Sunday, July 22, 2007

VFR Navigation Flights

I have done a couple of navigation flights to the countryside around Perth. It was pure fun of flying. I could feel the freedom when flying in the limitless blue sky with fluffy white clouds floating freely in the air. On the ground, I could see the vast meadow greens stretching far beyond the horizon and onto the rising hills where clear blue water reservoirs and lakes reflecting the sky like a mirror. When near the coast, the sandy beach lines up nicely from North to South, separating the land and the blue Indian Ocean.








Few of my flights brought me to countryside aerodromes where I had to do a few touch and go landings. These aerodromes are in odd places where winds are generally strong. Some aerodromes consist only a dirt or gravel runway which pose a challenge for good landings. There was once I came in with such strong wind that my aircraft nose had to be 20 degrees off from the the runway centreline for landings. Scary!

Saturday, July 14, 2007

Colors In The Sky

The winter weather was ugly and shitty last week. Thunderstorms and rains lashed down on most parts of Western Australia including Jandakot. It stayed for nearly a week and all flights were cancelled. It was such a boring and depressing week because most of my activities were confined to indoors. But at the end of the rain, there were always rainbows that appeared spectacularly in the horizon. I was there, standing at both ends of the rainbow. Unfortunately, no hidden treausres nor pots of gold were to be found. All the rainbow stories told during my childhood remains a fantasy. But the real gem was the unforgettable sight of such wonderful color paintings in the sky; up close and personal. That was the real hidden treasure of Jandakot.