I boarded the Ghan and settled into my little cabin. There were leaflets about the excursion options and other stuff. I thought back to something that Liz, the English lady in our 'gang' had said about doing things and not holding back as there might not be a next time. I found myself looking at the Twin Parks Fixed Wing Scenic Flight....
My cabin hospitality person arrived to do safety, meal information and excursion bookings. I asked if I could do the flight (I presumed there would be a minimum number of passengers required) and she took my second preference. I told myself that of course it might not happen, not to worry. I went off to the lounge and discovered that beer, wine and non-fancy spirits were included in the overall trip. This was going to be fun. Before 11am I found myself with a glass of sparkling Pinot Noir chardonnay.
Lunch ensued, which was very good and by then I'd had three glasses of spnc. We drew into Katherine, our first stop and whence our excursions would depart. Hmmm, I didn't know what trip I was doing but then it occurred to me to look at the ticket that had been left in my cabin. It was The Flight. Oh dear. My life was almost flashing by.
I boarded the bus that was to take fellow passenger, Graham, and I to Tindal RAAF airbase. It's also home to the Katherine Tindal Civilian Airport. We met our pilot Ben and another pilot, also Ben who was new to the area and came us to get the hang of the tours etc. Yes, he was already a proper pilot! We were weighed and they asked if we'd flown in a light aircraft before. Yes says Graham no say I, trying not to giggle hysterically. Ben the second says oh, it's ok, just a bit bumpier than a big plane.Whoopee doodly doo, How much do I love turbulence......
Out onto the tarmac, and Ben #1 spots some jets about to take off - over there, say 500 metres away. Four of them in total and we watched as they took off in turn. It was incredible, the noise was amazing but you could actually feel the vibrations going through your body. Wow. Then, the safety briefing for our trip. This is how you open the door if the Bens are incapacitated and if you can't then the windows are designed to be kicked out. If we land in the middle of nowhere we have emergency supplies and a locator beacon. Oh and the seat belt is exactly the same as on a big airplane. No oxygen masks or life belts under your seat. This wasn't helping.
We clamber in and are given headsets with microphones so we can talk to the Bens and each other. I was smiling fixedly trying to work out what to hold onto. We chugged along and took off. It was scary, this thing went into the air and then decided to turn right by leaning over rather dramatically. I wondered if it was too late to ask if we could go back. Ben was chatty and explained where we would go and that he would try to point things out along the way. We were to fly over Katherine gorge(s) and then go up to Kakadu to see some of the big waterfalls.
Cruising at 1500 feet is a very strange sensation in a thing resembling a large insect with a small engine. I was set for the longest 90 minutes of my life. Scenery passed underneath us, with Ben occasionally pointing over there and dipping the plane to show us stuff on the ground. Every now and then, there was a little hiccough and the plane twitched slightly. I tried very hard not to display any signs of alarm. I even managed to release my grip (one hand only) to point the camera out of the window and do some clicking. "Are you all ok in the back?" "Yes but I'm having trouble speaking". They looked at each other.
I started to relax (the rigidity was waning slightly) and by the time we reached the falls, I could even try to point the camera in vaguely the right direction. But please, stop going round corners...... I'm going to fall out.
More scenery and we were heading back to base. The escarpment was left behind, the vegetation changed. I could even breathe. I shot some more photos, randomly. As we approached Tindal I decided to try and video the landing! All I have to do now is work out how to get it out of the camera and into the world so you can see it. We pulled to a stop and disembarked. I tried to explain my level of terror. One of the things I said was that I have should have been sponsored to do this rather paying for it! There are pictures of me by the plane - a Cessna 210 6-seater - and I also have a certificate to prove that it really happened. They invited us to have 'champagne' (more spnc) with some cheese and biscuits. Graham had flown light aircraft before, he'd even learned to fly them in times gone by so he didn't have his fizz. They gave it to me to take away :-)
Dear readers, I lived to drink the extra spnc on the train, reflecting upon the most ridiculous thing I think I've ever done.
Did we need proof?
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