Darwin in the 80's
 

The thread about about Skywest and Amman, bought back some memories of working in Darwin in the 88/89.

Back then the GA scene was pretty busy out of Darwin lots of operators and some good jobs.

Darwin Airport
Nothing on the northern side, just scrub and then in 1989 the CAA office was built on that side.
Everything happened on the south side, the International/Domestic terminal on the western side of 36 and the GA was on the eastern side of 36 and the RAAF had hardstands and parking bays near the main terminal and also about halfway along rwy11/29. Always good fun to park next to the RAAF FA-18's while offloading passengers at the terminal.

The might Darwin Flight Service Unit and Met office was located over in the GA area, the hub of activity in those days, always very good service from the guys and gals!

The good old Darwin Aero Club bar was the place to be after a hard days flying!

The Operators

Air North the flagship of the fleet was the two DC-3's MMA/CAN, a couple of Conquests, Titans, C421C, C402C's, C310R's, Islander and Cessna C210's.
Don Mitchell always seemed to be fly the C421C or DC-3, Ian Britten-Jones was in the C441 or C402, Dave Cooper was the ops manager, George Washington likewise flew most of the fleet. The Chief Pilot was Ian Drennan in those days, John Hardy was in the MD seat.

Skywest had the coastwatch contract using Aerocommander AC500, Nomads for Customs and the NT Aeromed contract using B200 Kingairs and Nomads.

Lloyd Aviation had the Troughton Island runs using the EMB110 Bandeirante and the CASA 212, and later in the pilots dispute they were running the Fokker F28 on the centre run.

Arnhem Air and Flying School, the good old Ossie Ossgood (RIP) and the RPT operation to Oenpelli, Maningrida Croker Island and Goulbourn Island.
The fleet included Piper PA-31 VH-SAO Sally Anne Ossgood, Chieftains VH-IXP and the mighty Partenavia VH-ECO. Ossie also run the other flying school on the airport when he could obtain or retain instructors,which had a couple of C172's and a very nice C182RG.

Amman Aviation was up and running but the Coastwatch contract was back at Skywest. Ammans operated a couple of the AC-681's on charter, a wicked looking MU-2G, a baron and a Bonanza.

Wimray was getting bigger the Baron and Navajo VH-CYY were joined by the Chieftain FDQ, and they had a flock of PA-32's. Ivan Duncan(RIP)was the chief pilot.

Executive Airlines was starting out with black Chieftain and a Baron TWO.

Paspaley Pearl had the Grumman Mallards.


Darwin Aero club was a hive of activity under Ed Plenty and Billy Hodge was the president. Flying training at Darwin, Gove and Jabiru.
They must have had a dozen aircraft from the Warriors thru to the Baron RNL.

Brolga Air had the daily freight runs out to Jabiru, Gove and Groote in Cessna C210 WMP/TET, for Wards and the mob did for TNT in the C210 MDZ.

Tillair had a few aircraft based in Darwin.

Anyone care to add?

The terminal had bullet holes all through it.
There was a max exodus of the area at around 12.00 and returning around 1300, just a bit of darwin entertainment.
ATC hasn't changed, we complained then ............................

I was in Darwin in the mid to late nineties, many of the companies and identities you refer to were long gone!

Fast forward to now and even more changes, not many left from the 80's but the Mallards seem to just keep going...

In the 80s - just a one hour lunch !!! :eek:........I think the place went backwards after 74 ;)

It was one good lunch, a fair percentage of the partakers were government workers, briefing/met officers Civil ATCers as well as the RAAF in Darwin back then.
Start at the Berimah at 12.15 then into town for the 12.45:D

1988 it was well and truly over my friend.

Was VH-SKY, the world's highest time gutless cutlass, plying the paper run to the Alice in the late 80's?

Dr :8

Interesting stuff chaps. Do tell more.

WoW Stationair8, a right blast from the old days.

(Now lets keep it clean here boys, I only mention names with fond memories. Don't start a slanging match)

Yes Doc the mighty SKY was around for a while doing that run, and they had an IFR PA32r for the bad nights.

Here are a few more names for your list S8,

Ron (the wog) Malavisi, Kester Van......, Birdie, the lovely mandy.
Bob bell and his name sake Greg, Bob (Mother) Miller, John Sherro, Mr Lawford and the LOOOOONGEze, Guido (RIP), Mal, Roy and Nobby (the Steelcon crew)

Don't forget that den of dasserdly deads down at Batchelor.
Dick and Myora Skinner, TC from the para club, clarkie and Gavin from the Norther Aus, gliding club, oh and who could forget Bex J.

And from MKT, Ray bud and the Gulf air crew.

Oh how we could go on. All the best to any who where there in those days.

richo

Is it true there was once a story about SKY, with it's absolutely ridiculous amount of hours it had on it from doing those runs all the time, where the owners thought it'd be a good advert for Cessna to basically say "This is how good our aircraft still go after X amount of hours"??

The reply from Cessna was basically "Please retire this aircraft, we never intended it to do that many hours!!".

Can someone confirm or deny that?

morno

"Please retire this aircraft, we never intended it to do that many hours!!".

Haven't heard that one before Morno.

Unfortunately the SKY fell in - in a fatal collison with Fiji a couple of years ago.

Dr :8

Landing at Troffton Island to collect clam shells, before it had been reopened....:rolleyes:

I forgot about Dick and Myra Skinner and the crew at Batchelor .
A few more names and companies:
1. Gulf Air from out at Groote
2. Mannigrida Progress Association had a C210 then C310 MPZ. Brett "Brol" Lewis was based out there for a few years.
3 . The God botherers at MAF bases at Gove and Oenpelli.
4. Helimuster operating AC680 VH-EXP/Z on incendiary dropping for the controlled burn-offs for National Sparks and Wildfire
5. Air Frontier with the Aztecs and Bonanza
6. Kakadu Air
7. Armunda Airways
During the pilots dispute Air North operated a couple of x-hired F27 Friendships on the Darwin-Gove -Groote-Cairns run.
The Raaf had just opened Tindal and the FA-18 were now based there.
The first of the big Kangaroo exercises was conducted in the late 1980's, nothing like watching FA-18 beat up the airport at low level and break off and land.
The old control tower on the southern side.

:} Watching Guido from the Aero Club Beer Garden on a friday afternoon, playing in his Sabre doing fly-bys :D
...as did some of the Pel-Air/Jetcraft Westwinds on departure south.

(Don't have much good to say about VH-SKY, which flew in 92/93, as that shonk QLD company undercut my quote (using Govt unemployment subsidies to pay pilots) for the Centre paper run, when I knew the Tender price NT News wanted, :ugh: )

...racing off the get to the 3;45pm "Strip and Prawn" at the Sportsman bar... Lims Sunday sessions...

Do the KFC runs still go out east from Katherine each week?

Dix 'til six :{
The old sailing club before public service nobs :{
The old Stella Maris :{
Jesses at Parap :{ (god ID KILL for a feed like that again)
The Latin Tavern :{
Wrestling the croc on the carpet at 3am in Sweethearts :{
Mini Mokes :{
Being able to walk around day or night without being humbugged,raped,stabbed or bashed :*

Oh....um...aviation?...er... being able to park yer car any bloody where you wanted :ok:

Mini Mokes now they bring back some memories.
The guy who had the rental car business near the airport, who had the wall of photos of Darwin airport after Cyclone Tracey visit.
Pelair Westwinds and don't forget the Pelair House and the quiet pool parties!
Probably banned due to OH&S reasons now!
Airnorth had the prawn and strippers on a Friday night in the hangar.
Arnhem's Christmas party using the confiscated grog.
Arnhem's hangar complete with the bullet holes from Feb 1942.
Don't forget Ossie's ability to employ ****** chief pilots who later took up driving taxis as a career change!

Probably be few ex Arnhem pilots would like driving over Ossie on the way into the new Bunnings :}

Is old George Washington still with us? :hmm:

Only had TQS, I have a pic of it somewhere with Airnorth painted on it.

IBJ used to fly WGS, the 421.

*sigh*

K

Derek Z

I agre Ron is a great bloke, you obviously saw that old ASIC card.

TinnP, can you give more info about the Bunnings and Ozzie thing, its been a while since I was in town and I have to agree about Jessies, yum

And from the tower
Batsey, maddo, dubbo, clare and off 36 "Clear for Take-off, make early left turn, remain south of 11/29!"

Rick and Ron in the CASA office/demountable very stratigicaly placed between the the aero club and Wimray.
Lother Shierbert at Oenpelli and the "Black ......." from the Jabiru aero club.

Kim kosh the gun toting airnorth pilot/chief.

Jerry luck and the old 310 on the disused

and who could forget the monthly B52 visits. it was around this time that the B1s also came to Darwin for the first time. Anybody remember the day the Air France Concord left Darwin with a Mirage on each wing tip, well for a little while anyway.

Chef Jaffa!

A QF 767 taxiing for the old terminal, when the new terminal had opened...

Canadian registered Mallard doing a wheels up on 36...

Fitting the executive interior in and out of HWD..

"Taxi via the disused"...

8DN...Col Krohn talkback...no Bagot road flyover...

K

Had the jumpseat in a B737 back into Darwin, and the FO heard SAO come up on frequency and remarks to the Captain, "F%$^k me that bucket of bolts is still flying, that f$#@ing c&^t Ossie sacked me for such and such" and captain replied "yeah I flew that f@@@*ng bucket of bolts in whenever and f###%%ing Ossie sacked me to".
The captain went on to tell us about Ossie doing coastwatch in the P68 in the early days , they used to leave Darwin and fly for about 8 hours apart from when then stopped over at somewhere like Bathurst Island for about four hours!
A family friend worked for Ossie in the early 1973/4 used to get sacked at least once a week by Ossie. Got sacked one day at 11am and was rehired at 4pm due a opal buyer needing to get to Coober Pedy asap.

I can't remember when the "stute" became popular, around the move to the öther/Dark side".
The friday nights or saturday mornings, it was the liveliest pub in town for a couple of years, it died with Adrian's demise.

There is a road leading into the new bunnings and then towards the GA area named Özgood Drive".

Don't forget the Nightcliff pub when Nightcliff was out in the sticks.
Kim Kosh another legend in own his lunchbox, I can recall when he was a boy at Wimray and was allowed to fly FDQ.
Darwin aero Club instructors sent out to Jabiru for a weekend of instructing.
Who was bloke from Skywest who owned the Baron VH-RNL?
Talk in the late 80's of Skywest getting a B1900 or a Dash8 for the Troughton Island run.
Charter's out to Cooinda for the day, sit by the pool and hopefully a free lunch.

Ah, The "good" old days!
Bob Miller owned RNL.
Ossie used to say " If I sack you come back tomorrow and see me, but if Shirley sacks you, you're really sacked!"
Remember landing at Jabiru and being scored by The Black Parrot and Scorch on your landing?
My favorite was the Darwin Aero Club Coke machine that dispensed green cans or white cans for 2 bucks 24/7:D

RNL-Root no ladies
Don't forget Ossie's children.

Stationair8, that would be Eddie I think - well one of them. Used to work in the engine shop over the road.

Then there was

George (James) Washington
Slim Rosier, his son Mike
Bill Funston
Henk Van Der Maas
Charlie Downes
IBJ

Maurie G
Ian Drennan
Gordon Bretag

a few years before, Tim Georgettie (I can´t spell it).

A (now) QF 767 capt leaving a couple boxes of prawns in the nose locker of a C207 over the weekend.....someone sending a human leg wrapped in plastic on Air North over the weekend and it suffering the same fate as the prawns!

Did a C310 catch fire while being refueled back about then.....what was that story.

Aero Med Nomads.

RPT DC3s

´Coffin Flights`

`Hector` between Bathurst and Melville Islands.

Ahhh! It was a great time :}

:hmm: OMG ! ...Col Kronh ! what a mind ! :rolleyes:
Can you remember the interminable stations breaks on the local TV?
They would always play a clip of Long John Baldry & Kathi MacDonald "..lost that loving feeling.."? :uhoh:

Bill Funston BBJ skipper
Henk retired and ok in Darwhine
Slim RIP sadly
"Gundy" Mills still pickng a pocket or two I believe
IBJ retired at 70 not out
anyone know where Peter Croagh is? (sp)

Chief Pilot who took up taxi driving as a career change?
 

That was only a temporary move. You'd be surprised where I am now!

Pelair and the Shorts 330 out to Narbalek, to service the uranium mine.
Bruce Cosgrove, Doug Stott

The Aztec dubbed "fire truck" that was operated by the people building Seven Spirit Bay.

A few more from Air North - Tony Willis, Geoff McDonald who used to fly the DC-3 and Queenairs.

Flying -Spike, Ossie had a number of CP who took up taxi driving. You may be the one if you are large person with a chip on your shoulder.

Have met the Black Parrot, he was always trying to get a ride in or out of Darwin.

Anyone remember the guy at the aero-club who offered to put away the warrior for you, taxi it around and log it as flight-time.
Anyone remember the presidents daughter?
..

Don't forget Ansett NT

This is 1980's stuff...certainly pre 89
 

By the end of the 80's the good times were over and the move to the north side was on the go.

What about all those great nights at the RAAF Officers Mess. Many GA pilots were Hon Members and in the early 80's it was Wed nite and then Thu nite for the raffle. Some top events over there including the odd Dining In night were it was the only time in DN that one got to wear a dinner suit and bow tie!!

Charlie Downs left RAAF ATC and did some flying then moved to BNE where he worked for Flight West - Now retired I believe.

Civil ATC did Arrivals outside of 30nm.. remember "handrail" - one of the characters of ATC (now in BN tower I am told).

The RAAF 75 Sqn came down from Butterworth in 84, before the MIR's were sent to Woomera in 87(?) and the Sqn moved to TN with the F/A18.
Remember the new RAAF hangar that had the fire system go off and flood the place with foam... it took a while for some of the MIRs to be cleaned up..! When the hangar was new, they held the annual RAAF Base Ball in it... what a night!

NTAC - Graham Ball (used to fight with Ozzie all the time!)

WimRay - Ray Allwright and Wim ????. Started with just one a/c then a demountable near the aero club. Used to x/hire the club a/c quite a bit. One of the few companies that moved northside.

Bob Miller went up there as a tech for Telecom in the late 70's. He had a Victa then. He had RNL (Baron) and used to use it for the club and Wimray and anyone else that wanted a twin. He finished up with Skywest or was it NJS. Since left DN.

Remember one time that SAO was on the ground at OEN and called up for a relay as he was u/s. Msg passed but then some 3rd voice come on the freq and "is your biscuit crumbling?" .. got lots of laughs.

Anyone remember the line book in the old tower with all the classic R/T comments... ROFL..!!

Have some pics of the AF Concorde and a MIR on each wingtip.. what a great day that was.

Theres more... but that will do for now... what great times:ok:

The RAAF were great. Remember doing ´practice GCAs`, then when you got better ´request a practice GCA, talk to touch`. (You could do them at Katherine too.) At those nights in the O´s mess ATC would make themselves known.....one bloke told me if ever ****s was trumps to call him out any time for a real GCA. I thought about doing it once when the ILS was taken out by lightning... but the weather wasn´t that bad.

What about navigating without GPS.....in the dry season smoke and in the wet at night. Getting there was half the fun - and hard work sometimes.

DME descents.

Listening for the Null when tuning the ADF in MMA.

Or at 3 am `Darwin tower, this is DHP, Med 1 for XXX request taxy and airywas clearance, details on departure.`

Sad to hear about Slim. When did he die. Slim was a great bloke - as he would say ´a straight shooter´- a real gentleman, and a very good pilot.

Ah yeah, I remember the Col Khron interludes and that other luminary of the airwaves, Dave Nason, of ´Nason Off` fame.

Keith Boulby, working on a DC3 and reminiscing about the TSR2 !

The Air North Hanger Cat. Who was it that fed him...

Airport security. All the gates were open - free access to who ever wanted to wander around and look at aeroplanes. Eventually they put locks on the gates and the keys were handed out and passed through the ranks as guys left and others arrived. My key opened every perimiter gate on the civil side and a bunch of doors in the terminal. I don´t remember who I passed it on too.

....and it was mostly blokes flying back then, not many girls. Mandy Dewar, Sue Michaelis, and, way back Christine Davis an Olympic skiier and an airline Capt who went on to fly helicopters out of Troughton.

PITHBLOT

No GPS.
No mobile phones
No computer flight planning, everything by telex machine with the help of Darwin Flight Service. Lost track of the number of plans put in by HF, or reverse charge phone calls to the FSU, to get wx or notams.

Micheal Bridge was a boy in short pants down at the Rock.

Roger Leach at just got his first Conquest.

Air North were going to takeover Tillair.

High altitude would have been a Kindergarten thug.

Police air wing had a very slick PA-31CR in Darwin.

Borrowing Kakadu Air's company car to go into Darwin.

Yes, the GCA's were great. The controllers did not get enough practice with Military aircraft so it was somewhat easy to get one as a civie.

Don't forget little Christine Hayes who worked for Ozzie, then flew the JetCharter/Pelair Shorts to NAB. I saw her load a Navajo full of beer one day and go wherever. What a top little worker.

Then there was the Lear that used to do the Wards Express daily service from south - one of the pilots on that was Mary O'Brian (RIP). Used to spend a bit of time in DN. She later went to CAA at BK.

Then there was the lady ATCO. As was the done thing, all the RAAFies had a nick name - she was just a junior controller from the school at Sale and she was call "Narf". Reason being, it was about the time the movie "Ten" came out and she was a nine and a half (narf) out of 10... she was too!! Promoted lots of visits to the Tower!!

And of course there was the boys in the tower. They had large signs with numbers on them and they used to come out on the balconey and give you a score for your landing - one day, one of the regulars turned off at that taxiway opposite the old tower to look up for the "score" only to see 3 brown eye's!! yeah.. good days

:D:D

bonez, I believe Charlie Downs is flying the F100 for Alliance in Brisbane. I first met him at RAAF Richmond in the late 60's where he was a C130E Flight Engineer. Even in the 60's you could never tell whether he had his flying helmet on or not:E

Charlie even managed to teach me to fly gliders.:ok:

tipsy:rolleyes:

ST8 we share way too many memories, sure you don't have twin.

Wim van den Herric and Nattalie moved to FNQ somewhere just up over the ranges. Nat now in Cairns, John Biffo would be able to confirm that.

RNL came back from the paint job in the late 80's, first thing someone said to me was "gee that R looks like an A" = ANL?

The C310 story was just around again a few weeks ago, yes she burnt after the pilot saved the tanker driver.

Charlie had a daughter who went on to become and aero eng through RMIT though I can't remember her first name. Bill Hodge,s daughter was Lesslie Ann still in Darwin at last count. Still remember Bill syaing to me" That Birdie was a good bloke, but he did not like him as a lover for his Daughter", care to comment Birdie!!

As for females Glenda, Monica, Jillian and who could forget Kath. Well then there was BONNIE little BONNIE and her puppies. Of all the things I remember about Ozzie, the day he had a punch up with bonnies Hubby, still lingers. Unfortunatly I was 43rd in line to throw a punch at that bloke.

The Bathurst Is Grand final, when you could get a parking place without overlapping wings and reversing Brazzs out of the tarmac. While we are over on the islands, that little water fall just down from the Picatarramore(spelling) airstrip, heaven with a bottle of wine (woops did I say that(Dry island)).

As for HA, taught him BAK.

The Lawford bros scott and Lockie.

Friday arvo formation flying in the worriers.

I may have missed it, I don't recall anyone mentioning Ron Beach. Turned into a hippy at Nimbin i believe.

Last I heard Ron B was living in the UK

Stationair8
 

Woah! I'm well aware that there were a few of us. Not sure about the chip on the shoulder though. I asked you to expand on it to see if you were talking about me specifically. I still have a lot of good friends from those times and I can still sleep at night. You know who I am , and I would love to know who you are. You have this perception that I have a chip on my shoulder, perhaps it is you that is harboring a little guilt?. If you don't want to identify yourself in this forum I will repeat the invitation to PM me.

Ex Arnhem blokes and others
 

Anybody know the wherabouts of Steve Cunich, Ashley Ruhl, "biggles" Williams, Birdy or Keyser (ex Wimray)?