Originally Posted by
Stanwell
Same here, Ida.
Drifting a bit from uniform issues, two questions:
1. What was the BMR looking for, using MIN, around Boulia way?
2. About what year was that?
Cheers,
Stan.
Around the sixties Stan. Will check my logs.We were based at Boulia, and often camped out at the end of the runway, and thought nothing of starting her up and taxi up to the town end, load her up with "refreshments" and taxi back.Imagine doing that now. We were also based at Gordon Downs Station. We had six Geologists with us and two water table blokes, and MIN had a large "bee sting" Attached to her rump, which gave the Geo Boys info about minerals and water. We normally flew at 500 ft, give or take the odd hill, or rise. It was a three year sign up, for the winter/dry season, and was supposed to move you up to a command quicker if you took it on. (It didn't, nothing has changed!). I flew with Capt. Peter Korsman, a bomber command survivor, and then Capt. Gordon Close, also a WW2 survivor. Both outstanding blokes and pilots, and gave me a background thats hard to get these days. We normally flew up to ISA, on to Camooweal, then all points west, nor'west, but it depended on the Geo boys and their orders as to where we ended up. Flight plans? Sort of. We had a permanent LAME with us, and a collection of parts, but she was a reliable old bus, and didn't let us down to often, which was probably just as well as the LAME enjoyed an ale, but still a whiz at keeping her going. Different times, a bit like out of The Boys Own Manual, living rough, good company, and magic flying. Going back to line flying in the summer, was suffocating after that sort of life, as I was only a young bloke, no wife and kids, so thought I was in heaven, despite the heat.Line flying brought me back to reality, as did the nuptials, and the arrival of the anklebiters! PS. The Geo and water blokes adopted our "uniform" very smartly.