Fly Me Friendly

• No flights today in the city or Yarra Valley – way too windy #

• About to record the Australia Desk segment with @SteveVisscher for the Airplane Geeks podcast :) #
• Finished doing the Australia Desk segment – had all sorts of hassles with sound on my machine – wound up using another machine in the end #
• Now @SteveVisscher has the hard job of making me sound good – you can hear the results in the next @AirplaneGeeks podcast #
• Just listened to the Australia Desk segment for the next @AirplaneGeeks episode – amazed at how good @SteveVisscher can make us sound :) #

• Another beautiful winter’s day for flying & aviation related activities: http://bit.ly/dKc6c #
• Check out @FlightExpQV – they’re tweeting photos from the sim as well as notes about cool flights – #FF #FollowFriday #

Once again crewing balloons in the Yarra Valley produced some amazing “Kodak Moments” today. Given the weather this morning, I was pretty sure we wouldn’t get to fly.

On my way out to the shed at o-dark-hundred I was driving through patches of thick fog around Lilydale airport. At the shed near Balgownie Estate, the winds were blowing around me as I waited for Davin to arrive so we could start preparing the balloon & vehicles for the day. After meeting the passengers, we tried a few different launch sites but all were too high winds to stand a balloon up.

At 7:30am we were on a field that’s usually sheltered from northerlies as one of QANTAS’ A380s did its usual morning arrival into Melbourne Airport (YMMB). We were about to cancel the flight when the winds dropped and we realised there was a chance to go. We quickly set up, inflated and got the flight underway. While the passengers enjoyed a near perfect day for a flight, Davin & I played chase on the ground, trying to get ahead and be ready to help out when they landed.

While chasing balloons as ground crew, occasionally you get the chance to grab a great photo (like the one here). Usually, you see what could be a great photo but are too busy clearing the launch field or giving chase (or there’s no where to pull over and stop).

Today was one of those days where it sometimes just all comes together and you get a chance to take a good photo. Gotta love it.

Each day I crew in the Valley or in the city, I try to get a few good photos if time & effort permit. Today’s photos were few but, generally, good. Any good photos I manage to take while crewing wind up in my Best Of collection.

After crewing I dropped by Lilydale Airport to see if Dominique was flying at SkyDive Melbourne but not today. I then went over to the aeroclub to see if someone knew the pilot of “Grumpy” (a beautiful old Stinson L5B). Sure enough, they did – in fact, I got to meet Jeremy who was probably flying when I was out there the other day and got a great photo of “Grumpy” on short final.

Another great day in the valley. Blue skies, warm sun and lots of aviation related activities. Not bad for winter, eh? :)

• Crewing the balloons in the Yarra Valley tomorrow morning so off to bed now – need good rest before being up early to start the fun :) #
• Leaving home at 05:10 to get out to Yarra Valley – winds are a little high and a chance of fog if they drop off – hmmm :) #
• i love being out here in the valley – the star gazing is wonderful :) #
• winds are high and patches of fog in the valleys – city team have cancelled – may yet fly out here :) #
• on the field checking winds – speed & direction may not be quite right #
• winds dropped & we launched – Ronnie & his pax are having a great flight #
• Today’s flight in the Valley was awesome – pax had a great time and I got some good shots from the ground – about to upload now :) #
• Shots from crewing today – first one’s a cracker! :) http://bit.ly/nPvb9 #

• Latest post up on the Experience This! blog – interview with Dominique Cotte, one of the sim instructors – http://tinyurl.com/737dom #
• hot air balloons going high over the city but I’m not crewing today – looks like a great day to be up there :) #
• just got home from an errand and there’s Globals’s LOVE balloon going past my place towards Karkarook park :) #
• Actually, I think he’s going to Moorabbin, not Karkarook park :) #

• Flight cancelled tomorrow – met bureau says it’s going to be too windy to launch the balloons #
• Way behind on posting to my blog (http://blog.flymefriendly.com/) – been crewing & working on the Simulator blog (http://tinyurl.com/737sim) #