Imagine flying direct track Sydney to Essendon. IAS 85 knots. 7000 ft. Fully IMC. Iced up. Moderate to severe turbulence over the ranges. Wind at 5000 ft 220-270 at 60 knots. Drift angle between 35 and 55 degrees. Thunderstorms with hail and snow. No ground based radio navigation aids en-route or anywhere at all. Flight instruments one ASI, one altimeter, one Turn and bank indicator gyro driven from a Venturi tube . No pitot heating. No anti-icing. No artificial horizon. No directional gyro. One magnetic compass. An inclinometer which is basically a vertical spirit level that gives you an indication of nose up or nose down or nose level. You can't any more Limited Panel flying than that.
The cockpit has windscreen and roof but no side windows therefore open to the elements. Navigation by DR or visual map reading. Weather forecast based upon what is read in the morning newspapers. No cockpit heating although the nine passengers have partial cabin heating. The three engines have no cowls and ice forms on the push-rods. The wings are made of wood. One captain and an assistant. No flight attendants.
That was the situation when the three-engine Avro Tens's of Australian National Airways (ANA) plied the direct tracks between Sydney and Melbourne on a daily service in 1931. Let downs in IMC were based upon DR. Imagine letting down blindly in cloud using DR and timing with speed just above the stall in case the aircraft flew into unseen terrain.
On 21 March 1931, one of these aircraft en-route Sydney to Essendon in severe weather failed to arrive and was presumed lost with all hands. Despite weeks of searches including the Snowy Mountains area, nothing was found. That aircraft was VH-UMF named Southern Cloud.
Then, 27 years later on October 1958, a bush-walker in the Snowy Mountains area stumbled across what appeared to be the remains of an aircraft half buried among bush fire ravaged trees. It was the Southern Cloud.
The story is now told in a new book by Macarthur Job, titled "Into Oblivion -the Southern Cloud enigma". This book of 145 pages with its many photographs, is utterly enthralling and a must read for all pilots A380 qualified down to ultra-lights - but particularly for those who have held instrument ratings as they will appreciate the pure flying skills of the ANA pilots.
If the book is not already on book-stalls it can be obtained at:
Sierra Publishing Australia Book Publisher Australia I suggest you Google the publisher's full title to navigate to the book which is shown on the publisher's website
This post is not an advertisement but a comment from one reader (Centaurus) and is one of the best flying books that this Ppruner has ever read.