This was the first of the "big days". Roughly 360 nm over desert. For the slower aircraft it meant quite a few hours in the saddle and for the helicopters also a refuel en route.
Garrick had organized some drums of fuel at Jervois Station and he and John left early to allow for the extra time involved.
Murray had planned to stop over as well because he was likely to be borderline on the fuel. As it happened we departed with a good tailwind of up to twenty knots. John had passed Urandanji before the rest were even in the air and Murray reached Jervois with plenty of fuel to make Alice Springs. Since there was a hammering cross wind well above the safe limit for the Winjeel his refuel was cancelled.
The choppers departed using the very short, but wide runway and Alice Springs didn't take as long as anticipated to appear.
Early morning departure out of Mount Isa. John took this photo with a first light take off.
They don't call it the Red Centre for nothing. In places the dry brown grass completely disappeared leaving bare red dirt exposed.
Helicopters have some great advantages over fixed wings. Long legs is not one of them. While all the fixed wingies sailed past, the fling-wings landed at Jervois Station to refuel from the drums Garrick had organized. The station hand came and gave us a hand
Closer to Alice the country became hilly, rough and far less inviting.
Alice Springs appears out of the dust haze.
A bit closer and Alice can be seen on the near side of the long ridge line with the gap in the ridge leading to the airport.
The Alice Springs Mall directly behind our motel.
Views of Standley Chasm. Roughly 40 km from Alice Springs . This is one of the gaps in that long ridge line that we crossed to get to the airport. Their were more chasms but not the time to see them.
View on the road back to Alice from Standley Chasm.
The lookout on the hill in the middle of Alice Springs
This might have been planning the next days flying....It might also have been working out where the nearest pub is!
