600 metres that's like six 100-meter running tracks now there's a better way to...
The runway we're taking off from today Moorabbin okay that's 1,200 meters
so that's twice as long taking off on a runway twice as long than the one which
I've got to land.
Now okay some of you experienced pilots out there might be fine with this and a
lot of you bush pilots the people who fly in the outback who like land on
beaches and all sorts of awesome things like that you guys will be fine. You'll
be like '600 meters that's massive'. But I don't fly a bush plane I fly this quite
high performance fast SR22 and whilst it might like going high and fast sometimes
it doesn't like going slow and grass so yeah we'll ending on a grass strip today. 600 metres.
But this is actually quite a short flight the strip we're going to is
only around 15 minutes away from here in Moorabbin. I'm actually gonna go
visit an old friend of mine if you've watched the channel for a while the
person I'm gonna go see today, and the airplane that he flies I reckon they'll be pretty familiar to you.
Echo Yankee Zulu Southern Sun. Southern Sun, Echo Yankee Zuel. How are you Michael? All good mate, was that you that just flew over?
Negative I am five miles to you currently to your North East at the moment. Okay no
worries got it so sorry that was someone else just by chance.
Yeah but look absolutely take your time, do a circuit have a good look at
it but I think you'll be happy when you get here. Yeah let me do a
circuit I'll do a right-hand circuit for two three then I'll let you know what
I'm gonna do. Yep and just remember absolutely no pressure just you know
make sure you comfortable. Yeah Roger that thank you mate, appreciate it. All
else fails I know Avalon very well I could get a cab from there. All right
well there's the airfield. Tterrain ahead pull up pull up pull up pull up pull up
pull up pull up
Well that terrain warning is annoying. Echo Yankee Zulu Southern Sun.
How you feeling? Yeah feel alright those trees are pretty tall at the end but I was
high on that one and I'm gonna try another one and yes here we go but yeah I'll see how we go.
"Underspeed"
All right perfect.
Michael! Okay I told you you're watching as we were
coming in that I was gonna meet someone you would recognize if you've watched
the channel. Last time we spoke and I think the last video we put together
was your round-the-world trip? Oh yeah that would make sense. A little bit pensive
coming in here because it's the first grass strip I've landed Echo Yankee Zulu
on it was actually fine it's actually quite a long distance. You pulled up
by halfway yeah so we're gonna have a quick chat. But the
other thing that you'll probably recognize if you have watched the
previous video with Michael is the other, the real star of the story is , no-one
wants to see us it's the planes! Yeah she's the one who did it.
This story that we want to tell you about this starts almost exactly a
hundred years ago almost exactly (phone rings) sorry...
Because almost a hundred years ago the
Australian government they set up something called the great air race and
the idea was to see if it was possible to fly an aircraft from the UK to
Australia. Prime Minister Billy Hughes his challenge was the first Australians
to fly a British aeroplane, was all very parochial back then, to
Australia would win 10,000 pounds. So Keith and Ross Smith two brothers
settled on a Vickers Vimy which was a bomber from World War two it actually
went on to be the first plane to cross the Atlantic and it was a quite a
suitable plane. It was a twin-engine quite large but it was an open cockpit.
They weren't the first plane to leave but others crashed unfortunately a few
people died but they ended up being the first ones to make it all the way back
to Australia. They landed on December the 10th in Darwin but one of the most
interesting things on that flight is not only did they manage to fly all the way
to Australia but as they left England someone handed them a bag of mail and
said now if you get to Darwin pop this in the post, so that became the first
airmail to actually come to Australia. I didn't know that part. It was not just a
big news in Australia it was big news all around the world and I've got
something to show you. Have you? Yes. You've got props! This is the March 1921
National Geographic and this trip was such a big deal
that the entire issue is dedicated to this trip. I'm going to retrace this trip
picking up a new plane soon, the new Southern Sun, and I'll fly out of London
and not only will I follow the route but I'll take as many of the same photos
that they did that I can. Michael's recreating this leg so it's not just us
standing here. Ah yes that's true! Yeah, which is huge we don't want to under play that
component. So Michael will be flying from London back to Australia I was going to
say again but you haven't done it that way before? No you went from Australia
out to London. My first time flying eastbound. Another part of this story is
where you come in. Wrigley and Murphy were two aviators who set out
from Point Cook to meet the Smith Brothers when they landed
in Darwin. You're going to retrace that flight. That's my part of this whole
exercise! So whilst the Smith Brothers were flying down and arriving in Darwin
on December the 10th, Wrigley and Murphy who are flying up which is the flight
that I'll be recreating they were flying from Point Cook in Melbourne which is
only about 25 miles in that direction. Up to Darwin to help kind of assess
potential landing sites the best routes that should be taken and just kind of
almost breaking the ground for the Smith Brothers and everyone to fly then on
from Darwin... The idea is, oh it's I hope you're playing along at home... So I fly from
Point Cook over a couple days up to Darwin, meet Michael when he arrives
there on December the 10th, and then there's another leg. But I reckon let's
save that one because there's a big event it's going to be announced in the
future around retracing that trip... Can you tell he works in the film
industry! Do you like that cliffhanger!
Now flying up to Darwin in December any of you who know a little bit about
Australia and aviation and maybe especially meteorology, now that's wet
season! You got any tips? Look what I found on the way home on my
circumnavigation I was flying through that part of the world quite late in the
season but the thing about those storms you get lots of cells but you can see
them very clearly ahead. What I tend to find up in that part of the world is
you're more likely to see the cells and off in the distance and you know you'll
see some big nasty stuff but you kind of see it coming and you can either go in
you know land somewhere or often just divert you know 10 15 miles around it.
So my advice would be have plenty of fuel. What are some of the things that you
have to contend with with your flight then so you're going you're covering
much greater distances than I am. The longest leg I'll be doing is about 1,200
miles so that's not too bad that's shorter than what I had to do with
Southern Sun and also... I was gonna say what was the longest you did in this?
1600 nautical miles 1600 nautical I just think about that for a second.
At 80 knots! Any other tips from a seasoned pilot?
Well look seeing you land in a couple hundred meters on a grass strip tells me
that you've got that side of the plane down but you know I think the long
flights are an interesting one. So you know first thing you need to get
yourself a red bottle. And then I noticed you don't have an opening window so you
might need a bigger bottle! Take lots of small snacks that you can eat along the
way so that you feel comfortable and be patient. You know the great advice that
Burke Mees isthe legendary Grumman pilot out in the Aleutian Islands you know he
said to me just just be patient. If you have to stop for two or three days
you'll get there. You know people fly commercial pilots fly all over the world
in bad areas all year round but they just have to be patient. So apply that
patience and you know don't if you're going to be late it doesn't matter.
And you are the first visitor to Roswell Airstrip. Do I get a
badge or something? Or a plaque? How about you sign the hangar. I can sign the
hanger let's do it! I'll do that next time I come back.
See you in Darwin. Okay see you on the 10th.