When is the best time to fly in eastern Australia?
Spring often brings exceptional conditions, November and December can be great, problem here is that these exceptional days are sparsely mixed in with lots of not so good days, typical spring.
For consistency fly Jan, Feb and March
Expert guides led by Brian Webb guiding us to the right sites for the weather ahead
Extensive local knowledge of sites and meteorology
Daily weather briefs, task recommendation, goal setting and in flight support.
Pre tour skills assessment and coaching
Ongoing coaching with goal orientated skills improvement throughout the tour
Tandem training with tour pilots where beneficial
Comfortable vehicles with coordinate capable GPS
Transport from and to Sydney airport
Transport to the sites each day
Dedicated retrieve driver
Full retrieve
Mobile wireless internet connection from the retrieve vehicle
Laptop friendly, I need my laptop and connectivity to be able to get the best from each day, I understand how important it may be for you
We encourage each pilot to get a SPOT satellite GPS tracker to ensure we know where everybody is - all the time
What does the tour NOT include?
Airline flights, travel insurance, accommodation or food. Site or National Association fees
We figure most of these are personal variables better handled individually - frequent fliers / standby deals - vegetarians - company insurance - special sleeping requirements etc etc
Accident and helicopter evacuation Insurance is compulsory, sascha sascha@tsbright.com.au at outdoor travel can help to arrange this for pilots for circa Aus $300
What do we do for accommodation?
Individuals choose how to spend the night, we will always be ending the day close by motels, hotels or camping - each evening we will drop you off and pick you up again every morning to regroup, rebrief and start the new day
What would a typical day consist of?
Meet up and get into breakfast for 8:30 to 9:00, check out the weather for the day and agree a schedule for getting up to launch. Round off the debriefs from yesterday evenings discussion of flying and cover any questions.
Catch up on the email and internet, grab some water, fruit and lunch for the day
Get to launch for 11:00ish and assess the quality of the day. Prepare gear and meet to agree on a course direction and personal goals.
Into the air by midday, early launches so we can get up for a reflight if we bomb then make the best of the day we have. Work as a group onto the course then as the day warms up start to move up the course and get a feel for the day.
Pick up all the group, grab a beer or soda, swap tall stories and head on back to town for a shower and dinner
Get together for dinner around 7:00pm ish, debrief over dinner, download tracklogs, discuss highs and lows, good decisions and decisions that can improve. Check gear then hand over for the evening
What do we do if we get bad weather?
We have budgeted to be able to drive to various sites over 1,000 miles. The geography of NSW and Victoria is quite diverse and subject to different climates and meteorology. We will drive to where ever looks best for the flying we want to do. If the weather is evidently bad along the whole of the east then we will play tourist and relax, waiting for the change and being sure to be in the right place
The vehicle is a Mitsubushi Delica 4WD, 2.6 litre diesel, an 8 seater with on board wireless internet and laptop facilities.
Vehicle types can change but we will strive to keep it as advertised
How does the retrieve system work?
All tour pilots will need a clear inflight radio communications system (we can work with you to help you get this properly sorted out), a GPS and a cell phone.
We all fly from the same site each day, as you fly you routinely radio to the retrieve driver your GPS position based on bearing and distance from launch . If they have not heard from you frequently enough they will ask you for updates. We can find you based on this information alone. When you land you radio and SMS (text) your GPS coordinates to the retrieve driver. If you have a SPOT you press OK and sit back.
You will need to land or walk to a vehicle accessible road, we will not haul you out of dense bush. Remember a good looking track may have locked gates so be smart and focus on landing beside paved (sealed)roads.
The retrieve driver has a vehicle based GPS that will accept your coordinates and guide the driver to you, they also have maps of the area
We recommend that pilots invest in a SPOT satellite GPS tracking system. This unit will transmit a your coordinates via satellite (does not need cell phone coverage) to our driver. We can also track you whilst you are flying.
Rurally Telstra have the best network best to get a NextG phone, Check out Telstra prepaid,
The tour length is 11 days with a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 8 pilots. The cost per pilot with 6 pilots is less than $150 per day. The tour cost will vary on how many pilots are on the group, the more who come the cheaper it gets for all
| 11111111111 | Pilots |
US $ |
Euro |
Aus $ |
4 |
2,200 |
1,700 |
2.200 |
|
5 |
1,800 |
1,400 |
1,800 |
|
6 |
1,500 |
1,200 |
1,500 |
|
7 |
1,300 |
1,000 |
1.300 |
|
8 |
1,100 |
900 |
1,100 |
Tour costs can change but we will strive to keep it as advertised
The tour starts and finishes in Sydney from Sat 21st to Sun, 29th January, 2011
The Manilla XC Open runs from 4-11 Feb
We can help with transport for any pilots wanting to fly in these events
What is the philosophy of the tour?
This is an 11 day flying tour, dedicated to providing pilots with the best opportunity to maximise their flying. We provide the infrastructure to help you to achieve. Rather than base ourselves at one site we will drive the km's to fly whereever is on and right for the group
If we can't fly or realistically travel to a site to fly then we will chill and play tourists
Brian Webb
Use our booking page and Paypal to make a US $500 deposit
This deposit is 100% refundable until the course is confirmed on or before the 31 Dec, 2011
Once the course is confirmed the deposit is non refundable, the balance is required by the 7 January, 2012
Please don't book flights until you have a confirmation from me that the tour is running. We will be depending on a minimum of 4 guests before we confirm
Do I need a VISA to go to Australia?
Check with your travel agents to confirm your visa requirements into Australia
How much is medical and evacuation insurance?
QBE offer a good deal for circa Aus $300 - contact Sascha on sascha@tsbright.com.au
How can I get a good price on an air ticket to Sydney?
Call Sascha at Travel Scene - she finds amazing fares - sascha@tsbright.com.au
There are some amazine deals into Australia at the moment
Motels vary from US $20-80, camping is often around US $10 per night
Where can I get camping gear, do I have to bring it over?
I buy once I get to Australia - at Big W everything is v cheap - a good size 2 person tent for circa US $50 - you can get pillows, stretchers (cots), pots, camping stoves.
We can pull over at a Big W after the pickup from Sydney
Pretty similar to the US or UK and we will always be close to grocery stores or diners
Do I need to join any Australia organisations to fly?
For sure, you will need a temporary membership of HGFA to qualify for their 3rd party insurance, Aus $100, details at HGFA. We can help you with the paperwork required here
Which sites are on the itinerary?
We fly where the weather presents the best opportunities to us
We start off in Sydney, if the weather is opportune we will fly at Stanwell Park, a 1 hour drive south.
From Sydney we will head north west to Mt Borah at Manilla, this is a 7 hour drive.
After Manilla we drive south down to Conargo for some towing or if conditions ore good consider moving onto Corryong in Victoria, either of these is a 12 hour trip. From Conargo or Corryong we head 3 hours into Bright.
If the weather suggests we drive south first then we head for Bright then around the sites to finish up at Manilla
How much luggage can I take into Australia on an International flight?
Check with your airline but flights from the US often allow 32kg of checked luggage. Eurepeans may not be so fortunate.
What is involved in the skills development?
An important part of the tour is individual and group goal orientated skills development.
We work with each pilot to identify areas of opportunity to develop and improve individual skills. We discuss and agree strategies to work towards measurably improving those skills. We jointly identify achievable goals that over time demonstrate how well those strategies are working.
Some of this opportunities are discussed and developed before the tour via an internet based remote skills development process.
All of these opportunities, strategies and goals are documented and become part of a skills improvement package that you take away with you to continue to use and develop your flying.
The Australian use a UHF CB frequency range around 476mhz
Ideally we all use 476mhz, bring your 2m as we will cater for both.