SOUTH ISLAND TOUR 2008

[ScottyB]

I was planning on buying a much smaller aircraft for the rest of the tour as the Cessna has crapped out on me. But i have had a change of plans as my family have joined me, therefore i will need a plane samller than the Caravan, but bigger than the likes of a Piper Dakota. So, i have bought a Beechcraft King Air 300 that will seat all of us combortably!

We hope to depart tonight and head to Invercargill!

Thanks, SB

[PiperDriver]

Good choice of aircraft to use for your tour. Allied FS group b300?

[ScottyB]

Sorry this has taken so long people. My computer crapped out on me last year and had to get a new one. Its just a family desktop so it's not the highest performing machine (as you may tell in the screenies). I never really got into the tour again until now so here goes. Sorry about the title too, but oh well...i guess it was started in 2008 so i'll leave it. Enjoy.


Milford Sound - Te Anau

I went to have a look at the King Air but boy was she expensive! So I opted for this Cessna Chancellor. And I love her!

My wife and two kids flew into Milford a week ago and we have since completed the Milford track to give them an idea of some of the landscape we'll be flying over. It was a great trip.

This morning we awoke in the backpackers to a fine day. Light winds, high cloud and mild temperatures. I strolled down to the info centre to get an update on the forcast for the day (and a coffee for the wife and daughter!). The forcast was predicting a southerly change about midday that was going to hang around for the next few days. I got back to the backpackers and everything was packed up for the flight. Great! We had a quick breakkie in a cafe down the road, then headed to the airport.

I opened the Cessna up and loaded her with all our gear. My wife and daughter (as usual) jumed on in and began reading magazines in the cabin. Meanwhile my son and I ran through the pre-flight checks. All good. We fired her up and taxied the runway. Cleared for takeoff we headed up the valley towards the Homer Tunnel. We banked to the south and headed up another valley following the Milford Track towards McKinnon pass. Goodbye Milford Sound.

We followed the track for a while then decided to have a little explore in some other spectacular Fiordand Valleys. We head down the North Fiord of Lake Te Anau and flew south down the lake, towards the township. Far in the distance there was a haze moving slowly north. Then more cloud. Then rain. The front was arriving.

Soon enough we ran into some severe turbulance and lightning. It wasn't going to be a pleasant landing! The girls were crapping themselves. On finals the Cessna was being blown around like a balloon but she handled it all pretty well.

We touched down in Te Anau after a horrific ending to the spectacular flight. So here we are; in the Top 10 Holiday park in Te Anau. Its still pouring down outside. We'll be heading down to Invercargill tomorrow.

See you then. But firstly, here are some quick photos of today. Enjoy.

[Cirrus]

Hey, love the tour so far scotty- keep em coming!