World's longest mail run
Silly Old Git
Tlf sounds familiar I did it 31 years ago and overnighted in the Birdville boozer rather than Boulia.
There was a good selection of characters around them days !
Kangaroos wandering about the accomodation block.
Once recall doing the top half in pissing rain ! !
Them days the track was the bloody track no touristsy 4WDs.
I once had a slow leak in a mainwheel tyre topped it up as I went around the stations and managed to get it all the way back to Parafield.
There was a good selection of characters around them days !
Kangaroos wandering about the accomodation block.
Once recall doing the top half in pissing rain ! !
Them days the track was the bloody track no touristsy 4WDs.
I once had a slow leak in a mainwheel tyre topped it up as I went around the stations and managed to get it all the way back to Parafield.
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Originally Posted by tinpis
Tlf sounds familiar I did it 31 years ago and overnighted in the Birdville boozer rather than Boulia.
There was a good selection of characters around them days !
Kangaroos wandering about the accomodation block.
Once recall doing the top half in pissing rain ! !
Them days the track was the bloody track no touristsy 4WDs.
I once had a slow leak in a mainwheel tyre topped it up as I went around the stations and managed to get it all the way back to Parafield.
There was a good selection of characters around them days !
Kangaroos wandering about the accomodation block.
Once recall doing the top half in pissing rain ! !
Them days the track was the bloody track no touristsy 4WDs.
I once had a slow leak in a mainwheel tyre topped it up as I went around the stations and managed to get it all the way back to Parafield.
I imagine that if you could gather all of us who flew that run over the years together there would be enough material for a reasonable book.
Personally I had a pretty event free run with VH-ACZ except for a gear indicator problem once which left me without a green on the right main for the remainder of the trip from Birdsville to The Gutter.
Also had the "pleasure" of doing the trip in the 402A VH-AWS and Seneca VH-MEP. Guess what, it IS possible to land a Seneca nicely, five mail runs in one gives you enough practice to learn how to do it.
TF
Man Bilong Balus long PNG
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Back in Japan, flying the Glider Tug, eating great Japanese food, looking at lovely Japanese Ladies and continuing the neverending search for a bad bottle of Red.
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ACZ was a Shrike Commander purchased by the Kinghams specifically for the mail run. Can't remember exactly when but it was sometime in the mid 1980s.
Prior to this they had been using a Partenavia (can't remember the reg) which, if memory serves correctly was the aircraft that PAGAS had been using and when the Kinghams took over the run they bought the aircraft as well.
You only live twice. Once when
you're born. Once when
you've looked death in the face.
Prior to this they had been using a Partenavia (can't remember the reg) which, if memory serves correctly was the aircraft that PAGAS had been using and when the Kinghams took over the run they bought the aircraft as well.
You only live twice. Once when
you're born. Once when
you've looked death in the face.
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ACZ... what a lovely airplane. I had a great time flying that. Hardly ever let me down, and was a joy to fly.
Probably the best plane for the job.... and the BEST HF radio I have ever used! Shame that they never thought ahead and had spare engines for it when they were due!
Probably the best plane for the job.... and the BEST HF radio I have ever used! Shame that they never thought ahead and had spare engines for it when they were due!
Man Bilong Balus long PNG
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and had spare engines for it when they were due
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Originally Posted by Pinky the pilot
And when they fitted a new engine one time it proved to be somewhat faulty, as JF found out between Sandringham and Bedourie one fine Sunday morning!!
Hmmm I wonder if it was another cheap POS from a certain supplier of engines at Parafield like the one I had to contend with in NPD for a while. Four cracked cylinders and a cracked crankcase in the first 200 hours while the factory reman on the other side purred like a kitten. Ya get what ya pay for.
TF
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Well, I have some photos of the mail run...and some of 'pinky the pilot' 
nothing that gives his identity away 
. But I am not sure how to go about getting the images on pprune. Any ideas
mango
nothing that gives his identity away . But I am not sure how to go about getting the images on pprune. Any ideasmango
Thread Starter
Originally Posted by apache
Probably the best plane for the job.... and the BEST HF radio I have ever used!
Yes, it was definitely the best plane for the job. But as far as HF radios go, I always found the one in AZJ to be the best.
DF.
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Chaps & Chapesses,
I seem to recall that there was an excellent article on the "run" in, I think, Australian Geographic magazine some years ago.
Had some excellent photos of ACZ and showing the somewhat stoney state of some of the station strips as well as Birdsville and Boulia.
I kept a copy of that magazine for years thinking what a great job it would be.
I seem to recall that there was an excellent article on the "run" in, I think, Australian Geographic magazine some years ago.
Had some excellent photos of ACZ and showing the somewhat stoney state of some of the station strips as well as Birdsville and Boulia.
I kept a copy of that magazine for years thinking what a great job it would be.
Thread Starter
Originally Posted by tinpis
Yer all wussers... tin hadda do it in a Cherokee 6
Awww, poor ol' Tin! Just out of curiosity, did you carry passengers too? And were there ever times where there was more than you could fit in on one trip?
For those of you that are interested, check out this link: http://tinyurl.com/erhma
And for those of you that have today's Adelaide Advertiser (13-5-06) the story is on page 7.
DF.
Silly Old Git
Heehee didnt know Rupert but I did know a nice nursey in Maree
Spent all night shaggin on a wheeled bed all over the clinic floor.
Just in case Rupert gets his knickers in a knot it were less than 40 years ago ad she were 100% Aussie
Spent all night shaggin on a wheeled bed all over the clinic floor.
Just in case Rupert gets his knickers in a knot it were less than 40 years ago ad she were 100% Aussie
Thread Starter
Originally Posted by tinpis
Spent all night shaggin on a wheeled bed all over the clinic floor.
DF.
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So what exactly is the status of "the run" these days.
When I was doing it the routing was
Port Augusta, Leigh Creek, Moolawootana, Merty Merty, Innaminka, Durham Downs, Arrabury, Birdsville, Boulia (with an optional stop at Bedourie on the way if required) Overnight then Sandringham, Bedourie,
Glengyle, Durrie, Roseberth, Birdsville, Pandie Pandie, Alton Downs, Clifton Hills, Cowarie, Mungerannie, Mulka, Etadunna, Dulkaninna, Leigh Creek, Port Augusta. I understand that someone from Mt Isa is at least covering the QLD portion these days, what about the rest? I guess there's been a few faces come and gone since I was up there.
TF
When I was doing it the routing was
Port Augusta, Leigh Creek, Moolawootana, Merty Merty, Innaminka, Durham Downs, Arrabury, Birdsville, Boulia (with an optional stop at Bedourie on the way if required) Overnight then Sandringham, Bedourie,
Glengyle, Durrie, Roseberth, Birdsville, Pandie Pandie, Alton Downs, Clifton Hills, Cowarie, Mungerannie, Mulka, Etadunna, Dulkaninna, Leigh Creek, Port Augusta. I understand that someone from Mt Isa is at least covering the QLD portion these days, what about the rest? I guess there's been a few faces come and gone since I was up there.
TF
Silly Old Git
Until this thread started I had never thought about the mail run or the Eyre basin all those years ago.
Thanks Desert Duck.
Ive got slides somewhere of that time and if I find them I will post em up.
[No Woomera I dont mean slides of me and the nursey in Maree]
Thanks Desert Duck.
Ive got slides somewhere of that time and if I find them I will post em up.
[No Woomera I dont mean slides of me and the nursey in Maree]
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So what exactly is the status of "the run" these days
is the stock standard run these days.
Had a journo travel the other week. Will send a link to the story to interested parties.
...Disco
Thread Starter
Originally Posted by tlf
I guess there's been a few faces come and gone since I was up there.
DF.
Thread Starter
Originally Posted by disco_air
Had a journo travel the other week. Will send a link to the story to interested parties.
pain, aren't they? One of these days someone's gonna tell them where to poke their cameras! DF.