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Fly Me Friendly Can't keep my eyes from the circling skiesHome About Me Why Falcon124? Ballooning Safety Through Information Flying Articles Never Stop Learning On the importance of checking paperworkGrade 3 Instructor limitations Sharing the fun in Leeton A Newbie Experiences the Hunter Valley Fiesta Getting to 20 Albury Airshow †2002 Simulator Run Podcasts I Listen To Links Contact Me ← Older posts Minions in the Cockpit: What could possibly go wrong? Posted on January 28, 2023 by Falcon124 You wouldn’t trust them but you have to love them. I’ve been a big fan of the Minions characters ever since I first encountered them in the original Despicable Me movie. They are insane, indestructible and hysterical characters that bumble about and create mayhem wherever they go. What’s not to love? If you don’t know about Minions, well, where have you been hiding? You can learn more about them and their particular brand of insanity on the Minions Wikipedia page , naturally :) The three main Minions in most films. In the latest movie, Minions: Rise of Gru , the three main Minions (Kevin, StuartBob) need to get to San Francisco, so they decide to dress as pilots and a flight attendant then fly themselves there in an airliner. The results are, as you might expect, totally insane, including reading the manual, pushing buttons at random and dealing with zero-G . I haven’t laughed so hard in ages and I recommend that you check out the clip below, it’s worth it :) Posted in Humour , Movies | Tagged airliner , cartoon , Despicable Me , flight attendant , Gru , insane , laugh , minions , pilot , San Francisco , zero-G | Leave a comment Cracker flight in a Cirrus SR22 G3 from Moorabbin Airport Posted on January 15, 2023 by Falcon124 EvanI in Cirrus SR22 VH-KJN A couple of weeks ago, I went for a flight with my friend Evan in a Cirrus SR22 G3, which is a four seat general aviation (GA) aircraft. This particular aircraft is registered VH-KJN and amusingly referred to as Cajun” or Juliet.” The aircraft was manufactured in 2008 in the USA and brought over to Australia where it has flown ever since. Manufactured by Cirrus Aircraft , the SR22 has become the world’s best selling GA aircraft, topping the annual sales charts since 2003. Together with the SR20, Cirrus are the most produced GA aircraft of the 21st Century. With sleek lines, plenty of safety features and a beautiful interior, it’s no wonder they’re extremely popular although the $1m to $2m price tag means many are owned by groups of pilots or companies/flying clubs/schools that then rent them out to approved pilots. VH-KJN, a Cirrus SR22 G3 (Photo by Evan) One of the safety features on all Cirrus aircraft is the whole aircraft ballistic parachute that can bring everything (and everyone on board) back to the ground safely in the event of pilot incapacitation, engine failure or other issues. Known as the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS) , it has saved many lives and is considered a major selling point for many pilots, their significant-others and their passengers. Additional features include a strong composite airframe, a roll cage for the passenger cabin, seats designed to absorb vertical impact G-forces, a glass cockpit with traffic displays, seatbelt airbags and more. On our way towards the CBD, looking North through the smog towards the suburb of Box Hill which is turning into a mini-city of its own. While I’ve flown in SR20s (and even a Vans RV-10 ), I’ve don’t recall having ever flown in the flagship SR22 which features a more powerful engine, larger wing and greater fuel capacity than the SR20. Having taken Evan up in a hot air balloon some years back, we’d always been meaning to go for a flight where he was pilot in command. Finally in early January this year, the stars aligned and we agreed to go for an early morning flight out of Moorabbin airport so we could enjoy a couple of city orbits before it got hot and bumpy. Taking this as a good excuse for a run in my recently restored 1982 RX-7, I left home early, driving down to meet Evan at his work by 0700. After a quick catch up and tour of the hangar, we stepped outside where I was introduced to VH-KJN. I was so busy checking out the aircraft and its features that I forgot to get photos of the aircraft itself. Ooops. Good view of Melbourne showing the main CBD, the Yarra River, Southbank and the Docklands. Getting in wasn’t too hard compared to some other aircraft I’ve flown in (especially the WW2 warbirds) although once again I was reminded that I could do with losing lots of kilos and maybe doing some stretches to improve my flexibility. There is a well placed handle to help get up on the wing (keep your feet on the non-slip surfaces within the marked areas) and then another sturdy handle within the cockpit to help as you lower yourself into the very comfortable seat. It’s like a luxury car interior with plenty of leather but a much, much better panel. It also has a four point harness as you might expect but the inertia reel belt on the shoulder is a nice touch and makes it all very comfortable. Another bonus is that it has a door on both sides (pilotpassenger) which is so wonderful when compared to some other GA aircraft (yeah, I’m looking at you Piper and Beechcraft !). EastSouth of the CBD: Fitzroy Gardens, Olympic Precinct, Botanical Gardens, Albert Park Lakeon to the Bay Once settled in, Evan started running through checklists (all displayed nicely on the screens – very handy), fired up the engine and then ran through a few more checks before taxiing down to the runup bay. We were early so Moorabbin tower hadn’t opened as yet, thus the airport was running under Common Traffic Advisary Frequency (CTAF) procedures and there was almost no-one active on the radios. Moving through even more checklists, Evan ran the aircraft through its run-up and magneto checks, verifying that all systems were good to go. Evan then followed the taxiways to a suitable into-wind runway, checked for other traffic, made the appropriate radio calls and moved onto the runway. Demonstrating a short field take-off, he ran up the engine while using the brakes to keep us in place until, satisfied all was well, releasing the brakes and commencing the roll. With the airspeed increasing and the aircraft becoming lighter on its wheels, we both noticed a small flock of Galahs on the runway ahead of us. A member of the Cockatoo family of parrots , the little buggers were just sitting there starting to wonder what the damned noise was. No wonder Galah is a phrase meaning idiot” in Australian slang … South of the CBD with Southbank, Freeway, Bolte Bridge and, in the distance, the Westgate Bridge. Should you encounter birds while flying, the standard practice is, where possible, to go above them as they will typically dive out of the way of an approaching aircraft (if they have time, that is). Fortunately KJN had reached take-off speed and, as Evan lifted us off the runway, I watched as the birds finally realised they were in trouble and launched themselves into the air, staying low over the tarmac and racing off to the side and out of the way. Happily in the air and established on climb out, Evan put us in a left hand circuit, climbing through the downwind leg and departing to the North of the airport. Once clear of Moorabbin’s airspace, he turned us towards Albert Park Lake and began getting ready to contact Essendon Tower. Sidney Myer Music Bowl, botanical gardens, Victoria Barracks and the Shrine. While Moorabbin is Class D airspace when the tower is active, it sits in an area of Class G (uncontrolled) airspace to the South of Melbourne’s Central Business District (CBD) where the controlled airspace is above 2,500′. Further South and East of Moorabbin, the controlled airspace starts at 4,500′. So long as you stay below those altitudes, you can fly as you want provided you’re above the minimum altitude of 1,000′...