Love to fly

Pixel 9 also

Nothing new here. But Boost doesn't have the satellite functionality. Also not just iPhone and Samsung but also Pixel 9s

I debated swapping to Telstra from Boost to take advantage of the satellite messaging. Decided to stay with the Zoleo. Gives me messaging and email over satellite. Also main feature for me, GPS tracking for those holding my flight note. Works out better and cheaper than changing. When apps like Life360 work over satellite that will be a game changer for me.

We're just planning on going for the Saturday. We went to the BBQ they had a few months ago. Nice people. Good strip. Welcoming locals. Owners seem lovely.

Yep. Mining companies have them and some you can pay to access their data.

Weather stations? I'm not meaning METARs, just normal, non-aviation weather stations. Mining companies seem to have their own?

Not many weather stations in remote areas of Western Australia.

I use AvPlan but think you'll need segments to lodge flight plans etc. And don't forget the time changes from nsw to south Australia to Central West to West. Easy to get caught with end of day.

Get well and enjoy the trip. We've the Lockhart flyin, Tocumwal Airshow, Flinders Island trip in next 8 weeks so not this time.

When are you looking at going?

Interesting. I've never known them to be sold as kits. They have several models. Retractable, turboprop and other options. Also with/without ballistic chutes.

Seriously, particularly if he was planning to fly high, there is nothing odd about a straight track across Bass Strait. Not recommended, but not illegal or uncommon.

Okay, probably a bit (lot)verbose. But typed up for a friend after we got home last year. We carry life jackets as fly over Bass Strait a couple of times a year. Used them Aldinga to Port Pirie, and for a fairly brief low level flight along the Bunda Cliffs. As before we use a Zoleo. Love it! Lets me message a couple of reliable friends with my flight plan, fuel, pax, ETA's etc. They can track me. I can send alerts, or actual messages. I used to use a SPOT tracker but upgraded to the Zoleo awhile back as it lets me send/receive more info. ie. I've broken a nose wheel (never happened), rather than pressing an emergency button and not being able to say what the emergency is. 8/2/2024 Departed and refuelled Warracknabeal. Need to ring day prior. Easy as. Warracknabeal – Aldinga. Had arranged hangarage $15 per night. Cafe at airport is good, but not open all day. Stayed with friends for a few nights Aldinga to Tumby Bay. Stayed with friends 2 nights. Had planned 1 but wx at Ceduna meant we stayed over. Drove around Port Lincoln & Coffin Bay. Oysters in vending machines! Tumby Bay to Ceduna. 2 nights because we wanted to do the Smoky Bay Oyster Farm Tour. Hire car pre-arranged to pick up cat at Ceduna. Local has tie downs & a phone call meant we could use these rather than put stakes in in the heat. Much appreciated. Oyster Farm Tour was awesome. Ceduna to Nullarbor – refuel and lunch. Then onto Caiguna for the night. Rang both first to check runways okay and fuel available. Caiguna to Myrup. Met friends and got lift into town. Really hard to find accommodation. Friends dropped us back at plane the next morning. Flew to Esperance & refuelled. Then onto Albany. Had planned to spend a couple of days at Albany but weather was in 42 degrees there, and 49 degrees at Jurien Bay where we were heading. Hung about sight seeing for 5 nights till the temperature was in the high 30s at Albany and around 43 at Jurien Bay. Departed IFR due low cloud for a refuel at Northam, then on to Jurien Bay VFR. Had pre-arranged fuel & hangarage at Jurien Bay. Hangar really appreciated as it was HOT. Sent a week with family. Pinnacles worth seeing and flying over. Then back via Northam to Albany where other friends were picking us up for a few days. Left plane tied down on the Apron. Stayed at Nornalup/Walpole. Absolutely beautiful area. Different to everywhere else we’d been this trip, more like being back in East Gippsland. The WoW boat tour is a must. Best of its kind we’ve been on. Informative and fun. https://wowwilderness.com.au/ecocruises/ Then tried online & on phone to get Esperance accommodation for the trip home. One BnB 18 kms out of town had a room for $800. That was it. Helfpul lady from the information centre said almost impossible, nil vacancy rate September through to May. Also told me taxi from Esperance to Airport would be over a $100 each way. Hmm. Flew to Esperance, refuelled and headed to Kalgoorlie. Great accommodation in modern hotel. Large clean room $110 and short cheap taxi ride to and from the airport. Had originally planned Esperance – Caiguna -Forrest. But it had started raining at Caiguna and we were advised we may get in, but unlikely to get out so …. Departed IFR next morning for Forrest. Low clouds for about 20 minutes then cleared. We’d prearranged accommodation ages ago. Definitely worth a night there. Flew on to Ceduna the next morning. Luckily we left early as front came through and Forrest was isolated for a couple of weeks with heavy rain. Arrived in Ceduna. Refuelled. Had to put stakes in the ground, and it was really hot out there. Marty gave us a lift to the Motel. Motel dropped us back the next morning. Flew Ceduna to Port Pirie. I’d decided tie down cables/points were essential in the heat and Port Pirie has them! Even better when I rang to check the ARO said he’d meet us there and we could put the plane in the hangar over night. He then dropped us off to a motel. Good place to visit! Next day flew Port Pirie to home, via refuelling at Swan Hill

We landed at Myrup on the way over, and were offered hangarage for the night. Many phone calls later we finally found accommodation for the night. Heading East a few weeks later couldn’t find any accommodation anywhere. Local information centre said September throughout May they generally had 100% occupancy. We refuelled at Esperance and headed to Kalgoorlie for the night. Caiguna was too wet to land and we wanted to see Forrest so headed there the next night.

We found commodation really expensive at Esperance on our way West. Totally unavailable on our way home so refuelled and went to Kalgoorlie for the night. Taxi into Esperance from the airport would have been over $100. I put together a list of where we stopped, highlights etc last year. I'll dig it up tomorrow.