Flaming Toilet Rolls
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Single pilot, Proline 21 King Air. FL320 one sector, dunny roll landing on a dirt strip in the middle of the night on the next or maybe both in the same sector. Never know what you will be doing or where you will be going until you get the call and then it's on and even that can change before you get there. RFDS, best flying job in the world I say.
Dunny roll landings are quite common in the RFDS. If a station does not have flares it is the best option as it meets the requirements for lighting and dunny rolls and diesel are usually readily available on stations. If not, car headlight landing is an option with the use of four cars, two to mark the threshold and two to mark the far end of the airstrip. https://youtu.be/itIUm6vExEw (link to YouTube RFDS PC12 car headlight landing, not mine)
Dunny rolls are preferred as a car head light landing can only be done if all other options have been exhausted and must be declared a mercy flight although is used if required.
Night circling approaches in the remote outback offer other challenges as there is usually no other lights anywhere and if moonless or overcast there is no horizon, just complete black other than the flares or the two crosses drawn on the airstrip with car headlights. Real black hole circling approach into 1000m dirt strip which may have trees to the threshold.
Car headlight landings on remote dirt airstrips are part of an RFDS pilot's night checks and yes they are in our manuals.
The RFDS motto, "can do, can do safely" is a good way to describe the operation. If it can't be done safely it is not done.
I am also the pilot in the above mentioned interview and love my job
Dunny roll landings are quite common in the RFDS. If a station does not have flares it is the best option as it meets the requirements for lighting and dunny rolls and diesel are usually readily available on stations. If not, car headlight landing is an option with the use of four cars, two to mark the threshold and two to mark the far end of the airstrip. https://youtu.be/itIUm6vExEw (link to YouTube RFDS PC12 car headlight landing, not mine)
Dunny rolls are preferred as a car head light landing can only be done if all other options have been exhausted and must be declared a mercy flight although is used if required.
Night circling approaches in the remote outback offer other challenges as there is usually no other lights anywhere and if moonless or overcast there is no horizon, just complete black other than the flares or the two crosses drawn on the airstrip with car headlights. Real black hole circling approach into 1000m dirt strip which may have trees to the threshold.
Car headlight landings on remote dirt airstrips are part of an RFDS pilot's night checks and yes they are in our manuals.
The RFDS motto, "can do, can do safely" is a good way to describe the operation. If it can't be done safely it is not done.
I am also the pilot in the above mentioned interview and love my job
Last edited by Swamp Duck; 13th Aug 2016 at 12:31.
I never used the toilet rolls, but did the reflector thing a few times. Two kero flares at each end and little cat eye reflectors on stands. With such little light to define the strip on the downwind, it was a challenge in the night circuit as you say. And with a strong crosswind on final your lights didn't reach the reflectors unless you yawed or flew wing down. Much preferred the PC12 for this as the ldg lights are wider spaced and brighter than the nose gear cluster on the B200.
Good times, a while ago now though.
Good times, a while ago now though.
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How do you blokes get a wind speed/direction indication in that kind of pitch blackness?? 
Does the toilet roll smoke and flame drift give you enough indication?
Does the toilet roll smoke and flame drift give you enough indication?
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One can see the PR guys at some bog roll company working on the next tv commercial right now!
Nine out of ten RFDS pilots use our 3 ply super soft toilet paper for its designed use, but one uses to help land his Kingair at the back of beyond!
Nine out of ten RFDS pilots use our 3 ply super soft toilet paper for its designed use, but one uses to help land his Kingair at the back of beyond!
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Car headlight light landings are mercy flights as there is no reg to cover this which is why we are specifically trained and checked with car headlights.
Compressor Stall's use of 4 flares and reflectors is the minimum specified in the regs which would be less than a whole runway lit with dunny rolls.
Last edited by Swamp Duck; 13th Aug 2016 at 23:41.
How do you blokes get a wind speed/direction indication in that kind of pitch blackness??
Does the toilet roll smoke and flame drift give you enough indication?
Does the toilet roll smoke and flame drift give you enough indication?
It does tend to be accurate enough even with the changing dynamics around the circuit to give the pilot a pretty good idea of what the wind is doing.
On top of that there is the seat of your pants and old common dog. The drift during downwind to base turn then base turn to final.
Plus a sense of time...time only for one sip of your cup of tea on base = strong xwind from the left and 3 sips of your cup of tea on base = strong xwind from your right. The urge to say "are we there yet" somewhere along final = strong H/wind down the runway and conversely a loud cuss of "buggar" on finals means it's a strong downwind and time to change ends.
Simple really
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Not sure about the Proline's on the King Air's but the PC12's have a wind vector arrow on either the PFD and or MFD.
It does tend to be accurate enough even with the changing dynamics around the circuit to give the pilot a pretty good idea of what the wind is doing.
On top of that there is the seat of your pants and old common dog. The drift during downwind to base turn then base turn to final.
Plus a sense of time...time only for one sip of your cup of tea on base = strong xwind from the left and 3 sips of your cup of tea on base = strong xwind from your right. The urge to say "are we there yet" somewhere along final = strong H/wind down the runway and conversely a loud cuss of "buggar" on finals means it's a strong downwind and time to change ends.
Simple really
It does tend to be accurate enough even with the changing dynamics around the circuit to give the pilot a pretty good idea of what the wind is doing.
On top of that there is the seat of your pants and old common dog. The drift during downwind to base turn then base turn to final.
Plus a sense of time...time only for one sip of your cup of tea on base = strong xwind from the left and 3 sips of your cup of tea on base = strong xwind from your right. The urge to say "are we there yet" somewhere along final = strong H/wind down the runway and conversely a loud cuss of "buggar" on finals means it's a strong downwind and time to change ends.
Simple really
Love your post and will definitely try the tea method and you are right, ass cheeks are the best "if you keep doing what you are doing you are going to die" indicators in the aeroplane.
I am guessing you are living the same dream
Last edited by Swamp Duck; 14th Aug 2016 at 00:47.
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Have used dunny rolls many times & RFDS Qld always talk to property folk about dunny roll lights at regular Field Days.
Interestingly the standard Govt issue single ply 1000 sheet roll will
burn for about 54 minutes - the softer the roll the shorter the burn time.
Well done Swamp Duck
Interestingly the standard Govt issue single ply 1000 sheet roll will
burn for about 54 minutes - the softer the roll the shorter the burn time.
Well done Swamp Duck
Does the RFDS have a spec for flaming toilet rolls?
Toilet rolls, diesel filled beer cans with a rag wick and car headlights were the norm back when we used WAC charts, a match box for distance measurements, a Douglas Protracter, a circular whiz wheel and navigated by counting sandhills in low vis.
Yep, that was pretty normal back then
Well remember my first trip to the desert, found the leveled bit and landed feeling a large amount of pride until ....... taxiing in there were these little tins every so often. No one told me they also came in at night
Just the same even though you can construct a rough circuit pattern / levels on the Proline 21 if you choose, it's still a very good effort by the RFDS troops
Probably don't get as much practice at it these days, so well done
Well remember my first trip to the desert, found the leveled bit and landed feeling a large amount of pride until ....... taxiing in there were these little tins every so often. No one told me they also came in at night
Just the same even though you can construct a rough circuit pattern / levels on the Proline 21 if you choose, it's still a very good effort by the RFDS troops
Probably don't get as much practice at it these days, so well done