New aviators

[baylover]

When I was young my first memory in Cooroy was seeing the Southern Cross The real VH USU fly over my school.
Ever after that I fell in love with aviation, before i got my licence i used to lie on a blanket in my back yard and look at the Ansett Carvairs flames coming out of their engines.
I was determined I learnt to fly, i cut sugar cane in North Queensland and I got my licence.
I ended up as Qantas and Airbus A330 Captain.
i realise my career is finalised.
i have over 32000 hours.
if any pilot wishes to talk to me about their futures I am happy.
I just love aviation

[illusion]

When I was young my first memory in Cooroy was seeing the Southern Cross The real VH USU fly over my school.
Ever after that I fell in love with aviation, before i got my licence i used to lie on a blanket in my back yard and look at the Ansett Carvairs flames coming out of their engines.
I was determined I learnt to fly, i cut sugar cane in North Queensland and I got my licence.
I ended up as Qantas and Airbus A330 Captain.
i realise my career is finalised.
i have over 32000 hours.
if any pilot wishes to talk to me about their futures I am happy.
I just love aviation

I've told a lot of lies on a blanket in the backyard but I was not thinking of aircraft at the time....
​​​​​​​

[Jimsaviation]

Thanks for the post. Good to see someone reminisce and enjoy a few celebratory drinks while posting.

[Traffic_Is_Er_Was]

.... enjoy a few celebratory drinks while posting.
More than a few! VH-USU went into a museum around 1935. Ansett didn't start flying Carvairs until 1965. So that's say 40ish for license. QF didn't get A330 until 2003 so captain at 80?

[Lead Balloon]

Indeed TIEW: The history and maths don't quite work for baylover.

Perhaps you could post a photo of the last page of your logbook, baylover?

[Mach E Avelli]

Baylover, as another old geezer from the bygone golden age of aviation, may I respectfully offer the following:

*Your anecdotes - if delivered with humour and without hubris - would probably be welcomed on Pprune. I am sure you have had experiences from which others could learn. Let's have them.
*Your career advice may not be relevant to today's market (low cost, race to the bottom, pay to fly), or what is in store for future pilots. Think eventual unmanned passenger flight. - we won't live to see it, but today's 20 year olds will. Sure there are deniers, but they are mostly silly old buggers.
*There IS life after aviation - some reminiscing is good for the soul, but too much is definitely bad. For the sake of your mental and physical health, learn new tricks (flying drones for example, which is fun) and do something totally unrelated (or perhaps photography using drones (not that I have been very successful at that!).
*Keep your logbooks and photos, but ditch all your old uniforms and manuals. Aviation museums would be grateful for the manuals - the uniforms make good cleaning rags when you are working on the car or boat.

Best wishes, Mach E

[Lead Balloon]

You may have some inside knowledge, Mach. How does someone both:

(a) see 'the real VH-USU' fly over his or her school, and

(b) be a Qantas A330 captain?

[Mach E Avelli]

You may have some inside knowledge, Mach. How does someone both see 'the real VH-USU' fly over his or her school and be a Qantas A330 captain?
No inside knowledge. Although I once lived not far from Cooroy, I can't even guess who he is, but from past posts he's been around a while. The A330 bit could be in his mind, or the VH-USU bit. He may have confused that with the later Southern Cross replica which flew much later.
Funny things happen as one ages. Some of my own bullsh!t (told to certain females) has now become fact in my mind. The problem is remembering what bullsh!t I told to whom...or their names...Fortunately, it's unlikely any of it will catch up with me now. Timelines tend to get mixed up. Sometimes I need to refer to my logbooks to get certain memories into chronological order, or to place real incidents, or to remember other pilots’ names.
But I have no doubt he was a pilot.
He seems to mean well, just hanging on a bit tight.
Let’s give him a chance to prove his bona fides.

[dr dre]

More than a few! VH-USU went into a museum around 1935. Ansett didn't start flying Carvairs until 1965. So that's say 40ish for license. QF didn't get A330 until 2003 so captain at 80?

Damn is that how long the wait time for a wide body command in mainline has blown out too?! ;)

[Lead Balloon]

I agree! I look forward to seeing a photo of the last page of baylover's logbook.

[Lead Balloon]

Apropos nothing in particular…

There’s a thread, on another aviation-related website to which I subscribe, about ChatGPT. A particularly well-known pilot posted a quote of what ChatGPT states about the pilot’s life and times. The pilot pointed out which bits of the statement are bull****.

Sadly, taking stuff on the electric interweb at face value can lead to disappointment. All new ‘aviators’ – what an unusual word to use in the context of a professional pilot website – would best take care.

[hobbit1983]

<snip?

There’s a thread, on another aviation-related website to which I subscribe, about ChatGPT. A particularly well-known pilot posted a quote of what ChatGPT states about the pilot’s life and times. The pilot pointed out which bits of the statement are bull****.

...</snip>

Out of interest Lead Balloon, please could you point me in direction of said post?

(apologies for thread drift)

[tossbag]

So he's the Joe Biden of the aviation world, get off his back, people want to hear bull****, the truth is too hard.

[markis10]

More than a few! VH-USU went into a museum around 1935. Ansett didn't start flying Carvairs until 1965. So that's say 40ish for license. QF didn't get A330 until 2003 so captain at 80?

You overlook the fact she was flying in 1945 for some movie called “smithy”, and Ansetts first Carvair flew in 1968

[Lead Balloon]

Out of interest Lead Balloon, please could you point me in direction of said post?

(apologies for thread drift)
Doug Rozendaal posted this on Beechtalk (https://www.beechtalk.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=214393&start=120) (you have to register to read), but I'm sure Doug wouldn't mind me copying it here:I posed the question, "Write an article about Doug Rozendaal."

Here is the result. The Red stuff are false facts.

Doug Rozendaal is a name that is synonymous with aviation. He is an experienced warbird pilot, aerobatic pilot, and designated pilot examiner. With over 10,000 hours of flying experience and having flown more than 170 different types of aircraft, Rozendaal is a true aviation enthusiast.

Rozendaal's passion for aviation started at a young age. He grew up in a family of pilots and was exposed to aviation from an early age. His father was a pilot and owned a Piper J-3 Cub, which Rozendaal learned to fly in. He went on to earn his private pilot's license at the age of 17 and has been flying ever since.

Over the years, Rozendaal has flown a wide variety of aircraft, from vintage warbirds to modern jets. He has flown everything from the P-51 Mustang to the F-16 Fighting Falcon. His love for vintage warbirds has led him to become a certified warbird pilot, and he has flown in numerous airshows across the country.

In addition to his flying experience, Rozendaal is also a designated pilot examiner. He has been designated by the FAA to administer flight tests to pilots seeking various certifications. His experience as an examiner has given him a unique perspective on aviation and has allowed him to share his knowledge and experience with others.
Rozendaal's contributions to aviation have not gone unnoticed. He has been featured in numerous aviation publications and has been recognized for his contributions to the aviation community. His passion for aviation is contagious, and he continues to inspire others to pursue their dreams of flying.

In conclusion, Doug Rozendaal is a true aviation enthusiast. His love for flying and his vast experience in aviation make him a valuable asset to the aviation community. His contributions to aviation will continue to inspire and motivate others to pursue their dreams of flying.

Sadly, based on my experience being profiled in magazine and newspaper stories, I would say the accuracy is about the same as a human reporter and most likely it is because these facts were erroneously reported by a human reporter. Much like modern reporting, there is just very little fact checking, and so inaccurate information lives on and multiplies.

[Lookleft]

Forget the planes he quotes, a Qantas pilot having 32000 hours is the biggest giveaway that it is probably some sort of pprune phishing expedition.

[Mach E Avelli]

Forget the planes he quotes, a Qantas pilot having 32000 hours is the biggest giveaway that it is probably some sort of pprune phishing expedition.
it came to me in my sleep last night who this guy could be. Joined TAA at the time of the 1989 pilot dispute as a DEC. B737, I think. He already had a lot of time logged overseas, so the 32000 claim could be right, not necessarily accurate. The A330 command would be true.
A bit older than me, so could be about 80.

[Traffic_Is_Er_Was]

You overlook the fact she was flying in 1945 for some movie called “smithy”
I didn't, that was filmed in NSW, so I ignored it. Anyway, just for giggles, if he saw her while at school in 1945, let's give benefit of the doubt, and he was 5 at the time, so DOB 1940. That could gel with A330 at 63. Except that he says on another thread that he was in high school 1964-68, so DOB closer to 1950? Again, works much better with the A330, but Southern Cross? Other thread mining shows he says FO on Bushies DC-3, then DC9, B737, and A330 commands and mentions 32500hrs, so you can work out the career.

[Lookleft]

You can have this as a career:

Joined TAA at the time of the 1989 pilot dispute as a DEC. B737, I think. He already had a lot of time logged overseas, so the 32000 claim could be right, not necessarily accurate.

or you can have this as a career:

​​​​​​​Other thread mining shows he says FO on Bushies DC-3, then DC9, B737, and A330 commands and mentions 32500hrs, so you can work out the career.

​​​​​​​But you cant have both. If he spent his time in Australia and was in TAA pre-dispute then he certainly was not doing a lot of airline flying.

[Mach E Avelli]

I went back to the thread he started on 8th September 2017 and now reckon I know who he is, even though I never met him in person. Not the guy I initially thought.
A few years earlier, when I was still a HOFO, he kept bombarding me with job applications. His cv stated that he could fly anything, any time, anywhere, and would do so if someone cooked his dinner and gave him a bed. That offer alone automatically disqualified him.
With 32000 hours it was certainly a cv that got my attention - hence I remember it clearly.
I never saw a copy of his licence or logbook to back up his claims.

[First_Principal]

Well I certainly saw USU in the '80's ;) I know this for sure because I took the following photos at NZOM (and yes it was replica, but IIRC it was well known in Oz and came further south for a tour):



https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/600x843/usu_1980s_5a9c53d09f16abb12576a7ce894ea5d5b7b78383.png

[megan]

Well I certainly saw USU in the '80'sOne of our avionic engineers was responsible for the electrical work on the replica during its build at Parafield, Ed de Groot.

[Lead Balloon]

I went back to the thread he started on 8th September 2017 and now reckon I know who he is, even though I never met him in person. Not the guy I initially thought.
A few years earlier, when I was still a HOFO, he kept bombarding me with job applications. His cv stated that he could fly anything, any time, anywhere, and would do so if someone cooked his dinner and gave him a bed. That offer alone automatically disqualified him.
With 32000 hours it was certainly a cv that got my attention - hence I remember it clearly.
I never saw a copy of his licence or logbook to back up his claims. Sadly, these days it’s difficult to tell if a superficially credible but actually dubious post is the product of AI, a phishing exercise or the output of the mind of someone with Walter Mitty syndrome, rather than the ‘real deal’ who happens to have some confused, fading memories.

If ‘baylover’ is the ‘real deal’, I earnestly hope his loved ones are taking good care of him.