It’s now been 3 months since my last flight. Since I don’t appear to be flying, I may as well write about flying. In November last year I took a mate up to the Flinders Ranges and beyond for some aerial photography.

The following week looked a little better, so we planned to go again. This time the weather at Parafield was a little dodgy but improving as the morning went on. We had initially planned to be airborne mid to late morning, but having seen the weather we weren’t in any hurry. We arrived at Parafield around noon and then I realised I’d left the headsets home. Not to worry, a quick trip back was a good idea as it’d give the clouds more time to lift. We eventually left around 1:30 on the first leg to Hawker. All the airports we’d visit on this trip were new to me, so it was a great experience. By the time we reached Hawker, the clouds had completely disappeared.

It was a little bumpy heading up past Laura and Gladstone, so I was glad to have a 15 minute break at Hawker. Feeling much better we continued north along the Flinders Ranges, past Wilpena Pound (our destination for the night), Leigh Creek and on to Marree for some fuel. The flight had been amazing to that point, we were cruising around 7500 ft and getting a good view of the coal mines, Lake Torrens which seemed to always be off the port wing, and the Upper Flinders. To my surprise we ended up in the circuit at Marree with another aircraft. I never thought I’d hear anyone on the radio out there. The landing was uneventful but finding a place to park was entertaining. The other aircraft landed soon after us having been on a scenic flight around Lake Eyre.

 I soon had to put my refuelling skills to the test having not had to refuel a plane since my training two years earlier. I think I gave the refueller an extra few litres as the kickback on the nozzle was huge causing several litres to run over the wing. Having never expected to go to Marree, I made the most of it by heading off down the road to take some photos of the locals.

 Snapshots over, it was time to continue on to the Willouran Ranges to the north west. The area was spectacular and we spent half an hour touring the area and taking lots of photos.

 From there we tracked direct to Rawnsley Park Station on the south eastern end of Wilpena Pound. About 45 minutes into the flight I started to notice the sun getting lower and lower over Lake Torrens. I quick check of the ETA to Rawsley park – 19:45, followed by a check of sunset – 20:00. That was a bit of a shock. Our delayed departure had meant last light was now a factor and something I hadn’t fully understood as we left Marree. I knew Rawnsley Park was amongst hills, so I wasn’t sure how light it would be. We didn’t muck around on the rest of the trip as I was keen to get there as quick as I could. Failing that, Leigh Creek was an option to the north as they had runway lighting. In the end it was a bit of a non-issue as there was plenty of light as we landed on the fantastic dirt strip. Rolling out we could see Kangaroos eating dinner on the side, and thankfully deciding to hop away rather than in front of us. The track in to the runway took us over the accommodation so we’d barely had time to shut down before the manager had arrived to pick us up.

 We spent the evening putting up the tent and cooking dinner before getting an early night. Nature had woken me up at 5am the next morning and from there I wasn’t able to get back to sleep. Instead, I decided to get up and see what all the fuss was about. There were birds, sheep, and kangaroos  everywhere. By the time I’d gotten back from my walk Mike had packed up most of the gear and we were getting ready to leave. The manager was out on his morning walk and offered to take us back to the plane earlier than we had expected. This was great as the light was perfect for getting some aerial photos of Wilpena Pound before heading back to Parafield. A quick check of the weather and we were on our way back to the plane. There was no wind to speak of, and it turned out to be an amazingly smooth ride home.

 We had to spiral up over the airstrip to get above Wilpena Pound before commencing an anticlockwise loop. There were a couple of scenic flights already operating but we maintained plenty of separation. The view was sensational all the way around the northern side of the Pound. We did a few orbits to try and get the perfect shot, before starting our trip home. I had planned via Pt Pirie in case we needed fuel. With no headwind we wouldn’t need to stop, but we still fly over Pt Pirie in case we needed a comfort stop. From Pt Pirie it was a familiar flight back to Parafield via the training area and Outer Harbour. The only issue we had was an aircraft in the training area that reported being at the same point as us, as the same time we got there, and at the same altitude. This rapidly got my attention. I had seen the aircraft earlier at Pt Pirie performing circuits, but was surprised to hear that it was so close to us. Even with our heads on a swivel, we couldn’t see it. I began a few gentle turns but we never saw the aircraft.

 

Our early departure had meant we were back at Parafield before noon. After what seemed like 10 trips to the car to carry all our gear, we were on our way home after a thoroughly enjoyable and rewarding overnight tri p to the Flinders Ranges. It was my first time up there and I can’t wait to go back. It was also the most complex flight I’d done which made it more satisfying.

More photos can be found here.

The Flight Paths can be found here:

Parafield – Hawker – Marree – Rawnsley Park Station

Rawnsley Park Station – Parafield

Thanks for reading.

Brett

Written by :

silo

 

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written by Steve A, February 19, 2012

Great story Brett, and fantastic photos!
Need to do something about that 3 months

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written by Jack, February 20, 2012

Awesome Brett,the photographs are superb. Did you open theindow to take them? ( not including the parrot )

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written by brettkp, February 21, 2012

Thanks guys.

Steve: I know! I have some ideas in the pipeline, but don't appear to have much time at the moment. My medical has just expired along with my ASIC so I need to work on them too. Hope you've been flying a bit lately!

Jack: Yep, all photos are with the window open (even the parrot ). I believe the haze is due to dust in the atmosphere as it was in November.

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written by Braysie, February 22, 2012

Very entertaining and great photos. How did you find navigating in the outback? I haven't tried it yet.

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written by brettkp, February 22, 2012

Thanks Braysie. I didn't find navigating too difficult as there were plenty of features around. Leigh Creek has an NDB and we had the Flinders Ranges on one side and Lake Torrens (massive salt lake) on the other for most of the trip. I also had my GPS for an added layer of comfort. I'd imagine it'd be a different ball game if we went further north. There weren't too many features out around the Willouran Ranges, but the map did call out 'Flat Hill' which was a long hill with a flat top that was easy to spot.

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written by Braysie, February 23, 2012

Thanks Brett

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written by Jump Pilot, February 27, 2012

Damn fine photos. Well done!

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What a great story
written by mgilmour, March 01, 2012

I just loved reading this story and seeing all the pictures. It brings back so many memories of my own trips and makes we want to get back up into the air again.

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