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Free airshow up the Tamar valley

Free airshow up the Tamar valley_0243a
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

These are RAAF Pilatus PC9/As in a tight aerobatic formation (called the Roulettes). It was an unexpected show, 6 of these aircraft suddenly arrived in the Tamar valley (Launceston) and went into what was either a warmup, practice or a holding pattern. I think they were waiting for their slot for a display over the local Symmonds Plains race track but that's just a guess.

Short Sandringham Rose Bay

Short Sandringham Rose Bay_006
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

Another load of old airliners... all in Sydney during the early to mid 1970s. This is one of 2 ex-Ansett Sandringhams prior to handover to Antilles Airboats in late 1974.

There were 2 of these 'boats:
(1) 'BRC had the rounded nose of a more 'pure' Sandringham (even though it was a converted Sunderland) and was called 'Beachcomber', becoming N158C with Antilles Airboats in 1974. 'BRC is now landlocked, at Southampton, UK.

(2) 'BRF, named 'Islander', was a 'near-converted' Sunderland with a blunter nose. It's now landlocked at Miami, Florida.

I may not have taken this shot - I took a lot, but so did my late friend James Davidson, who had access to the Rose Bay base via his flight engineer father. James got me hooked onto black and white photography in the first place.

Qantas - from Joyflights to Jumbos - part 17

Qantas ed kit_0763
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

Which brings us to the end - for now. If you click an image you'll be able to search Flickr (try the gtveloce photostream) for more of these out-of-box Qantas experiences. The kit included many interesting images on film, if only I could find 'em!

Qantas - from Joyflights to Jumbos - part 16

Qantas ed kit_0761
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

And here's a collection of interesting reproductions of various QANTAS doco, including the very first ticket.

Qantas - from Joyflights to Jumbos - part 15

Qantas ed kit_0760
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

OK, I'll keep it short. This is evidently a reproduction of the first - or a very early - QANTAS timetable...

Qantas - from Joyflights to Jumbos - part 14

Qantas ed kit_0757
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

You are hoping this tour is over soon, eh? Well believe me, it's barely started!

Qantas - from Joyflights to Jumbos - part 13

Qantas ed kit_0755
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

Gets a bit dull now - although that's a nice 707 shot.

Qantas - from Joyflights to Jumbos - part 12

Qantas ed kit_0754
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

Now here are some real airliners - Constellations, the DC-4 and the Electra.

Qantas - from Joyflights to Jumbos - part 10

Qantas ed kit_0752
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

I do love the detail here - the engines, the horsepower, who made the airframe and where...

Qantas - from Joyflights to Jumbos - part 9

Qantas ed kit_0750
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

Unless you prefer the real golden age of airliners, like this Empire class flying boat...

Qantas - from Joyflights to Jumbos - part 8

Qantas ed kit_0748
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

This is more like it - Constellations!

Qantas - from Joyflights to Jumbos - part 7

Qantas ed kit_0747
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

Not forgetting this excellent list of the Qantas fleet, replete with the Douglas DC-4. Yes, that's really March 1973.

Qantas - from Joyflights to Jumbos - part 6

Qantas ed kit_0746
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

There's even a cool shot of the Qantas new-fangled Jet Base at Sydney to ogle.

Qantas - from Joyflights to Jumbos - part 5

Qantas ed kit_0744
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

And also in the education kit is a copy of Airways magazine, full of interest for young and old.

Qantas - from Joyflights to Jumbos - part 4

Qantas ed kit_0743
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

Not forgetting this handy pack to amuse the kiddies. Umm, Courtline? Is that a BAC1-11? Why, Qantas, why?

Qantas - from Joyflights to Jumbos - part 3

Qantas ed kit_0742
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

And here's a handy flight log to draw on as you flash through the skies in your shiny Boeing 707.

Qantas - from Joyflights to Jumbos - part 2

Qantas ed kit_0741
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

The kit includes an AVRO504 - that's always handy. Somehow I held myself back and didn't assemble it.

Qantas - from Joyflights to Jumbos - part 1

Qantas ed kit_0740
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

Bear with me as I prowl through the archives and unleash a Qantas educational kit-in-a-box from circa 1974. It's a buzz, trust me.

Tracking aircraft movements in real time

I was only wondering the other day if anyone does this... I've seen a similar thing done with US flight data mapped against Google Earth. As a kid (believe it or not) I used to do exactly this - but manually! - with a VHF radio and a sheet of tracing paper laid over a map. I'd plot aircraft movements as they left the gate at Sydney and tracked them as far as I could, switching frequencies as they handed over to different controllers, from the ground controllers until as far away as Hawaii at times... well it fascinated me at the time (and I was a weird kid)!

Check it out: http://syd.webtrak-lochard.com/template/index.html

VH-JMO takes off

VH-JMO going_0372
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

Just one of those days when you see a helicopter land on a football field and your 2 y.o. boy wants to have a look. And then it takes off. Gosh he got excited!

It's a Robinson 44 from Morpeth; here it's seen at Pokolbin. There are more pics if you click on the image.

Ansett 727 VH-RMK

Ansett 727 VH-RMK CT 1981_566
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

I think this is one of Steve Hill's transparencies. He took a few shots for me in the early 80s when I was making airliner postcards (would you believe!) and this may be one of 'em. It's certainly a great shot, crisp, filling the frame. Nice that the rego is in view and that the wheels are coming up. Interesting also as it captures a now-defunct airline (plenty of those, eh?) A pic worth keeping!

DH 86 Wangaratta 1997

DH 86 Wangaratta 1997_w008
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

Not a great scan of the original shot, but as it's the only DH86 image I have, here it is...

Trans International DC8 Sydney 1976

Trans International DC8 Sydney 76_943
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

There I was sitting atop a shipping container near the Adastra hangar when this TIA DC-8 Super 63 thundered past my lens. It's runway 25. This was the most interesting part of Sydney Airport in many ways, with a great view of the short runway plus the old Lincoln fuselage to look at across the swamp (used for firefighting practice).

JAT 707 76_836

JAT 707 76_836
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

It may be my fading memory at fault but I seem to recall one JAT proving flight into Sydney where the tower asked the 707's captain to confirm altitude. The conversation was along the lines of "you are too low" and "you are below the glideslope". The approach was from the west over Bankstown and indeed the pilot had mistaken Bankstown Airport for Sydney. Or so the story goes! (No harm done, they found runway 07 eventually.)