Standardisation: second flight

Here's a video of me taking off on day two of standardisation.

Due to Easter Monday and Anzac Day this week, we have only had two days available for flying (yesterday was ground school lessons). Next week we'll be flying every day, so things will be ramping up a bit more quickly now!

Standardisation: first flight

Today was our first flying day of standardisation training - mostly general handling (turns, noting nose attitudes at various speeds and in various configurations, stalling) and a couple of circuits. My fellow trainee came along as a passenger on my flight and recorded this video of me landing back at Mareeba. Not too bad for a first go... but yes, I should have been on the centre line!

(Note: the stall warning goes off a few times in this video - it can be quite loud! But all perfectly normal at this stage in flight)

Note that the runway at Mareeba is currently around half of its usual length due to major work being undertaken (all the brown dirt in the foreground). The usable part of the runway is now 720 m.

Walsh's Pyramid

Walsh's Pyramid is an interesting geographical feature about half an hour's drive south of Cairns. Like the name says, it's shaped like a pyramid - a pretty relentless 922 m climb from start to finish. It took me 1:45 up, 1:30 down and I spent about an hour at the top for lunch and photos.

View of Walsh's Pyramid from the north

The track is steep and rocky.
I am very glad I wore my boots rather than sneakers!

View from the top. Gordonvale is visible at the bottom left and Cairns in the distance

'The Sovereign Lord is my strength;
He makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
He enables me to go on the heights.' (Hab. 3:19)

WOS

Here are a few photos of the plane we are using for standardisation flight training: WOS, a GA8 Airvan. MAF uses the GA8 in Arnhem Land, East Timor, and until recently, Papua New Guinea. It can carry 7 passengers or up to 600 kg of cargo, depending on how much fuel is on board. Many of MAF's aircraft, including this one, are fitted with extra design features for short take-off and landing operations (abbreviated to STOL). It's not the prettiest plane in the world - in fact it basically looks like a box with wings - but it does the job and apparently does it quite well.

A box with wings

Inside the cabin

Some specs for the aviation buffs:
GA8-TC 320
320 bhp Lycoming 6 cylinder, turbocharged
MTOW: 1905 kg
Cruise speed, 65% power: 110 KTAS
Stall speed (with full flap): 57 KIAS
Take-off distance required at MTOW (sea level, nil wind, to 50 ft): 670 m*
Landing distance required at MLW (sea level, nil wind, from 50 ft): 385 m*

(*without STOL kit)

Settling in

At one point in time, this past week was supposed to have been the start of standardisation training. However, both of the key instructors were required to be in PNG, so standardisation has been delayed and starts tomorrow. That gave me some breathing space to continue reading, memorising check lists and emergency drills, looking up what various acronyms mean, and generally get settled in. This included going into the Department of Transport office to (finally!) get the car registered and my driver's licence transferred.

Yesterday (Saturday) I did what apparently everyone else in Mareeba was doing: visiting the market, which is on once a month. Offerings ranged from fresh fruit and veges from local farmers, food stalls, craft stalls, clothes, plants, second hand books and other stuff. In the afternoon I drove to Cairns to inspect a digital piano, which turned into a purchase of a digital piano. I think you could say it was a good day!

Mareeba markets

Barron Falls (at Kuranda, about 20 minutes' drive from Mareeba)

New digs

Here are some photos of the MAF unit, where I'll be staying in Mareeba for the next few months (and probably longer). Eagle-eyed viewers may also notice that my boxes have arrived!

My unit is the middle one of three

Rain!

It rained and rained and rained and rained
The average fall was well-maintained
And when the tracks were simply bogs
It started raining cats and dogs.

After a drought of half an hour
We had a most refreshing shower
And then the most curious thing of all
A gentle rain began to fall.

Next day was also fairly dry
Save for the deluge from the sky
Which wetted the party to the skin
And after that the rain set in.


I first saw the poem above at a tourist attraction in Ireland, but it is pretty descriptive of the weather in Cairns this past week!

We have now finished MAF orientation, and I will be driving over to Mareeba on Monday morning. Flight standardisation training doesn't start until the following week, so I have a week for sorting things out, reading, etc.

This evening the Kiwi contingent from orientation went out for dinner together. Next week we all disperse to our various programmes - Mareeba, Arnhem Land and PNG.

The Hunts, the Pothulas and me