A PERfect Tiger Moth ride

[JohnM]

This morning I took myself off to Jandakot Airport (JAD) for a ride in a Tiger Moth for something to do.

The Royal Aero Club of WA operates two aircraft; one they own, the other they operate on behalf of a private owner. Today’s flight was in the latter.

They do 30-, 45- and 60-minute flights, with optional aerobatics. I opted for 60 minutes, including aerobatics.

Here’s the baby. I was assigned combined seats 1A/K. TKWIA. You might say a cheek on each...




Original inverted dry-sump engine, gravity fuel feed from the tank in the middle of the top wing, manual start. Aerobatics would be +ve g – there’s no way to restart that baby up there if the donk stalls.

David, the pilot, pointed out that the engine ‘breathes’. It’s a euphemism for ‘leaks oil’. As you will see, this came to slightly haunt me.



The weather was pretty good for such a flight. The W coast trough moved in from the coast overnight, so the upside was a light SW breeze; downside was a humid inversion after a hot day yesterday, making it hazy.

Here’s the flight plan. Out from JAD, climbing to cruise at 1500ft towards Fremantle, turn right and track up the Swan River to pass in front of the CBD on the port side, swing left and track behind the CBD over Lake Monger to just S of Scarborough Beach, turn left and drop to 500ft for a pass along the coast – Floreat Beach, City Beach, the SAS base and Swanbourne Beach, North Cottesloe, to an orbit above Cottesloe, continuing tracking SW over Fremantle Harbour, Carnac Island and the N end of Garden Island naval base on the R, climbing to 1500ft and aerobatics in the narrow window between 1500 and 2000ft before tracking directly back to JAD. Cool!



Here we go!

The latest glass coughpit…

 

[JohnM]

Polair base.



And this is where things photographic went awry. The engine ‘breathed’ a splat of oil on my pocket camera lens that I was unaware of. It sadly became apparent when I got home and downloaded the pics to my PC. C’est la vie…

 

[tgh]

Memory lane stuff.. hope you enjoyed your brush with aviation history.
Did you get to have a feel….

 

[Bundy Bear]

That looks fantastic, I need to try that.

 

[JohnM]

Memory lane stuff.. hope you enjoyed your brush with aviation history.
Did you get to have a feel….

No stick in 1A/K. Told to keep my feet off the rudder pedals.

 

[JohnM]

 

[Daver6]

Should have given me a heads up. Would have got out the old telephoto lens as you went by.

 

[JohnM]

Should have given me a heads up. Would have got out the old telephoto lens as you went by.

I did tell you I was doing the ride; I guess I didn't say exactly when.

 

[Daver6]

I did tell you I was doing the ride; I guess I didn't say exactly when.

Contrary to what you believe, I do actually have a job and do work. Not just wait around all day for you to fly overhead

 

[JohnM]

Royal Perth Yacht Club, UWA, Kings Park.

 

[JohnM]

Lake Monger below.



Approaching the coast just S of Scarborough Beach and then turning S and lowering altitude.



City Beach coming into view. Passing over at 500ft, looking back, and S along my running track of the World’s Most Serene City-based Beach™ in front of the Swanbourne SAS base. The green strip is the rifle range. I don’t think it’s any longer used for civilian recreational rifle shooting. Back in the day I popped a few .303 rounds down its guts. Then Swanbourne Beach proper,

 

[JohnM]

Abeam North Cott and approaching Cott for an orbit. Then on to Fremantle Harbour. Then on to Fremantle Harbour and beyond for some gut-wrenching wingovers and aerobatics that probably felt more fearsome than what they really were, before beelining back to JAD.



And that was it. Bummer about the oil on the lens, but now I know what Biggles had to put up with on his goggles while taking potshots at the Red Baron.

 

[VPS]

Sounds like a great day - I thought Perth always had the grimy look

 

[JohnM]

Sounds like a great day - I thought Perth always had the grimy look

Droll, very droll...

 

[clifford]

Glad you enjoyed it.

I remember when my dad (the pilot) took me up in an Auster from Blackpool airport in the 1950's.

A bit scary, but a lot of fun.

 

[mannej]

Not to steal JohnM’s thunder, I had a similar experience at through the club on one of their Cessna’s earlier this year. Didn’t grab as many photos as JohnM but was a cracking ride

 

[JohnM]

Not to steal JohnM’s thunder, I had a similar experience at through the club on one of their Cessna’s earlier this year. Didn’t grab as many photos as JohnM but was a cracking ride

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Sweet - B-b-b-but, mate, where's the oil smear from a 'breathing' engine...?

 

[tgh]

Do they still swing the prop on these modern tigers @JohnM ?
iirc a couple backwards and then a good swing ?

I had a ride early on ( late 50's) in an Auster J5 with no side windows, curiously stuck my arm out to see how much breeze.
The arm was immediately plastered back against the fuselage, it didn't break but was very very sore.
Nobody else seemed to notice and I kept quiet to avoid a dressing down.

 

[JohnM]

Do they still swing the prop on these modern tigers @JohnM ?
iirc a couple backwards and then a good swing ?

I had a ride early on ( late 50's) in an Auster J5 with no side windows, curiously stuck my arm out to see how much breeze.
The arm was immediately plastered back against the fuselage, it didn't break but was very very sore.
Nobody else seemed to notice and I kept quiet to avoid a dressing down.

They sure do, as I mentioned and showed - see post #1. Apparently some are fitted with Chipmunk engines that self-start but the RACWA birds are original.

I was warned not to stick my head or arms out too far as the slipstream is strong.

 

[Port Power]

OMG! It is great to see Tiger 37 is still flying. I worked at the Aero Club for many years and participated socially in dawn flights and aerobatics. (Not to mention being ballast in the back of a Cessna 210 when needed for pilot certification!) Your photos bring back good memories.

Isn’t that coastline just gorgeous!