CAT should be well and truly on its way to Cairns, arriving about 5 pm with a few circuits around the city.
Give us a wave as you pass ‘the Knob’ on approach.
Despite her marathon flight, the old girl looked in pretty good shape at Darwin. Always a good sign, the 1830s were dripping their usual ‘few’ drops of oil.
Yesterday the cabin received a through cleaning under the vigilant supervision of Quarantine to eradicate any bird or horse flu bugs that may have been lurking.
Inside it was like a sauna, the huge 15’ chord wing offered little protection from the 35 degree heat and 87% humidity. But now we can all sleep peacefully knowing the US Navy biscuit crumbs and 65 years of accumulated grime and dust have been vacuumed from the bilges.
Friday will be an early departure to arrive Bowen at about 9am for a 2 hr
PR stop, followed by a Maroochydore overnight.
Saturday, it is Caboolture, Coffs Harbour for more
PR, then to Kempsey at mid afternoon for the night.
How the actual schedule plays out will be determined by the storms that are forecast for SE Queensland.
As the Bankstown finish line comes into view and the well deserved accolades for getting CAT to Australia are paid out, sometimes the ones left behind at the beginning of the project can be overlooked. Following on from the disappointment of the aborted ferry attempt last year due to an engine failure on takeoff, it was the locals of Seia, Portugal, who again stepped up and did much of the hands-on-work that contributed to this year’s success. They being, to name but two, Miguel Pinto Figueiredo and José Saraiva. Thanks. The Seians could not do enough to help.
Speaking of the community of Seia, CAT sat for 8 years in a paddock at an essentially deserted, bush strip (only active during summer fire season) with just a 3 strand barbwire fence for security. No graffiti, no broken windows, nothing stolen, untouched. Again, thanks.