Last meeting we enjoyed a very interesting and enthusiastic speaker in antique aircraft owner Tim Brownridge. Tim owns a DH82 Tiger Moth and a Stinson SR9E Reliant.

After the talk Tim invited me to fly with him in his Stinson a few days later, which I very quickly accepted.

The following are my personal observations of flying a machine such as this. I met Tim at his hangar at Callington and the first thing I noticed about the Stinson is its size. This is no regular GA aircraft. It is LARGE. At 42 foot wingspan, 1816kg all up weight and a 350HP Wright Whirlwind 7 cylinder radial engine (same as used on the Southern Cross), it has a commanding presence. It has a very elegant double taper fabric covered Gull wing which is something never seen on today’s aircraft. You have to climb a ladder to get into the cabin and once seated I estimate you are sitting nearly 9 feet above the ground.

The interior is gorgeous. Plush burgundy leather seats and side panels, a simulated woodgrain instrument panel and circular wooden steering wheels, very reminiscent of the luxury motor vehicles of the same era (1937). It can carry 5 persons all up, plus a large baggage compartment and 400 litres of fuel. Cruise is a surprisingly fast 115 kts at 70 litres per hour fuel consumption. This puts the endurance just short of 6 hours and with that payload makes it a very capable aircraft. Given this design is 85 years old makes it exceptional.

It is a fairly conventional cockpit layout with several interesting exceptions. Heel brakes are used which are not often seen these days. The elevator trim is a rotary handle in the cabin ceiling. Electric engine start is by a foot operated switch on the floor between the rudder pedals. Fuel quantity gauges are in each wing root up by your ears like a Piper Cub. The magneto switches and the electric flap switch are either side of the throttle and look very similar. Tim has confessed to accidentally turning off the engine when intending to lower the flaps! There is also a very nifty 24 hour analogue clock which takes a bit familiarity to interpret. And when it gets hot the cabin windows can be wound down, just like in a car!

Aircraft handling is entirely conventional albeit a little heavy as one would expect of an aircraft this size. I expected a wing drop during the stall, given the high taper of the wingtips. Yet it was very benign with only the tiniest of right wing drop. Visibility into turns is somewhat restricted given the high wing and the leading edge out in front of the pilot. It felt very solid and stable on approach at 70kts and touchdown was soft given the forgiving nature of the undercarriage design. The flare is commenced earlier than normal GA aircraft remembering how high you are seated above the ground. The only “gotcha” is the tailwheel. It is fully castoring and not lockable so you have to be on your rudder pedals quickly after landing to keep it straight, particularly in a crosswind.

Overall, a delightful experience which I feel very privileged to have had. Thanks Tim.

Last week we had about 15 turn up at Lyndon Wright’s workshop in McClaren Vale to view his dual projects of a Savannah LSA and a 1968 Porsche 911 restoration. Both were very nicely done, a testament to Lyndon’s engineering skills. Both projects are nearing completion but the Savannah has been taking a back seat for the last 18 months as Lyndon concentrates on getting the Porsche on the road first. He has a thing about older German technology so he has chosen to paint the Savannah to represent a WW2 era German observation plane.

At this months meeting we have as our speaker Captain Steve Burnard. Steve is recently retired from a long career with Dragonair (now known as Cathay Dragon) in Hong Kong. The bulk of his flying would have been from Hong Kong into various mainland Chinese airports which from experience I know were always interesting and challenging. He also operated into Kathmandu in Nepal which is renowned as one of the worlds more difficult jet airports. Come and hear his reminiscences entitled “Cathay Dragon Tales”.

Blue Skies,

Steve

Experience is the knowledge that enables you to recognise a mistake when you make it again.

Having left the teens behind and entering a new decade we look forward to meeting again with friends and enjoying some exciting club events planned for this year.

Our regular monthly meetings resume on February 12^th at the Feathers Hotel. Dinner beforehand can be ordered in the usual way through the club website.

Our speaker is Tim Brownridge, an owner of not one but two antique aircraft, a Tiger Moth and a Stinson Reliant, and is the secretary of the Antique Aircraft Association of Australia. He is formation qualified and took part in the recent Vimy Centenary flypast. He also captured a lot of inflight video which he edited into a superb short film of the event. His talk is entitled “Vintage aircraft ownership, why would you?’

Looking back over events that have happened since the last newsletter.

The club hosted their annual flyin BBQ at Murray Bridge on December 15^th. It was well attended with 40 plus attendees and several arriving by air. My thanks goes to all those who helped out with setup, cooking and providing salads. Paul Baishont gave us an educational talk on Naips in the club hangar where I counted 27 people listening in. This seems a popular format in place of our normal December meeting so I would like to hear feedback to confirm that and we can continue. I would also like to hear what educational subjects you would like to hear about and I can find the appropriate presenters.

 On January 11^th member Terry Wilson hosted a flyin to his property near Morgan in the Riverland. It was not expected to be a large affair but in the end there were 8 visiting aircraft including 3 from the Barossa Birdmen club at Truro Flats. Terry’s hangar has a basic but ingenious fitout that makes it possible to enjoy extended stays there. He provided a great lunch which was most appreciated.  But I think the best part was the camaraderie between all pilots when they gather together like this.

I do hope it will be possible to do flyins like Terry’s regularly.

There are numerous aviation events coming up which I would like to draw your attention to.

15^th February there is a book launch of Rod Lovell’s book “Hero to Zero” at the South Australian Aviation Museum at 11am. Rob will also be our club meeting guest speaker in April.

Also on the 15^th the Southern Districts Flying Club are hosting a CASA AvSafety Seminar at Strathalbyn.

22^nd February we are hosting a workshop visit at McClaren Vale. After all the flurry of building activity last year I was concerned there were no more building projects out there. Member John Heather has located another project. Motor mechanic, Lyndon Wright is building a Savannah and as an added bonus is also restoring an old Porsche 911 in his workshop. He has agreed to us visiting from 1pm at 2 Hall St McClaren Vale. It might be a good opportunity to stock up with wine from the cellar doors whilst you are in the area. See attatched photos of his workshop.

26^th February there is another CASA pilot safety seminar at the South Australian Aviation Museum. Entry is free, you just need to register on the CASA website.

1^st March We have received an invite to the annual Hutton Vale Flyin at Angaston hosted by the Aldinga Aero Club. It looks like a gourmets delight judging by the lunch selections! There is also wine tasting available for the non flyers. Details, including a landing strip brief, and who to contact are on the club website.

7^th March we are doing another Bunnings Sausage sizzle fund raiser. This money goes towards covering the costs of 2 flying scholarships. We have enough helpers for this day but you are welcome to volunteer for the next one so please contact Greg Tabe if you can do a half day shift. We expect to do a fundraiser day every three months.

Please be reminded that 2020 annual membership fees fall due on January 1^st. They have been set at $80, a small increase from the $75 we have had for several years now. They can be paid into the club bank account shown below. You may need to update the EFT bank details on your computer as the club changed it’s account from the NAB to the Bendigo Bank a few months ago. The old account is now closed and will not accept any payments. Alternatively, you can pay by cash or credit card (2% service charge) at the next club meeting.

Steve

Ensure that your dream consumes your life so that life does not consume your dream – Pioneer Aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupery

On October 20^th we celebrated a significant aviation centenary in South Australia. One hundred years ago Adelaide born brothers Sir Ross and Keith Smith successfully flew the first flight from England to Australia in under 30 days.

To recognise that amazing achievement a formation of 5 vintage aircraft departed Aldinga airfield, tracked up the coast and overflew all the significant places in Adelaide that related to the Smith brothers, as a tribute.

The role of substitute Vimy was played by Harvey McBain’s newly restored DH84 Dragon which led the formation. In left and right echelon position were 2 DH82 Tiger Moths flown by Tim Brownbridge and Steve Johnson. In line astern were 2 DHC-1 Chipmunks flown by Marc Michel and Jim Whalley.

I flew in Steve Johnson’s Tiger Moth as back up lead and navigator. The weather on the day was perfect and Adelaide ATC were most accommodating. The highlight was descending to 500 feet over Adelaide Airport and the Vimy memorial. A lot of video and photos were taken, some of which is already on our website. More will emerge in the coming weeks.

A lot of work goes into these events and thanks must go to Daryl Hill who organised all the clearances with CASA, and did the radio work from the lead aircraft. On the ground we had volunteers from our own club, the Honourable Company of Air Pilots, the Royal Aeronautical Society, The South Australian Aviation Museum and the Aldinga Aero Club.  These folk assisted in car parking and crowd management at Aldinga and cooked up a delicious sausage sizzle for our return. At Adelaide Airport other volunteers assisted in managing the crowds who witnessed the flyover and got to go behind the glass walls for a rare up close viewing of the original Vimy Aircraft.

One of the legacies of this centenary year is raising public awareness of the historical significance of this flight. As astronaut Andy Thomas said, “it was the 1919 equivalent of man landing on the moon.”

As a result we will now see the Vimy moved from it’s current remote display hangar into a much more visible display area inside the new Adelaide Airport terminal extensions by 2021.

As most of you are aware we are having our Christmas dinner and awards night on Friday November 22^nd and the Feathers Hotel. This means there is no regular November meeting. It will be a great night, with lots of prizes and fun. Tickets are available at $60 per person for a 3 course meal. Special dietary needs can be catered for. Greg Tabe is looking after ticket sales and payment may be made online to the club bank account. See below. Be sure to include your name on the transaction, and email Greg for any special dietary needs. Tickets must be ordered and paid for by midday on November 18^th. Tickets may be collected on the night from Greg. Make sure you hang on to your tickets as they are numbered for the raffle draw. We expect to have enough prizes for one person in three to win.

There will be the award for the best club aircraft to have been completed and flown for the first time in the last 12 months. This year there are 4 contenders, the first time in club history I believe this has happened. Three of the 4 aircraft gathered at Murray Bridge airfield on Saturday where they were scrutinised by the dozen or so members present. They were Chris Moore’s Lancair 200, Richard Young’s scratch built Sonex, and John Heather’s Zenith Cruzer. Missing was Steve Biele’s Arion Lightning. They are each fantastic achievements in their own right and each is very different from the others, so the council will have a difficult task in choosing the outright winner.

I will also be announcing some new initiatives your club council has been working on for 2020.

So please, I encourage you to bring your partner along and support this event.

Blue Skies,

Steve

It’s a very sobering feeling to be up in space and realise that one’s safety factor was determined by the lowest bidder on a government contract. – Astronaut Alan Shepard Jr.