AusFlightSim - Reminicing - The Aussie Flight Simulation Site for Enthusiasts Around the World!

I think somewhere in every simmers makeup there is a basic love of aircraft. Seeing them, identifying, drawing them as a kid and now as a simmer, if you have the skills. I’ll bet most of us, somewhere in the past have messed around with model airplanes either static, functional or both. Somehow some part of us has identified with aircraft in a way that is hard to explain. For me it started as a boy in the early sixties or late fifties, yes that’s 1950. I grew up on a dairy farm and fell in love with the crop dusters that fertilized the paddocks. It was a big day when the duster came, I would sit and watch them all day. Even getting pelted by the fertilizer was worth it. I would sit at the airstrip all day to see maybe four or five planes come and go. The first plane I can remember was a DH Dragon and I occasionally fly the model by Mr. Garwood. (dh89vrg1.zip). Other planes at the time were the Tigermoth, DC3, Pipers, Austers etc. The first time I saw A Focker friend ship I was Amazed. It just seemed so big fast and loud and was probably the first tricycle gear I ever saw.

Being an avid sailor I have met quite a few pilots over the years. Some flyers seem to have an affinity with sailing, may be it’s the change of pace or as I prefer to think it’s the love of life and all things adventurous.

Some time in the mid eighties I met Bob Gibs. (wing commander WW2) Quite an amazing man. I highly recommend his book Sepic Pilot, though I have no idea where to get it. Bob actually mutinied during WW2 because they would not let him fly and tried to put him behind a desk. I think he may be one of Australia’s highest aces. Bob crashed a spitfire one day in a dive, because he wanted to see how fast it would go and lost control surface function. He meet his wife Jean in hospital while recovering.

Bob started Sepic Airways in New Guinea. He also tried sheep farming and growing coffee there. One day while over flying his property he noticed his workers sitting under a tree. Of course he buzzed them and was pleased to see them running back to work. What he didn’t know was that a door had come off the airplane and attacked his workers.

Bob needed airplanes and used WW2 jobs. The cheapest place to get them was Germany so off he went and flew them back. He didn’t have the proper papers so he just wrote some up from guess work and imagination as he went. One day one of his Fockers crashed in New Guinea, it should have been a right off, but Bob being Bob got a heap of locals, pulled the plane to bits and walked it out 20 miles or more. Oh yes those were the days.

Bob and his wife sailed a 12 metre Catamaran from England to Australia when he was in his sixties. I was siting in the back of my yacht one day when I saw this old fellow (69), coming ashore in a small dinghy in his underpants. From out of a plastic bag he dressed himself in longs, shirt, polished shoes and socks. (most yachties don’t ware socks, rarely shoes and never longs). I decided I had to meet this man and met him at the Mackay yacht club. He asked me if I would like a drink, and when I asked for neat rum he took me for a long lost friend. One day, some months latter, he decided we would go scuba (Some Come Up Barely Alive) diving. I informed him I had no air in my tanks but of course he had a dive compressor on board his boat. As soon as the tank was connected out came a bottle of rum. The lid came off and promptly went over the side accompanied with “we wont need that”. We never did go diving but at least my tank was full. Last I heard of Bob (in is eighties) he was building an ultra light in his lounge room. A friend told me that when he took it to the airport they told him he could only do bumps. He is quoted as saying "got to 2000 feet on one of those bumps".

Another pilot that comes to mind is John Rutherfod, also an ex RAAF and coast watch flyer. John was the president of the graziers association at one stage and bought their Cessna, 172 I think. I flew once with John and enjoyed the flight immensely. He chased pigs and goats, checked on his live stock and buzzed his son who was driving a land cruiser ute about the station. When he spotted the ute, first came a huge grin, them the tongue showed from the side of his mouth, the cap on his head was already on backwards. The throttle went all the way in and we started a shallow dive. I swear one of the tyres must have touched the ute we where that low. As soon as we where right over the ute on went full power, it must have scared the **** out of his son because he pulled straight up and waved abuse at his father. John had to get low flying approval to work his station and when he did he had over 10 times more flying hours than his examiner. I here they had a short flight and a long lunch.

Another pilot I met, also a Yachtsmen was the late Richard Harvey of Hamilton Island. When I mentioned John was selling the Cessna, Richard decided to buy it. Sadly Richard hit a power line and was killed in the crash. The Cessna though had more mischief in hand and the engine is reported to have hit a dinghy that two men were fishing in, the power line being close to the water at Midge Point, near Laguna Keys. Neither man was hurt.

For me I’m quite happy to be fly simm style, although an ultra light project would be interesting. But first I have to finish the 12 metre sailing cat I am building and the new house I promised my wife after that, but that’s another story.

Writing time two tinies mid strenth Marty.