TARMAC NEWS
MAY, 2007
This might come across as an “Ode to Old Timers.” If so, it is not intentional, but whenever I have been able to front up for a bit of flying, that is largely what we’ve got. O.T. or vintage models. This is not to belittle these flying machines; they are a lot of fun.
Initial flights are undertaken very cautiously,
but it soon becomes obvious just what these jobs will, or will not, do.
Gordon Burford’s “Wombat” biplane, circa
1949-1950 is making a big impression. A
couple of weeks ago there were 5 Bipes present and 4 flew. Talk about achievement!
Fred Adler is top time man at the moment and
has survived consecutive loops, as has Lex Cunningham. Alex and yours truly
have flown but are awaiting the right day before going to full up. Graeme Cook is ready to try his and I have
heard of a couple more just waiting in the wings.
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McCoy 29 Super Stunt 1955.
Graeme also passed on a copy of Duration Times
(clever, clever). While it is mainly of
interest to S.A.M. flyers there is a lot of very good info on Vintage and Old
Timer engines.
I guess it is fairly well known that our
resident magpies at Whiteman are rather nonchalant about risking life and wing
when flyers show up with things which, to a magpie, may be edible, but usually aren’t. However, in a change of tactics one of these
lateral-thinking characters has decided to set itself up as a flying height
consultant and has selected Stuart Sherlock as the subject of his attention.
When Stuart was busy honing his stunt pattern,
this brave little Kamikaze magpie wandered out to the circle and parked itself
precisely under the model’s flight path.
From there it proceeded to watch the model closely as it came around to
the downwind segment.
Now comes the clever bit.
If Stuart pulled out of a loop at, say, 2
metres height, the bird just continued to gaze at the model as it came by. But, if Stuart pulled out a couple of
inches lower down the magpie promptly ducked its’ head as though it was
about to get an Enya 45 fair in the kisser.
And this performance took place on several occasions. So, was our bird very clever or very
stupid? It will be interesting to see
if he does it again.
An item in the local Community Newspaper of
April 17th-23rd could possibly affect the Whiteman complex. Probably it won’t.
Planning and Infrastructure Minister, Alannah
MacTiernan, is mucking about with Whiteman Park and is going to expand the park
to 9 times the size of Kings Park. Then
the changes will include 3,000 new residential lots!
The news item has some terrific quotes, but I
like this one:
“The
only reason the park exists today is because of the water
underneath it.”
And this one:
“This
Government can only see a massive profit from urbanising
the parkland.”
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