Cessna goes swimming in Lake Eyre

[Trojan1981]

That is a great shot XXX!

You wouldn't be lifting 1000 kg very far in a Longranger. If insurance permits I'd be getting a 214 or even a Dauphin down from Sydney to lift it out. It requires a bit of prep though, just to minimise weight and ensure the 'van doesn't try to 'fly' while being underslung. De-fuel, seats out, lift spoilers on the wings etc.

[Desert Flower]

Another interesting thing is that if there is water it tends to move around a lake. Some locals say its to do with the moon & tides. Others say its wind.

It's definitely wind. When Len Beadell & his gang were building the Gunbarrel Highway they camped on a salt pan one night. There was water up one end, so they set up camp at the other end. They woke up during the night to find everything floating, as a strong wind had come up & pushed the water in the opposite direction!

DF.

[Hydromet]

Another interesting thing is that if there is water it tends to move around a lake. Some locals say its to do with the moon & tides. Others say its wind. We rang Dr Karl about it and he didn't have an answer.

It's definitely wind.

Quite correct. Wind set up on shallow lakes with a long run can be quite spectacular, and once started, seiches can continue oscillating for quite a while after the wind has stopped. They can go back and forth or in a circular motion, like you get if you move a basin of water in a circular motion.

I flew as pax on one of the Willie Ck. aircraft last year and found the whole operation very professional. (They also kindly let us use their workshop to carry out repairs to the tour company's mini-bus.)

[Desert Flower]

Aren’t there photos of at least one aircraft (to my inexpert eye it looks like an Islander? - high wing, twin engined thingy -) on the Lake next to the Bluebird?

I would say at a guess the aircraft is the Aerocommander 500 that Campbell's missus used to fly. I remember seeing it back in the days when he was doing his thing on Lake Bonney in Barmera.

DF.

[Old Akro]

The strength of the salt crust depends on how dry it is. You can see it in the shade of white. I haven't been in that territory since January / February. None of the Salt lakes were properly white then. It seems to take months for them to dry out properly.

[Horatio Leafblower]

I thought it was only my wife and interior decorators who insisted there is more than one shade of "white"

[Trent 972]

G-APLJ

This was previously British adventurer Sir Donald Campbell's G-APLJ, flown out to Australia the previous year to support his land speed record attempts on the dry lake bed at Lake Eyre, SA in his "Bluebird".

[PLovett]

Clinton, Donald Campbell most certainly used Lake Eyre for setting a world land speed record in the Bluebird. They used the south east corner of the lake (where the infamous C210 is) which is usually the last part to flood and has the hardest salt crust. Ironically, the first year he was there was the wettest in some time. He had to return a year or two later to set his record.

[Old Akro]

Lake Gairdner is the better lake for speed records. Its where the Dry lake Salt Racers run the Australian version of Bonneville each year. I was told by the guys at Mt Ive station that the salt crust is 1m thick is the Southern end. I have a vague recollection that Donald Campbell was supposed to be at Lake Gairdner, but I forget why he ended up at Lake Eyre.

[Trent 972]

VH-EXY Aero Commander 680E

It was, in fact, used to support Donald Campbell's world land speed record attempt on the dry bed of Lake Eyre. DCA had denied permission for DC-3s to land on the lake bed and set a weight limit of 10,000 lbs for such an operation, a limit easily met by the Commander, topping out, as it did at around 6,500 lbs. In the event VH-EXV only operated a few flights between Adelaide and the Lake Eyre site.

[Desert Flower]

I thought it was only my wife and interior decorators who insisted there is more than one shade of "white"

Don't know how many shades of white there are, but apparently there are 50 shades of grey!

DF.

[onetrack]

How did they determine it was OK to run the Bluebird and operate the aircraft on the Lake?

Clinton, they take core samples with a small hand-operated auger to determine the salt crust thickness. The salt crust is 1M thick at Lake Eyre, at Level Post Bay.

Australian salt lakes are nearly all very treacherous, with a thin crust of salt, and sticky, fine clay mud underneath. That mud can vary in depth from a few hundred millimetres to dozens of metres.
There are very few Outback salt lakes that can safely carry the weight of a vehicle or aircraft.
Claypans, which often appear very similar to salt lakes (although they're usually darker in colour), are nearly always safe for vehicles and aircraft, if they're dry.

[Desert Flower]

Lake Gairdner is the better lake for speed records.

Yep, & almost every time Roscoe McGlashan went there to do a run it poured!

DF.

[Fantome]

Donald Campbell also used an Avis Air Charter Aero Commander. But on that occasion it was in support of his water speed attempt on Lake Dumbleyung in WA. Had the honour of refuelling him at Perth Airport early in 1965.

Have a snap somewhere taken at the time. His pleasant smiling face is framed by the open side window as he is reaching up about to fire up number one. Perched up in front of him on the dash is the teddy bear that went everywhere with him. Named??? That little stuffed mascot was eventually recovered from the depths at Lake Coniston. If you've never seen the film clip of Bluebird on that last of all speed run, or listened to the voice of the pilot calmly saying (throat mike) so unflapably "I am losing it", then look it out.

[gerry111]

Donald Campbell's teddybear was called Mr Whoppit.

[WAC]

I flew over the dry lake racers spot at Lake Gairdner on Sunday....you'd want a hovercraft or boat to attempt a record there at the moment... The pits and start line were dry but since recent rain there was a big puddle from about half way...

[onetrack]

It might be a good idea to get the Airvan out of the lake before the locals find out that there's holes been made in the surface, and the spirits have been disturbed. We all know what that means - more compo ( a couple of new Toyotas, at least).

Outback racers defend saltpan damage - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

[gerry111]

Clinton, there's a photo behind the bar of Bluebird but I don't remember if there's an aircraft with it. I was too busy drinking them out of Coopers Pale Ales...

[compressor stall]

The pic behind the bar (not hanging on the wall, you will have to ask for it) is definitely the aero commander. At least it was last time i was there. Couldn't read any rego on it.

[compressor stall]

And yes, the speed record site is the SE corner. They based themselves at Muloorina Station. The turnoff is a few kms west of Marree and then about 50 kms to the station. From there, another 30 odd kms past the neck and to the lake shore. There's a plaque there these days.