Next Episode - Jellybeans in the Jungle

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Revenge of the Dinosaurs

As far as the mainstream media is concerned, the reputation of Toyota has gone overnight from being makers of dull, reliable, well-engineered vehicles to purveyors of death-traps.

Now I’m no conspiracy theorist (I’ll leave that to those who believe they are expert – people like Andrew Bolt and many of Sarah Palin’s supporters), but I smell a rat.

Consider the recent history. Toyotas (especially the Prius) have sold like hot cakes in the USA (and pretty much every where else) lately. The U.S. market made up more than half of the 1.2 million Prius sold worldwide by early 2009 (Source). The American auto industry has been caught building vehicles renowned for their antiquated technology, poor finish and engineering, and woeful fuel economy. All but one of the major American manufacturers has been rescued by the Feds.

This has not gone down well with the good old boys stateside. I have a theory that the rednecks who call themselves “Tea Party” are actually a bunch of disenchanted SUV drivers who are livid because their automobile weapon of choice is no longer a practical proposition to own. If you doubt that, consider the difficulties inherent in mounting a gun-rack in a Prius.

Don't laugh. Good old boys take their cars very seriously, as I found out over 40 years ago on an R and R bus full of Yanks in Bangkok. I made the mistake of laughing out loud at what I called a "Yank Tank" stalled in the Bangkok traffic. I was given a half-hour lecture about the inherent superiority of the American auto industry. It was delivered in a very stern tone.

Post the GFC Ford was not rescued, and I wonder whether the technology transfer that occurred when it married up with Volvo on the one hand, and Jaguar on the other, had anything to do with this. They’ve divorced since, but Ford worldwide has demonstrated a much more forward-thinking approach to engineering than GMH and Chrysler when it comes to building cars that are enjoyable to drive.

Anyhow, the US media has waxed hysterical about alleged incidents involved unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles, and has just about demanded Akio Toyoda’s head on a plate. Other major manufacturers have experienced recalls of equal magnitude. Honda recalled 636,000 models in January 2010 and Ford recalled more than 4 million vehicles in 2009 without so much as a murmur from the MSM or congress.

There are those  who have suggested that the fact that Toyota’s major US competitors are now owned by the Federal government may have had something to do with how the corporation has been treated by the legislature.

I doubt there’s a conspiracy, but Popular Mechanics has it about right when they call it "overblown”. But then, they simply report the story. They're not writing it. They’re also a fairly down-to-earth scientific publication.

It’s a pity a few others who call themselves journalists don’t exhibit the same degree of professionalism.

(The pic is a Crown Victoria - a fine example of the state of the art from US manufacturers. It's actually a Ford).

Next Episode - Jellybeans in the Jungle

Wet Weather Driving

Given the current once-in-a-century floods occurring in the country where I work, I've done heaps of wet-weather driving this week.

Some of the driving behaviour I've observed makes me wonder about my fellow motorists' skill level and common sense.

On Tuesday I did a round trip of about 550km in conditions which could only be described as diabolical. The rain was torrential, and it simply didn't stop.

As a consequence, the surface water wasn't draining and there seemed always to be a centimetre or two on the road. If you look at the pic, you'll notice that the road surface has been damaged (principally by grain trucks) leaving depressions in the wheel tracks on both lanes where water pools.

The trick is to keep out of these depressions to avoid aquaplaning, which is easy when there's no other traffic, but is not always possible when there is.

It also helps to slow down (the road illustrated is 110km/hr limited) and to disengage the cruise control. Even taking these precautions, you could feel the grab at the wheel caused by the tyres shedding litres of water every second, and occasionally the unsettling twitch through the steering characteristic of aquaplaning.

You learn to avoid shiny road. That's a sure sign of a layer of water.

Years ago, whilst driving in the rain near Emerald, I was overtaken by a couple of young blokes in a Falcon wagon, which aquaplaned and fishtailed as they were getting back on the correct side of the road. I had a grandstand view of the consequences, and they weren't pretty. The car left the road and flipped three times, shedding bits and pieces as it went. The battery flew out, and missed my car (a Renault R12) by centimetres and the wreck finished right way up fifty metres off the road.

I had to provide first aid, and flag down a car which was on the way back to Emerald to alert the ambulance which arrived twenty minutes later. I had twenty minutes to consider the consequences of aquaplaning whilst looking after these two. Fortunately, they weren't badly hurt as their seat belts kept them in the car.

Maybe this experience effects how I drive in the rain.

On Tuesday's trip the car I was driving had power assisted rack and pinion steering, which is almost universal these days, and steering sensitivity is of high quality. Understanding how much grip is available is a no-brainer with this setup.

It also has a selectable four-wheel-drive transmission which helps, although engaging 4WD in these conditions seemed to have a marginal effect.

What horrified me was the number of drivers who were acting as if the sun was shining and the road was dry. By this I mean that they were travelling at high speed, and apparently paying no attention to the water on the road. They were also inclined to drive two metres from my rear bumper - not preparing to overtake - just sitting there for reasons beyond my understanding.

It's no wonder that the towies park their trucks at strategic locations on the highway at the first sign of rain.

Sometimes I wonder if the design of the modern car is part of the problem. Motorists are so insulated from the environment these days that they forget (or never learn if they're young drivers) that conditions are a factor. Many drive their cars as if they were involved in a simulation. Unfortunately, the consequences of a mistake or a bad decision in real life differ from what happens in a simulation.

That's one of the advantages of my MX5. Driving it brings you into immediate and total physical involvement with the environment.

Bloody Wet

Tomorrow's trip west is looking dodgy.

I've been doing this for four years now, and this is the first time that I may have to defer/postpone work because of the weather.

It's a personal inconvenience, but I doubt that the people where I'm heading will be upset.

Some of the falls are already records, and there's a low brewing up off Fraser Island.

Let it rip, Hughie!

Update

02.03.10

I got as far as Miles. When I tried to head North along the Leichhardt Highway, a fairly large gentleman wearing a fetching shade of blue, explained politely that this was not a good idea, and I should go back in the direction from which I had come. He also suggested that I do this as soon as I could, as a "metre of water" was coming down the creek. I wasn't sure exactly what this meant, but I did as I was told.

This wasn't surprising, given the conditions. I haven't seen so much rain out this way since 1974.

The rain gauge looked interesting when I got home.

Tomorrow is another day.....

Jellybeans in the Jungle - Rookies

Off the Beaten Track

For the last two weeks I've been working a little off the beaten track.

Posted is a montage of shots taken here and there during these trips. It's an attempt to capture the humid energy of the bush that hits you in the face during a real wet season. Double-click on the images to see them full size.

Open road - green grass, and lots of midges. (Near Augathella)







North of Teelba - some of the best cattle country around - especially now.






There are places where the map loaded in the GPS isn't up to the task, and it gets confused and the little arrow marker floats around in the ether. I use it mostly to keep track of arrival times at the next job.






Mungallalla hotel - the power pole spoils it a bit. This is a very old pub - grey nomads can camp in the grounds for free. This time of the year they're generally still in Mexico (Victoria).




On approach to Roma. The creeks are up. The flight was smooth once above the weather (aircraft is pressurised) but there were lots of corrugations and potholes on approach and departure. There's plenty of heat-generated energy around.








On the ground at Charleville. The Aero Commander on the left is the mail plane. My plane is the Piper Cheyenne Turbo on the right. The fence with a PIN number providing access is to keep the terrorists out. It's conceivable that a small plane could be stolen and flown to a city airport to access the flight line. 9/11 has tentacles everywhere.

Waiting for the off at Roma. It's wet. There are sandflies. I'm allergic. I have aerogard.




Storm building up near Mitchell.

It won't look like this again for between five and ten years.