Ultralight Journey (56k Warning )

Skippy · March 10, 2007

Hi folks, my cousin has told me for some time now,
that he would take me up for a flight in his Ultralight before work one day, as he and I work similar shifts.

We'd planned to go last week, but the winds were unkind,
so Ultralights + wind = no flight.

Come Thursday night I get a text message on my phone...
it says ... weather doesn't look too bad for a flight on Friday
I got up just after 5am looked okay outside, was quite still,
then got the call about 6.30am to say it wasn't too bad.

Got dressed went over to my cousins place, mind you he lives like 5 minutes from my place and in that short distance I could see the wind had already picked up :dunno I pull up the driveway, his dogs are barking their heads off at me (I'm sure his neighbours were real pleased, cause they didn't shut up even when I went inside his house hehehe) :haha

Michael checks out the reading on his weather station and decides its now too windy ...dang it! :dunno

So I said well, lets just go for a drive and take some pictures instead, and he says well I have to take a fuel tank down to the hanger anyway so we might as well go and see what it's like.

Well joy joy bliss :clap do the hoola :lynnma we get down to Barwon Heads Airport and there's hardly a breathe of wind :ivar

The sun was trying to break through the clouds,
and I was trying to figure out if it was going to rain or not,
because the sky was pretty cloudy and dark.

We put our freezer suites on (dunno if that's what they are called, but that's what people wear who work in cold storage) and that's what I'm calling them

I'm like 5ft nuffin, and Mick is over 6ft tall so you can imagine how good that suite fitted me, man I had extra arm length that hung down on the ground, and me legs were about a foot too short for the pants ..........its not my fault I was born to be short :nono

The images you are about to see are a short flight from Barwon Heads Airport on the outskirts of Geelong in Australia, down the coast to
Point Lonsdale, and Queenscliff, then back to Barwon Heads.

Enjoy..... images are not the best as I was not able to put the camera to my eye with the full faced helmut and shield, I just held it, pointed and hoped for the best

..... Skippy
.

#1 - Just taken off from Barwon Heads, sun is still coming up, tide is out

#2 - Round the point at Barwon Heads, you can see the bridge to the right,
golf course in the back ground.

#3 - Almost a silhouette shot, as we head into the sun on on towards
Point Lonsdale.

#4 - The water is very clear, and has a lovely opal aqua look.
Saw a couple of horses, and people walking dogs along the beach too.

#5 - I'm not quite sure where this pier is, but I'm sure it was before we
got to Point Lonsdale, as you can see the water is very clear.

#6 - We continue on heading into the sun following the coast line
with Point Lonsdale now in sight

#7 - Here we are rounding the point where you can see Fort Queenscliff
There are two Light Houses here the white one, and the grey one, in the
grounds of the Fort its tip almost touches the pier behind it.

It was believed that if Australia was going to be attacked during the
World War that it would have been from this point.

#8 - Another shot showing the Fort, and the more background detail in this
image shows you the Township of Queenscliff.
My grandparents lived in Queenscliff when we were kids.

#9 - This is a front on view of Fort Queenscliff you should be able to
see the other Lighthouse more clearly now, its grey and green

#10 - We are now at the back of Queenscliff that we used to call
The Creek, we did a lot of fishing on the old pier,
it's the one with the four sheds on the end of it.
My grandfather was a professional Fisherman

#11 - We've now turned around and we are heading back to Barwon Heads.
The wind has picked up a little so we've cut the flight short.

#12 - Australia has a very pretty Coast Line.
As you can see the drought has been unkind the land is very dry.

#13 - Barwon Heads Airport is now in view, see it?
To the right of the image two sandy coloured vertical lines close to the down wires
of the Ultralights Wings.

#14 - Lined up ready to land, and I didn't even get airsick :rofl
Mick is able to talk to me throughout the entire flight.
Voice activated radios are inside our helmuts.

#15 - This is the Ultralight we were flying in, has quite a large wing span.

#16 - Here's a closer look at the main body of the Ultralight
Sleek little black number .... not much room hu?

#17 - The instument panel, danged if I know what all them there
gadgets and whosammywhats are for :scratch

#18 - Font on View of the Ultralight, see me in the reflection

#19 - Another view of the Ultralight

#20 - Last of all this is the back of it, where the Prop is.
I can't say I felt unsafe at any time, I have been up before,
as my brother also owns one of these, and a small plane too.
I love the feel of the wind and also the feel of being in the open

Hope you enjoyed the flight with us, thanks for looking.... Skippy

* * * * * *

pete w · March 10, 2007

Skippy. your nuts girl.
I'm not sure i would go up there, thanks for taking us with you.

Great shots, i would be shaking like a leaf.

Probably take a couple of beers to get me up there.:D

Skippy · March 10, 2007

pete w wrote:

I'm not sure i would go up there, thanks for taking us with you.

Great shots, i would be shaking like a leaf.
Probably take a couple of beers to get me up there.

Pete is it very safe, these things if the motor goes can be put down in a paddock or field or even on the road, they glide and do not require a huge distance to be able to stop.... we had a great time, thanks for looking

.... Skippy
.

Rhuarc · March 10, 2007

Skippy wrote:

Pete is it very safe, these things if the motor goes can be put down in a paddock or field or even on the road, they glide and do not require a huge distance to be able to stop.... we had a great time, thanks for looking
.... Skippy
.

This statement has to be clarified! LoL. From the perspective of an engine failure, yes they are much safer. However, I know several people who are ultralight pilots who have limps and broken legs from crashing on landing. The problem is regardless of how calm the wind is upon takeoff, if there is even a tiny gust upon landing of more than 5mph it can cause a major crash. I have been a pilot for about 4 years, and I don't know that I would even get into one of these.

Tht being said, you got some amazing pictures!! Georgeous views of the beach and the horizon!! Can't wait to see some more if you happen to go up again! (Don't want to scare you away from going up into the air!

)

Skippy · March 10, 2007

Rhuarc wrote:

This statement has to be clarified! LoL. From the perspective of an engine failure, yes they are much safer. However, I know several people who are ultralight pilots who have limps and broken legs from crashing on landing. The problem is regardless of how calm the wind is upon takeoff, if there is even a tiny gust upon landing of more than 5mph it can cause a major crash. I have been a pilot for about 4 years, and I don't know that I would even get into one of these.

Tht being said, you got some amazing pictures!! Georgeous views of the beach and the horizon!! Can't wait to see some more if you happen to go up again! (Don't want to scare you away from going up into the air! )

Yep your not wrong I know they can be dangerous

I was just pointing out that if the motor fails you can still put it down, they dont fall out of the sky for no reason.

Ya gotta die sometime mate, might as well be doing what you love doing

You got more chance of being killed in a car crash than in an Ultralight.
....... Skip

Rhuarc · March 10, 2007

LoL, while I would not argue with the general arguement that it is safer to fly than to drive, that is for commercial aviation. Private aviation is a whole different story! LoL. But like you said, you have to die sometime and it might as well be doing what you love. After all, I can't say much. I'm a pilot, and I fly 4 and 6 seaters, and those aren't proven to be safer than driving either!

David_S85 · March 10, 2007

I believe this is the first air jouney ever posted.

Glad you finally got up in the air, Skip. I just flew along your same route via Google Earth (talk about your dial-up warnings!). Sadly, Point Lonsdale is still low resolution. However, everything around it is hi-res.

I was trying to find that pier.

Exciting stuff!

Skippy · March 10, 2007

David_S85 wrote:

I believe this is the first air jouney ever posted.

Glad you finally got up in the air, Skip. I just flew along your same trip in Google Earth (talk about your dial-up warnings!). Sadly, Point Lonsdale is still low resolution. However, everything around it is hi-res. I was trying to find that pier.

Exciting stuff!

Cool

Queenscliff is about 10 minutes from my place not far at all.
It's a great little town to visit very popular tourist place in Summer and on weekends too, has a little train station and also a Ferry.
When we were kids we went fishing there heaps, good fishing there too.
Glad you enjoyed it David

.... Skippy
.

System · March 10, 2007

Thanks for sharing.

Nikolai · March 10, 2007

Skippy,
This is awesome!

Thank you for sharing!

I bet it was one of the days you gonna remember!

bsvirginian · March 10, 2007

:ivar I was quite impressed with your little flight. I love flying and the smaller the better. I am not a pilot though. Your images and dialogue were fantastic too.

Here's to your next flight. BS

Skippy · March 10, 2007

sarahcsu wrote:

Thanks for sharing.

Well thank you for taking the time to look

... Skippy
.

Skippy · March 10, 2007

Nikolai wrote:

This is awesome!
Thank you for sharing!
I bet it was one of the days you gonna remember!

I've been up before Nik just not with my cousin, my brother has been a pilot for more years than I can remember, its harder for me to go flying with him because of the hours we both work, however my cousin lives very close and works opposite to where I work and he works similar hours to me so I have far better chance of getting a flight with him

Taking a different lens next time

glad you enjoyed the journey Nik

....... Skippy
.

Skippy · March 10, 2007

bsvirginian wrote:

:ivar I was quite impressed with your little flight. I love flying and the smaller the better. I am not a pilot though. Your images and dialogue were fantastic too. Here's to your next flight. BS

I surprised myself hahaha........ cause I usually get airsick

I will be looking forward to the next time too

Thanks for looking .......... Skippy
.

Mike Lane · March 10, 2007

Skippy, those are awesome!

Skippy · March 10, 2007

Mike Lane wrote:

Skippy, those are awesome!

Ohhhhhh not as awesome as the planes you've been up in for sure Mike

It was a lot of fun, we even saw horses galloping along the beach, quite a few people out walking their dogs, didn't see any surfers because the tide was out too far

thanks for looking Mike ..... Skippy
.

System · March 10, 2007

Great stuff Skippy. The water is brilliant. Reefs look healthy as can be.

Dee · March 10, 2007

How cool is that?
I was enjoying all your wonderful photos and thinking, wow, I'd love to do that until I saw the photos of the ultralight!

I guess if you see enough people leave and come back in the plane one gets brave enough.

Airsick? I wouldn't have time to be airsick being able to take photos from that distance with that view!

Did you have time to "chimp" at all during the flight?

Love the clear water shots and especially that shot with the waves coming in at an angle...

annnna8888 · March 10, 2007

Great shots! I'm so envious. I love flying. And bird's eye view is something else. You don't get to see that perspective every day. We want more!

Ana

Andy · March 10, 2007

annnna8888 wrote:

Great shots! I'm so envious. I love flying. And bird's eye view is something else. You don't get to see that perspective every day. We want more!

Ana

Hi Ana

Skippy:

great journey!

ian408 · March 10, 2007

It's amazing how things like from above.

I would imagine the ultralight is like a motorcycle in that you are a part of
the journe being out in the open.

Very cool.

pathfinder · March 10, 2007

This was fantastic!!

I have always wanted to shoot pictures from an ultralight and now I am going to have to seriously look into pursuing it.

Your shots are great, Skippy!

Skippy · March 10, 2007

truth wrote:

Great stuff Skippy. The water is brilliant. Reefs look healthy as can be.

Hi Truth, that stretch of water around where the lighthouses are is one of the most dangerous in the world....... it is also known as shipwreck coast.
Even from the air you can see the water churning in different directions as the waters from the bay meet the open ocean, many a life have been lost in those waters.

Thanks for looking

.... Skippy
.

Skippy · March 10, 2007

Dee wrote:

I was enjoying all your wonderful photos and thinking, wow, I'd love to do that until I saw the photos of the ultralight!

I guess if you see enough people leave and come back in the plane one gets brave enough.

Airsick? I wouldn't have time to be airsick being able to take photos from that distance with that view!

Did you have time to "chimp" at all during the flight?

Love the clear water shots and especially that shot with the waves coming in at an angle...

Didn't have time to chimp because I couldnt really see what I was doing anyways........ all those shots were taken with the Canon 10-22mm
If I thought I missed something I took two shots, just put the camera in Auto Focus and held it out and took the shot

It can get really rough along that coast line, as you could see the tide was out a long way, it's full of reef rock, great fishing along there too.
.....take care Dee

.... Skippy
.

Skippy · March 10, 2007

annnna8888 wrote:

Great shots! I'm so envious. I love flying. And bird's eye view is something else. You don't get to see that perspective every day. We want more!

Ana

Thank you Ana, well its one of those things where the winds dictate everything, too windy and you can't fly, I will get another chance to go again soon

glad you enjoyed it ......... Skippy
.

Skippy · March 10, 2007

Andy wrote:

Hi Ana

Skippy: great journey!

Thank you Andy...... wish the stream train was running they have an awesome stream train in Qeenscliff as well, I saw the big ferry but it was too far out to take a photo off, that would have been cool to see if it was docked at the pier.....have fun at the PMA

.... Skippy
.

Skippy · March 10, 2007

ian408 wrote:

It's amazing how things like from above.

I would imagine the ultralight is like a motorcycle in that you are a part of
the journe being out in the open.

Very cool.

Your right Ian, you are in the open, but securely strapped in, if for any reason we had to put it down (not in the water of course) we would be able to tell folks exactly where we were with the navigation equipment that Michale has onboard when he flies.

If you tilt your head you can make the wind rush up inside the helmut, thats great if you think your not feeling too good, but it's nice to be able to speak to the pilot throughout the entire trip.

You can also hear other pilots talking to air traffic as well.
You'd love it Ian

.... thanks for commenting... Skippy
.

Skippy · March 10, 2007

pathfinder wrote:

This was fantastic!!

I have always wanted to shoot pictures from an ultralight and now I am going to have to seriously look into pursuing it.

Your shots are great, Skippy!

My cousin was kind enough to let me take my 20D up, I had to take the lens cap off before the flight as you cannot have anything that willl fly off and go through the prop!

The lens hood on the lens I chose to take (Canon 10-22mm) has a very very tight fitting hood, but next time I would take something not so wide so I could zoom in a tad more, Michael said he would let me use his 17-40mm

We had a great time...... I was glad it wasnt a rough flight

Hope you get a chance to go up some time Jim, take care...... Skippy
.

annnna8888 · March 10, 2007

Andy wrote:

Hi Ana

Hiya Andy!

Skippy wrote:

Thank you Ana, well its one of those things where the winds dictate everything, too windy and you can't fly, I will get another chance to go again soon glad you enjoyed it ......... Skippy

I know this is the kind of photography that is largely dependent on the weather and the wind. I just hope those two conditions are favorable again soon so that you can take more photos from the air and we can see them!

In case I didn't stress it enough - I'm a sucker for aerial photography!

Ana

saurora · March 10, 2007

Great shots, Skippy! Looks like a blast, but boy that plane sure looks tiny for 2!!!! Good thing you're short! The 10-22 took some sharp pics. Look forward to more.

Skippy · March 10, 2007

annnna8888 wrote:

Hiya Andy!

I know this is the kind of photography that is largely dependent on the weather and the wind. I just hope those two conditions are favorable again soon so that you can take more photos from the air and we can see them! In case I didn't stress it enough - I'm a sucker for aerial photography!

Ana

If the weather is okay next time we will go right around the bay and over my house so I can hopefully get a picture of my own place from the air

......... Skippy
.

Ultralight Journey (56k Warning )

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