Around Australia in 6 days with the Fascination
 
 
Why race around Australia in 6 days ? What motivates a pilot to fly over the most beautiful parts of Australia rather than take the time to stop and enjoy them ?
 
 
The answer is really simple : To show off the real capabilities of the Fascination - a single engine ultralight made in Germany, powered by a Rotax 912 (80hp) and using a variable pitch propeller. I wanted this flying adventure to lay the facts on the table for the Australian market with official proof about its speed, reliability and range.
 
 
I am not one to elevate myself to the status of some current importers and manufacturers who brag about range of 2000kms, cruise speeds of 160kts and fuel consumption of 8 l/hr only in stories with large headlines!
These are all nice ideas but who really believes them as fact ?
 
 
So what flying benchmarks and goals can one achieve, and what records can one set or break that actually have any realistic value ? With most distance or speed records for example, you only have to wait for the right weather and wind in the right direction and just take -off ! Anyone that has some time can do that. With that, your average pilot is none the wiser - the flights are not relevant to them.
 
 
 
My Fascination is already 5 years old, has over 400hrs on the clock and still is fitted with an 80hp Rotax. The aircraft is a stock standard production model - all we did was give it a good wax and polish !
Here is our Fascination story - one that is fully documented. The records flown were submitted to the FAI with claims pending.
 
 
 
Up until now no one has "officially" circumnavigated the 5th continent in an Ultralight aircraft. Our goal was to do it in less than 10 days. At the planning stage of the nearly 11,000 km flight we realised that it might be possible to do it in just 6 days and potentially claim some world records along the way. The current distance record without refueling is 1033.15kms. Our longest leg would be 1252kms.
 
Geoff Alston, a good friend of mine, and ex-student was excited at the idea - it wasn't difficult to convince him to come along for a trip he wouldn't quickly forget. It's probably also the record for the longest Cross-Country endorsement flight too ! I think I can now sign him off with some confidence.
 
Having a great idea is one thing - turning it into reality is another. Such simple planning concepts like weather, maps, and checking airports for fuel availability etc. takes more time than one thinks.
 
I contacted Peter Norvil before I planned the route - he has flown his Mooney solo, non-stop around Australia and solo around the world. He has his act together on the meteo situation, is a pilot himself and knows what is needed. He offered his assistance and suggested the best time would be Aug/Sept. Unfortunately the only time I had was October as I was still in Germany up until then and anything later than Nov would see us too close to the thunderstorm season up north. As a result the pressure was on to get prepared. To fly world records you need lots of time and be ready to go the moment the weather and wind is right. We didn't have the spare time and had to take it as it came.

 
The next thing to do was to determine the route. Peter's suggestion was to go anti clockwise - that way we would have the most tail wind assistance. Laying out all the WAC's takes up a whole lounge room ! The recognized route around the country takes in most of the major cities
 
 
Sydney, Brisbane, Townsville, Darwin, Broome, Canarvon, Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne.
They are the waypoints.
 
 
My German registered Fascination was fitted out with a transponder so it would have been legal for us to fly through controlled airspace. I however wanted to do the flight as an ultralight and as such we searched for alternative airfields near the international airports. They do exist and they are very worthwhile to visit. Everything there is easy apart from the possibility of no fuel availability. If there was not any fuel officially we could easily go to a nearby petrol station to get the necessary rations. My 912 Rotax burns virtually any fuel that is brought to it, though it prefers ULP - and that you can get anywhere! That is a big advantage compared to GA.
 
 
After many hours of planning we decided on the route, marked it on the charts and calculated the approximate distance. The problem was to make each leg not to short and not to long. The range of the Fascination is approximately 1100kms plus reserves in nil wind. But we couldn't always factor in nil or tail wind. Even headwind was possible and would make some of the longer legs quickly unachievable.
 
We settled on 13 legs mostly around 900kms the shortest one was from Hoxton Park (Sydney) to my Manilla Sky Ranch and the longest was between Perth and Eucla on the Great Australian Bight. According to Peter, down south we could bank on more reliable westerlies and thus tail wind.
 
Geoff is pretty handy with GPS's and computers. He entered the waypoints into the computer and downloaded them on to the Garmin Pilot 3 GPS. This resulted in a distance of 10476.3 kms, which we would easily do in 6 days.
 
We then had to get the current charts - WAC, VTC, ERC, VNC and ERSA. It would also be good to find a sponsor and since I had worked for many years as a professional photographer for Nikon that was a good place to ask first. Like with all sponsoring it always take time. But the Australian importer Maxwell quickly came good with a Coolpix 4500 - a small light digital camera to mount on the aircraft externally. Its 4 mega pixel resolution would be plenty for the various magazines cover page shots.
 
 
About one week before the planned departure I was in almost daily contact with Peter Norvil, he suggested that the 9th of October would be the right day to head off. He stuck with that call right up till our departure. Although we couldn't factor in tail wind we didn't need to worry about strong northerly head winds which were present the whole week prior at a constant 30kts.
 
I spent Monday and Tuesday preflighting the aircraft inside and out from nose to tail, including an oil change. I needed a new battery and on short notice couldn't obtain an original one. Instead of a sealed battery I installed one from a motor bike - this had ramifications later on.
 
On Tuesday night Geoff and I had our last briefing studied the charts and went to bed early.
 
On Wednesday morning we got up at sunrise checked the weather and downloaded the notams from the Internet. The Fascination got its full load of fuel, we stowed away our baggage and then we were ready to roll. Godfrey our FAI official witness completed the take off form and now we were in the race.
 
The first leg was a small one to begin with, only 480kms to Caboolture. That way we had Brisbane in the bag. There was nothing out of the ordinary apart from the smoke from the bushfires. In this area the Great Dividing Range is not that high and due to the still strong northerly we flew at just 4000 ft.
 
After 2 ½ hours we arrived at Caboolture and rolled straight to the fuel bowser. It's best to organise landing witnesses in advance as it is quite possible to arrive without been seen. We had our landing witness who was in the right place at the right time. We didn't want to stop for long and after refueling we continued on to our next goal - Townsville. Once again it was headwind but we didn't expect otherwise. Just south of Townsville international airport there was a small private airstrip called Donnington Airpark. The owner Ray Smith promised us some fuel.
 
 
Flying fast in a light aircraft during the middle of the day in strong thermal conditions is not pleasant! Geoff my co-pilot was getting pretty pale and I only just managed to get him the paper bag in time. We didn't talk much and I tried to fly as smooth as possible. The landscape here is rough, it's windy and I had to tighten up my safety belt otherwise I would have been flung out of the cockpit. After 4 hours flight time the airstrip finally came into view. I dispensed with the usual circuit and made an immediate approach to left base and landed softly on the runway. Geoff was definitely glad to have both feet on the ground.
 
 
 
Ray is a really friendly person and gave us a exceptionally warm welcome. He invited us for a cuppa and gave us the full story about his Airpark. Geoff recovered pretty quickly and I wanted to fly to the coast to get a few sunset shots. The visibility was not so good, the lighting was dull and the air was smoggy. As such we turned back for Ray's Airpark and fueled up again.
 
Ray's wife cooked us dinner while we emptied a 44 gallon drum off his gravel laden truck. I would like to thank both for their great hospitality and assistance.
 
 
The next morning we were up before sunrise to prepare for the days flying. Darwin via Burketown was our goal. Ray was already on his feet and was driving up and down the run way to clear the Kangaroos away. He was our takeoff witness and completed the appropriate documents. At first light we were in the air and saw the deep red sun rising from 3000ft.
 
I reduced the cruise speed from 130kts to 120 kts as on our last leg we had used too much fuel. For the 1035kms we burned almost 70lts. That early in the morning there was hardly any wind, the landscape was devoid of any human habitation, rough, hilly and there were no emergency landing options. It was only about 200kms before Burketown that the earth started to change. It got much flatter and there were many snaking rivers with a variety of changing colours.
 
On the Burketown CTAF frequency we heard a departing aircraft from Runway 03. We decided to take the same runway. Behind us was a commercial twin. On over flying the runway we observed a 100 degree cross wind. That wouldn't make any difference for us, as the runway was long enough.
 
 
We rolled directly to the refueling area and there was not a soul to be seen. The pilot of the twin was our landing witness this time. After 20 mins the fuel attendant arrived along with another group of pilots. They were from Lake Keepit Gliding Club and wanted to surf the Morning Glory. It's quite amazing that at a small airport 2500kms from home you run into your neighbours!
 
We then also came into contact with a pilot from Darwin. He suggested Emkaytee, a small ultralight airstrip south of Darwin, where we could also organise fuel. Before the 5 hour flight we topped up our own reserves with a works burger from the Morning Glory restaurant. We also found some takeoff witnesses.
 
The surface wind felt good and we would need some tail wind to make the 1100km leg more comfortable. We rolled on to runway 21 in the middle of the day without the need for the usual warn up time, as the air temp was over 40 degrees.
 
We climbed up to 5000ft even though the engine temp was still in the green - but despite that I don't like to see more then 115 degrees on the oil temp gauge. It was 38 degrees at 5000ft - now things were getting pretty warm. In order to fly in smoother air we climbed another 1000ft. The air temp didn't give in but at least it wasn't as bumpy.
 
Tindal is a large military area with loads of restricted and danger areas. We attempted to get clearance but there was no one on the other end of the radio! Finally we got onto Tindal approach who said our transmission was coming through rather chopped. He told us the airspace was not active and so we had a direct clearance to Darwin. I already noticed something wrong with the electronics in that flight, but what exactly I couldn't tell. I had an idea that something was possibly wrong with the battery.
 

On the approach to Emkaytee I was relieved to see that the electro-hydraulic operated landing gear went down and locked without any trouble. Even the prop pitch control was still working. After the landing I noticed that the electrical system was down to 8.2 volts - so it must have had something to do with the battery. Conrad an ultralight pilot was the first to arrive. He offered us the use of an 80lt fuel container. Next came Elizabeth the president of the 90 member strong Top End Ultralight Club. She immediately offered us a vehicle to get fuel from the nearest petrol station. Now that's Australia! Everyone gets a helping hand regardless of how much of a stranger they are.

She invited us for a cup of tea before we headed off. We gratefully excepted as she lived directly at the airstrip. Her husband Sam who is a aircraft engineer in Darwin and biker just arrived on his BMW. We unscrewed the cowling of the Fascination after we had organised the fuel. The battery was completely empty of acid. Conrad offered me the new battery out of his Thruster. Unbelievable, it was exactly the same as my original one. His was only a week old and I gladly gave him the $200 for it.

It was slowly getting dark as we screwed home the last cowling fastener using the light of a torch. The Fascination was now ready for the rest of the flight. We got invited to dinner at Elizabeth's and Sam's where the conversation enthusiastically centered around ultralight flying. Elizabeth told me a story of some friends from Melbourne that visited my Sky Ranch just a month earlier. Man the world is small! It is in the middle of such ultralight pilot groups that I feel myself at home. They are all so relaxed and just want to have fun regardless if it's flying a Trike, Drifter, Thruster, Gyro, or high-tech ultralights. There are 24 ultralights based at Emkaytee and there is no competition or jealousy. Everyone just fly's together - I find that really nice. I would like to thank them for the great hospitality shown - we felt like one of the family.
 
The next day will take us to Port Headland via Derby and Broome. At sunrise we were already sitting in the fascination with 40 degrees outside and 3000ft under us. But this time we finally had tail wind, which prompted us to climb to 6000ft. We couldn't fly direct to Derby due to Joseph Bonaparte Gulf, and created a dog leg in our routing in order to stay within the AUF maximum over water distance guidelines. The tailwind was helping us quite nicely and it became obvious, as we came up to the Kimberlys that we would easily make it to Broome. It would definitely have to be a more pleasant place then the military strip at Derby. On the approach to Broome International we realised that this would be the highlight of the trip and not the Kimberlys as we previously thought. Broome is just a little town built on bright red sand surround by turquoise blue water.
 
After the back track down the runway we rolled into the northern GA-apron. As per usual we organised our landing witness and checked fuel, oil and water. Now that we had already flown the largest sector of the days planned flight we allowed ourselves a swim! "Taxi, to the nearest beach"! That was great - and a nice change from sitting in a hot aircraft looking at the tempting waters. We also decided to indulge in a small sight seeing flight to Port Headland.
 
Back at the airport I mounted the Nikon digital camera on the wing. This leg of the flight was the one with the highest temperature and breathtaking landscapes. I've seem a large slice of our planet and I would count Shark Bay to be one of the most beautiful! We landed in Port Headland at sunset and were happy to be heading south again towards milder temperatures. Our first beer of the trip was in the road house within sight of the airport and just before we turned in for the night.

 
For the next days we didn't need anymore takeoff or landing witnesses as we had strong head wind and short legs, making them not worthy of records. We were on the way to Perth via Canarvon. We had originally planned to land at Rottnest Island, but as there was no fuel there we headed for Jandakot. In Canarvon I phoned Ben Sharp and he suggested we fly in to Serpentine approximately 20kms south of Perth. It's his local flying area and we would also get to meet more ultralight pilots there. It was also a better idea as at large airports there is not usually a friendly atmosphere to be found. That's why I like smaller airfields.
 
 
Ben invited us to his place where we planned the next days flying. He suggested we would probably run into some easterlys, whereas Peter Norvil was thinking more along the lines of a slight tailwind chance. "Go as high as you can" was the recommendation. We wouldn't make the 1260kms without tailwind. I stuck with my decision to head for Eucla despite Ben's opinion. I could always make an emergency landing on the highway if need be. As we feared all the METARS and TAF's were incorrect as they often are. They said 260 at 10 for 7000ft. At altitude there was no wind. Nothing, absolutely nothing. On the ground there was a light easterly as Ben predicted and the cloud shadows were stationary.
 
As such we shortened the flight by 50kms and landed at Mundrabilla Roadhouse. It's not unusual for aircraft to land there and roll up to the petrol station. It was the quickest fuel stop we had. It's a shame that I believed my fuel gauge more then my gut feeling as we actually had a few litres left with which to make Eucla. It's better to land earlier to be sure, than later with a spluttering engine though.
 
After we filled the tank in the plane, we also needed to fill our stomachs. Bacon, eggs and a coke and the pilots were ready to go again. Whyalla was our goal for the day and it still lay 900kms ahead. We couldn't fly direct as the Great Australian Bight made too much of a northerly deviation. We flew in calm air just 20mls from the coast over water and had the loveliest views. After 465kms of flying over the water we were once again over land. It was getting quite green and the southern corners seeming to be good farm land. But there was a reason for it being so green - clouds, everywhere nice fat cumulus clouds. At sunset we arrived at Whyalla. It was a large place but not a soul around.
 
As we arrived at the re-fueling area I could feel the outside air temperature I asked Geoff if he really wanted to open the canopy? In blew an ice cold wind over our noses. I only had a light shirt with me but luckily Geoff had a jumper along for the ride. The terminal building was open and along came the attendant, who quickly filled the tank. We got a lift to the nearest town for dinner. Ahead of us lay one more flying day and then we would have flown right around Australia.
 
The strong north easterly wind abated as the last day dawned. I couldn't get a hold of my meteorologist by phone but the weather in Whyalla looked OK and Peter didn't mention anything about dramatic weather changes for the worse the day before. So off we went to Kyneton via Adelaide. We planned to fuel up there and then and then head for the Sky Ranch via Hoxton Park. The further we flew to the south the worst the weather got. Flight watch reported no VFR conditions around Melbourne. They indicated low cloud base, drizzle and strong wind. We decided to head further north to Shepparton where there were no rain reports from Melbourne centre. It is quite important to keep in contact with Flight Watch or FIS as they can provide all the necessary information.
 
 
We landed in Shepparton and realised we would have good tailwind to Sydney - finally real tail wind! The people from the aeroclub were really friendly and filled out the official forms. The flight plan was for 8000ft and we were getting quite close to cloud base at times. It started to lift further north and we got clearance to climb to 10 000ft and cruise direct to Hoxton Park through the Class C airspace over Canberra. It was smooth flying above the clouds and we enjoyed a ground speed of 170kts. 60 mls out of Sydney we canceled our controlled flight and at 45 DME we had to be under 7500 ft. It was quite bumpy under the clouds and the rough landscape around Lake Burragorang assisted the turbulence nicely. The airspace around Sydney needs to be strictly adhered to. We descended down to 4500 and then to 2500, over flying Camden at 3000ft. During this decent we saw only our 3rd aircraft of our whole trip, a twin making an approach to Bankstown.
 
 
Hoxton Park is worth the experience. In order to maintain centre line on the runway we had the nose pointing 40 degrees to the right, like in an extreme side slip. Apparently it is always cross wind there - strong, rough cross wind. " That's normal for here" said the young man from the aero club.
 
We didn't actually have to fuel up here but instinctively we rolled up to the bowsers. It's better to have fuel in our tank than their tank! I still had to ring up my wife before departing so she could notify the local media for interviews etc. We made a little bit of small talk with some GA pilots who just couldn't believe that we were using 15 l/h as opposed to their PA28 with 37 l/h and a lower cruising speed.
 
It's a long way around Sydney and Richmond before you can climb to some decent heights. At low levels it was extremely turbulent so we couldn't fly too quickly. Naturally we had a headwind; it would have just been too easy otherwise!
 
After 1.45 hours we landed at the Sky Ranch, where my wife Tina had organised a welcoming party with a whole lot of friends. I wasn't even out of the plane when the first glass of champagne was pressed into my hand. I wasn't going to fly anymore that afternoon and so a drink or two was just fine.
 
In my eyes the flight was fully successful. My Fascination had reliably taken us around Australia in record time.
 
At this point I would like to thank all our friends that helped us out at all the ultralight clubs around the country. Most importantly I would like to thank Peter Norvil for predicting the weather so well, and that for the whole of Australia.
 
Here are some the details of the flight:
 
Total Flight Distance: 10620 km
Average speed, inc. Take off, landing, taxing, warm up: 115 kt.
Total Flight time, incl take off, landing, taxi, and warm up: 51 hours
Legs: 13
Shortest leg: 338 km
Longest leg: 1200 km
 
The Aircraft:
Fascination WD 4
Manufacturer: WD Flugzeugbau Germany
Importer: Willi Ewig, Manilla SkyRanch, fly@manillaskyranch.com, www.manillaskyranch.com
Rotax 912, 80 hp.
neuform 2-blade variable pitch propeller
Electric/hydraulic Retractable undercariage
Max take off weight : 450 kg
Max cruise: 137 kt.
Stall speed : 35 kt.
Endurance: 5:00 at 65% powersetting (4400 rpm/23 hg)