Qld Weather and Alternative suggestions
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Qld Weather and Alternative suggestions
Hi guys,
New pilot and new Poster to the forum so hi to all.
Currently scheduled for a trip to Fraser Island (Orchid Beach) camping b/w Xmas and NY and been watching the trough sitting right across Queensland with some trepidation.
With not too many big trips under my belt and not much experience with long trips into bad weather, I was wondering whether any of you more experienced people might offer some views. With the look of the weather, would you expect to be able to find a way to wiggle through the heavy showers to get in there or would you think about heading west away from the weather instead.
If the latter, any one got good suggestions for a strip to fly into where there might be good camping available for a week or two (preferably on a river/lake to swim in). Innamincka and the Cooper Creek maybe?
TIA
New pilot and new Poster to the forum so hi to all.
Currently scheduled for a trip to Fraser Island (Orchid Beach) camping b/w Xmas and NY and been watching the trough sitting right across Queensland with some trepidation.
With not too many big trips under my belt and not much experience with long trips into bad weather, I was wondering whether any of you more experienced people might offer some views. With the look of the weather, would you expect to be able to find a way to wiggle through the heavy showers to get in there or would you think about heading west away from the weather instead.
If the latter, any one got good suggestions for a strip to fly into where there might be good camping available for a week or two (preferably on a river/lake to swim in). Innamincka and the Cooper Creek maybe?
TIA
Hi there..
As you are no doubt aware, most of Aus has been pretty unsettled lately, but if as you say your relatively new to flying and nav-ing, id perhaps plan a couple of options for yourself (I dont know the area, so cant say where) as this will give you plenty of opportunity to get the whole planning thing down to a fine art.Then when it comes time to head off, you can look at the most current weather and make your final decision from that.
The fact that you have time on your side is a good thing because I assume you are VFR?, and that can have you stuck here and there at times.
The other side of the coin is to stick to your original idea, and just see how you go.It can be invaluable to have to deal with those decisions of do I or do I not fly this leg or day etc, or some real life diversion work if it came to that. Without putting myself or anyone else in danger Id say Ive learnt more from the marginal days than anything else, and have been happy (probably not the right word-willing perhaps) to leave the plane on the groung if thats what's required
Have fun.
As you are no doubt aware, most of Aus has been pretty unsettled lately, but if as you say your relatively new to flying and nav-ing, id perhaps plan a couple of options for yourself (I dont know the area, so cant say where) as this will give you plenty of opportunity to get the whole planning thing down to a fine art.Then when it comes time to head off, you can look at the most current weather and make your final decision from that.
The fact that you have time on your side is a good thing because I assume you are VFR?, and that can have you stuck here and there at times.
The other side of the coin is to stick to your original idea, and just see how you go.It can be invaluable to have to deal with those decisions of do I or do I not fly this leg or day etc, or some real life diversion work if it came to that. Without putting myself or anyone else in danger Id say Ive learnt more from the marginal days than anything else, and have been happy (probably not the right word-willing perhaps) to leave the plane on the groung if thats what's required
Have fun.
All the camping grounds along the Murray are flooded at present. I'm not sure about the Darling and others but I don't like your chances.
I have no experience of Innamincka in summer, it's delightful in winter, but I suspect you would not want to be there just now.
I have no experience of Innamincka in summer, it's delightful in winter, but I suspect you would not want to be there just now.
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Tonym3,
I'd think about avoiding fraser like the plague for the moment due to the weather. Its a top place to visit. I have flown in there a couple of times before and orchid beach can be tricky because the surface is composed of grass over a sandy base. After the rain it may have been compacted and will be reasonably hard to land on, then again it could be soft and mushy and not much chop.
From my experience you always have to be careful with these sandy strips. If they get a lot of use the grass breaks away and your left with the sand. If this is the case your calculated takeoff distance may be increased by quite a bit. Tangalooma is another favourite and has put the wind up me once or twice before nothing worse than accellerating for takeoff and watching the ASI go up and down like a brides underwear because of the exposed sand patches, along a diminishing runway
.
Take care mate have a good xmas break.
rocket
I'd think about avoiding fraser like the plague for the moment due to the weather. Its a top place to visit. I have flown in there a couple of times before and orchid beach can be tricky because the surface is composed of grass over a sandy base. After the rain it may have been compacted and will be reasonably hard to land on, then again it could be soft and mushy and not much chop.
From my experience you always have to be careful with these sandy strips. If they get a lot of use the grass breaks away and your left with the sand. If this is the case your calculated takeoff distance may be increased by quite a bit. Tangalooma is another favourite and has put the wind up me once or twice before nothing worse than accellerating for takeoff and watching the ASI go up and down like a brides underwear because of the exposed sand patches, along a diminishing runway
.Take care mate have a good xmas break.
rocket
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Thanks for quick feedback.
I am VFR and I agree that options is what I need to be generating. I do have a bit of time which is good and there is part of me that is tempted to see how the weather gods treat hervey bay etc. At the moment, it doesn't look too kind.
I spent a little time last night looking at the maps and the weather. Has anyone flown into Robe, SA, recently? Mt Gambier might be an option too. Not quite the Fraser island camping experience I was looking forward to but at least the sun seems likely to shine.
I think sunfish is probably right about Innamincka. Other suggestions for me to consider? Heat not a major issue if there is a river to dip into. Ex Sydney by the way.
I am VFR and I agree that options is what I need to be generating. I do have a bit of time which is good and there is part of me that is tempted to see how the weather gods treat hervey bay etc. At the moment, it doesn't look too kind.
I spent a little time last night looking at the maps and the weather. Has anyone flown into Robe, SA, recently? Mt Gambier might be an option too. Not quite the Fraser island camping experience I was looking forward to but at least the sun seems likely to shine.
I think sunfish is probably right about Innamincka. Other suggestions for me to consider? Heat not a major issue if there is a river to dip into. Ex Sydney by the way.
Try Tasmania, probably the best weather in Australia right now. Flinders Island is great, on the way down from Sydney, or the East Coast, Friendly Beaches perhaps. Give it a Google. Best wishes with your trip.
Tonym3, you don't say where you are coming from?
The Frazer Is area seems to have the best weather along the Qld coast at the moment - at least from the look of weatherzone.
Dr
The Frazer Is area seems to have the best weather along the Qld coast at the moment - at least from the look of weatherzone.
Dr
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Ex Sydney FTDK.
You're right about the weather today but I'm not flying till Monday and Weatherzone suggesting that it's not looking good. Last time I saw Weatherzone with that kind of forecast I was going to Albury and made the call to drive instead - a decision I did not regret when I saw weather conditions down there. So my experience tells me that Weatherzone not too far from the mark. The difference with Albury was that I didn't have time to be grounded. This time I have a few days up my sleeve and I am considering whether to head up in the general direction and wait for a break or resign myself to the likelihood that the breaks will be brief and to rethink the plan altogether.
Rocket is swinging me to the latter. King Island and Tassie sounds good. Wonder how Kangaroo Island is at this time of year?
You're right about the weather today but I'm not flying till Monday and Weatherzone suggesting that it's not looking good. Last time I saw Weatherzone with that kind of forecast I was going to Albury and made the call to drive instead - a decision I did not regret when I saw weather conditions down there. So my experience tells me that Weatherzone not too far from the mark. The difference with Albury was that I didn't have time to be grounded. This time I have a few days up my sleeve and I am considering whether to head up in the general direction and wait for a break or resign myself to the likelihood that the breaks will be brief and to rethink the plan altogether.
Rocket is swinging me to the latter. King Island and Tassie sounds good. Wonder how Kangaroo Island is at this time of year?
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If you are still going to fly Sydney to Fraser/Hervey Bay I'd recommend the coastal route at the moment. The cloud has been sticking to the great dividing range 95% of the time during the last couple of weeks and you have reduced options with available airfields. Even if the cloud base drops you can still fly at 500ft coastal most of the way north.
Suitable airfields to divert to if tracking north are Taree, Port Macquarie, Coffs Harbour, Grafton, Lismore, Ballina, Gold Coast, Archerfield, Redcliffe, Caboolture, Caloundra, Sunshine Coast (then starts to get a little thin), Gympie, Maryborough. Most have fuel available but check the ERSA.
With the weather at the moment, I'd recommend flying through Gold Coast airspace at a low level rather than around to the west where all of the higher terrain is. The ERSA tells you what heights to plan at.
To overfly Brisbane airport the options are usually over the top at around 7500ft (which probably won't be suitable with the cloud base), or lower at 1500ft. The lower option is more scenic but you may have a few retrictions due traffic. From memory the planning requirement is to track Manly Boat Harbour, Brisbane Control Tower, Hornibrook Viaduct.
The VFR route to the east over Moreton Island is another option, but make sure you take life jackets unless you can climb to at least 3500ft and can glide to land. However, the weather over Moreton Island has been terrible and I'd recommend sticking to the mainland. There are limited options too - Tangalooma is only 700 odd metres long and probably way too soggy (plus the owners don't like visitors). A lot of windshear too given the easterly winds and hills/trees nearby (has claimed someone in the past!).
Don't just look out to the east for showers/weather either - rain has been coming from the west as well. Orchid Beach might also not be suitable to land at given the amount of rain recently. Keep an eye on the low up north of Mackay - could turn nasty over the next couple of days and give everyone a soaking to the south.
There are plenty of guys with good advice on here, but PM me if you want any more info about planning and flying around SE Qld.
Suitable airfields to divert to if tracking north are Taree, Port Macquarie, Coffs Harbour, Grafton, Lismore, Ballina, Gold Coast, Archerfield, Redcliffe, Caboolture, Caloundra, Sunshine Coast (then starts to get a little thin), Gympie, Maryborough. Most have fuel available but check the ERSA.
With the weather at the moment, I'd recommend flying through Gold Coast airspace at a low level rather than around to the west where all of the higher terrain is. The ERSA tells you what heights to plan at.
To overfly Brisbane airport the options are usually over the top at around 7500ft (which probably won't be suitable with the cloud base), or lower at 1500ft. The lower option is more scenic but you may have a few retrictions due traffic. From memory the planning requirement is to track Manly Boat Harbour, Brisbane Control Tower, Hornibrook Viaduct.
The VFR route to the east over Moreton Island is another option, but make sure you take life jackets unless you can climb to at least 3500ft and can glide to land. However, the weather over Moreton Island has been terrible and I'd recommend sticking to the mainland. There are limited options too - Tangalooma is only 700 odd metres long and probably way too soggy (plus the owners don't like visitors). A lot of windshear too given the easterly winds and hills/trees nearby (has claimed someone in the past!).
Don't just look out to the east for showers/weather either - rain has been coming from the west as well. Orchid Beach might also not be suitable to land at given the amount of rain recently. Keep an eye on the low up north of Mackay - could turn nasty over the next couple of days and give everyone a soaking to the south.
There are plenty of guys with good advice on here, but PM me if you want any more info about planning and flying around SE Qld.
There's a few sayings when it comes to flying.
If it doesn't look good it usually isn't.
Flying privately means you don't 'have' to go. We've all been on the ground wishing we where up there (going away on a trip for Eg) but there's nothing worse than being up there wishing you where down on the ground
VFR is actually better when the wx is crap (providing you have good discipline) that way you should be able to see where yr going the whole time.Being IFR in crap wx is damn dangerous & very risky in a lighty.
It's simply not worth it if it looks doubtful & yr green, bad combo.
YFLI (Flinders Is) use caution there also. Great place the perfect quiet get-away but the Is. is or can be a treacherous place also with wx socking in for days at a time, (been there done that years ago!).
At the end of the day plan yr flight via as many strips as possible that way there's always a 'rest-stop' enroute.
Enjoy the journey but don't wish you had never started it if the wx looks ordinary
Wmk2.....Ho Ho Ho to all those that can be merry today, some of us have to work !
If it doesn't look good it usually isn't.
Flying privately means you don't 'have' to go. We've all been on the ground wishing we where up there (going away on a trip for Eg) but there's nothing worse than being up there wishing you where down on the ground
VFR is actually better when the wx is crap (providing you have good discipline) that way you should be able to see where yr going the whole time.Being IFR in crap wx is damn dangerous & very risky in a lighty.
It's simply not worth it if it looks doubtful & yr green, bad combo.
YFLI (Flinders Is) use caution there also. Great place the perfect quiet get-away but the Is. is or can be a treacherous place also with wx socking in for days at a time, (been there done that years ago!).
At the end of the day plan yr flight via as many strips as possible that way there's always a 'rest-stop' enroute.
Enjoy the journey but don't wish you had never started it if the wx looks ordinary
Wmk2.....Ho Ho Ho to all those that can be merry today, some of us have to work !
Didnt realise you were syd based..Go south and then west(or south and then further south
....Theres been a lot of crappy weather going through northern vic/southern NSW, and the steady stream of troughs has to end sometime, but not so far..
Some parts of SA could be good and flinders Island from all reports is great.The Eyre peninsula is stunning.
Just go...
....Theres been a lot of crappy weather going through northern vic/southern NSW, and the steady stream of troughs has to end sometime, but not so far..Some parts of SA could be good and flinders Island from all reports is great.The Eyre peninsula is stunning.
Just go...
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Thanks all again for the tips. Was wondering what the "camp at the country airstrip" rules are. I have done one other big trip since getting my PPL in June (Balranald, YBHI, camerons, Innamincka, birdsville, Alkce, Uluru, coober pedy, marree, wilpena, parkes and back) and some of the smaller strips had showers and plenty of places to pitch a small tent or two. Is it reasonable to assume that permission would generally be granted for that or is it generally unacceptable?
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Holidaying with freinds on Flinders Is at the moment. The weather has been good and not too hot.around 20c, Cavok every day since we,ve been here and looking good the next few days
Airhead is at FLINDERS, not FRASER
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Don't do it
Mate please accept my advice and stay at home. The weather is crap at Fraser right now and WILL get worse over the next few days. If you are departing the Sydney area (VFR) you will not get through to anywhere up North until at least Thursday or later. I am on the Fraser coast now. It is raining steadily and the cloud base is very low with viz at about 5km at best.
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Tonym3...you seem pretty determined to go to an island, in which case Kangaroo Island would be quite good at this time of year. There is an airport shuttle service that you can pre-arrange to pick you up from Kingscote or alternatively you could land at Vivonne Bay which is a grass strip about 700m in length from memory (I could be mistaken). Vivonne Bay is a peaceful and picturesque little place not far from Seal Bay. There are other strips on the island too like American River but be aware of roos and livestock, probably best to call ahead too. Wherever you go, have fun!
P
P
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Just to round the thread out, kangaroo island was ruled out because car hire wasn't available anywhere and campsites were scarce. Flinders and king islands were tempting but I decided to keep those gems for another time. Fraser was abandoned and we opted for mallacoota as the place meeting most requirements (ie wife's). I'm not pussy whipped though. At least we're flying.
We might check out orbost and bairnsdale on daytrips.
Thanks for all the advice.
We might check out orbost and bairnsdale on daytrips.
Thanks for all the advice.
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Tony,
Mate, DONOT be takin' weather advice from PPL's on PPRuNe,(especially with patterns of this type) ring your last instructor or someone a little more experienced
Mate, DONOT be takin' weather advice from PPL's on PPRuNe,(especially with patterns of this type) ring your last instructor or someone a little more experienced
