Bert Hinkler

[mad max]

O'l mate recently gave me a 500 page book "Bert Hinkler" The most daring man in the world. beautifully written by Grantlee Kieka. Started to read a few pages and was unable to put the book down. Bert (from Bundaberg) even was involved in flight testing the Cervia Auto gyro's. I really didn't know much about him) Us gyronauts and others can really relate to berts adventures!

[tonydenton]

good morning max, I'm at work now and I also have a book about the gyros, I remember it has a section in it that he was the first passenger in the very first 2 seater gyro. certainly an interesting read about our machines. bloody hell they took some risks back then. sadly nothing about his gyro time in the bert Hinkler museum here in town. but if ever anyone is passing through it certainly worth the time to visit. good set up with lots of information .
ok work tony. only 8 years 7 months and 10 days and 7 hours till I retire. .

[mad max]

Stay healthy Tony and you'll get to enjoy retirement. I guess Bert got a 'leg up' due to WW1 and he was bloody lucky the German bullets missed him. I guess after surviving aerial combat in WW1 one would start to think that you are placed on this planet for a reason. I just admired his determination when he was a kid claiming he would one-day fly like a bird when all the experts were virtually saying that heavier than air flight was impossible. A bit like my present belief that there are light speed saucer craft buzzing around our planet at present. When I was a kid I told my Dad that one-day I would build a helicopter. I guess I'm half way there!

[Tim]

ok work tony. only 8 years 7 months and 10 days and 7 hours till I retire. .

Jeez Tony, you're either still only a young whippersnapper or you're planning to retire at a "mature" age
Tim

[RossM]

Tim,
Tony's boss wont let him retire.
(Thats what what I keep telling Tony. ) No, Tony enjoys his work, thats all.

[tonydenton]

I always loved my work but can't shut it off when I want to or need to so that is not enjoyable . so in 2015 a couple of different mates closed their business's and retired and I said to one of them ," I hope I can do that ," and old mate replied with, " just do it just make it happen" so I set a date to retire on june 30 -2025. and started counting down. I sent out a heap of e-mails and let the counting down begin. . a few recon I was being smart ass , but the fire sale auction is set. I do feel good about it thou. not often I've had a plan thou.
you cheeky bugger ross, he who works only 4 day weeks . .

[tonydenton]

I meant to look at the name of my autogyro book at home this morning and I forgot . short term memory loss starting to creep in .

[RossM]

you cheeky bugger ross, he who works only 4 day weeks . .

Work!
I just turn up.

[tonydenton]

oh and he is an honest worker too. wait today is Friday , your day off. ross when is hump day for you ??????

[RossM]

Come on Tony, using work time to post on the forum. Wait till your Boss finds out!
I had better go for a fly now.

[mad max]

What's got me beat is how Bert got by with all that night flying without (I assume) a horison gyro. Must of been great days when 20,000 people would be waiting for your arival and the ladies would burst through the crowds to kiss you!

[tonydenton]

earlier in the year I've been doing a lot of work to my gyro as it is getting like me actually, [ yes old ] and to catch up on some things in time for the week end I would go out to the hanger after work. yes ross probably when you were cuddling up to marian. anyway after a few nights of this and I had it running I wanted to give a bit more than a fast idle so after I turned my car around to put the spotties down the strip a bit I started her up and taxied. struth struth and bloody hell , got away from the lights a bit and I was out of my comfort zone. AND I WAS ON THE GROUND AT TAXI SPEED. got that bad I took a pencil torch out of my pocket just to put on the console just to see [ it didn't matter what I was going to see it was just to make me feel better. ]
it was definitely an eye opening experience for what our trail blazier fore fathers did. they had nuts. .
anyway the new fuel pumps work a treat. I must put on the engine section some info and photos about them.

[mad max]

One of my recent flights comming home from a fly-in 70 km away by crow (or gyro) I had to enter smoke and lost the horison up front. I instinctivly flew low to watch the ground. I've got a horison gyro but it's presently U/S. I really miss it. To top it off my engine was surging a bit so was a little disconcerted. Was very relieved to dive down behind my house and slip under the wires not touching the road in order to stay legal. The big 'buzz' comes when you realise your down and safe. Imagine the buzz after landing at say Darwin in 1920's after crossing the timor sea in a rag and wood kite!. Not to mention being propositioned by hundreds of women!

[tonydenton]

ok finally got my act together , the book is called " from autogyro to gyroplane " written by bruce h. charnov. has lots of details . but that makes it interesting.