A little too ambitious?
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Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Age: 41
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A little too ambitious?
A question for those a little wiser than me.
With about 10 hours to get before i can sit the CPL flight test and with a mate working in the mines up QLD way he has suggested that a few of us fly up there from Melbourne and meet him on his week off and enjoy ourselves in Mt Isa.
The likely timing will be the third or fourth week of January in a Bonanza of which I will have a whole 3 hours dual instruction in. There will be the 4 of us and it will be for about 5 days before flying back down to Melbourne.
Looking at the maps, there isn't much between waypoints which I believe would be great for honing the CPL nav skills but at the same time a good recipe for the not so good to happen. I have about 160 hours TT with 60 in command and a few longish trips, though nothing of this type.
Also wondering is the time of year suitable for this kind of trip?? I know that it is just pot luck with getting the right day in Melbourne but how bout for the rest of the trip, would it be possible to complete this trip round the end of January??
So yay or nay?? If yay, what would be some good advice on how to make the trip a little more enjoyable and to get the most out of it training wise.
Thanks in advance
With about 10 hours to get before i can sit the CPL flight test and with a mate working in the mines up QLD way he has suggested that a few of us fly up there from Melbourne and meet him on his week off and enjoy ourselves in Mt Isa.
The likely timing will be the third or fourth week of January in a Bonanza of which I will have a whole 3 hours dual instruction in. There will be the 4 of us and it will be for about 5 days before flying back down to Melbourne.
Looking at the maps, there isn't much between waypoints which I believe would be great for honing the CPL nav skills but at the same time a good recipe for the not so good to happen. I have about 160 hours TT with 60 in command and a few longish trips, though nothing of this type.
Also wondering is the time of year suitable for this kind of trip?? I know that it is just pot luck with getting the right day in Melbourne but how bout for the rest of the trip, would it be possible to complete this trip round the end of January??
So yay or nay?? If yay, what would be some good advice on how to make the trip a little more enjoyable and to get the most out of it training wise.
Thanks in advance
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I dont know much about the wx. side of things over there but if the other guys you are travelling with also fly (at a level at least similar to yourself) Id say give it a go.
I remember venturing off into the unknown just after I got my PPL with a brand new type rating added but the other 3 guys all had PPL's and one other with a type rating so things were made a fair bit easier.
If the other guys are from a non-aviation environment I personally would think a bit more about it - Itll be alot harder than even going solo.
I remember venturing off into the unknown just after I got my PPL with a brand new type rating added but the other 3 guys all had PPL's and one other with a type rating so things were made a fair bit easier.
If the other guys are from a non-aviation environment I personally would think a bit more about it - Itll be alot harder than even going solo.
Luca_brasi
I would say Yay, BUT:
1. You will be arriving in the middle of the wet season, so preparation is vital. Have all the latest weather with you and have alternate plans, i.e. a back door, if the weather turns to crap. Don’t be pressured by anyone to be there at a particular time. Take a few days to get there and enjoy yourself.
2. Try and fly in the early mornings to avoid as much of the CB buildups as possible that tend to occur after midday at that time of the year. Also the low level thermal activity (turbulence) will be less.
3. Make sure you have the right equipment for the area you a flying in. i.e. Survival equipment, ELT, HF radio and plenty of water. Even a mobile phone is handy to cancel SAR in some of the larger towns. Telstra tends to have the better coverage in rural Australia.
4. Try and get a few more hours in the aircraft before you go. It is better to feel comfortable with the aircraft if the going gets tough.
5. Know the limits of your ability and DON’T exceed them.
If you follow this advise you should have no problems.
I would say Yay, BUT:
1. You will be arriving in the middle of the wet season, so preparation is vital. Have all the latest weather with you and have alternate plans, i.e. a back door, if the weather turns to crap. Don’t be pressured by anyone to be there at a particular time. Take a few days to get there and enjoy yourself.
2. Try and fly in the early mornings to avoid as much of the CB buildups as possible that tend to occur after midday at that time of the year. Also the low level thermal activity (turbulence) will be less.
3. Make sure you have the right equipment for the area you a flying in. i.e. Survival equipment, ELT, HF radio and plenty of water. Even a mobile phone is handy to cancel SAR in some of the larger towns. Telstra tends to have the better coverage in rural Australia.
4. Try and get a few more hours in the aircraft before you go. It is better to feel comfortable with the aircraft if the going gets tough.
5. Know the limits of your ability and DON’T exceed them.
If you follow this advise you should have no problems.
Last edited by 404 Titan; 2nd Nov 2003 at 17:00.
Check Attitude
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Luca
404 titan has got it right, just a few extras, 1st the phone.
Try to get a Cdma phone if you haven't already. Good bush coverage, especially above 2,000', no interference to radios.
Most aboriginal communities of more than 500 popn have a cell.
The Weather
Yep, you're right into "The Wet" (Tropical Monsoons). Follow 404's advice regarding time of day. Be flexible with your itinerary,
(It's not the weather that kills, it's pressing on when you shouldn't).
When Mt Isa had a tower there was almost an annual weather related accident due "clearance not available, remain OCTA".
What this means is that if you push on into deteriorating conditions, there are extremely few alternate airstrips available to you.
Again, the weather forecasts in this part of the world are not very accurate, in fact during the wet every TAF will have inter's and tempo's regardless of actual conditions and the QNH will normally be all that is accurate in the forecast. The Mount Isa area is a breeding ground for lines of violent thunderstorms.
The monsoonal activity is usually clumped into 5 nm cells spaced about 10nm apart. Provided you keep the back door open and have good situational awareness, it is possible to thread your way through.
However you are venturing into vast, featureless and uninhabited country ( read 'DESIGNATED REMOTE AREA') so your navigational skills will need to adjust to few recognisable features. Few roads, railways, rivers, towns, etc. Not so bad in good weather, but a hell of a handicap in bad wx.
Don't be committed to pressures of time, e.g. the usual fatal is
"I've got to get to work on Monday". You will probably need to allow a couple of days buffer to avoid that trap.
Apart from that, you are trained to do it, just do it safely and remember your licence is a licence to learn. With that in mind, you should have a challenging and enjoyable experience.
When you're out there, remember we used to get around there once without GPS and didn't lose ourselves too often.
GO FOR IT, carefully
404 titan has got it right, just a few extras, 1st the phone.
Try to get a Cdma phone if you haven't already. Good bush coverage, especially above 2,000', no interference to radios.
Most aboriginal communities of more than 500 popn have a cell.
The Weather
Yep, you're right into "The Wet" (Tropical Monsoons). Follow 404's advice regarding time of day. Be flexible with your itinerary,
(It's not the weather that kills, it's pressing on when you shouldn't).
When Mt Isa had a tower there was almost an annual weather related accident due "clearance not available, remain OCTA".
What this means is that if you push on into deteriorating conditions, there are extremely few alternate airstrips available to you.
Again, the weather forecasts in this part of the world are not very accurate, in fact during the wet every TAF will have inter's and tempo's regardless of actual conditions and the QNH will normally be all that is accurate in the forecast. The Mount Isa area is a breeding ground for lines of violent thunderstorms.
The monsoonal activity is usually clumped into 5 nm cells spaced about 10nm apart. Provided you keep the back door open and have good situational awareness, it is possible to thread your way through.
However you are venturing into vast, featureless and uninhabited country ( read 'DESIGNATED REMOTE AREA') so your navigational skills will need to adjust to few recognisable features. Few roads, railways, rivers, towns, etc. Not so bad in good weather, but a hell of a handicap in bad wx.
Don't be committed to pressures of time, e.g. the usual fatal is
"I've got to get to work on Monday". You will probably need to allow a couple of days buffer to avoid that trap.
Apart from that, you are trained to do it, just do it safely and remember your licence is a licence to learn. With that in mind, you should have a challenging and enjoyable experience.
When you're out there, remember we used to get around there once without GPS and didn't lose ourselves too often.
GO FOR IT, carefully
What 404 said, and...
Use it as a learning opportunity. Plan via good visual waypoints BUT between them practice finding smaller & ever smaller ones. Do it properly ie time & map based, not track crawling, GPS aided etc. By the end of the trip you will probably find yourself able to use lots of features you'd never have previously considered.
Always have fuel in your mind ie have an alternate, no matter how good the forecast. In fact...have two. Or three, or four or.... You get the idea.
Take the aircraft on a practice navex to somewhere before the big trip. Get used to using its equipment. Lean it IAW the operator's & manufacturer instructions. Leave with full tanks then refuel to full when you get back. Calculate your achieved fuel consumption from this. Do the same with the oil. During the trip and after each & every refuelling, calculate the fuel & oil consumption.
Throughout the flight keep working out where you could get to with regards to fuel & Wx. Not just behind you but left, right & ahead somewhere.
Don't forget that you can always choose to use a best range configuration. It doesn't always have to be 65-75% power.
Don't set yourself up to be pressured into must-get-there-itis. Better later than dead.
Above all....enjoy it!
Use it as a learning opportunity. Plan via good visual waypoints BUT between them practice finding smaller & ever smaller ones. Do it properly ie time & map based, not track crawling, GPS aided etc. By the end of the trip you will probably find yourself able to use lots of features you'd never have previously considered.
Always have fuel in your mind ie have an alternate, no matter how good the forecast. In fact...have two. Or three, or four or.... You get the idea.
Take the aircraft on a practice navex to somewhere before the big trip. Get used to using its equipment. Lean it IAW the operator's & manufacturer instructions. Leave with full tanks then refuel to full when you get back. Calculate your achieved fuel consumption from this. Do the same with the oil. During the trip and after each & every refuelling, calculate the fuel & oil consumption.
Throughout the flight keep working out where you could get to with regards to fuel & Wx. Not just behind you but left, right & ahead somewhere.
Don't forget that you can always choose to use a best range configuration. It doesn't always have to be 65-75% power.
Don't set yourself up to be pressured into must-get-there-itis. Better later than dead.
Above all....enjoy it!
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Dunno if this will help you, but I spent many a weekend going up through that country.
If you are into a beer or two, and considering that you want to be a CPL, I will assume YES.... then there are a few good ways to plan a trip around country pubs!
Suggested route MIGHT be:
YMMB - YBHI - YBDV - YBOU - YBMA.
All of these points have NDBS to help with navigation. you can also get AVGAS at all these ports. CDMA coverage for your mobile is availabe at all these ports except Birdsville, but they have a plethora of payphones.
Acommodation SHOULD be available at these places at this time of year too.
As was previously mentioned, Weather will be a major factor, with flight at A100 even going to be a bit bumpy... I would suggest being airborne VERY early, and planning to be in a pub by 1300 LST!
If you want a good pub / strip to stop into on the way south, you could try Mungerannie. They have a roadhouse, pub, 1400m Airstrip and is right on the Birdsville track.... there is also a payphone there too.
Marree also has a good strip and a big Pub... no NDB though, and CDMA coverage I do not think is there yet either.
Pop in for fuel at Leigh Creek... call Rose prior to leaving wherever you are leaving from,then call her inbound on CTAF and she will give you the latest METAR and generally help you out.
Apart from that, enjoy the flight... it will be wonderful!
If you need more info re the pubs I mentioned, let me know, and I can probably provide phone number for accommodation etc.
If you are into a beer or two, and considering that you want to be a CPL, I will assume YES.... then there are a few good ways to plan a trip around country pubs!
Suggested route MIGHT be:
YMMB - YBHI - YBDV - YBOU - YBMA.
All of these points have NDBS to help with navigation. you can also get AVGAS at all these ports. CDMA coverage for your mobile is availabe at all these ports except Birdsville, but they have a plethora of payphones.
Acommodation SHOULD be available at these places at this time of year too.
As was previously mentioned, Weather will be a major factor, with flight at A100 even going to be a bit bumpy... I would suggest being airborne VERY early, and planning to be in a pub by 1300 LST!
If you want a good pub / strip to stop into on the way south, you could try Mungerannie. They have a roadhouse, pub, 1400m Airstrip and is right on the Birdsville track.... there is also a payphone there too.
Marree also has a good strip and a big Pub... no NDB though, and CDMA coverage I do not think is there yet either.
Pop in for fuel at Leigh Creek... call Rose prior to leaving wherever you are leaving from,then call her inbound on CTAF and she will give you the latest METAR and generally help you out.
Apart from that, enjoy the flight... it will be wonderful!
If you need more info re the pubs I mentioned, let me know, and I can probably provide phone number for accommodation etc.
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Remote Area Flying
LB:
I concur with all of the above, but would also add the following:
1. Rember the wet season can change the landscape significantly eg dry salt lakes may be full of water etc, so what you see outside the window may be very different from whats on the map.
2. Always CHECK FOR THE AVAILABILITY OF FUEL at a destination BEFORE YOU DEPART (sometimes fuel tankers can't get through because of boggy road conditions). You don't want to land at a place and then find you can't fly out. Make sure you're up to date with procedures for refuelling from drums.
3. Always flight plan or leave a flight note with a responsible person. MAKE SURE THAT THE RESPONSIBLE PERSON HAS ADEQUATE TELECOMMUNICATIONS FACILITIES SO THAT THEY CAN ALERT AUSAR IF YOU DON'T TURN UP. No point leaving a flight note with a person if they can't contact the outside world. The cops, RFDS and even AuSAR will accept flight notes.
4. Remember, that many station owners have limited capacity to feed, accommodate or refuel you if you have to suddenly drop in on them due to a precautionary or emergency landing. If you have nothing to give at the time, make sure you return at a later date and repay the favour (for all our sakes).
5. Remember that at that time of the year its HOT and HUMID. Always check strip conditions, W&B and P-Charts.
Safe flying!
I concur with all of the above, but would also add the following:
1. Rember the wet season can change the landscape significantly eg dry salt lakes may be full of water etc, so what you see outside the window may be very different from whats on the map.
2. Always CHECK FOR THE AVAILABILITY OF FUEL at a destination BEFORE YOU DEPART (sometimes fuel tankers can't get through because of boggy road conditions). You don't want to land at a place and then find you can't fly out. Make sure you're up to date with procedures for refuelling from drums.
3. Always flight plan or leave a flight note with a responsible person. MAKE SURE THAT THE RESPONSIBLE PERSON HAS ADEQUATE TELECOMMUNICATIONS FACILITIES SO THAT THEY CAN ALERT AUSAR IF YOU DON'T TURN UP. No point leaving a flight note with a person if they can't contact the outside world. The cops, RFDS and even AuSAR will accept flight notes.
4. Remember, that many station owners have limited capacity to feed, accommodate or refuel you if you have to suddenly drop in on them due to a precautionary or emergency landing. If you have nothing to give at the time, make sure you return at a later date and repay the favour (for all our sakes).
5. Remember that at that time of the year its HOT and HUMID. Always check strip conditions, W&B and P-Charts.
Safe flying!
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Thanks to all who replied, its been a bit of reading and a lot of thinking.
I am still waiting on my mate at the mine to let me know when he gets some time off and that will be the clincher whether we go or not. If he can't get it when we are planning on going it will be up to the Gold or Sunshine Coasts.
Big thanks to Apache as well, sounds like you've done the trip a few times and will defintly be calling on you should accomodation and the likes be required.
Thanks again
I am still waiting on my mate at the mine to let me know when he gets some time off and that will be the clincher whether we go or not. If he can't get it when we are planning on going it will be up to the Gold or Sunshine Coasts.
Big thanks to Apache as well, sounds like you've done the trip a few times and will defintly be calling on you should accomodation and the likes be required.
Thanks again
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LB:
Further to my earlier reply, you need to think about the types of airports you intend visiting.
If you are only going to major airports with bitument runways, then the Be35/36 is OK. If you are intending to go to dirt strip ALAs, you might want to consider taking something like a C206/210 which will handle the rougher surfaces a bit better.
Further to my earlier reply, you need to think about the types of airports you intend visiting.
If you are only going to major airports with bitument runways, then the Be35/36 is OK. If you are intending to go to dirt strip ALAs, you might want to consider taking something like a C206/210 which will handle the rougher surfaces a bit better.
