We released the aircraft from their tethers loaded them up and taxied up to refuel. Something went amiss with Andrew's receipt and the automated system crashed. He rang the depot and arranged for a reset and we stood around waiting for 20 or 30 minutes while the system cleared its brain fart. A twin engined King Air rocked up in the meantime for refuelling and our photographic savant Nat scurried around here and there taking pictures from all angles. Andrew used the time to contact Curtin Springs who suggested we buzz the Station low and loud so that someone heard us and came out to the strip to pick us all up. Andrew had a big grin on his face when he told us: 'and she emphasised
low and loud'. She also said watch out for the communications tower which was about 150 to 250 feet high and right beside the buildings.
We got together and planned following the highway north until it met the Ghan railway from Adelaide to Darwin. Then we would track along them both to De Rose Hill Station where we would leave them and turn north-west for Mt Conner, a spectacular mountain which would mark our direct route to the station. It was a long leg and would spread us out a bit. So we arranged to circle the mountain and gather ourselves for a low level run over Curtin Springs. We wanted to run the Ghan at 500 feet but abandoned that plan for a more sober 4500 because of the strong thermals. According to Curtin Springs there was not a breath of wind up there and the strip was in good condition.
15:01 we blasted off in our now established pattern of ISB and RCN first and JCU last playing catch-up. We swung right on take-off so we could make a left hand orbit of 'the city' for the photographers and then took up our track into the late afternoon haze and the declining sun. The Stuart Highway was a clear navigational mark tracking north west for about 40 nm where it joined the Ghan and veered north to keep it company. There was quite a lot of haze and glare and we bumped around between 4500 and 5000 feet as we rode the thermals. The 182 cruises in the top of the green speed arc and doesn't like turbulence much above that so we pushed forward gently to ride the hot air with an eye on our speed. The Great Victoria Desert sat on our left to the horizon while on our right we enjoyed the company of creek country -- least ways they were small green waterways now after our wonderful wet season. We gradually cruised past our companions and ticked off the stations and ALAs as we passed them by: Pootnoora, Matheson Bore, Mount Willoughby, Cadney Park (where the road and rail veered north-west once more), Marla (which had a nice big paved strip beside a massive road house and lots of road trains; and where the Oodnadatta Track running east-west met the highway), Indulkana, Tarcoonyinna and finally our departure point de Rose Hill.
It was a little disconcerting leaving the safety of the highway and tracking out across a large stretch of 'Tiger Country' in the hot and bumpy air. Once again we were without many forced landing options but we were in a better position than the others because our retractable gear at least gave us the opportunity of landing wheels up on difficult surfaces. The direct track to Curtain Springs was now marked by Mt Conner which was clear for all to see silhouetted on the far horizon by the descending sun. The Musgrave Ranges in the middle distance to the west caught the light in pink and red hues as we passed by and gave us all something pretty to look at.
About half way to the mountain another set of distant outlines appeared on the horizon. The goal of our travels was in sight: Uluru -- a squat grey slug of a monolith from this perspective -- and Kata Tjuta (The Olgas), a tiny scatter of distant grey pebbles. We were pretty chuffed to see them. On reaching Mt Conner we tracked to the eastern edge and swung around for a wide circuit for our photographers. It was yet another impressive spectacle with its wide, sheer and grand north-west face fluorescent in late sun. We slowly descended as we made our circuit to give the others a safe height to join us. 4500 ft north face; 4000 south face; 3500 north face. We managed a few circuits before the others joined us from the south-east: two familiar dots line astern. We Reno raced around the mountain for a while enjoying the grandeur of the geography and the fun of the tail chase before Majella wisely called: 'Surley that's enough photos'. The sound was a bell to toll us back to the realities of practical transport and so Anthony and I formed up on Andrew. This was a bit of a struggle for us because we were contending with the position of the sun and the uncomfortably slow speed needed to stay inside the turn of the slower aircraft. The undercarriage horn was getting louder in our ears as we kept powering back to hold position but once RCN took up the heading for the short 20 nm run to the Station we were fine. We tucked in not too closely and really really carefully - more in good company than tight formation - and began our descent to notify our pick up.
You have to watch the lead aircraft any time you are in proximity and so I can't tell you much about the landscape around but RCN looked terrific in the pink light as we roared low over our home for the next two days and announced our arrival in style. I was a little too close to the large communications tower than I liked but Dustin called us well clear on the run and as we sped over the little scrum of buildings we peeled off and climbed left to pick up the strip. Dustin called it in my blind spot at 9 o'clock and so we powered back and hooked around in a descending turn to initial the strip off centre for a surface inspection. It looked, as indeed it turned out to be: clear, smooth and in good condition, no birds to speak off, no roos in sight. We pulled up onto a downwind for runway 12 and had no trouble ghosting onto the strip in still air and what had suddenly become well developed twilight. The others spaced themselves to follow: Andrew landing to Nat's cry of 'Kangaroos, Kangaroos' and Anthony not far behind. Flying for a few days at least was done.
Flying Time was 2.7 hours.
We got together and planned following the highway north until it met the Ghan railway from Adelaide to Darwin. Then we would track along them both to De Rose Hill Station where we would leave them and turn north-west for Mt Conner, a spectacular mountain which would mark our direct route to the station. It was a long leg and would spread us out a bit. So we arranged to circle the mountain and gather ourselves for a low level run over Curtin Springs. We wanted to run the Ghan at 500 feet but abandoned that plan for a more sober 4500 because of the strong thermals. According to Curtin Springs there was not a breath of wind up there and the strip was in good condition.
About half way to the mountain another set of distant outlines appeared on the horizon. The goal of our travels was in sight: Uluru -- a squat grey slug of a monolith from this perspective -- and Kata Tjuta (The Olgas), a tiny scatter of distant grey pebbles. We were pretty chuffed to see them. On reaching Mt Conner we tracked to the eastern edge and swung around for a wide circuit for our photographers. It was yet another impressive spectacle with its wide, sheer and grand north-west face fluorescent in late sun. We slowly descended as we made our circuit to give the others a safe height to join us. 4500 ft north face; 4000 south face; 3500 north face. We managed a few circuits before the others joined us from the south-east: two familiar dots line astern. We Reno raced around the mountain for a while enjoying the grandeur of the geography and the fun of the tail chase before Majella wisely called: 'Surley that's enough photos'. The sound was a bell to toll us back to the realities of practical transport and so Anthony and I formed up on Andrew. This was a bit of a struggle for us because we were contending with the position of the sun and the uncomfortably slow speed needed to stay inside the turn of the slower aircraft. The undercarriage horn was getting louder in our ears as we kept powering back to hold position but once RCN took up the heading for the short 20 nm run to the Station we were fine. We tucked in not too closely and really really carefully - more in good company than tight formation - and began our descent to notify our pick up.
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