I just love the wet season!!

[High-Bypass]

The good ole days

I remember doing the famous TNT run one not so pilot friendly afternoon. GTE - DN in one of MO's 210's, penetrating cell after cell. Landed to find the rear window had not only been shattered, but was completely missing.

The freight in the baggage area was a little wet (sitting in a few inches of water), as usual, the TNT blokes werent too concerned.

Dry season had its fun times, 30/40 kt tailwinds back from GTE. Occasional G/S of up to 180/190 kts in a 210....giddyup !!

[wrongwayaround]

When I did G.A up north moons ago, I was always surprised at how far lightning could strike away from thunderstorm cells...

One day I diverted around a cell, probably about 15 miles from it. In an instant, a lightning bolt went straight through the nose of the aeroplane - words can not describe how bright it was and how much of a fright I got!

[OpsNormal]

apanxx5 I believe WMP is still flying. It finally got it's paint job and interior done in around 2003(?) if I remember correctly.

The ill-fated TFI got it's paint and interior around 2004 and was painted in the same scheme as WMP.



Looked pretty smart for an old girl (From memory Below5K took this photo, so credit where it is due).

[morno]

Ops, is that Vaughan Springs?

[tinpis]

The TNT run usda be done in a Lear 35
Never had a weather problem

[OpsNormal]

Looks muchly like Elkedra to be, but I might be wrong. As I said, I didn't take the photo.

[morno]

I guessed Vaughan Springs because the photo is titled "NorthWestMail", and you can see some hills in the background.

[Flintstone]

Thanks for the photo.

It never looked anywhere near that good when I flew it. More green panels than anything else and paint so flat you could see the water being soaked up when you washed it.

[Capt Fathom]

You guys have radar?

You lucky bastards ... I think!

[Harry Cooper]

TFI - The (or Timmy's) Flying Inferno. As you pointed out Ops, for a great story about flying in the wet talk to the guy that deadsticked that aircraft into DN around 1 am one morning, while on fire, in the middle of a thunderstorm - instant promotion and rightly so.

[OpsNormal]

When he told me the story sitting the breezeway at Alice one lunch time I thought he was having a lend. I mean I just couldn't believe it, no vac (precessing DG etc etc), in wet and bumpy IMC and on fire..... Fark me!

Fathom, that would have been nice....

[Jamair]

<5K gets around, don't he.......

[maxgrad]

Something along this line Flintstone?

[Harry Cooper]

Poor old WMP. Its a shame. When TL first got that machine back in the mid 90's it was in pretty good nick. Used to fly it for an operator out of Katherine Gorge - and it was one of the better 210's that they had.

Unfortunately WMP and the others were seen as just freighters and were never looked after.

From memory we flew the centre run for about 2 or 3 years before autopilots were fitted - that run was luxury after that

A lot of scary stories came from that operation - especially in the pre-autopilot days. Amazing how long people can sleep for in an aircraft thats relying on Mr Newton for guidance.

[Flintstone]

Exactly like that! Thanks Maxgrad.

HC. The 210's got autopilots? Pfffft! In my day etc etc........

The worst I ever did was set off out of Tindal for Tennant Creek one night tracking the wrong radial. Don't ask me why I did, only been doing the job about nine months at that stage so knew them all off by heart. Realised my mistake after an hour!! The BIGGEST 1:60 correction evAr Sweat my ringpiece off for about 45 minutes before the Tennant VOR/DME came up

One of the guys confessed to falling asleep one night while southbound. He told me (over a beer at the 'tute) that he woke up facing the right direction but was "....f*cked if he knew how many times he'd flown in a circle"

So we had another beer

Then there was the night I was flying on top of broken cloud between Tindal and Tennant Creek again. Looked down and saw the moon reflecting off water. WTF!!!!! Time for the sweaty ringpiece again! Compass and DG tallied but I was out of VOR/DME range ahead and behind and was too poor to have my own GPS. I couldn't have headed north by mistake could I?

Turned out the desert was flooded. Now how often does THAT happen?


Ahhhh, the good old days

[maxgrad]

I've always counted the hours on that night run asdamn good hours but thank god it's over.

Then theres the story of one driver who fell asleep and ended up just north on AYE before waking up and parking it in/on the salt pan there.

Departing out of DN each night and reading the front page to departures.

[Flintstone]

...................faxing the crossword to Adelaide FS.

[the wizard of auz]

I was tooling along the other Dark night watching all the pretty lights in the sky, but not being to concerned as the radar was showing clear sky for me......... after I was nearly blinded by one particular flash very close by I double checked the radar and after adjusting the azmuth setting........ saw a bunch of new colours on the screen that weren't showing earlier.
I raced a cell to the circuit and landed just before it got there......... and poured on my ugly ass.

[nohumbug]

ahh yes ....some wet season 3am freight runs i will never forget. In an Ov###ls "IFR" C210. Somwhere between VRD and Hooker creek at 9000 praying for the wings to hold on to the fuselage ...trying to ignore that unmistakeable creaking coming from the windscreen while desparately trying to fly away from the worst of the lightning flashes....with only a sleepy flightwatch controller occasionally crackling in your ears...

[thekite]

TFI

I tried to get him to tell me the story, to write up for one of the magazines, (all secrecy, witness protection assured etc) . Nope; would not do it. Damn shame.
I thought it was quite an inspiring story for the younger generation.