HARELINES

LONDON TO SYDNEY AND EVER ONWARDS AND UPWARDS

(or round-and-round, there and back, etc.)

by David Hare

3rd April 2001. MUTTERINGS FROM MYONMAR

(Actually, this is not written in Myonmar, but because of my techno-illiteracy has remained in the machine until I rediscovered how to e-mail this morning in Bali, and had to try to catch up with the last couple of weeks!)

Down to

ARRIVAL IN ALICE

The Race

I'm very sorry it's so long between Reports: I lost my datalink after Delhi so couldn't send from there: mobile phones aren't allowed in Myonmar, and here in Phuket I have yet to discover a means of connecting! However, there is such a means, so I'll hope to get this off later.

As to the Race, there is much resentment among competitors about the many broken promises, and it seems a number of entrants are ready to abandon the thing. I don't think many will actually do that, because we all want to get to Sydney on time for hotels, etc., but it would be nice to be out of the Organisation-inflicted hassle and become a tourist! Anyway, the Fat Controller seems to think he's doing a good job; lots of receptions, local dignitaries flagging off the first half dozen departures (always the same aircraft, of course, because of the need to leave in order of reference speed) and so forth. The Race Director (Air Vice Marshall Ted Radford - ,"Poor Ted") was heard to say the other day that he didn't know anything about piston engines. Surprise, surprise! He looked ready for a nervous breakdown for several days, then seemed to get a bit better, but looking his old self again as the pressure from pilots for a better organised event builds. The poor fellow is clearly out of his depth. The promised taking of turns at the best places in the takeoff order will not now materialise, ostensibly on safety grounds because of the differing performance abilities of the different aircraft, but since for operational reasons the strict race order is not often adhered to pilots have shown they are quite capable of listening on the radio, keeping a lookout, and so on to keep track of anyone near them. So we in Group Two have alternated with Group Three at going last, but never going first. So our sight-seeing ability is seriously compromised!

But among the compensations are some great characters and aeroplanes. Maurice Kirk, for example - "the Flying Vet". He is a remarkable man; has a long history of warfare with the CAA (I don't know enough about the various skirmishes to have a view on the moral issues) and is flying in the Race - still flying - in a W.W.II 65 h.p. Cub, with various fuel systems a sight to be seen. He seems to be able to get away early in the morning, arrive after all the rest of us, and fly (as opposed to sit on tarmac) for 11 hours a day. He told me that his most serious concern beforehand was that he would have difficulty keeping awake, but has found the adrenaline factor is a very adequate stimulant. I'm not surprised! See his website at www.flyingvet.com. Long may he continue. It seems the Organisation is not happy and is trying to cut him out of the Race, but he has managed to keep ahead of them so far, and may well be first to Sydney by bravely doing his own thing! Most of the contestants would welcome that - he may get disqualified, but would win a remarkable moral victory! There is also, at the other extreme, an interesting amphibian - an Albatross - which can carry a small army and stay aloft for several years at a time, or something. Race leader and probable winner is "Spirit of Kai Tak", sponsored by Cathay Pacific, which has had enough money thrown at it to pay off the National Debt of a small Banana Republic, and looks splendiferous too. It seems odd to think that poor old Red Tape is expected to compete on level terms with Kai Tak's pressurised cabin, turbocharged engines being run flat out because they can be thrown away after Sydney, etc. Never mind - Red Tape's still the best! Not the fastest, not the best equipped, not the newest. The Best!

The World Tour

As I haven't been able to get e-mails etc. I'm not sure at present where we are with our planning, but no doubt the excellent Overflight is doing its stuff. I understand Maurice Kirk is thinking of a circumnavigation if he can raise some sponsorship. I hope he makes it. There also appear to be a number of other 'planes thinking about it, especially the Americans who have already done more than half the exercise in getting to Biggin Hill for the off, but I'm not sure of anything definite yet. Two of these are a couple of ladies with a with a twin Comanche; see accompanying photo.

Addendum

A number of entrants are now baying for the Fat Controller's blood: he (one Wilf Barker) being the Chief Organiser and the Air Race CEO. He it was who ignored warnings from me, among others, of the difficulties needing to be addressed in arranging refuelling, clearing, etc. this number of light aircraft, and having persuaded us to part with the money seems to say the problems are all the fault of the F.A.I., the refuellers, the air traffic, the local tour arrangers, etc., in short everyone but the Fat Controller and his team. Where things have gone smoothly, it seems to be the efforts of the local Air Traffic Controllers, ground handlers, Handling Agents, etc., which have done the trick, with little input by Air Race, apart, perhaps, from telling them we were coming! How Air Race can claim to have conducted a reconnaissance - never mind three of them - without having heard of flow control in Europe remains a mystery. Fuel I have mentioned before. The principal remaining sight-seeing event is Ayres Rock: this was on the early agendas but will now be a day trip, arranged by those of the contestants who want to go, from Alice Springs. Apparently Air Race couldn't arrange accommodation (although they claim to have been working on the arrangements for the Race for something like three years) so we are having a day off in Alice. Again, I feel lucky to have been there before in a rented Seneca out of Sydney, so I'll be happy staying by the pool anyway, but for others I suppose its another instance of failure to deliver on terms offered. Anyway, there is a groundswell of desire to get "revenge" on the Fat Controller, but I can't myself see what can be done about him now, other than some sort of organised indication to the media of the dissatisfaction among the paying competitors about his performance. And one thing they have done very well is to have booked excellent hotels (no doubt very expensive, which goes some way to justifying the entry fee, even if some of us wouldn't have gone for such places if left to our own devices; it's nice to indulge oneself sometimes). Furthermore, as must be obvious, we have only ourselves to blame for joining such an obviously flawed event, and we still look like completing our positioning flight, God willing, in Sydney! Overflying India, the Myonmah/Thai/Malaysia etc. Peninsula has been fantastic. And we crossed the Equator between Singapore and Jakarta at 01.33'.45" GMT on the 29th. March, 2001 in a rainstorm. One could clearly see the Line drawn between various little islands as we passed.

PS

That's the trouble with technology; by the time I can catch up with what's been going on, it's gone on to the next thing! Anyway, we've got as far as the Australian subcontinent, home of some of the most poisonous reptiles in the world, and of the Fat Controller. He has gone to Sydney, where he is suspected of trying to organise his Knighthood, presumably for Services (sic) to Aviation. He did explain to us the other night that they don't have knighthoods here. Nor do they. They have the Australian Order, I think it's called, which fulfils the same function. There is a feeling of euphoria among the contestants, and I think we're all so pleased at having struggled through despite Air Race that everyone - me included - is inclined to let bygones be bygones. The Organisers are clearly greatly relieved that it's nearly all over bar the feasting, and even Poor Ted is showing little signs of a human personality trying to emerge from the egg. Aviation is so well-organised here in Oz that we arrive, get whisked through any formalities, Customs etc. at Darwin, of course, fuel waiting, that the Organisation has nothing to do but arrange a bus, or get the hotel to do so.

We expect to arrive in Sydney on Saturday, with a formation flyby of Sydney Harbour. Poor Ted has asked us to arrange this among ourselves, (I don't think he could do it) which is much to the liking of my Captain, who is well capable of doing so if we can collect a few participants together. There are obvious dangers in doing this with inexperienced flyers, which would probably mean most of us, but Robert thinks he can get a four-ship "box" with two other Aztecs and a Saratoga, and experienced pilots in each. He will check this out in Coolangatta on Friday, and hopes to have Red Tape in the lead for the spectacle. I hope he pulls it off.

Spirit of Kai Tak

Equator in the Rain

Possible Round-the-Worlder with Twin Com

Poor Ted Radford

The Fat Controller