CapWawa,
with all due respect,
if the flight Contintental is referring to is the same one as you, then another fact comes to light.
If it was sunday and it was GBI, then that flight was very obviously one of need for that community. From what I could see on the BOM radar (I too was doing a Clarrie most of the day), Ingrid was busy settling down on top of Hectors home ground.
As for the comment made by the controller .. I wonder how long that controller has been in DN and just how much experience he/she has had. January/June are the months for transferring new ATC's around .. personally, I don't think that the comment should have been made, and again, who is the controller to criticise/comment on the judgement of the PIC and/or by inference, the company?
RENURPP,
I too have been flying in cyclonic weather, and apart from severely reducing the ground speed the flight itself was actually very ordinary.
Tinny,
the mahogany trees make fantastic cutting boards!! As far as the islands are concerned, I am amazed that anything was left standing anywhere over CKI way .. 320k winds .. astounding stuff, I really thought that everything would have lifted off.