HARELINES

LONDON TO SYDNEY AND EVER ONWARDS AND UPWARDS

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

by David Hare

11th April 2001 Summary from Sydney

The Race - Retrospective

Well, here we are in Sydney. Who would have thought it?

So what were the high spots?

For us, I think most were after we got to Oz. Altogether, in no particular order and no doubt to be seriously amended after time has given a bit more perspective:

1. Formation flight down the coast from Coolangatta to Sydney. The competitive racing was from London to "Coolie", with the final leg from Coolie to Sydney in the nature of a parade, which seemed sensible. The Organisation had set it's heart on a formation flyby over Sydney Harbour, but with their accustomed foresight didn't have anyone in their team who could organise such a thing. Fortunately, therefore, they had to put it in the hands of my Captain. Robert is qualified, current, and skilled in such matters. So we practised hard the previous day, Robert flying with those who hadn't done much formation flying, (neither have I, for that matter, but I had the easy bit) while I took Red Tape for them to formate on, and on the parade day Red Tape proudly led the first formation of three Aztecs and a Saratoga over Sydney Harbour bridge, to finish with a run and break to make a stream landing at Sydney's Bankstown airfield. It may not have been quite up to Red Arrow's standards, but we enjoyed it!

2. The run from Darwin to Alice Springs. In this part of Australia, there aren't any buildings, vessels, structures, etc. within several miles at any one time, never mind five hundred feet. So we self-indulgently flew at less than a hundred feet most of the way, except when we had to go up because we wanted a cup of tea. You can't pour the hot water into the mugs at that level. We did it again a couple of days later from Alice to Longreach. Great fun - and legal!

Actually, the "we" is a bit inaccurate. Robert seemed to be able to keep it up for hours; I managed forty minutes in one stretch, and an hour in another, but then found my concentration getting suspect, so I gave up at that stage, and went up for another cup of tea.

3. Crossing the equator in my own little aeroplane was really something memorable. Misty, raining, - not at all how the equator ought to be, but memorable nonetheless. And God willing we can do it again on the way back. Plus, of course, the International Date Line. I can't seem to work out what happens when we do that.

4. For most of us, I think, the whole show was stolen by Maurice Kirk, the Flying Vet. All that way in a Piper Cub, no autopilot. And I think he was the first in Sydney. I'm not sure if he launched any search & rescue exercises en route, but he had many adventures which we can hope will be written up on his website. They'll be worth reading!

Red Tape behaved impeccably, barring a couple of manageable snags - we had a fuel pump problem at Bali, and lost a magneto at Ayres Rock - this was unfortunately one for Robert alone, because having been to Ayres Rock on an earlier flight in a rented aeroplane I'd stayed by the pool at Alice and let him go with another chap. We were saved on this occasion by Jennifer Murray, who was very wisely carrying a spare mag. which she let us have - fortunately same engine etc.

And the low points?

W-e-e-l-l.......er......... Actually, it's all fading into a sort of rosy glow, we're here safe and sound, and nothing much else matters, really. At the Gala dinner in Sydney, even the Fat Controller's appearance on the TV screen provoked only a modest chorus of hisses. I suppose Robert and I felt we had justice on our side when we lost our appeal about the Luxor leg, but even that now seems a very long time ago. We've done a long trip, with a longer one to come, so let's be glad we've done the positioning flight, and ever onwards and upwards to the next thing!

The World Tour

Margaret is en route to Sydney as I write this, Robert has returned to the UK, the aeroplane has had it's 150 hour check here in Coolangatta, (with many thanks and best wishes to Simon Whitehead and all the team at Jetpoint, and especially Julie for negotiating the Australian Banking system for me), and we should set off, or maybe have set off, for Norfolk Island on Monday. Next report, then, from Norfolk Island or further East. Then we start coming back on ourselves!

Flying Vet

Jennifer Murray, our Guardian Angel!

Approach to Coolangatta

Red Tape leads the formations (sic)

Two self-satisfied aviators