When I moved to Port Agutta I moved into a unit which as it turns out was vacated by the pilot I replaced at U4/5 Frome St.

Anyone else happen to have lived there?

Aye laddie, you will be sorely missed! :{

Wee Mary.

Hello together

My name is Lukas Schellenberg, I'm 34 years old and I come from Switzerland.

I've found this forum for pilot. I hope one persone can help me. :ouch:

I will travel around Australia from 10th June to 31th July and now my question is if it's possible to fly with a postman of the mail run from 3th to 5th July 2013? I have send a lot of request to different providers but received no response. :bored:

I have the privat pilot licence in Switzerland for piper PA28 with around 100 hours flying. My rating is only in Visual Flight Rules. I work in a real full flight simulator Boeing 737-800 New Generation and give Instrument Flight Rules lesson for the students with voice practice.

My wish would be to fly as a passenger with another pilot. If required, I will be pleased to take the role of pilot non flying.

Perhaps a colleague has contacts to an office where I could such a book arragement?

I would be very delighted, when I could fly these 3 days with a pilot colleague.

Thank you very much for you help and the response.

Best regards

Lukas

Try westwing aviation. They do quite few mail runs.

As a former mail run pilot, 1998 - 2000, I flew with both Jody Rollings and Jeff Hodges and the Outback magazine did do a story at that time so the story referred to in this post may be a reprint from Dec 1998, It referred to the pilot as Jody Rollings but the photos are of Jeff Hodges. I still have a copy.
The run was done in an Aero Commander VH-ACZ . The only time a Chieftain was used was if the Aero Commander was U/S and the Santa Clause run, as the Chieftain had Aircon. When ever the Chieftain was used we took a brakes man (usually a commercial student from one of the flying schools) as we didn't shut down at stops because of the turbos.
The run was 1500nm, 26 landings (27 if you stopped in at Moomba for fuel due weather) just checked, I still have a flight plan. Overnight was in Boulia.
To the poster who thought it was a good thing to get out of the Santa run, I can tell you it was one of the greatest experiences of my career. Yes it was hot, one year 47 deg at BDV. I remember getting out of the plane at Leigh Creek on the way home and just standing under that shower thing next to the bowser. You were the only Santa these remote kids ever saw, and they came out of the woodwork, I never knew there was so many kids out there. We gave out lolly pack to the kids at each stop. The gratitude from the station people and the joy it gave to the kids made it all worthwhile.
I kept a file of letters sent from passengers I carried on the run which is about 4 inches thick and I also have two documentaries on DVD of the run, one by the BBC and the other from a German TV station if anyone is interested.
I left Airlines of South Australia in 2000 and flew for QantasLink for 13 years before returning to bush flying with my present position with the RFDS and again have the job satisfaction I craved since flying the mail run.
I would love to catch up with Jody, Jeff or any one else who flew the run if possible, so if you read this let me know what you are up to, regards Cobbo.

Looks like WW isn't doing it any more. There's been a Chieftain doing it for a little while now, & my records show it as being owned by Chinta Air of Ceduna.

Ah yes, & before that there was one pilot who would just stand there (fully clothed) while I hit him with the hose! Also believe another pilot was treated to the sight of some foreign tourist chick stripping off & jumping under the shower. :eek:

DF.

P.S. Does Swamp Duck = J (or was it G) C & your dad/brother had an Aerostar? If so, PM me!

Hello everybody

@ bentleg
thank you for your answer. I have contact them and I'm waiting for an answer.

@ Swamp Duck
thank you for share your experience with us. Could you please provide me the name of the German documentation? I would this really appreciate. I have contacted ww and I'm waiting for an answer of them.

regards Lukas

Well Lukas, unfortunately I have some bad news for you. I have just been on the phone with Chinta Air (the company that now have the mail run contract) & they are no longer allowed to carry passengers on the run - it is strictly freight only. Gawd - how times have changed! :{

DF.

I have my suspicions that CASA are after these types of operations again by classifying them as RPT if they sell seats. I know this was tried back in early 2000 but got howled down by certain pollies. However, with their recent win in the Federal Court against Directair the signs are all there.

Tourists are not permitted to fly on the Kimberley mail planes since late last year. I heard a rumour that some charter operators were fairly unhappy that passengers could fly on the mail plane, in a cheap seat on a route that was essentially funded by Aust Post.

They were always classified as RPT even if they didn't have passengers on the day, & we had to do runway inspections on the days they were due in.

DF.

The RASS flights are primarily passenger services to remote stations and are RPT. Westwing still operate the Cape York and Mt Isa RASS RPT routes and did operate the Pt Augusta to BDV run. The mail is secondary and carried as payload available so not strictly a "Mail" run. The cost of compliance with RPT in small aircraft has not been matched by any increases in the funding for RASS so the PAG run is now only paid for by Austpost hence no pax.

Worlds longest mail run
 

G'Day Lucus, the German documentary was done by ZDF and it was called "The Flying Postman" and the English one was by BBC and was an episode of "Airshow"

CASA has always been after these operations. Which meant you need a RPT AOC and your airstrips had to be maintained to RPT standard.

As a result of that the QLD government managed to get some sort of exemption from maintaining the airstrips to RPT standard. Which I believe kept the Torres Straight going otherwise you wouldn't be able to fly there.

So that would probably be why Westwing can carry passengers

Hello everybody

Thank you for all messages and inputs. Some open inquiry are still open. I wait for the result and think positive. :)

@swam duck: Thank you very much for the information. I will look for this documentation.

Anyone want a pub?
https://www.domain.com.au/21-23-herb...829-2017025373

Hell no - not these days! I know one poor sod who took over the lease of a SA pub with his missus just before Covid hit & he ended up losing both the pub & his missus! :{

DF.

$3M for the Australian at Boulia!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

​​​
​​​​​

Spent many an hour (and a few nights, before being moved to the Motel) in that place way back when....
A Saturday Night in there was 'an education!':ooh:

Food was always great. The steaks used to cover the plate and were never tough!:ok:

And the blokes (and Lady) I flew with were all top People!:ok:

I was there the night commercial TV started in Boulia. The looks on peoples faces when Hey Hey it's Saturday came on were priceless.