🚀 go-pugleaf

My trip to Chatham was an adventure.

The Bristo Freighter had huge doors in front that gave access to the cargo
hold.  This aircraft had a modified pod with seats and sound insulation and
the windows lined up with the portholes on the fusilage.

The flight was long, 350 or 400 miles and we were not that high, 3000 feet
comes to mind. able to see the seas breaking anyway.

After about four hours we sighted the island and landed on a paddock
airstrip and the aircraft taxied to a concrete pad.

This pad had apparently been built after one or two incidents of the
aircraft sinking into the peat up to the wheel axles and having to be
extricated wit a great deal of difficulty.

I went from the airstip to a very isolated sheep station, one of the oldest
Chatham Island homes.  In the attic were instruments, and other bits and
peices of a Sunderland that struck a log in the lagoon, puncturing a float
and then being written off by the Government.  Bits of this Sunderland are
spread among the farms and homes of Chatham.  A propeller is set in concrete
outside of the post office building.

Other passengers on the flight included a Fisheries inspector and a number
of fishermen on their way to court in Chatham, for various offenses.  Others
were joining boats fishing in the area.

A returning local asked me whare I was going, I told them I was on my way to
Manage A big Sheep station down there, His response was....Hey Guys, this
poor bastard is going to manage Spannerhead's place.

Everyone gathered around and offered me huge sympathy, it seemsed that
Spanner head was a well known, well judged local nutter with a ferocious
reputation.

Itr was an adventure.  Sorry about the rave but the memory of flying in that
rattly old aircraft so far out into the Southern Ocean is one of my
favourites.
"PapaBear" <zeus@shadofax.gen.nz> wrote in message
news:dkzO7.5707$XE.431654@news.xtra.co.nz...
>
> "RT" <r.thomas@cqu.edu.au> wrote in message
> news:9uecci$c7u$1@spider.cqu.edu.au...
> >
> > "Tex Houston" <texhouston@pcisys.net> wrote in message
> > news:u0krcb6qac1lcf@corp.supernews.com...
> > > "Cut Lunch", wonderful expression, had not heard it before but
> understood
> > it
> > > instantly.  This is one I may adopt.
> > >
> > > Regards,
> > >
> > > Tex
> > >
> > > "RT" <r.thomas@cqu.edu.au> wrote in message
> > > news:9ud9hu$k9$1@spider.cqu.edu.au...
> > > > Ah well, at least you got a nice long flight.   You need a cut lunch
> > even
> > > > for a circuit in one of those things - not that they're slow or
> > > anything....
> > > > :-)
> >
> > It's actually only 1/2 the expression.   Used when destination is
distant
> or
> > difficult to find:  "You'll need a cut lunch and a compass".   Bristol
> > Frghtners already have the compass...
>
> Hmmm - Bristol Freighter...  40,000 rivets flying in close formation.
>
>