[woofa.express]

Originally Posted by 40 Deluxe

Gary, did any of your planes have air conditioning? Those long ferry flights must have been like an oven in the cockpit!

continued from yesterday.


Ferrying to Malaysia or return wasn’t always easy. It’s in tropical weather. Darwin 12 degrees south and destination Sahabit is 4 degrees north. It’s an area that’s subjected to tropical thunderstorms. These fellows extend up to and sometimes higher than 35k feet. At times even airliners can’t outclimb them. I’d need to cruise at altitudes between sea level and 15k feet. Never enter them. I’d prefer to enter the ring with Mohamed Ali than do that. Our fuel load (1.9 ton, full fuel tanks plus full hopper) made the aeroplane very heavy and our engine full power output was only 740hp. It needed to be flown very delicately.


I remember one departure out of Darwin. For an hour and half I was at sea level and 117 miles (nautical) right of track and in heavy rain. Another time when tracking around thunderstorms I was getting burned in the face from both the sun and reflection off the white cloud. The owner of the operation told me I would be tanned on the other side of the face when I returned home. symmetrical.


Another time on approaching the international airport of Tawau I was over cloud. The controller asked if I was visual but no, I was on top (an official aeronautical term). I was instructed to hold altitude. A friendly Australian voice announced on the radio that the controller wouldn’t permit me to descend until I was visual. Well at that very moment I was visual and given clearance to descend. GPS showed the terrain below, rather crudely but clearly over water. It assured me I'd not find any rocks in the cloud. Where did this voice come from? That’s another story. But when I arrived he gave me 2 cans of cold coke from the airliner he was flying. From arriving tired I felt like I could walk on those clouds.


What would have been more welcome than aircon on ferry would have been auto pilot. This aeroplane, the popular Airtractor, was easy to fly and control loads were light. To achieve this the aeroplane was designed unstable. One had to pay attention at all times. There was no hands off times. No reading, no naps, no diversion of attention and nothing but water to see except the beauty of northern Sulawesi for a short period. I mentioned this earlier.


One time on departing Darwin I mishandled the fuel. I initially selected tanks when I should have selected hopper. After a lengthy climb I levelled out and fuel streamed from the top of the hopper because of a bad rubber seal. All over the windscreen and side windows. Of course I then selected hopper and in time as the fuel was used and the level lowered things returned to normal. It did smell badly of kerosene. Then came lunch. I had sandwiches prepared. Well they were kero impregnated. My next feed was that evening and I was ravenous I tell you.


The picture of Airtractor is from the internet.