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Old 11-28-2018, 08:48 PM   #361
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I have been thinking about those days I spent cattle mustering in the late 60's and early 70's. Another name for cattle theft is "cattle duffing".

Writing these stories has provided a good opportunity in looking back at my life. Prompting my memory. Otherwise much may well have been forgotten. I think my grandkids will enjoy reading these stories in years to come. Hope so anyway. gary.
How do you round up (muster) cattle using a plane? Sounds like a lot of very low level flying!
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Old 11-29-2018, 03:59 AM   #362
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How does one muster with an aeroplane?
Answer to 40 Delux

First run is slow and when you have the cattle's attention, they will turn and run. Generally in the last 30 at least. After that just buzz them. It is important to have the coaches set in a position they will run naturally. Use scrub or tracks.
Bulls are more difficult and they can be run only a short distance. I used to carry a browning 12 gauge 5 shot and put that out the door of the Cub and shoot with my right hand. the window opens upwards and door downwards. I'd feed the gun from the back and get it out the door. I would never have a shot in the breech and never put it back without firing all shots.Once the bulls are in the coaches they were difficult to hold. At times nothing would hold them.
with the helicopter the noise would move them. They would run further too. We set up a portable yard and run wings out from the entrance and make a hessian wall. One had to be careful not to blow it out with rotor down wash. the cattle would see and they knew they had been bluffed. Then it was extremely difficult to contain them. it's not easy work
.
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Old 11-29-2018, 08:06 AM   #363
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How does one muster with an aeroplane?
Answer to 40 Delux

First run is slow and when you have the cattle's attention, they will turn and run. Generally in the last 30 at least. After that just buzz them. It is important to have the coaches set in a position they will run naturally. Use scrub or tracks.
Bulls are more difficult and they can be run only a short distance. I used to carry a browning 12 gauge 5 shot and put that out the door of the Cub and shoot with my right hand. the window opens upwards and door downwards. I'd feed the gun from the back and get it out the door. I would never have a shot in the breech and never put it back without firing all shots.Once the bulls are in the coaches they were difficult to hold. At times nothing would hold them.
with the helicopter the noise would move them. They would run further too. We set up a portable yard and run wings out from the entrance and make a hessian wall. One had to be careful not to blow it out with rotor down wash. the cattle would see and they knew they had been bluffed. Then it was extremely difficult to contain them. it's not easy work
.
Thanks, Gary, but this ignorant Yank needs some explanation. Why the 12 gauge? To scare the cattle into running, or to shoot them in the hind end to make them run? Nah, you can't aim that good from a plane! What's a hessian wall? How far would you have to run the cattle to get them to the trucks (coaches?)? Which worked better for mustering, fixed wing or helicopter? Thanks, Allan
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Old 11-29-2018, 02:32 PM   #364
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In answer to your questions 40Deluxe.

When a bull gets pellets in his backside he will run further. Sometimes still not far enough so one needs to assess just that before taking the time and going to the trouble of encouraging him. Sometimes cantankerous old cows need a hurry up too. Cows with calves at foot would bail up and I would leave them behind. Some years after my time mustering a drive was made to eliminate TB in the Northern Territory and everything that couldn’t be mustered was shot from helicopter.
How far could we run them. Depends on several factors.
Time of year. Longer into the dry season they lost condition so the less distance.
Ground surface under foot. Stony ground the shorter distance of course.
Temp of day.
And most importantly, if one chose the direction correctly they wanted to run. Tracks on the ground were a good indication.
What is better? Aeroplane or helicopter. Each has their place.
My correct aim of 12 gauge from aeroplane. Must have because it had an immediate effect.
Hessian wings to portable yard. Hang it from wire running between temporary steel posts. It works well unless rotor downwash blows hessian outwards and reveals vision on other side then they bust and it is almost impossible to hold them. Hessian can be pinned to a bottom wire.
Cattle mustered by aeroplane are run into coaches and by helicopter into temporary portable steel yards. Well designed and well built robust steel yards. They could be quite difficult to handle, the cattle that is.
What aeroplane is best? I used C172, Piper Cub and Mooney. Like ag work, low wing is preferable because the wing does not obscure vision in the turn. The Mooney wasn’t suitable because it needed good ground tomake a landing where as the other two could be landed on tracks, roads and other places where the surface was smooth. There was no ideal aeroplane. Spray planes had too high a fuel burn thus short endurance. Best helicopter. It doesn’t matter but the only one I have had experience on is the Bell 47.
Am I an authority on aerial mustering, well I haven’t done it since 1973. You be the judge.
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Old 11-29-2018, 03:34 PM   #365
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In answer to your questions 40Deluxe.

When a bull gets pellets in his backside he will run further. Sometimes still not far enough so one needs to assess just that before taking the time and going to the trouble of encouraging him. Sometimes cantankerous old cows need a hurry up too. Cows with calves at foot would bail up and I would leave them behind. Some years after my time mustering a drive was made to eliminate TB in the Northern Territory and everything that couldn’t be mustered was shot from helicopter.
How far could we run them. Depends on several factors.
Time of year. Longer into the dry season they lost condition so the less distance.
Ground surface under foot. Stony ground the shorter distance of course.
Temp of day.
And most importantly, if one chose the direction correctly they wanted to run. Tracks on the ground were a good indication.
What is better? Aeroplane or helicopter. Each has their place.
My correct aim of 12 gauge from aeroplane. Must have because it had an immediate effect.
Hessian wings to portable yard. Hang it from wire running between temporary steel posts. It works well unless rotor downwash blows hessian outwards and reveals vision on other side then they bust and it is almost impossible to hold them. Hessian can be pinned to a bottom wire.
Cattle mustered by aeroplane are run into coaches and by helicopter into temporary portable steel yards. Well designed and well built robust steel yards. They could be quite difficult to handle, the cattle that is.
What aeroplane is best? I used C172, Piper Cub and Mooney. Like ag work, low wing is preferable because the wing does not obscure vision in the turn. The Mooney wasn’t suitable because it needed good ground tomake a landing where as the other two could be landed on tracks, roads and other places where the surface was smooth. There was no ideal aeroplane. Spray planes had too high a fuel burn thus short endurance. Best helicopter. It doesn’t matter but the only one I have had experience on is the Bell 47.
Am I an authority on aerial mustering, well I haven’t done it since 1973. You be the judge.
Thanks. I have a better idea of it now. But how close did you have to be to the bull for the pellets to so their job? You must have really been hedge hopping!
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Old 11-30-2018, 02:27 AM   #366
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Answer to 40 Deluxe.


yes, pretty close. Low flying is my job and I've rearly done anything else all my working life. I fly under power wires many times each day. Sowing seed and spreading fertilizer is done fairly high for agricultural work and that is 70 to 80 foot above ground level.
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Old 11-30-2018, 11:24 AM   #367
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Answer to 40 Deluxe.


yes, pretty close. Low flying is my job and I've rearly done anything else all my working life. I fly under power wires many times each day. Sowing seed and spreading fertilizer is done fairly high for agricultural work and that is 70 to 80 foot above ground level.
I'm reminded of an old saying: "There are old pilots, and there are bold pilots, but not any old bold pilots!". Looks like you made it to the old pilot category!
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Old 11-30-2018, 12:39 PM   #368
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hello again 40 De Luxe.


and it's no good being timid about it either. gary
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Old 11-30-2018, 02:12 PM   #369
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The Tropical North West Australia.

The tropical north west of Australia has 4 major river systems which carry large quantities of water in the wet season. One of which is the Ord River. Not a long river, only about 300 miles and has 2 dams built upon it. The lower dam, commonly called the diversion dam supplies water to a large flat fertile black soil plain simply known as the Ord River Irrigation area. It has been under utilised since its inception in the early 60’s. A suitable crop has not been found to grow economically on such a large scale and many have been trialled. It has an inhospitable climate with suicides and murders each wet season when human endurance is at its utmost. The area is in the same proximate location as the three cattle properties I wrote about in the last few days.
The second dam, commonly called the main dam is about 40 miles upstream from the diversion dam. Built in 71 and flooded the property of what was formally Argyle Station.
The property is well known in Australia. It had been settled by a well known family by the name of Durack. A house hold name in West Australia. A daughter, Mary, was a celebrated writer and married a dashing young airman by the name of Horrie Miller, whose name became synonymous with the WA airline “MacRobinson Millar Airlines”. Later the property name became synonymous again with the Argyle Diamond Mine. A Rio mine known for pink diamonds perhaps one of the biggest producers in the world but a low yielding mine and will close in 2020.
I mustered the cattle on Argyle prior to flooding and I shall tell you about just that.
The first day I mustered up a mob of coaches. The second day a big muster. The mob too big to walk to the holding yards and the yards too small to hold that size mob anyway. They were held over night by the ringers who said they couldn’t manage and saw them wander off in big mobs. They didn’t start me on the third day but walked the stock back to the homestead. A head count of 4500.
I continued some time later and one morning I landed to pump fuel and returned to find everything was in disarray.They had crossed the River to collect stock I had spent the morning mustering when they were hit with a torrent. Horses and stock everywhere. The Ord dam had commenced to hold water. End of muster.
I also mustered on Lissadel Station which is adjacent to Argyle. I can remember smoke coming from bullocks hoofs as they ran down the stony range. It is that range where the diamonds are mined even though the mine is known as the Argyle diamond mine.


Chapter 2.
Australia has 2 types of crocodiles. One, the fresh water crocodile which is the Johnson River Crocodile. Silly enough, the Johnson River is in Queensland and its inhabitants are the salt water or estuarine crocodiles which are a very large and a cunning killer. The name Johnson is after an amateur naturalist not the river.
I well remember flying low down the Ord River, watching about 150 yards in front and seeing the freshies run into the water. I enjoyed the spectacle. The salties by comparison could not be intimidated and just impossible to move.


Footnote.
The following year I worked mustering in the territory flying helicopter. A job I did not enjoy. I was no longer an independent contractor but an employee. The management ( not manager) was incompetent and the work non rewarding. I crashed a helicopter, which I wrote about earlier and returned to ag work and enjoyed that and continue to do so. Much more rewarding. And lucrative.



pictures from the internet.


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File Type: jpg ord river dam wall.jpg (19.4 KB, 11 views)
File Type: jpg diversion dam.jpg (20.7 KB, 11 views)
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Old 12-01-2018, 02:08 PM   #370
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I am off this morning to Numurkah, about 30 miles south of us here at Tocumwal. A show and shine. Washed the ute last night but left in out. It blew and a few spots of rain. Dust stuck to my nice clean paintwork. Will have to wash it again. I haven’t prepared a story so I will leave you with a very pertinent quote. I must acknowledge it originated from Dr. Brendan Nelson, the man in charge of the Australian War Memorial.

“Some of the most valued things in a community were financed by street stalls and chook raffles.”
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Old 12-01-2018, 05:08 PM   #371
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and here's another quote pertinent to our times.

"School teachers should not teach our kids what to think but how to think"

From a viewer on ABC meaning Australian Broadcasting Corp. Definitely a viewer not the broadcaster.
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Old 12-02-2018, 02:16 PM   #372
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Tropical Queensland, Other Places and Other Events.

Each wet season ( 75 to 79 inclusive) I worked in tropical north Queensland. Based Ingham I also worked Mossman and Tully. I learned what rain was all about. I well remember 24 inches in 24 hours, not each day but frequent. In Mossman I remember 84 inches in 3 days. Depressing. I stayed in the Royal Hotel and it had a corrugated galvanised steel roof which is common in Australia. One could not converse with the constant deafening roar. It was depressing for such an extended period.
The mould that grew on buildings in Tully and one always had constantly damp clothing, common in the tropics The airstrip was all over grass and regardless of how much rain and what water lay on the surface one could always land. I remember landing in water just for the fun of it. Water would gush over the wings and windscreen. Deceleration was rapid.
In Ingham if we could not start a job by 8am we would have a leisurely breakfast, clean up and get to the pub at opening time which was 10am. I was in my late 20’s then and a much keener drinker than I am now in my 70’s.
The work was difficult but being a young keen pilot I didn’t consider that. Fields were small and mid morning the land breeze or katabatic wind ceased and sea breeze or anabatic wind started and I’d need to finish. I'd restart in the late avo. The pesticide was herbicide, estercides of 24D and 245T. Volatile and could damage susceptible crops in the proximity. There were bananas and other tropical fruits, houses and water ways. I took considerable care and never had a claim. I seemed to have endless requests for first spray in the morning whilst the wind was calm so as to avoid drift. It was the very worst time to spray because the atmosphere was stable and more conducive to drift. It was difficult to convince farmers.
I clearly remember landing at a cattle station south of Sarina. Rocks all over the airstrip. I asked the owner to drive his car down the strip at 100 kph and he declined saying it could damage his car. Whilst some are blissfully ignorant it’s quite rare to get one who is inconsiderate.
I remember flying inland somewhere west of Cairns to spray beans. I would think it was a seed crop. I stayed in an old homestead devoid of walls. Lovely place to livebut I guess not when they had wind shear off tropical a thunderstorm. Writing about such events brings back many memories and almost without exception good memories of good people and of good events. Slaughtering cattle on stations and taking the cuts out of the beasts, throwing it on the back of utes or trucks where we had laid gum tree branches and leaves to keep the meat off the truck deck and thus keep it clean. I remember shooting good bullocks from the helicopter, taking the cuts, all the cuts, from the beast, half on the left litter and half on the right. Flying it back to the station homestead and quarters. After unloading it I would take the station kids for a ride in the helicopter.
Writing of these times has been most rewarding when I can reminisce about what has been a great career. I do have one regret and that is selling my business in 95. Working for others was stress free, eventful, sometimes adventurous but not as rewarding. I wished I had kept it for just a few more years but I don’t dwell on that.
These days I don’t fly for pleasure, however I still get pleasure from ag flying or teaching others and passing on my skill. I am not a licensed instructor but at times people ask me to help them upgrade their skills.



This appears to be perhaps the only photo I have of the aeroplane I flew in North Queensland. My sister and brother in law, who were passengers in the hopper to Hinchinbrook Island off the coast of Ingham.
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Old 12-03-2018, 02:36 PM   #373
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Landing at Mouse Hunter’s.

John Lynch was an accomplished pilot and aeroplane builder. He lived outside of town. A hermit who kept his front gate padlocked to keep visitors out of his property on which he had built an airstrip to fly from.
I knew John as “Mouse Hunter because” during a recent mouse plague he bragged he could shoot a mouse at 20 yards and off the hip too. Well Mouse Hunter built perspex canopies for aeroplanes and gliders. He had also built a tail – less glider. The ailerons doubled as elevators, a delta wing type of deal. He built many models. He lived a sort of Santa Claus life building things just for his pleasure.

I’d visit him by landing on his strip and I would pull up at his front door. Myself and my friend Terry Walsh did that one in a DeHavilland Beaver. About the late ‘80’s. What a disastrous landing. Came so close to a crash. It went like this. The Beaver has one pole and that can be flipped to either side. It has one set of peddles which are a fixture on the left hand side. I had the pole on the right and Terry had the peddles on the left. One or the other of us two must have both. We didn’t. Both pole and peddles must be coordinated. We weren’t able to . Off to the left we went, then to the right which we kept up totally uncontrolled until we came to a stop at his front glass doors. The propeller about to trash the front entrance and the front entrance about to trash the propeller. Mouse Hunter didn’t waste time standing around, he was off.
Conclusion of the story. The brain that controls the pole must also be the brain that controls the pedals.

I did my own laundry that afternoon. I didn’t want my secret to get out.
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Old 12-03-2018, 11:48 PM   #374
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Landing at Mouse Hunter’s.

John Lynch was an accomplished pilot and aeroplane builder. He lived outside of town. A hermit who kept his front gate padlocked to keep visitors out of his property on which he had built an airstrip to fly from.
I knew John as “Mouse Hunter because” during a recent mouse plague he bragged he could shoot a mouse at 20 yards and off the hip too. Well Mouse Hunter built perspex canopies for aeroplanes and gliders. He had also built a tail – less glider. The ailerons doubled as elevators, a delta wing type of deal. He built many models. He lived a sort of Santa Claus life building things just for his pleasure.

I’d visit him by landing on his strip and I would pull up at his front door. Myself and my friend Terry Walsh did that one in a DeHavilland Beaver. About the late ‘80’s. What a disastrous landing. Came so close to a crash. It went like this. The Beaver has one pole and that can be flipped to either side. It has one set of peddles which are a fixture on the left hand side. I had the pole on the right and Terry had the peddles on the left. One or the other of us two must have both. We didn’t. Both pole and peddles must be coordinated. We weren’t able to . Off to the left we went, then to the right which we kept up totally uncontrolled until we came to a stop at his front glass doors. The propeller about to trash the front entrance and the front entrance about to trash the propeller. Mouse Hunter didn’t waste time standing around, he was off.
Conclusion of the story. The brain that controls the pole must also be the brain that controls the pedals.

I did my own laundry that afternoon. I didn’t want my secret to get out.
I take back what I said about no old, bold pilots! Takes a bold pilot to share controls!!
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Old 12-04-2018, 01:45 AM   #375
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Enjoy your comments 40Deluxe.
I put Andrea Reiu Christmas concert at dinner time and still haven't done any work so far this avo. Isn't he the greatest entertainer? cheers, gary
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Old 12-04-2018, 05:34 AM   #376
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Do Ask. Do tell me.

I was thinking. I do that from time to time. Thinking about 40 Deluxe who comments or asks questions on stories I write. I enjoy comments and questions so please if you have questions don’t be backward in asking.
I mentioned I was watching Andrea Rieu after dinner and am still watching him after tea time which Americans call super. I was wondering how many of you know of him and watch him?? Hopefully many but in case there are some who don’t I have attached a link at the end of this note in hope you may watch because I know everyone who does becomes over joyed. Rieu will have you laugh. He will at times have you cry because of the emotion of his music. He is a showman and he has the talent to be so and is entitled to be.
I saw him in Melbourne. He gave 3 concerts and I know the night I attended he had an audience of 41K. Not unusual. I watch him regularly on you tube.
If you haven’t had the pleasure being entertained by Rieu do click on a link below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gO67YCECe4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jT9MVJYYS0

for those of you who watch him for the first time and enjoy his entertainment do tell me.
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Old 12-04-2018, 04:02 PM   #377
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More on John Lynch aka Mouse Hunter.

Well the Mouse was a clever bloke. He made numerous and excellent working model aeroplanes, a full size tail less glider, and mounted an engine on a metal glider. Americans call a glider a sailplane. He just built stuff all day long.
He flew a farmer to Brisbane to inspect a hot little racing plane that was for sale. The farmer declined the purchase, didn’t think it was worth the 20k asking price. Mouse offered 7k which was immediately accepted. He swapped it for a tiger moth which had a sliding canopy and converted it back to windscreen and sold it for 82k. The Mouse frequented country and remote bottle shops and bought old wine. Payed $12 per bottle for several cases of “Grange Hermitage” wine. Was invited to return it if not good. Sold it for $1800 per bottle. Clever at buying and selling shares and I guess had a tin arse too. Did exceptionally well in the dot.com era of 2000. He died and left his money to his brother but didn’t say where it was. A frantic search lasted for some days and there was talk on excavating parts of his property. It was located securely in the bank.
Back to building. The Melbourne festival "Moomba" runs a bird man competition. It’s a common event in many places the world over. Fools and serious people enter and it does get very funny. Some entrants are a little bit like Icarus who waxed feathers to his arms but the sun melted the was and Icarus fell back to earth. Johns entry was a glider. It had polystyrene ribs and spars and covered with that thin foodwrap we call cling wrap or glad wrap. He cleaned up the event and bought home several thousand dollars. He then sold the model he had made. If the Mouse dropped straw it would be gold by the time it hit the ground.
So that’s mouse hunter. When he died his body was cremated and ashes spread by aeroplane over his little farm. The pilot didn’t allow wind factor and John ended up on the roof of his shed and subsequently in the rain water tank.

Very few knew Mouse Hunter. I have good memories of him, the builder, the flyer and the hermit.

Copied from the internet. Wikipedia
$38,420 - Penfolds Grange Hermitage 1951: the most expensive Australian wine. The 1951 Penfolds Grange Hermitage is known to have only about 20 other bottles left in existence today. In May of 2004, a wine collector in Adelaide paid AUS$50,200 for a bottle at an Australian auction house
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Old 12-04-2018, 04:16 PM   #378
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And yet another good quote.

In 92 video cameras were unique, novel and expensive. I purchased one whilst abroad and didn’t declare it when I returned to Australia. A customs officer with a group of girls in training found me out. My name was then put to electronic memory forever. I told the officer I felt he treated me fairly and added, quote,
I have no conscience about lying to government, after all they lie to me every day.

His face showed disapproval which lasted for as long as 4 seconds then was followed by a broad smile of acceptance and understanding.


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Old 12-05-2018, 01:31 PM   #379
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Default Re: tell a Model A related story

An unusual airworthiness inspector. He had some humour.

Paper work was never my strength, I don’t see any reason to collect or compile useless information.
My Dromader had just completed an engine change when an uninvited aviation airworthiness inspector arrived. I categorise these fellows as unwanted. Mostly they have come from the military and have no concept of economics and practicalities but I don’t know this blokes background. He asked to see a legal document called a maintenance release, a document that must be signed by an authorised person each day prior to flight. The pilot is one such person. Mine was pristine, not a single entry. Within a week I received a formal and official letter from the aviation authority counciling me on legal requirements. That too was filed where all good paper work goes. End of part 1.
Some time later my son Dennis had an overnight in Darwin and was invited to dinner at an aircraft engineers home. There he met the airworthiness inspector mentioned above. Discussion turned to a nice twin engined Cessna for sale. It had only 20hours left to run on each engine ( a legal limitation). The price was a gift. The inspector turned to Dennis and said, “your dad should buy that Dennis, he could get years of use out of it.”

Footnote. The Dromader is a large eastern block agricultural / firebomber aeroplane. It was unpleasant to fly and a headache to maintain but I didn’t know that when I purchased it. It was cheap. It’s primary fault was it now belonged to me.
My friend David Black was killed when his Dromader lost a wing back in 2013. Didn’t like them before and definitely not since.
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Old 12-06-2018, 02:02 PM   #380
woofa.express
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Location: Tocumwal, NSW, Australia
Posts: 1,745
Default Re: tell a Model A related story

Further to yesterdays story.

At times I email my story to a friend and past pilot employee, Duane. My comments on my attitude towards paper work brought his response, below and it’s verbatim.

Don't forget, Gary,

Paperwork means job security for the people with no ambition, i.e., those employed by government


You will notice Duane used the word “employed” and not “work”. Appropriate. Those comments may well put me off side with some readers, I know.
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