Kunnunurra 2007 - Again.........

[Mr Crowe]

Hi all,

Although i know this topic has been bought up many times before, I am in need of some basic information from anyone who has flown with AA or Sling.

1. Firstly, could one get away with not having a car in Kunna's? I mean how far is the airport from the backpackers and is there a bus service or something if it is far away?

2. What is the price of a basic week at the backpackers?

3. Is it easy to obtain other work on the side such as bar work?

4. What is the best time to arrive in town for a fair chance at employment?

5. Is the payment for these operators as a casual or full time payment, and if full time, what is the normol rate???

6. And finally, any other useful information on AA or sling, employment conditions, check rides etc would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers guys. Thanks in advance for your input..............

Crowe :)

[morno]

1. It's a long walk to the airport my friend, :E. During the whole 2 nights I have ever spent in Kununurra (would have been 1 night if I could have helped it), there didn't appear to be any public transport in the form of a bus.

2. I paid $20 a night at the backpackers.

morno

[disco_air]

please try a bloody search! :mad:

[Delta]

1. Firstly, could one get away with not having a car in Kunna's? I mean how far is the airport from the backpackers and is there a bus service or something if it is far away?

YES...but a scooter or a mountain bike is necesrtry...its like 2 km to Airside....sou one is better of with a car

2. What is the price of a basic week at the backpackers?

Depends.....but its all a bloody rip off....count on at least $20 P-N

3. Is it easy to obtain other work on the side such as bar work?

YES...loads of work...

4. What is the best time to arrive in town for a fair chance at employment?

Early....about April May

5. Is the payment for these operators as a casual or full time payment, and if full time, what is the normol rate???

Deepending on which company you fly for it changes .....


6. And finally, any other useful information on AA or sling, employment conditions, check rides etc would be greatly appreciated.

Be awere of the oll ankle grab:yuk:


Delta

[mince]

Check your pms....

[ding duck]

1. can get by without a car, get a mountain bike or scooter. bout 3km from town centre

2. $20 /nite at backpackers, try organise to come up with someone else and rent an onsite caravan in any of the caravan parks for $140/week. makes it alot cheaper.

3. If you don't want to fly aeroplanes there is work in any indsutry with any business in town. walked into town on friday afternoon, had a job on saturday morning at first place i walked into and started monday. know of others who walked into a business and were asked if they could start 1hr later.

4. April/May too late, need to get to knx as early as possible...late jan early feb. Be known by those that matter. frequent the pubs in town and go to see both operators every week. employment comes due to word of mouth more than anything. get dressed up. you would be suprised at the number of people who turn up wanting an interview wearing boardies, thongs and old t-shirt...didn't even get to see the cp.

5. both full time salaried as far as i know. conditions are pretty good but as delta said "beware ole ankle grabs". not many places better. most bad reports you will hear are from people who were not given a job and had to move on. social life is excellent!

hope to see you in knx next year!

dd.

[disco_air]

beware ole ankle grabs

now now children, play nice.

[Mr Crowe]

Thanks for your replys guys. Appreciate your help. Ding Duck can you please check your pm's.

Also can anyone elaborate on who ankle grabs is........................:ugh:

[Delta]

your gona find out......:}

[Death made simple]

The flying is well worth going up for, but the town sucks a bit. You may need a formation rating depending on who is still flying up there:rolleyes:

[Mr Porter]

so you care to ellaborate on that

[Death made simple]

so you care to ellaborate on that
Lets just say that after a while the "bungles" flight can become a little stale and one needs to keep things "entertaining" :=
I have a feeling that the highjinks may have ceased since a few of our bretherin have moved on to better things.:D
But yea, great flying to be had for all new bunglers
Booya :ok:

[Delta]

Lets just say that after a while the "bungles" flight can become a little stale and one needs to keep things "entertaining" :=
But yea, great flying to be had for all new bunglers
Booya :ok:


yer....the bungholes ROCK...REAL ROCK....bloody big round ROCK....:p:p


nah tis all good the first 5-10 times.......then you just fly...thats all....

and dont forget the Communitie runs......just love Umby....:} :} :} :ugh:

[disco_air]

haha and you'd know all about flying bungholes wouldnt you delta :D

done a few in the slug nose locker perhaps as ballast? :}

hope its warming up for you nicely there :ok:

....disco

[Delta]

**** yer bro....in the float if old MGK...LOL:} :} :}

[multime]

Simply for the same pathetic reason i ( @ u R), JUST Don,t!!!! . i wasted 2 years in kunnas at the bottleshop before becoming my own best customer. In the end got that elusive job.SLONGAIR!!!!!!!.220-00 p/week.7 days a week driving buses!!,.:{ ITs a joke.Get a life. try else where where the other plebs dont!!.ps i,m still in aviation.Just a lot better paid.More respect.@ i can feed myself without starving these days.:E .Its just a pathetic indication that peo[le are prepared to work for nothing and these !!(only 2). Will support your decision without question. Jaded ? YEP.But Hey i fly under powerlines now so who cares right?!!!.

[THE TAV]

"multime"...Sorry i mean Sir! Didnt see that extra gold bar on your shoulder. You sound like a winging C%*T! :oh:
I think these days you will find the refueller/Hanger rat is on over 32k+/yr working 5 days a week.
:D
Boys/Girls dont listen to all the crap u read on this site.A lot of it is Jaded like the previous post from our GA Dinasaur.
AHH BURRR!!!!

[Delta]

now now boys / girls Kununurra is an good place!!!

friendly people

good work opertunities Both Aviation and other

great fishing

lovely weather

cold Beers

and the Coones are 100% friendly:} :} :} :} :} :} :} :D :D :D

[Death made simple]

Which locals would they be? Oh you mean the drunk ones that decided #1's were best done after take-off in the back of a 207 :\
Not cool!
And don't knock driving buses if it's for a short period, beats picking fruit.
Booya :ok:

[disco_air]

multime you poor miserable f:mad:

2 years in the bottle shop? f:mad: 5 months was long enough for me.

that kinda thing doesnt happen there anymore! :ok:

youll wait 1 year absolute max, and if u dont have a job by then, well you should give up cos someone important doesnt like you :suspect:

...disco

[Delta]

right therewith you on that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

u tell em Disco:D

[drshmoo]

Multime-when where you up there? Must have been a while ago but if you still flying under powerlines then you haven't gone that far or prob doing agflying (respect for agflying).


Death made simple - is that ol DMS, that thing is the most reluctent beast to leave the earth I have ever flown. I remember when she had the ol blue and white paint job. Then Muir painted her fleet colours back in 2003. I still looked for DMS traffic painted in blue not red but usually well below. I remember watching Gigilo Joey flying enroute Oombie (303 ku radial at 63nm)and having to follow the road to whyndam to get above the Carrboid ranges. Ahh DMS what a beast


And Mont (cp) hows the veiw from the cheap seats champ:}

[Dave Incognito]

Then again shmoo, you guys had WOY(??) with the big donk. Oh the shame of being overtaken by a slug.... :sad:

[Delta]

yankee was the beest!!!!!!!!!!

[Death made simple]

yes it is the DMS that has scared many a pilot including myself. :eek:
WOY not a bad machine. RAS is the best :ok:
Trust me I flew it to Oombie alot. At least one knew that in it,if it didn't work before it wont ever, unlike the others who's characteristics would change every flight :*
Go the airvans! Or should I say airvan! := :=

[Dave Incognito]

Scarecan :yuk:

Slow, uncomfortable, hot, leaky, no rudder trim, self tapping screws. I'll take the slug thanks.

[Delta]

now now, airvans have thair place in GA....
im not saying thy couldnt get any better.....:ugh: :ugh: :ugh:

[Dave Incognito]

Delta I couldn’t agree more that it has a place in GA. Everyone should fly a Scarecan at some stage in their career. That way no matter how bad a machine you are flying on any given day, you can always take comfort in thinking “Well it could be worse. I could be flying a Scarecan.” ;)

I’ve only ever flown one particular Scarecan which I believe was either the demonstrator aircraft (2nd/3rd off the line) or someone’s high school project gone wrong. So yes, it’s a biased opinion. Apparently the gator ones were a tad newer and had a few less probs.

Back to the topic, get up there next year and have a ball. Meet some people, take some photos, drink some beer and get involved.

Cheers!

[lightbeer]

G'day to all the KNX flyers and potential flyers. Reading your posts brings back a lot of memories. I went there to fill in for a guy doing his instrument rating for 3 weeks, back in '81 and ended up spending 3 great years there!

Just went thru my log book and discovered I did over 200 local scenic flights (dam wall, irrigation area) and about 50 bungles in the 3 years. Just out of interest looks like the bungles started becoming popular in the dry season of 84.

Getting back to Mr Crowe, I don't imagine things have changed that much as far as recreation goes. There was certainly plenty of sport and water activities to fill in your time when not flying. Good luck finding a flying job. You'll probably wonder at some stage if it's all worth it but the potential for all pilots is I believe pretty rosy at this stage.

Do they still have a bit of a get together in one of the hangers on a Friday afternoon?

[disco_air]

haha again delta you'd know all about the pain of flying 3 x airvan bungles + bellburn transfers in a day now wouldnt you.... :yuk: :D perhaps an airvan works tour? :E

Slug was the weapon of choice. RAS the beast of choice. Trims nicely and awesome ventilation! No requirement for physiotherapy after flights longer than 2 hours.

lightbeer wow impressive local scenic number there, i dont think i ever did any! :O I remember george kemble once (loudly) briefing us on the old school days in the kimberley, when wyndham was a metropolis and knx was a backwater!

Hangar beers of a friday afternoon, yes absolutely.... paid for by the carton fines for the week, and a couple shouted by CM. Fond memories :ok: Dont believe there is as much inter-company mingling as there used to be, current knxers care to update on that?

...disco

[Death made simple]

Gullivers Tav was the local get together. But beers were to be found most nights at the hanger. {If everyone paid their fines that is!}
One thing about the airvan is that it was comforting in the fact that one would be quite confident that it was willing to fly at max weight. I'm sure that WOV driver might disagree.:= := Compared to a full 207 [DMS,WOU,WOT] that sh:mad: t is not cool.
And as far as George K goes, that man lives in the stone age and things done in his day are not always done these days.
Booya :ok:

[Death made simple]

Inter company socializing was on and off. Sometimes only to discuss flying issues, hey Pelican := . Touch footy was a good ice breaker this year. Missed out on the pilot awards though :{

[Delta]

[quote=disco_air;2923214]haha again delta you'd know all about the pain of flying 3 x airvan bungles + bellburn transfers in a day now wouldnt you.... :yuk: :D perhaps an airvan works tour? :E


lol no man i just look at the engine and can tell that i dont want to do any f:mad:ing bungles in one..... as for 207 i prefer the rust bucket of a 206 we got any-day, but as for the GA8's comfort in flight i will only say jorge might have some points about the good old days ...pilots did not mind a bit of rough and tough:E :E :E

:p :p :p

[redsnail]

I am still waiting to hear an "ahlumbaroo" on a London frequency. One day it'll happen. (KNX 94-95).

I really enjoyed CM's hospitality with respect to the cartons. :ok:

[drshmoo]

Muir was a great bloke. How many bosses do you know that puts on two cases of beer for the boyz EVERY friday arvo. The amount of beer consumed in the Alligator hanger on friday afternoons in the last 20 years would be staggering. Easily some of my fondest memories, were of friday afternoon with the boyz (and a few tokens) in the hanger and then on to the TAV for a huge night, then sat morning doughnut run to IGA plus a strong coffee, then it was off to sit on a crate in the hanger feeling sorry for my self for the rest of the afternoon.

GA8 - To all concerned. I have around 400 ish scarecan hours and I enjoyed them all. Plenty of people pay them out, but at my height (5'7") it posed no back issues. They could have had rudder trim but from memory they had fixed rudder tabs that took care of most of the rudder issues in cruise. I think it used to make the fuel tanks flow in an unequal way though. I heard that WOV has been sent to scarecan heaven. :\:( very sad. My most GA8 in one day was 7.5 logged. But I think Phil crack daddy from sling did 8.0 in AZD. :ok:

Good luck to all the potentials pilots next year and good luck to the boyz approaching their first wet season.

[multime]

Yes it may of been a different time.Not that long ago.
But i had a dream and followed through.Some 20 yr olds seem to think i wasted my time and they of course are superior.
I didn,t think so and still don,t.
It made me a tough hardened and determined person with insite to a culture and an eventually an industry which is like no other.
In fact Mr Disco it made me a Chief Pilot.
Thats how determined i was.I doubt you with your attitude ever were, or will be.
Now i,m lucky to have have worked for things and appreciate my life a lot more.
I don,t ever think lifes achievements are a race??.
Infact if your struggling to keep up, with your fellow wanna bes ? DONT.
Knx is one part of Aus controlled by 2 pathetic money hungry tyrants.
$35000 for a hanger rat and 200 hr wanna be!!!
Get real. Craig @ kerry don,t pay real wages.(Even AFAP knows that!!!)
AKA river front 1 million plus homes!!!!!
Wake up disco.
We,re on the same team.
Just Worlds Apart.
Cheers M:ok:

[Death made simple]

Yes pay is always an issue. After we worked it out, we were on about 6-8 dollars an hour once one does a 70 odd hour week![not flying time:} ]
It must be hard for them though, making $16000 odd in 3 hours,on busy days times that by 3 :eek:

[disco_air]

Multime

If youre going to take a sledge at me, perhaps make it a logical argument. :confused:

I have absolutely no idea what you are on about. Apologies about the 'miserable' comment, but none of my posts in this thread were intended to mean offence so explain yourself. :suspect:

And no, I'm not struggling at all thankyouverymuch. Life is good. :p

...disco

[Mach.29]

drshmoo, 5'7"..... you sure? You're the only one I remember who used a milk crate to get in the seat of an airvan.
MGK lake Argyle, nice. ;)

[QSK?]

lightbeer:

check your PMs!

[Desert Flower]

In fact Mr Disco it made me a Chief Pilot.
Thats how determined i was.I doubt you with your attitude ever were, or will be.

On the contrary Multime, from what I have seen of this young man he may well end up being a CP one day. I have met a lot of young lads during the (almost) 18 years I have worked in the industry, & there are only a handful of them that I would recommend to a prospective employer if my opinion was sought. Disco is one of them! :ok:

DF.

[carro]

On the contrary Multime, from what I have seen of this young man he may well end up being a CP one day. I have met a lot of young lads during the (almost) 18 years I have worked in the industry, & there are only a handful of them that I would recommend to a prospective employer if my opinion was sought. Disco is one of them! :ok:
DF.


I'd second that:ok:

Carro

[ContactMeNow]

On the contrary Multime, from what I have seen of this young man he may well end up being a CP one day. I have met a lot of young lads during the (almost) 18 years I have worked in the industry, & there are only a handful of them that I would recommend to a prospective employer if my opinion was sought. Disco is one of them! :ok:

DF.


Make that three of us now :ok:

Keep up the good work mate!

CMN :8

[disco_air]

shucks guys, you're too kind :O

[tooty]

Great news for Kununurra wannabes.

Baz Luhrman is going to shoot a film with Nicole Kidman in Kununurra some time next year. The working title is "Lady in a Boat".

Which luxurious accomodations will be Nicole and her co-star be honouring? My best guess is the Kimberley croc. She will be delighted to share with the years crop of struggler wannabes. Or maybe the upmarket Kununurra Hotel. I can see her however, doing a Bungles, even if Loading System Kilo promises her a front seat.

As for Disco, he's a top bloke, and I would trust him any day with someone elses airplane. Just not the tires...

[Delta]

Just not the tires...
tell me about it...ay disco......:E :E :E :E

[disco_air]

You just concentrate on those brake pads and we'll be right, dont you agree Delta? :ok: :E

...disco

[morno]

Geeeez, stop giving him a big head guys! Otherwise he's not going to fit through the door of the Baron, :}.

morno

[Delta]

You just concentrate on those brake pads and we'll be right, dont you agree Delta? :ok: :E


...disco


lol i supose i just dug my own grave then ay....nah u is ok as a pilot mate! :)


/Quote/ morno;
Geeeez, stop giving him a big head guys! Otherwise he's not going to fit through the door of the Baron, :}./quote/

Baron???? is that what u wreck nowerdays???

Delta

[ContactMeNow]

Deleted; Double post

[ContactMeNow]

lol i supose i just dug my own grave then ay....nah u is ok as a pilot mate! :)


/Quote/ morno;
Geeeez, stop giving him a big head guys! Otherwise he's not going to fit through the door of the Baron, :}./quote/

Baron???? is that what u wreck nowerdays???

Delta

Nah, the only thing they let him on these days is a C172 :E

How did the flight go??

I hear he needs to use the rear cargo door to get int his Baron...

CMN :ok:

[disco_air]

Otherwise he's not going to fit through the door of the Baron

I guess thats why they have you in the 402 now huh? :}

CMN,

C172 flight went like a dream :ok: First time for everything!

But re: rear door of baron, not funny... actually had to get out of the a/c once that way :rolleyes:

Get back to study, bloke. Mawgh. :=

Thread hijack anyone?

...disco :}

[ding duck]

must have made a wrong turn, thought this thread was about kununurra 07, somehow i've ended up in the "we love disco" thread!
Not that I don't want to sing the praises of the man...knx isn't the same without ya disco. Your wife and kids at oombi say "hi".

[Delta]

Your wife and kids at oombi say "hi".


so u still havem disco???? i thought u divorced them for a generation yunger????? or do u like it when ur old girl grows a 2 inch beard????:}

yer i must agree with u ther DD it just aint the same......



Delta

[disco_air]

DD heard around the traps you would be leaving the said town soon-ish?

Be sure to swing by :ok:

...disco

[Desert Flower]

Geeeez, stop giving him a big head guys! Otherwise he's not going to fit through the door of the Baron, :}.

Well at least he takes a decent amount of FUEL when he lands, unlike someone else I could mention! ;)

DF.

[bashedcrab]

Must be a different Disco to when I was up there. In my day Disco was GK but that is another story for another time !!! By the way is GK still up there, I heard recently he is now at AA. He has some "different" ideas at times and can be a bombastic old so and so. Have butted heads with him on more than one occasion but deep down he has a heart of gold and will be the first to buy you a beer at the table of knowledge. At least with GK, you know where you stand and if your up front with him, more often then not you may just see a glimmer of respect come your way!!! However "IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT.....THERE'S THE DOOR !!!!" I heard he threw away the ciggies and the drink to become a marathon bike rider.....you think I'm joking !!!

Brings back some good memories hearing you guys carrying on the legacy. For anyone thinking of going, go do it. It can be tough, the pay is ****, the work is hard but a great place socially to spend a couple of years and you will make some lifelong friends and have some fond memories. The best bit though is when you finally get parole after your 2 or 3 year sentence !!!

Would love to get back up for a pilot awards night sometime. Is Kim Chick still there at Schlongair? Do you still use "Kimberley" as the chat frequency ? Is Laaady in the Boat still the drink of choice ? Is Warringarri still the only radio station you can get on the ADF???

Good luck to you all venturing up that way this year. The only advice i would say is get up there sooner rather than later and if you get a job try hard to not bend anything, it usually has career limiting results. I believe it is an easier environment to get a job there now then when I was up there with less pilots going through the flying schools, or so I am told.

Good luck, good flying and look after those old girls. Many an airline pilot has cut their teeth on those old planes. Happy and safe flying !!

[Aerlik]

heard that SA's 310 bender is now on the books at Easterns!:eek:

[drshmoo]

Aerlik - that is correct, but he laid his cards out on the table. He has never hid the truth from any employer post incident. Good on him. Look forward to seeing the bloke back east soon.


Disco - wouldn't let you drive my car, and it ain't no porsche either.

[disco_air]

http://www.missouri.edu/~grcjh/truckpeople.jpg

This one? :ok:

[Ellsworth]

"Lady in a Boat"... What an appropriate title for Kunur. Is Coolabah winery sponsoring the film? :eek:

[Dave Incognito]

Any truth to the rumour that Shlongair has advertised for pilots in Darwin?


bashedcrab,

Kim Chick is still there. Not sure if Kimberley still gets a run however it has been utilised as far away as Cape York by some KNX graduates. Lady in a boat was still doing a roaring trade when I left a few years ago (got some good pics to prove it too), although Tawny Port was a close second. Circa 2000/01 Triple J went to the airwaves on 100.1 (no ADF action but at least you didn’t have to listen to 6WR Warringarri on the ground as well!).

[bashedcrab]

heard that SA's 310 bender is now on the books at Easterns!:eek:

Aerlik,

A word of advice. Be careful how you refer to people. I learn't very early not to bag out people's misfortunes because it may one day just happen to you. You may have heard the saying, "there's those who have and those that will (or have the potential to)". I've never landed with the gear up or crashed an aeroplane fortunately but there have been multiple occasions where I had the potential to come unstuck and still do. The "310 bender" you refer to I happen to know and I also know he had a sh!t of a time getting back into the industry and commend him for the tenacity to get back on the horse and get where he has.

To all the "experts" out there that see fit to bag out your collegues, just take a minute to think if you would like to be the subject of a PPRUNE thread.

Dave Incognito, thanks for the info. I miss Kim Chicks smiling face, must give her a ring. I also miss that "Lady in the Boat" !!

Cheers and happy flying up there guys...:)

[lemel]

bashedcrab,

couldnt say it better myself :ok:
LemeL

[topend3]

here here bashed crab, it's all too easy to cut others down....well said:ok:

[centurionII]

I read the title "Kununurra" and immediately searched the postings for DRSHMOO's input. Ahhhh, you didn't let me down mate, Ol mr reliable! :}