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| No - I've never flown on a Concorde. This one is at the Intrepid museum NYC. |
I don’t pretend to be an expert, gentle reader, but I reckon I’m as qualified as any lay person to comment on matters aviation.
I’ve done plenty of flying. Some I’ve forgotten. This I remember in chronological order –
1968 – Slingsby glider at Goondiwindi
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| Slingsby |
1969 – TAA Vickers Viscount (Brisbane – Williamtown – Nasho intake)
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| TAA Viscount |
1969 – RAAF UH1H and Navy UH1B, C-130A and C-130E, DHC Caribou, (Training in 7 RAR)
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| DHC Caribou |
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| UH-1H |
1970 – RAAF and US Army UH1H (Operational flying – More times than I can count – beat walking); DHC – American Airlines R & R charter – Saigon/Bangkok – Boeing 707; Caribou; C -123; Qantas Boeing 707 10/12/70 (RTA)
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| C-123 |
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| Qantas 707 |
1974 – Lake Buccaneer (GBR trip)
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| Lake Buccaneer |
1977 – TAA Boeing 727
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| TAA 727 |
1978 – Air NZ DC-10 (The actual aircraft that crashed at Mt Erebus – ZK-NZP one year later. I always note the rego numbers)
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| Air New Zealand DC 10 |
1979 – Boeing 727
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| British Airways 747 |
1980 – Boeing 747 – (British Airways – UK & return).
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| Australian Airways 737 |
1983 – 1989 – Various Boeing 737s.
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| DC3 |
1986 – DC – 3 (“Champagne flight”). My bride got airsick.
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| C130 during pilot's strike |
1989 – C-130 E Townsville/Brisbane during pilot’s dispute. Tail number indicated that it was an aircraft I had flown in during Nasho training in 1969.
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| Chartered Cessna 180 |
1993 – Cessna 180 on charter – Mt Isa, Dajarra, Boulia, Bedourie, Birdsville, Windorah (Researching indigenous communities)
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| QantasLink Super Kingair |
1993/94 – Beechcraft Super King air – 4 Flights annually attending Townsville board meetings from Mt Isa.
1994 – 2000 – Various 737s and Airbus 320s – attending national conferences.
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| Virgin 737 |
2006 – Singapore Airlines 777 – Brisbane/Singapore. Airbus 320 Singapore/Saigon.
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| Singapore airlines 777 |
2007 – Brisbane/KL – Malaysia Airlines 777. KL/Saigon – Airbus 320,Air Vietnam 737 – 800 Da Nang/Hanoi.
Air Vietnam ATR – 72 Saigon/Da Nang.
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| Vietnam Airlines ATR 72 |
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Malaysian Airlines 777
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| Malaysian Airlines 737 |
2008 – 2015 – Numerous flights to Adelaide on Virgin 737 – 800s. Flight to Perth to connect with Indian Pacific – Virgin 737 – 800.
2010 – Darwin/Brisbane Boeing 767.
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| Qantas 767 |
2007 – 2015 – Lear Jet; Piper PA-42 Cheyenne; Beechcraft Super King Air (All charters involving consultancy work at Charleville, Quilpie and Cunnamulla – one flight per school term). The Lear was amazing. We hit an emu on the Quilpie strip in the King Air.
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| Beechcraft Super King Air |
2018 – Qantas 747 Brisbane/LA/New York. COPA 737 – Washington/Panama City/Havana.
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| Qantas 747 - 400 |
2019 – Various flights to Newcastle – Airbus 320s and 737s. I usually travel domestic every couple of months, and have discovered that whilst Toowoomba’s new airport is convenient, fares to Sydney, Townsville, Cairns and Melbourne are expensive.
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| Jetstar A320. If you travel with this mob, read the fine print before you book online. |
Air north fly Embraer 170s and I have used these various times direct from Toowoomba to visit friends and rellies in Townsville and Cairns.
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| Airnorth E170 |
My favourite long haul aircraft is the Boeing 747 – 400 (especially if you book row 46 or 58 behind the exits).
My favourite short haul aircraft – Embraer 170 as configured by Air North.
My most memorable flight – It's a toss up between flying out of a dirt strip in the Colo training area in a Caribou in July 1969 in a massive cross wind. (We were last stick out and all flights were cancelled after ours), and Charleville/Roma on a stormy November afternoon in 2010 when we struck hail and wind shear. Pilot was a genius.
