newt
Well Known Member
But we had a long weekend in March, and with beautiful weather forecast and summer nearing an end I convinced my partner that going away for a couple of days might be a good idea.
The thing that's prevented her from wanting to take long trips is the fact that she gets regularly airsick, usually during the last 40 seconds of the flight as we descend down final approach. I think we've cracked it though: Over the last year while she's been coming with me on short daytrips and getting sick all the time, she never mentioned that she was having trouble seeing over the front. A couple of extra cushions (and a bit of smooth air) seems to have done the trick, so hopefully airsickness is a thing of the past. So simple, but so long coming...
So anyway, we managed to get away on time, leaving Parafield at 9am as planned. Mildura is a regional city, couple of hundred thousand people, on the Murray River in Australia's interior.
Map: http://g.co/maps/f35vc
It's about an hour and a quarter of flying time (plus 20 minutes of messing around with controllers on the ground at Parafield). As usual for this time of year there was a bit of lowish cloud over the hills on the way out of Adelaide, but once we were past that it was 1 octa of cumulus at 3000 while we cruised at 7500. My partner had never been in the RV-6 above the clouds, so she enjoyed the view and had a remarkably pleasant flight.
The landing at Mildura was an absolute greaser, which, uncharacteristically, I happened to get on video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGcpUEHi6WM
We got in a few minutes before Virgin Australia's Embraer E190. Not exactly the biggest of the "big jets," but I think it's still unusual for a li'l RV-6 to be sharing an apron with something like that.
The Mildura Uniting Church parish extends about 500 miles to the north-east, and the local pastor flies this Cessna to visit far-flung faithful in outback outstations. I called it "The Salvation Airforce," but my partner didn't think it was anywhere near as funny as I did.
We put ourselves up at an 1840's hotel on the riverbank, and I executed my plan for the afternoon, which was to enjoy the sunny day by sitting in the shade of a rivergum tree with a glass of cabernet sauvignon and a good book. Bliss. That's what "getting away from it all" is all about.
There was a parade! It wasn't in our honor, though.
Finished the day having dinner and a few glasses of red with a couple of friends who'd flown into town in an Fk-9 and an R-44 heli.
Slept in on Sunday, then explored the street market in the centre of town. Music from a guy with a keyboard, harmonica and an Akubra hat playing country versions of 1970's rock'n'roll songs setting the scene; roadside stalls selling antiques and handcrafts made by everyone's grandma; sunshine; people with names like "Beryl" and "Bluey" giving each other a hearty "G'day!" and comparing rainfall figures on the farm and asking after the aunt with the sore foot. Deep immersion in country Australia, can't beat it.
Ate a lunch, collected our luggage from the hotel, headed for the airport and flew back to Adelaide over the top of thickening smoke from stubble fires in Victoria drifting over the border. It was still smoky in Adelaide two days later. That's a lot of stubble!
I think this'll be a regular spot for a quick getaway. It's a 4 hour drive, which makes it way too far for a weekend escape in the car, but it's simple with an RV. It's amazing how much these little machines shrink distance and travel time.
- mark
The thing that's prevented her from wanting to take long trips is the fact that she gets regularly airsick, usually during the last 40 seconds of the flight as we descend down final approach. I think we've cracked it though: Over the last year while she's been coming with me on short daytrips and getting sick all the time, she never mentioned that she was having trouble seeing over the front. A couple of extra cushions (and a bit of smooth air) seems to have done the trick, so hopefully airsickness is a thing of the past. So simple, but so long coming...
So anyway, we managed to get away on time, leaving Parafield at 9am as planned. Mildura is a regional city, couple of hundred thousand people, on the Murray River in Australia's interior.
Map: http://g.co/maps/f35vc
It's about an hour and a quarter of flying time (plus 20 minutes of messing around with controllers on the ground at Parafield). As usual for this time of year there was a bit of lowish cloud over the hills on the way out of Adelaide, but once we were past that it was 1 octa of cumulus at 3000 while we cruised at 7500. My partner had never been in the RV-6 above the clouds, so she enjoyed the view and had a remarkably pleasant flight.
The landing at Mildura was an absolute greaser, which, uncharacteristically, I happened to get on video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGcpUEHi6WM
We got in a few minutes before Virgin Australia's Embraer E190. Not exactly the biggest of the "big jets," but I think it's still unusual for a li'l RV-6 to be sharing an apron with something like that.
The Mildura Uniting Church parish extends about 500 miles to the north-east, and the local pastor flies this Cessna to visit far-flung faithful in outback outstations. I called it "The Salvation Airforce," but my partner didn't think it was anywhere near as funny as I did.
We put ourselves up at an 1840's hotel on the riverbank, and I executed my plan for the afternoon, which was to enjoy the sunny day by sitting in the shade of a rivergum tree with a glass of cabernet sauvignon and a good book. Bliss. That's what "getting away from it all" is all about.
There was a parade! It wasn't in our honor, though.
Finished the day having dinner and a few glasses of red with a couple of friends who'd flown into town in an Fk-9 and an R-44 heli.
Slept in on Sunday, then explored the street market in the centre of town. Music from a guy with a keyboard, harmonica and an Akubra hat playing country versions of 1970's rock'n'roll songs setting the scene; roadside stalls selling antiques and handcrafts made by everyone's grandma; sunshine; people with names like "Beryl" and "Bluey" giving each other a hearty "G'day!" and comparing rainfall figures on the farm and asking after the aunt with the sore foot. Deep immersion in country Australia, can't beat it.
Ate a lunch, collected our luggage from the hotel, headed for the airport and flew back to Adelaide over the top of thickening smoke from stubble fires in Victoria drifting over the border. It was still smoky in Adelaide two days later. That's a lot of stubble!
I think this'll be a regular spot for a quick getaway. It's a 4 hour drive, which makes it way too far for a weekend escape in the car, but it's simple with an RV. It's amazing how much these little machines shrink distance and travel time.
- mark
