Check these blogs out as well!

I've been a bit slack here with my posting but there's been a lot more activity on my other blogs... please check 'em out!

Addicted2wheels - bike racing for everyone
Offline - my take on the planet and its politics
Dopage - all the dope on the dopes who dope, allegedly
Secrets of a Sydney Past - personal photos and recollections of Sydney's history
Central Coast Imagery - my photography blog
Musical Must-knows - software and gadgets for the electronic audio artiste
My Alfa Blog - as in rust-free Italians
My PC Help Blog - as in fixing hardware and software

An Ansett L188 Electra doing night freight duties, 1976

Ansett L188 Electra 76_918, a photo by gtveloce on Flickr.

Excuse the blur but it was hand-held after dusk!! Point is that it's an L188 Electra, forced to serve out its days carrying cargo at night. Sydney then (as now) had a curfew on jets so "quieter" prop-driven aircraft did the night-time shifts. It extended the life of this Ansett Electra, which was retired from passenger duties in the early 1970s. I remember both TAA and Ansett Electras swooping in from the south, joining the 16 approach quite late, over Marrickville or even Sydenham in order to 'nip in' before a bigger jet. They often soared over my head, one following the other in the 2-airline parallel timetable days.

QF DC4 circa 1977 on approach to Sydney's 16

QF DC4 1977_229, a photo by gtveloce on Flickr.

It's hard to believe now but... it's a Qantas DC4... still in regular service in 1977!

Yes, QF needed the grass-field performance of the venerable Douglas back then, just to get to Norfolk Island... black and white shot, probably Tri-X. The DC4s were pensioned off a little later.

Ansett 727 on approach rwy 16 Sydney

Ansett 727 75_158, a photo by gtveloce on Flickr.

There's something about these 3-engined T-tailed Boeings that appeals to me. I'm not sure what it is, although it could be that I saw (and flew in) quite a few of 'em.

I once flew into Alice Springs on a 727 and I swear the pilot put it into reverse thrust whilst still airborne... over the threshold we go and wham, full roar from behind! We certainly stopped quickly on what was a short and bumpy strip. The subsequent takeoff was no less exciting...

Oh yes, and it's in Ansett markings, an airline that's no longer.

Free airshow up the Tamar valley

Free airshow up the Tamar valley_0243a
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

These are RAAF Pilatus PC9/As in a tight aerobatic formation (called the Roulettes). It was an unexpected show, 6 of these aircraft suddenly arrived in the Tamar valley (Launceston) and went into what was either a warmup, practice or a holding pattern. I think they were waiting for their slot for a display over the local Symmonds Plains race track but that's just a guess.

Short Sandringham Rose Bay

Short Sandringham Rose Bay_006
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

Another load of old airliners... all in Sydney during the early to mid 1970s. This is one of 2 ex-Ansett Sandringhams prior to handover to Antilles Airboats in late 1974.

There were 2 of these 'boats:
(1) 'BRC had the rounded nose of a more 'pure' Sandringham (even though it was a converted Sunderland) and was called 'Beachcomber', becoming N158C with Antilles Airboats in 1974. 'BRC is now landlocked, at Southampton, UK.

(2) 'BRF, named 'Islander', was a 'near-converted' Sunderland with a blunter nose. It's now landlocked at Miami, Florida.

I may not have taken this shot - I took a lot, but so did my late friend James Davidson, who had access to the Rose Bay base via his flight engineer father. James got me hooked onto black and white photography in the first place.

Qantas - from Joyflights to Jumbos - part 17

Qantas ed kit_0763
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

Which brings us to the end - for now. If you click an image you'll be able to search Flickr (try the gtveloce photostream) for more of these out-of-box Qantas experiences. The kit included many interesting images on film, if only I could find 'em!

Qantas - from Joyflights to Jumbos - part 16

Qantas ed kit_0761
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

And here's a collection of interesting reproductions of various QANTAS doco, including the very first ticket.

Qantas - from Joyflights to Jumbos - part 15

Qantas ed kit_0760
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

OK, I'll keep it short. This is evidently a reproduction of the first - or a very early - QANTAS timetable...

Qantas - from Joyflights to Jumbos - part 14

Qantas ed kit_0757
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

You are hoping this tour is over soon, eh? Well believe me, it's barely started!

Qantas - from Joyflights to Jumbos - part 13

Qantas ed kit_0755
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

Gets a bit dull now - although that's a nice 707 shot.

Qantas - from Joyflights to Jumbos - part 12

Qantas ed kit_0754
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

Now here are some real airliners - Constellations, the DC-4 and the Electra.

Qantas - from Joyflights to Jumbos - part 10

Qantas ed kit_0752
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

I do love the detail here - the engines, the horsepower, who made the airframe and where...

Qantas - from Joyflights to Jumbos - part 9

Qantas ed kit_0750
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

Unless you prefer the real golden age of airliners, like this Empire class flying boat...

Qantas - from Joyflights to Jumbos - part 8

Qantas ed kit_0748
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

This is more like it - Constellations!

Qantas - from Joyflights to Jumbos - part 7

Qantas ed kit_0747
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

Not forgetting this excellent list of the Qantas fleet, replete with the Douglas DC-4. Yes, that's really March 1973.

Qantas - from Joyflights to Jumbos - part 6

Qantas ed kit_0746
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

There's even a cool shot of the Qantas new-fangled Jet Base at Sydney to ogle.

Qantas - from Joyflights to Jumbos - part 5

Qantas ed kit_0744
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

And also in the education kit is a copy of Airways magazine, full of interest for young and old.

Qantas - from Joyflights to Jumbos - part 4

Qantas ed kit_0743
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

Not forgetting this handy pack to amuse the kiddies. Umm, Courtline? Is that a BAC1-11? Why, Qantas, why?

Qantas - from Joyflights to Jumbos - part 3

Qantas ed kit_0742
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

And here's a handy flight log to draw on as you flash through the skies in your shiny Boeing 707.

Qantas - from Joyflights to Jumbos - part 2

Qantas ed kit_0741
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

The kit includes an AVRO504 - that's always handy. Somehow I held myself back and didn't assemble it.

Qantas - from Joyflights to Jumbos - part 1

Qantas ed kit_0740
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

Bear with me as I prowl through the archives and unleash a Qantas educational kit-in-a-box from circa 1974. It's a buzz, trust me.

Tracking aircraft movements in real time

I was only wondering the other day if anyone does this... I've seen a similar thing done with US flight data mapped against Google Earth. As a kid (believe it or not) I used to do exactly this - but manually! - with a VHF radio and a sheet of tracing paper laid over a map. I'd plot aircraft movements as they left the gate at Sydney and tracked them as far as I could, switching frequencies as they handed over to different controllers, from the ground controllers until as far away as Hawaii at times... well it fascinated me at the time (and I was a weird kid)!

Check it out: http://syd.webtrak-lochard.com/template/index.html

VH-JMO takes off

VH-JMO going_0372
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

Just one of those days when you see a helicopter land on a football field and your 2 y.o. boy wants to have a look. And then it takes off. Gosh he got excited!

It's a Robinson 44 from Morpeth; here it's seen at Pokolbin. There are more pics if you click on the image.

Ansett 727 VH-RMK

Ansett 727 VH-RMK CT 1981_566
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

I think this is one of Steve Hill's transparencies. He took a few shots for me in the early 80s when I was making airliner postcards (would you believe!) and this may be one of 'em. It's certainly a great shot, crisp, filling the frame. Nice that the rego is in view and that the wheels are coming up. Interesting also as it captures a now-defunct airline (plenty of those, eh?) A pic worth keeping!