• If You Are Having Trouble Logging In with Your Old Username and Password, Please use this Forgot Your Password link to get re-established.
  • Hey! Be sure to login or register!

AzDave pictures of flying in Tazmania

Dave, on these kit planes down under, what is the purpose of the clear plexi panel to see your feet? Just guessing an aid for landing, but that really isnt the place to be looking?
 
Dave, on these kit planes down under, what is the purpose of the clear plexi panel to see your feet? Just guessing an aid for landing, but that really isnt the place to be looking?

Landing aid might be right; I can't recall using it. Could also be a bit of a help in looking at the surface conditions, mud, rock size when you're taxiing? Might be worth having, I don't see why not. Shock Outback/Cub seems to have similar.
 
aktango58, the Thruster was a very popular ultralight in Australia, but is no longer made. The very wide and tough landing gear was a positive.

The best ultralight I've flown in was the Bantam B22 made in New Zealand. More STOL capable than the thruster and a more refined plane. Here's one I flew out of Hamilton, NZ that had a 97 hp ULPower engine (excellent. A most capable ultralight albeit almost unknown in the USA. I is widely used in Africa for game surveys because of the STOL capability. I think stall was around 25 mph and very gentle. Excellent safety record.

I considered it for Tasmania, but the semi open cockpit is a disadvantage and it's not capable of really large bush tires. The landing suspension system is tough, however.
 

Attachments

  • DavidAlfordBantam.jpg
    DavidAlfordBantam.jpg
    68.1 KB · Views: 195
azdave, I admire your quest in the pursuit of the elusive Thylacine. Since it is reported that the critter is nocturnal, your adventure will be difficult at best. Since you have found individuals who report to have seen it, I suspect that somewhere on that remote 150 by 150 mile island they survive. Please when you do find the tiger shoot it only with a camera. And be sure to post them first here. Good luck and be safe.
 
So, I went over to the Bantam factory to see if the plane would be a good candidate for Tasmania. Ended up being invited on a nice cross country flight. So here we are in New Zealand, ha.

Ironically, I met a Tasmanian on this sojourn who claimed I would be wasting my time looking for Tassie Tigers...however, he proceeded to tell me he had seen one himself in a remote area of Tasmania, but he reckon'd it would have been the last one!
 

Attachments

  • DavidAlford12.jpg
    DavidAlford12.jpg
    78.3 KB · Views: 165
skywagon8a thanks very much and don't worry I certainly wouldn't shoot one except with camera. While the Thylacine was largely nocturnal it has been seen plenty of times during the day. So probably somewhat similar to deer or it's prey, wallabies which are also out and about at various times. With the right plane, I think it might be possible to catch one out in the open and with plane and helmet cameras get it on video. A lot of the effort however will be to get into select areas for a week or so and set up motion sensor cameras. I already done this for a few years, let me see if I can round up any pics...
 
Eastern forests - historically a hot spot for Thylacines. There are forestry and local roads in these areas but still a heck of a lot of remote country.
 

Attachments

  • DavidAlford14.jpg
    DavidAlford14.jpg
    40.3 KB · Views: 166
Western wilderness...Thylacines were known to occur in mountainous areas as well and often sought rocky areas for dens.
 

Attachments

  • DavidAlford15.jpg
    DavidAlford15.jpg
    125.2 KB · Views: 186
Keep an eye out for this subspecies of the Tazmanian Devil.
It has been documented on film but is rarely seen in the wild.

Taz.jpg
 

Attachments

  • Taz.jpg
    Taz.jpg
    38.6 KB · Views: 308
Remote river/gravel bar...high potential area.
 

Attachments

  • DavidAlford14.jpg
    DavidAlford14.jpg
    196.3 KB · Views: 238
Broken terrain, hills, bush, and open areas...also good Thylalcine habitat that has probably never seen human intrusion in the last hundred years.
 

Attachments

  • DavidAlford17.jpg
    DavidAlford17.jpg
    457.3 KB · Views: 228
Remote open areas. Is the Thylacine forever gone or does it hold on in these remote areas?

Click on thumbnails to expand any of the pics.

More pics coming...
 

Attachments

  • DavidAlford16.jpg
    DavidAlford16.jpg
    379.7 KB · Views: 218
Only 5 km for the airfield and stuck! No worries, another Landcruiser to the rescue...
 

Attachments

  • DavidAlford18.jpg
    DavidAlford18.jpg
    795.9 KB · Views: 239
More aerials to come, but I'll mix in a few scenics. Secluded bay SE Tasmania.
 

Attachments

  • DavidAlford19.jpg
    DavidAlford19.jpg
    204.5 KB · Views: 204
Fishing and pleasure boats East coast.
 

Attachments

  • DavidAlford20.jpg
    DavidAlford20.jpg
    218.6 KB · Views: 210
Flinders and other islands NE Tasmania. I made several cross country trips here. There are about a half dozen landing strips and one commercial airport on Flinders. Truly a paradise, but be careful in the beautiful waters, great whites sharks are about and they grow big here!
 

Attachments

  • DavidAlford22.jpg
    DavidAlford22.jpg
    135.8 KB · Views: 211
Only 5 km for the airfield and stuck! No worries, another Landcruiser to the rescue...

FJ40 to the rescue! The best. I miss mine terribly. Built a Jeep later on and learned how poor a substitute it was compared to the Landcrusher.
 
FJ40 to the rescue! The best. I miss mine terribly. Built a Jeep later on and learned how poor a substitute it was compared to the Landcrusher.

I used to own an old Land Cruiser too... put a 327 chevy in it.... I miss it too. Stupidity sold it.
 
Flinders and other islands NE Tasmania. I made several cross country trips here. There are about a half dozen landing strips and one commercial airport on Flinders. Truly a paradise, but be careful in the beautiful waters, great whites sharks are about and they grow big here!

And big tiger snakes Dave. Don't worry about the sharks.:evil:
 
18 mph cub

No 18mph Cub but there was a movie about the critter

Shock Ultra stall speed is 18 mph (said to be true, not indicated)

Anyway, we'll see perhaps but when I can travel back to Tasmania I have 40 field cameras to check and will be bringing over another 150...Hard project,
but I'm not dabbling around...and we have recent sightings...
 
Good to hear from you. I've been wondering recently how you have been getting along with your adventure.
 
Good to hear from you. I've been wondering recently how you have been getting along with your adventure.

Thanks...hopeful the vaccine will reopen international flights a lot more. I'm sure many in this forum are also anxiously waiting for their own adventures to fully resume.

In the meantime, I expect to to a bit of flying in northern AZ out or Cottonwood where I can rent a Foxbat (also known as the Aeroprakt)..It's not a Cub but has some STOL ability..recently flew from Cottonwood to Williams and then over the Grand Canyon and back. Beautiful area and the ditch is massive indeed!

Hope everyone is flying to the extent possible, helps keep our sanity in these trying times...
 
Back
Top