YMMB
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wallsofchina......I dont remember the Ryan. What year would that of been??? Go ahead the stories though.
justapplhere.......Your right on there...I had forgotten him. Was the great Fred Fox the first of a couple of FOI's to pass away around that time???
justapplhere.......Your right on there...I had forgotten him. Was the great Fred Fox the first of a couple of FOI's to pass away around that time???
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Bulldog, it was 1969/70 when the Ryan appeared. He'd restored it, but with a
Continental (I think) engine. It had a polished aluminium skin.
I remember him chuckling one day after an inspector came out (Can't remember whether it was DCA/DOT etc) for a Certificate of Airworthiness flight test.
He said when the guy got back on the ground he wanted to fight Bill. He'd put it in a spin and couldn't get out. He said Bill was lucky he didn't just bail out and leave it to drop.
Bill had done it before, but hadn't told him the engine masked the rudder and the only way to get out was a burst of full throttle.
Continental (I think) engine. It had a polished aluminium skin.
I remember him chuckling one day after an inspector came out (Can't remember whether it was DCA/DOT etc) for a Certificate of Airworthiness flight test.
He said when the guy got back on the ground he wanted to fight Bill. He'd put it in a spin and couldn't get out. He said Bill was lucky he didn't just bail out and leave it to drop.
Bill had done it before, but hadn't told him the engine masked the rudder and the only way to get out was a burst of full throttle.
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Wallsofchina.....I saw a Ryan at Tyabb 15-20 years ago??? Would that be the same one. I lived in Geelong many years ago and an old guy from down there owned a couple of them after the war. A bit before my time, but my dad still remembers them being flown out of the Belmont Common Airport.
I worked for Bill Surh in '71 and if I remember correctly he fitted the Ryan with an anti-spin chute for a while. I think it had an external cable down the side of the fuselage. Bill was quite a character and loved the odd-ball aeroplanes, RC-3 Seabee, DO-27, and the cargo version of the Fletcher the FU-24A. I flew the Seabee and the Fletcher for him, interesting days. The Fletcher was a single seater and I just got in it and flew away. Later we learnt we needed a letter in writing from Freddie Fox to do that, I received my appproval after flying it for a month! Fred found out and gave me a right bollocking over the phone and said, "he would be watching me". As a very young bloke at the time I was scared stiff of him. Now it just makes me laugh.
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By George, I flew with Russell Collins, good instructor. Was he still there when you were?
Yes Bill was a devil - Roadrunner to Freddie Fox's Coyote - those really were the days.
Bulldog, if the Ryan at Tyabb has cylinders out in the breeze, that was probably it.
Yes Bill was a devil - Roadrunner to Freddie Fox's Coyote - those really were the days.
Bulldog, if the Ryan at Tyabb has cylinders out in the breeze, that was probably it.
Wallsofchina, I cannot remember a Rus Collins but having said that the name rings a bell. I worked with John Flemming and Mal Cox, both doing my Instructor Rating. John was killed flying a night charter out of Dubbo and Mal went to Ansett. Both the Fletchers, VH-EOF and EOG were converted to crop-dusters and our Ag cousins promptly wrecked both of them, one being fatal. I don't know what happened to the Seabee, very odd aeroplane, had a Franklin engine of 290hp and a ground adjustable prop. Dual ignition but only one mag, the other side a car coil. 80kt climb, 80kt cruise and you guessed it, 80kt descent. Two hand pumps on the floor, one for gear, one for flaps, a real trap for players. The Fletcher had no floor, just a seat on a cross beam. If you dropped your pen it was gone forever! We also used a C172 for the 3DB beach patrol, VH-KWN. Phil Sutton found a group of sharks off Mud Island and in all the excitment during a steep turn at low level, stalled it and they got a closer look at the sharks by joining them. Both the radio announcer and Phil survived but KWN is now part of the seabed. I loved working for Bill, never a dull moment. Now I just sit for 12 hours watching an auto-pilot, but I am growing older.
Stationair8:
I had my first flying lesson at RVAC in Feb 1987, with Wayne Chapel. 
Also did my theory at Ron's. Amazing reading this thread - how changed it all must be, I haven't been there since about 1998.
No mention yet of Wardy's Cafe? Wardy and free-lance charter pilot Paul Hurst "Thirsty Hursty" drinking each other under the table each night. Or Hursty filling "hoots" hooten's car to the roof with horse manure after being undercut of a free-lance job?
I had a flick through the logbook, hired a C172 VH-RLG from RVAC in Feb 87 and a check flight with instructor W Chapel, while on a lunchbreak from Ron's theory class, must have been a bit short had to put in the old Bankcard that week.
Also did my theory at Ron's. Amazing reading this thread - how changed it all must be, I haven't been there since about 1998.
No mention yet of Wardy's Cafe? Wardy and free-lance charter pilot Paul Hurst "Thirsty Hursty" drinking each other under the table each night. Or Hursty filling "hoots" hooten's car to the roof with horse manure after being undercut of a free-lance job?
Last edited by Checkboard; 15th Feb 2010 at 12:58.
Ah, John Ward, aka 'Wardie', knew him well and a top bloke. He was Debbs boyfriend, Ansetts first girl pilot, for a while. Shame it didn't work, liked them both as a pair. John hated a beer and I have many hazy memories of the charter circuit during the early seventies. He use to fly the Twin Commanche VH-MED that we all called the 'Flying Tampoon'. Are we allowed to say that these days? Probally not. I remember a charter to the races where we sat up all night at Swan Hill 'solving the worlds problems'. How I flew back the next day is one of lifes great mysteries. I was flying a 402 borrowed from Nicolas Skyways, cross hired from Rob Moss another top bloke. Funny really, looking back, all we wanted was the Airlines and now with a year to go to retirement all I want is the good old GA days.
Thread Starter
When Schutts were the Cessna dealers for Victoria and Tasmania did they sell both new single and multi Cessna's?
Dog 1, Forrestair had Piaggio's on charter and freight work and Bob Hussey had the ex - DCA one VH-CAC at Bairnsdale until it was destroyed at Bankstown by a stolen aircraft.
Anyone remember the DeHavilland day at YMMB in 1987?
Dog 1, Forrestair had Piaggio's on charter and freight work and Bob Hussey had the ex - DCA one VH-CAC at Bairnsdale until it was destroyed at Bankstown by a stolen aircraft.
Anyone remember the DeHavilland day at YMMB in 1987?
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S8
The "piggy" VH-CAC was the ex Hussey aircraft operated by a company in Devonport. The firies always watched the departures with interest, in case it over ran on a rejected take off. Some one had to save the new then colour TV sets!
The "piggy" VH-CAC was the ex Hussey aircraft operated by a company in Devonport. The firies always watched the departures with interest, in case it over ran on a rejected take off. Some one had to save the new then colour TV sets!
The Piaggio VH-CAC finished up working out of Tennant Creek.
The aircraft was destroyed at Bankstown when a Tobago crashed into it on take-off at night time.
When did Nicholas Skyways stop operating?
The aircraft was destroyed at Bankstown when a Tobago crashed into it on take-off at night time.
When did Nicholas Skyways stop operating?
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Memories
I can remember,
1/ The no hands circuits in VH- KIR (smallest A/C on the field),
2/ Strong northerly winds and attempting to landing within the length of the piano keys,
3/ The change of circuit direction in GAAP operations - total Kaos,
4/ The grumpy old refueler at Tysons,
5/ The flat spinning Tomahawks,
6/ One Tomahawk that came back form Tooradin on a truck, excellent engine after T/O take over by the instructor. The A/C owner also owned a Chinese Restaurant and wasn't too impressed, taxation lerk lost.
7/ Doing practice forced field landings to zot feet, and narrowly missing the sheep.
8/ Afternoon gaunts to Philip Island for a dip and T/O before sun set?????
1/ The no hands circuits in VH- KIR (smallest A/C on the field),
2/ Strong northerly winds and attempting to landing within the length of the piano keys,
3/ The change of circuit direction in GAAP operations - total Kaos,
4/ The grumpy old refueler at Tysons,
5/ The flat spinning Tomahawks,
6/ One Tomahawk that came back form Tooradin on a truck, excellent engine after T/O take over by the instructor. The A/C owner also owned a Chinese Restaurant and wasn't too impressed, taxation lerk lost.
7/ Doing practice forced field landings to zot feet, and narrowly missing the sheep.
8/ Afternoon gaunts to Philip Island for a dip and T/O before sun set?????
I am not sure when Nicholas finished up, mid eighties at a guess. They had the Air Ambulance contract in the sixties using two B50's ( Twin Bonanzas). In 1970 one of them collided with a Bell 47 over the Moorabbin Town Hall. Peter Stone was the pilot and I think the helicopter pilot was a Brian Cruckshank, sadly all killed. They lost the contract in '71 to Executives at EN. During the seventies they had a traffic patrol using a 172 and Horse-Race charters using two 310's and a 402. They would quite often cross-hire pilots and I flew a few trips for them. Rob Moss and his off-sider 'Jack' were terrific blokes, very dry and great to work for. One strange job they had was counting the number of people fishing around the Bairnsdale Lake District for the Fisheries and Wildlife Department. All very low level and legal. I did it for them once, great fun, even found a couple of lovers in the sand dunes, not counted of course as they were not fishing. Very amusing.
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Does anyone remember the tall ships events in the summer of 87-88. I did several charters out of MB as the ships entered the heads. It was the busiest I'd ever seen the place, Later when the ships sailed for Hobart we also did several charters following them down via FLI and the east coast of Tassie. No GPS's in those days, just usinf bearings off Won, Fli and Esl, and whoever found the fleet would radio the other aircraftwith their approximate position. I've still got some good photos somewhere
.ahhh "Checkboard" so that's who filled 'hoot's car with horse poo....................heard that story a few times back in the 80's. Knowing the guy the poo was put to good use
Karma !
One evening down at PID with the Jap tourists good old 'hoot' flew in after we all had landed ex EN some time before. We pilots often walked down to the beach to kill time. When we got back to Sandy's old hangar at PID from that walk a certain pilot had parked is plane in such a way that none of us could get past him when the Japs came back to fly home. So we pushed with much effort his plane back into the scrub & promptly departed wishing we could have all seen the look on his face when he got back to launch which was always after we had........phew!
Wmk2
Karma ! One evening down at PID with the Jap tourists good old 'hoot' flew in after we all had landed ex EN some time before. We pilots often walked down to the beach to kill time. When we got back to Sandy's old hangar at PID from that walk a certain pilot had parked is plane in such a way that none of us could get past him when the Japs came back to fly home. So we pushed with much effort his plane back into the scrub & promptly departed wishing we could have all seen the look on his face when he got back to launch which was always after we had........phew!
Wmk2
Story goes, while Hirsty was (half cut) sweating and cursing with a coat hangar trying to open the door, the security van cruises up. Out pops the security guy, and asks what is going on - Hirsty whips out his ASIC, big notes himself to the security as a PILOT and explains about losing his keys.
Security guy, suitably impressed, opens the car door for him, and drives off ...
Security guy, suitably impressed, opens the car door for him, and drives off ...
Thread Starter
What was the callsign's of the Nicholas Skyways Baron and C402c?
One aircraft was NSK and was the other NKS?
Remember the mass departure of the aircraft for the newspaper runs about 4pm each week day afternoon?
One aircraft was NSK and was the other NKS?
Remember the mass departure of the aircraft for the newspaper runs about 4pm each week day afternoon?