At present the residents of Darwin are whinging about thunderous aircraft noise shaking the city as the joint air force exercise Pitch Black is in full swing. I took the above picture whilst waiting at a hold point and if you look hard enough you may see a Thai air force F-16 taking off. These aircraft are impressive to watch close up as long as you are wearing hearing protection. The Indonesian air force Sukhoi flankers which are cutting up the skies over Darwin at present are a seriously impressive machine even if one got lost only forty miles Southwest of Darwin last week. It was an entertaining dialogue on the radio listening to Australian air traffic controllers attempting to talk the Indonesian pilots lost in one of the worlds most advanced fighter aircraft back to Darwin airport.
Last week another pilot from work and myself headed out in our four wheel drives to a small remote river mouth to go fishing (we didn't catch any fish) on the way we came across the wreckage of a world war two B24 Liberator named 'Milady' that crashed whilst returning from a training mission to an off shore island that was used as a bombing range. The above picture is of the B24 'Milady' pictured earlier on in her colourful career. The below picture is the remains of the large tail section of 'Miladay' at her final resting place in the Northern Territory bush.
Shortly after leaving the B24 wreckage the track got a little more swampy.
It's only natural to have the sunroof (emergency escape hatch) open on a sunny Sunday afternoon drive.
I am the first to admit that a Swedish flight attendant posing out the top of Saab sunroof is more appealing than a slightly chubby kiwi first officer doing the same.
The book of my UNBLOGABLE stories and adventures called 'Rice, beans & flying machines' will be released in 2013. keep a look out.
