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Old 12th Jun 2007, 05:23
  #97 (permalink)  
bushy
 
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Alice Springs
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B200

I think the B200C that we used in the RFDS was the nicest aeroplane I ever flew, and it was a surprisingly good bush aeroplane. We had the Raisbeck mods and high floatation gear which helped a lot. It had 240 volt electric power on board for the medics, and a separate battery and electrical system for them.
An interhospital transfer from Alice Springs to Adelaide and back was a nice comfortable days work in that machine. Except for one night when I got diverted to Blackstone range, in WA when we were on the way home.
The DH Drover was different. Strangely they only built about 14 of them. Chookair in Adelaide used one for a while, going down to the island. One day it had a "similtaneous triple engine failure" but made it to land for an uneventful landing. Drovers were operating in Fiji in the 1950's.
The Partenavia is not popular amongst pilots as it does not have lots of things that go up and down, or switches in the roof, but it is a useful machine.
I once brought a full load of DCA people back to Alice from the Rock in one of them in IFR weather. Legally. But they had to leave their breifcases behind.
I also flew one of them non stop from Alice to Adelaide at night when the local oil exploration guy had to get the months data tapes to Canada in a hurry.We had three POB.
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