| [ Total Views: 1914 | Total Replies: 14 | Thread Id: 104763 ] |
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 DubbyFan
Wolfsburg Wizard
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Location: Lord Howe Island, NSW
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| posted on January 18th, 2014 at 07:30 AM |
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Seaplane returns to Lord Howe Island
For over 30 years big flying boats Catalinas, Sunderlands and Sandringhams alighted and took off from the
clear waters of Lord Howe Island's lagoon out in the Tasman Sea off the east coast of Australia. While not
close to the majesty and grace of the big boats a little bit of seaplane magic has returned to be based on the
island. Plan to get some better pic's down the track, closer and from inside as well! Aeroplane is a Coylaer
Freedom, made in Spain, 4cyl Rotax boxer engine, like a VW.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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68AutoBug
A.k.a.: Lee Noonan
Aircooled Master
Beetle Restorer - Experience over 138% - YIKES --
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| posted on January 18th, 2014 at 01:39 PM |
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Excellent...
only problem being salt water..
YIKES.. salt causes many problems..
Nice looking plane though..
LEE
- [size=4]Helping keep Air Cooled VWs on the road - location: SCONE in the Upper Hunter Valley - Northern NSW 320 kms NNW of SYDNEY--- [/size]
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HappyDaze
A.k.a.: Greg Mackie
Son of Jim - Creator of Good
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| posted on January 18th, 2014 at 01:55 PM |
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Is that a toilet roll between the seats ?......surely it's not that scarey. 
I'd rather wear a Beetle out by racing it than by polishing it!
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Craig Torrens
A.k.a.: Craig Torrens
Scirocco Rare
6 times Australian, 7 times State Hillclimb Class Champion
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| posted on January 18th, 2014 at 01:57 PM |
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I'd be scared flying a rotax powered plane
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donn
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| posted on January 18th, 2014 at 04:03 PM |
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More info needed, is this for scenic flights only or to and from the mainland
I dream of a day when a chicken can cross a road without being asked for it's motive!
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 vw54
Super Administrator
Always Waiting 4 Friday
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| posted on January 18th, 2014 at 05:06 PM |
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Pete
mate of mine ( where I work now ) is flying a freighter over there in a few weeks from Port to Lord
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DubbyFan
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| posted on January 18th, 2014 at 05:16 PM |
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| Quote: | Originally
posted by donn
More info needed, is this for scenic flights only or to and from the mainland
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Here's some stats on the thing, link below, no not a commercial venture just a local guy who can afford such a toy, he's a good mate so should be
able to wangle a ride one day soon I hope!
Link to Coylaer Freedom.
http://www.colyaer.com/freedomeng.htm
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Uber Kafer
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| posted on January 18th, 2014 at 07:39 PM |
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| Quote: | Originally
posted by HappyDaze
Is that a toilet roll between the seats ?......surely it's not that scarey.
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actually, that must tbe the base model of the range of planes, as the deluxe model of the plane has got a nifty auto-bidet function during take off
and landing. A little scoop drops down and feeds back to the seat.
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DubbyFan
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| posted on March 26th, 2014 at 07:16 PM |
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Had a great day around 1pm local time did around ten touch and goes in my mates Colyaer
Freedom, awesome thing to do and as you can see a cracking day out in the Tasman today!
 
 
Did a full stop and taxied around for a bit.
 
Couple of views of the 3,000ft airstrip.
The daily Qantas Dash 8 200 was in while we were airborne.
For those that surf this thing is the ultimate surf check machine, surfed this left today after
the flight, 4 to 5 foot sou-west swell into a 15 knot easterly off shore, almost perfect it was
crowded 3 of us out! (Sorry but someone's gotta do it!)
 
840 odd nm in that direction New Zealand
Short finals, those big skid marks in the second pic are from a RAAF Hercules that was here yesterday.
Tucked up safely in her hanger, what an awesome little machine!
 
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donn
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| posted on March 26th, 2014 at 08:31 PM |
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But I don't care, I'm not even a little bit jealous  
I dream of a day when a chicken can cross a road without being asked for it's motive!
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beetleboyjeff
A.k.a.: Jeff Walsh
Custom Title Time!
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| posted on March 26th, 2014 at 11:03 PM |
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Lucky Bastard
From your ole' mate Jeff
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Phil74Camper
Son of Jim - Creator of Good
Head in the Clouds
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| posted on March 27th, 2014 at 08:13 AM |
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What a beautiful spot - must get there one day. I've been to Norfolk Island a couple of times; in the late '70s Qantas used to fly two DC4s there
and always did a low pass over Lord Howe on the way. The East-West Fokker Friendships that followed weren't quite as exciting.
Here are the two famous Short Sandringham boats that Ansett used to fly to Lord Howe, up until 1974. I'm just old enough to remember seeing them
bobbing on the harbour at Rose Bay. Both still exist; one is owned by Kermit Weekes in Florida, and the other is in a museum at Southhampton, UK.
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DubbyFan
Wolfsburg Wizard
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| posted on March 27th, 2014 at 02:04 PM |
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Great pic's I love the old Flying Boats that is "Islander" taking off in the back ground served the island from 1963 to 1954 the boat in the
foreground "Beachcomber" flew to and from the island from 1953 to 1974! Here are a few of my slides copied to digital, bit poor but you get the
picture!
 
"Beachcomber" was washed ashore in 1974!
 
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Phil74Camper
Son of Jim - Creator of Good
Head in the Clouds
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| posted on March 28th, 2014 at 08:06 AM |
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Love the old slides!
From 1950 to 1955 Qantas also flew Sandringhams, from Rose Bay and Brisbane to Lord Howe Island, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Fiji, New Hebrides and
other south Pacific destinations. They operated five boats. Pacific Warrior, Pacific Explorer and Pacific Voyager all came from BOAC, and all three
were scrapped at Rose Bay in 1955. RMA Tasman came from TEAL, and was wriitten off after hitting a reef at Port Vila in 1951. Pacific Chieftan came
from TEAL and served until 1955 when it was sold to Ansett (VH-BRE). It was blown ashore at Lord Howe in a storm in 1963, and written off. It was
stripped of parts and the hull towed out and scuttled just outside the reef, where it still lies today.
If you look at the larger photo above, the one in the forground (Beachcomber) has a streamlined nose, while the one taking off (Islander) has a more
bulbous, slab-like nose. Beachcomber (VH-BRC) is the traditional Sandringham shape, as converted by Shorts in 1945-46. Beachcomber was conveted to
seat 30 passengers and bought by TEAL in 1947; she was known then as RMA Auckland. In 1950 she was sold to Barrier Reef Airways, reconfigured for 42
passengers and renamed Coral Clipper. Ansett took over Barrier Reef Airways in 1952 and moved Coral Clipper to Rose Bay, where she was refitted and
repainted, and named Beachcomber. Ansett operated her until 1974, when she flew the last service to Lord Howe in September (she was washed ashore in
June - see the slide above - but not seriously damaged). She was sold to Antilles Air Boats in the Caribbean, aand also flew charter flights in
Ireland in the late 1970s. In 1982 she was sold to the Science Museum UK, and her flight to Calshot was her last. She was barged to Southhampton and
dismantled for restoration to static display. She has been repainted in Ansett's 1970s 'delta' livery and renamed VH-BRC Beachcomber. She is on
display at the Solent Sky Museum at Southampton.
http://www.solentskymuseum.org/
Islander also began as a Sunderland miltary flying boat, serving with the RAF until 1945 but placed in storage in Scotland until 1952 when she was
purchashed by the RNZAF. The Kiwis used her as a patrol aircraft until 1956, when she was placed in storage at the TEAL base in Auckland. When Ansett
lost Pacific Chieftan in 1963, they purchased the stored NZ Sunderland as a replacement. She was started and flown to Rose Bay, the last time a
miltary flying boat ever landed in Sydney. At the Ansett base at Rose Bay she was stripped to bare metal, the military equipment removed (such as the
nose and rear gun turrets) and new nose and tail panels fabricated. The military interior was stripped out and a civilian two-deck 42-passenger layout
- with cocktail bar - installed. She was finished and painted in Ansett silver livery, named Islander and launched on the Lord Howe run in October
1964. She was also blown ashore at Lord Howe in 1965 but not seriously damaged. She also did charter work for Ansett in Queensland. She flew to Lord
Howe for the last time in August 1974 and sold to Antilles Air Boats. She flew the Caribbean for several years (once with Maureen O'Hara as the
stewardess - her husband was the Captain). She was sold and returned to the UK in 1982, renamed the Sir Arthur Gouge. She was repainted several times
for movie shoots, including Pan Am livery for the movie Mr and Mrs Edgehill in 1985. She was damaged in a wind storm in 1987 and had a new wing fitted
- from a spare in the Imperial War Museum. She was sold to wealthy US aircraft collector Kermit Weekes in 1993 and was flown to Florida via Iceland
and Lake Ontario. She is currently in an all-white paint scheme but has been renamed Islander. She is no longer airworthy, but now a static exhibit in
the Fantasy of Flight museum in Florida - "the World's Greatest Aircraft Collection."
http://www.fantasyofflight.com/
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Craig Torrens
A.k.a.: Craig Torrens
Scirocco Rare
6 times Australian, 7 times State Hillclimb Class Champion
Posts: 8040
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| posted on March 28th, 2014 at 09:21 AM |
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Loving the pics 
Aircraft + saltwater must = maintenance nightmare ? !!!
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