Sydney's Airway Victor 1
 

Sunday: Lovely morning. I have a guest from Europe. We've organized a posse, so let's go flying.

Lead: Glenn in VH-VNZ.
#2: Mal in VH-DWC.
#3: Me in VH-SOL.

https://youtu.be/3_wLRFGhc28

Our journey starts at Long Reef. Passes Curl Curl, Manly Beach, and North Head.

Then South Head, the cliffs around Bondi Beach, Bronte Beach, and fades to black at Clovelly near Maroubra.

In the background you can see Chatswood, North Sydney, a pair of Manly Ferries making their way across the harbour, The silhouette of downtown Sydney, the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Airway Victor 1 is the dotted purple line on the chart below. Easily one of the world's most scenic charted VFR routes.

As usual, every time I do this I have difficulty suppressing astonishment over the fact that something this much fun is legal.

- mark

Am watching your right side wingman. That guy is really steady and smo-o-o-oth.:cool: (I always thought flying formation was like riding a bike, ie, you never forget. Ha!:eek:)

Mal was having a more precise day than I was; I'm going to claim liberties from the fact that I was trying to have a conversation with a first-time passenger at the same time :)

We now have a group of five RV pilots in the local area, and it's pretty easy to email around during the week to organize a flight. We've been flying formation for about two years, and we like to think we keep driving ourselves to get better.

In the last 12 months we've started doing airshows, which has surprised the **** out of all of us. We're not loud or flashy or upside-down, but we put on a precision flying routine with commentary that emphasises that we're living proof that any member of the audience is capable of building or acquiring an airplane, doign a bit of training, and flying with some of the best airshow display pilots in the country.

Rivets, banging, worth it, etc.

- mark

Wow, wish I could have done something like that when I was in Australia, but I was stuck in Richmond with a fire fighter DC-10 air tanker and had only one day off in my 4 months there.

If riding the train from Richmond to Sydney, it is safe to take a nap. Don't fall sound asleep on the return trip! Great video, used to take the ferry to Manly beach for breakfast and a hike before flying to China from SYD. Saw Richmond in C-17s.

My wife and I lived there a few years ago. Thanks for the memories.

My biggest memory is all the flies and the constant announcements from the horse racing track. Was going to stay after the contract was up and travel Australia but they were doing some very shady things with the maintenance of those airplanes and I like to keep my A&P so I abruptly demanded a ticket home.
Sydney to Naples Florida in coach. Never again.