Vineyards and Wines @ Swan Valley

Swan Valley is on the East of Perth, about 30 minutes drive away. This place is one of the well known producer of good wines around Western Australia. A drive down the road will bring one to the countryside with stretching green farms and vineyards, with the Swan river flowing down the valley. Unfortunately, I chose the wrong season to visit because it is winter now. The grapes have been harvested and leaves shed off. I could only see rows of tree trunks and twigs in the vineyard.






On the way, I managed to spot a Qantas A330 on a final approach to Perth Airport.


There are various sizes of wine producers ranging from large commercial to small time home wineries. Big commercial vineyards and wineries normally attract more visitors but they do charge for wine tasting. Small private vineyards are more rundown but one feels homely because the winemakers attend to their visitors closely and allow them to visit the wine cellars. Wine tasting is free and I personally like the wines produced by them. The taste is very unique which is different to those commercially produced.




Lunch break at Elmar's for fresh German beers and sausages.


A trip to Swan Valley is never complete without a visit to the Margaret River Chocolate Factory for that mad chocolate adrenaline rush.

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!

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.

1st Year Anniversary

Time flies. 22nd June was my first year anniversary in SIA. Those interviews, OBS and ground school days back in SG are still fresh in my mind. With a blink of an eye, I am now here in Jandakot, into my second half of flying training.

My course (we fondly call it C121) celebrated the anniversary with a bang. The original plan was to have BBQ. But the weather fouled up. So the boys brought the cooking indoor. Instead of grills and charcoals, all our food ended up in pots and pans. All C121 gatherings are never complete without booze. But it will also always end up with a few drunks, bunch of sobers and one helluva noisy night in the hostel. That night was no exception. One started with a prank, a minute later, baby powders and sunscreen lotions go flying in the air. Johan was going around with his rubber stamp, stamping on others gleefully. I remember that stamp on my head you bastard, haha. Timmy the drunkard was in cloud nine and took all the flaks and pranks as usual. Someone was stripped as well. If you are reading this, next time don't resist. Resistance is futile. Muahaha!!! There goes your pants.

P1 check: Cleared

10th June, 2007 was indeed another day to be remembered. I got a last minute call for flight on Sunday. Hastily, I finished up my laundry and rushed to the ops room. I took the aircraft (VH-YXV) up with instructor for my Phase 1 check. That was the test to assess my general flying abilities and procedures. After an agonizing long stretch to my Phase 1, it has finally come to an end. I am now in Phase 2 and can fly cross crounty navigation. This is real fun. I will be able to fly to the countryside and enjoy the nice sceneries.