later we had two new cylinders on the aircraft test flew it, refuelled at the Nullabor Roadhouse and made Caiguna by last light.
I hope AOPA can organise a truly great air race, attract both sponsors and competitors and make something worthwhile happen.