Beechcraft Musketeer Sport III 19A VH-SQB

Leg 1: Tyabb to Portland

Front ~ Next - Leg 2: Portland to Adelaide

The big day arrived.

We got to Tyabb airstrip at about 9:30am. Simon taxied SQB around, and we put some fuel in it. Kim was surprised to see that the fuel went in the wings - it's not something she'd ever considered before. We didn't quite fill up the aircraft - we didn't want to be too heavy. Looking up, the weather was a bit grey - a bit threatening, but the forecast indicated that it would clear up as we went on.

I was flying the first leg. We took off, and got off the ground fine. Up until now I had only flown two circuits in Squibby, so I was definitely still learning to fly the aircraft. Used 1 stage of flap - rotated around 55 kts, then climbed a bit, levelled off, and flew down the runway to pick up speed. At around 70 kts, we raised the nose and resumed the climb. I slowly let off the first stage of flap, and so we could accelerate. We went into an 80 kt cruise climb up to 1500 ft.

Kim later told me that she stayed around to watch us take off. She said it was a bit like "I think I can, I think I can..." as Squibby climbed into the air. I've said elsewhere, the 150hp version of the Musketeer is not a great climber.

Our route away from Melbourne was to the South-West, crossing over 'The Gap' (the entrance to Port Phillip Bay) to keep us as much over land as possible. There was a big hill on our left called Arthur's Seat, and we flew alongside it. As we approached the gap, we were able to see how the bay opens into the ocean, the water becoming much rougher. We timed it pretty well, since a big ship was heading out through the gap, and I was able to get a good photo.

This was all Simon's local area, so he was able to point a lot of things out to me, which made it a really enjoyable departure.

	The picturesque Arthur's Seat. We levelled off at about the same height as the peak.
	Over the Mornington Peninsular, looking back North towards Melbourne city. Leaving the grey skies of Melbourne behind. Simon was explaining that the township below was wealthy - they even had a canal leading into a marina, and rather than build a bridge over it, had diverted a road under it, so masted yachts could pass through unobstructed.
	Crossing The Gap, which is the entrance to Port Phillip Bay. We timed it well to find a ship just heading out into the open sea. Blue skies ahead.

After crossing the Gap, we passed to the south of Avalon, and gently turned left to head southerly down the coast. We were tracking alongside the famous "Great Ocean Road". It's a really spectacular coastline - rugged forests, cliffs, blue ocean, a great winding road, with the occasional township tucked into the occasional bay. Flying is a great way to see it.

	Heading South from Geelong, takes you along beautiful coastline and green farmland. So green over here compared to my part of Australia.
	Further down, the coastline gets more rugged. There are beautiful little towns sitting on the edge of the rugged coastline.
	I think this was Apollo Bay, with a visible airstrip just off the wingtip. Simon had landed there before.
	Sticking to the coast rather than head over all those trees
	Great coloured water, with Great Ocean Road winding along the edge.
	Looking down the coast towards Cape Otway. We decided to cut across over the trees, rather than go all the way to the tip. No place for an engine failure, though.

We cut across Cape Otway, to the Port Campbell CTAF. It's a CTAF because it's a busy little area due to all the local helicopter sight-seeing traffic. This is the site of the famous Twelve Apostles - jutting pillars rising from the sea. We were cruising along at 1500 ft. When we broadcast on the CTAF, a helicopter pilot kindly told us that we were at the wrong height. For the direction we were heading, 1000 ft was the correct height. We descended, which was fine because it gave us a better view. We flew past the twelve apostles, which looked spectacular, even though they'd look better if we were a bit closer. But there were quite a few helicopters around, so we didn't want to mess around.

These structures are constantly being eroded by the sea, and are not as permanent as they look - one big pillar collapsed in July 2005. Another natural bridge collapsed in 1990, leaving two tourists stranded on a remaining structure in the sea, no longer able to walk back to the mainland.

	Approaching the Apostles. Sometimes things aren't as big as I expect, from the air. This was one of those cases, although it was still pretty exciting to see them.
	A bunch of cows drinking around a dam. With those pesky Apostles in the background.
	You can see clearly how the Apostles get formed, and why they eventually collapse. The ocean is constantly carving them. There was a natural bridge here somewhere, but it collapsed in the last couple of years.
	Half-way between Warrnambool and Portland must be a great place for a wind farm. There would be regular howling winds coming off the south coast.

Not too far later, we approached Portland. It was starting to get cloudy again, a bit like when we left Melbourne. We flew past the town of Portland onto the regional aerodrome. It was surrounded by pine plantation - quite a nice big strip. I did an OK landing - bit of a bounce, but it was OK. Simon said I did a good landing - both times. During the trip, Simon had been ringing the mobile of the fuel guy - he was duly waiting there, and filled us up. Portland has a nice passenger facility, but it gets completely empty when no aircraft are arriving. So it was deserted, apart from our refueler, who had driven out especially to meet us. Also, there wasn't anywhere to get lunch. It was quite cold on the ground. We only stopped for about half an hour, there wasn't much to stick around for.

	Approaching Portland, looking for the airstrip
	Portland airstrip is somewhere on our nose.