I had planned on getting to Bendigo today, stopping at Tocumwal for lunch/refuel and to say hi to Mike Burns who helped get the plane ready for the trip. The oil was also due for a change so I thought it would be a good place to do that before crossing the border to Victoria. The plan was for Phil (my husband) to meet me at Bendigo tomorrow morning (Wed) and we would fly in company down the coast and back to Bacchus Marsh.
But I got off to a slow start this morning. I had woken up at 3am all excited about being so close to home. The excitement wore off about 5:30 am when I finally managed to fall back asleep. Had to hit the snooze button a few times when 'get up time' arrived so quick. I figured I had a fairly easy day, so no need to rush things.
I got to the airport and started getting the plane ready. I was getting close to going when the place turned into Heathrow airport. There were regional airliners coming and going in all directions. Apparently there was a bit of a backlog due to a bird strike and some bad weather. I waited until everything quietened down and finally got off the ground.
Next came the headwind. The trucks were beating me today. Enough said.
I was again amazed at the countryside. It was like a beautiful green patchwork quilt. As I got closer to Tocumwal, there was also a fair bit of flooding visible. Mike told me later that several roads, including some major ones to Wagga and other key centres had been closed off due to flooding in the last week or so.
As I approached Tocumwal, I could see a long line of cloud/mist sitting round about where Victoria starts. Looked like it would clear eventually – plenty of time... You can see where this is headed.
I had lunch (thank you Gloria and Glenys!) I got the oil changed and Mike helped me tinker with a few adjustments on the Falke. Before you know it, it was late afternoon, so decided to stay here tonight. I think my latitude/attitude change is still a state or two behind - I guess I wasn’t quite ready to go back to Victoria just yet.
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| Morning flight planning |
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| Waiting for RPT #3 to go |
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| A third hand would be useful to taxi the Falke. Brakes, throttle, stick? Good thing you steer with your feet! |
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| Trying to leave Griffith. It actually went down to 42kts (78kph). At least it was a scenic route! |
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| Admiring the patchwork |
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| Landing at Tocumwal - need that 3rd hand again. |
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