barrel races

[asra]

Whyve y crashed you blokes seem to wrire off machines like their nothing

[asra]

mmmmm its getting a bit late and my spelling is not so good.What I put down last night was a bit rough so I"ve pulled it off. I am interested in something that will test a lot of the skills used in mustering. Spot landings are done every day when you land at the fuel drum. Engine outs are a bit trickier because they sometimes happen without warning. Flour bombing I havent tried but I know its difficult to pass my tiedown rope to someone that"s sitting on a cow, trying to tie it with a set of leggings.

[birdy]

Recon youll have to go "unofficial" Pete.Iv been to a few nats, and im supprised how many seem to feel pressured into beetn ol mate, even if it means disrespect to machines. >

[asra]

The main problem seems to be saving people from themselves. I take it for granted that one day I will make a mistake or a critical component will fail at the wrong time, so although I like to see good design and good training I"m not into saving people from themselves.

[birdy]

If your up 2-300 footIf im that high, i cant see the ground, never mind any moos.

[Brian]

Recon youll have to go "unofficial" Pete.Iv been to a few nats, and im supprised how many seem to feel pressured into beetn ol mate, even if it means disrespect to machines. >I"m not sure thats its actually beating old mate so much as to a complete lack of judgment and doing something really stupid. I"m sure that nearly everyone out of the public"s eye can fly pretty well. Lameroo was the first time I have ever flown at a nationals or with other gyros about and Rosie asked me why I was flying like I was and when I asked her to elaborate some more, she said that I wasnt flying like I normally did. Why I didnt fly as well as normal, I dont know.

[Brian]

I would love to see something like you suggest peterw but I"m like Birdy, it would have to be a private show otherwise insurance wouldn"t touch it unfortunately.Actually, you can count me in if you get it organized.

[asra]

Apart from needing binoculars to see them, you"ve got to keep an eye out for other aircraft. I had a mob of cleanskins in a patch of sandalwood one time, circling at about 200ft and looking down all the time to get a man in position before I moved them off. I heard a quick call on the radio and looked up and an aircraft fuselage was all I could see. A few months later on the same place a helicopter went through at the same height and though he was only 500 meters from where I was working he never saw me. Brian you"ve got a good one there. I"ve thought about it because I would be the same. I reckon for a get together with a few events like I"m thinking of, there would need to be a warm up area where you can throw the machine about for 15 minutes or so then come straight into the event. Just saw your last post Brian and I,m basicaly thinking a get-together that will become an annual thing where mustering pilots can meet up, but the rec blokes can roll up if they want to.

[bones]

Apart from needing binoculars to see them, you"ve got to keep an eye out for other aircraft. I had a mob of cleanskins in a patch of sandalwood one time, circling at about 200ft and looking down all the time to get a man in position before I moved them off. I heard a quick call on the radio and looked up and an aircraft fuselage was all I could see. A few months later on the same place a helicopter went through at the same height and though he was only 500 meters from where I was working he never saw me. 2 days ago i nearly got run over by a god damn HERCULIS, now how i didnt see that coming is beyond me, i was sitting up about 500" just hanging around while the groundies moved a mob off a mill before i headed for home, very rough country and they were short handed, so i said i hang around for 15 mins, to see how they was going, incase they lost them like the mob the day before, just rolled a smoke and watching and listening to radio, next thing about 80 mts away was the under side of this plane banking away at the same height, they must have seen the rotors banking in the sun, all i come up with over the radio was F**k, and the groundies said what?? , i just said "look up", after a few jokes about me hanging off the front of it smiling through the glass, it was back to work, well that is about as close i have come to getting run over and not enjoyed it bit

[asra]

The herc would"ve looked big. I know the little cessna did when I looked up.

[birdy]

Coulpa years ago i was workn only bout ten miles from the airport in Alice, and tho i had other craft in the back of me mind while i was that close, i still near shat me dacks wen i caught outa the corner of me eye a 747. A serious dive in the opposite direction and wen i looked back it was still bout 10 000" and 5 miles away. :Just not used to see"n anyone else up there, and it still looked BIG at that distance.

[Greg Mitchell]

What was a "Jumbo" doing at that altitude around the Alice?Didn"t know Alice could take 747"s?Was it one of those joy flight, look see numbers?

[Mark Horan]

Only two months ago, Sonia and I were marking calves in the yards, a noise 700 mtrs away and when I looked up and there it was..... A Herc, 400 ft off the deck in a banking turn and dissappeared behind the hill on the other side of the river....The river is only 200mtrs from the yards!!! I cant say for certain, but Im sure I could see a "P" plate hanging off the tail.Makes you think when you see something that big, and that fast flying in the same space I use at the end of my stripMark.

[Brian]

Its amazing how many FW"s there are flying about under 500 ft AGL and you have to be carefull around station homesteads where the FW boys love to do the " low fly over" to get someones attention.A few years ago landed for morning smoko, rotors just stopped turning when a twin came over the top at no more than 200 ft AGL, going so quick and everyone so astonished that no one got the rego. I have had a few close occurrences with a variety of aircraft, one was a DC3 at low level, I didnt see him till late although we were at least 100 yards apart.The ones that worry me most are the oil /mineral survey planes that despite phone calls to tell them mustering ops are happening in a certain area, just go ahead anyway. A twin FW at 200 ft and 150 plus knots is deadly.

[Tim]

Some of those survey planes also trail/dangle a 100 meter cable with a "torpedo" on the bottom while they criss-cross the area in a grid pattern. As Brian said, they often do not give notice of their operations. It is only a matter of time.