I have failed!! This time I missed September completely with my blogs…must say something about being busy…
While I sit here in my office writing, I can glance up on my wall calendar and quickly see what I have been doing, and what is coming up. September is a flurry of scribble, that is for sure.
Since last writing (yes, in August…), I have been doing quite a bit of work out at my old stomping ground at the RAAF base at Williamtown, assisting in the training of Defence personnel. It is quite rewarding for me to go back out there and catch up with a lot of people, and have the satisfaction of helping people improve, something I am very passionate about.
We also ran a competition on the radio for a Fathers Day present, to go for a ride with me in the Extra. We had a lot of people apply, though I am not sure the winning Dad was filled in on the competition he was entered in as he still has not come forward!! The good news is, lots of people have been up in the aircraft now and the word on the street is “that is the best thing I have ever done!”.
I ended up down in Victoria at Echuca to do some aerobatic coaching for a number of pilots down there who are competing in the Australian Aerobatic Club, and I shall be returning in the not too distant future to put some more polish on them prior to the National Aerobatic Championships.
Pedita and I were also fortunate enough to be guests of Shell Aviation at the inaugural Australian Aviation Hall of Fame in Wagga. A black tie event, it was great to catch up with some of Australia’s most successful aviation business people, and friends and family of the recipients of the awards. It was quite a privilege to sit at a table with descendants of Lawrence Hargraves and Sir Charles Kingsford Smith.
I continued plugging away at my Helicopter Commercial licence, doing quite a few flights around the local area with either instructors, or taking my Dad for a fly just for the fun of it!
We finished the month off by packing the whole family up and flying over to Perth, to spend a few days relaxing in South Perth prior to attending the inaugural Westfly, a joint venture of the RAA and Sky Sports Innovations who develop the EQ Wireless headset that I use in the race plane. A very relaxing and enjoyable event for us all.
There were a few other things that occurred in September, though we are keeping a few secrets to keep you interested….more to come!
All the best.
Matt.
