See you all at Port Macquarie….3rd to 5th April.

Welcome to 2020 everyone.
It is not long before we once again gather at Port Macquarie for our 2020 conference.

If you have not yet booked your accommodation, we have some rooms put aside at Rydges, where the conference is based. Please ring Jackie on +61 2 65892819 and mention LOBO Oz for bookings.

We are getting together another interesting conference, but if any of you have something to present, or a suggestion/query to investigate, we are always happy to hear about it. Send through details to: LOBO Oz Committee

 

Our first gathering of owners and enthusiasts

 

Look forward to catching up soon. Details of extra events (including LOLs activities) to follow soon.

Ladies @AUSFLY

A great initiative at AusFly this year was the introduction of the Ladies Escape. This gave dedicated aviator’s partners* the opportunity to get a feel for the local area, have a break from the airfield and connect with the local Narromine community.

We started the day in Trangie with a visit to Ewe Two. This is a vibrant and welcoming store which provides an amazing range of goods – many unique to the local area, supporting local creatives. Imagine letting a busload of ladies loose in a store with clothes, craft, furnishings, jewellery, bags and so many other treasures! (Fellas, please consider the cost of YOUR hobbies before you complain about OUR purchases…) 

Satisfied customers outside Ewe Two

This was followed up with lunch at Trangie Bakery, with tasty meals and drinks served with lots of cheer as our group took over the space. We may have shocked the locals who dropped in, but the bakery handled our orders with yummy results.

Our next venture involved an impromptu visit to the home of local poet, Maggie Gordon. Maggie entertained us with her stories and poetry recitations (so passionate) – such a fascinating tribute to the life of countrywomen. Her lively character, her stoic stories and her books gave us soooo much to reflect on after our visit.

We followed this with a relaxed visit to an oasis in this area – thanks to Julie for showing us her magnificent garden. Pop the champagne corks for a salute to the strength of the female spirit! Then we wandered around discovering the delights of her home. A magic location.

Julie’s oasis

 

Parched Macquarie River

Our last inspiring stop was Owendale – the home of Judy Barlow, landscape designer. Here, Judy discussed some of the personal implications of the drought, how an orange orchard adapts to the drought and her own passion for landscape design – which was amply apparent in her gardens. This was an amazing place with picturesque surprises around every corner.

Judy discusses perspectives of the drought

Roses survive the drought

Designer pruning and plant selection

Many thanks to Kathy Mexted, who organised and coordinated this tour – a great option for partners looking for a way to see OUTSIDE the airport. Take note, she’s already looking into a Ladies Escape for 2020!!

* Maybe that should be ‘dedicated partners of aviators’.

Mudgee Conference Success

What a wonderful weekend!

Special thanks to our Hangar House hosts, Gary and Kaye Burns; to our guest speakers, Col Jeff Brown (USAF Ret) and CMSgt John “Mickey” Spillane (USAF Ret) and Kevin Haydon for arranging their visit to Mudgee.

Presentation

Many thanks also to our presenters on Saturday: Mark and Conrad (Lancair International), Kevin Haydon and Gary Burns, Jeff and Mickey (Unreal), Laurie Fitzgerald, Leigh Bryan and Dave Brown (the engine guru from APS).

The weather in May at Mudgee is normally cool but beautiful. Well, guess what – we got two days of cold crap IFR type Wx on Friday and Saturday – with the days either side just perfect.

A special mention to our brave aviators who VFR’d it to Mudgee on Friday – the boys from Tassie came special VFR all the way, and Dave who got stuck in Hay overnight on Friday.

Rob and Kirrily couldn’t even get away out of SA on Friday, with fog then delaying departure on Saturday morning. They did, however, arrive about lunchtime (dedication) so unfortunately missed many presentations. Then Kirrily was whisked through customs and immigration at the Hangar House, to immediately join the LOL (LOBO Oz Ladies) wine tour.

 

It was an outstanding success. We are slowly growing and managed to put together an interesting day for all. Linking with the Mudgee Aeroclub was great (especially since they organised our welcome BBQ on Friday night) and several members attended the conference – including ‘young flyers’, Tim and Josh, who we hope were suitably inspired.

Since the weekend, many have shared photos and comments on our FaceBook page. If you want to see more, join our (closed, members-only) FaceBook page.

Thank you, everyone, for supporting LOBO Oz in Mudgee, and throughout the year.

LOBO Oz returns to Mudgee. 10th,11th and 12th May 2019

 

Mudgee was a popular spot in 2016, so we have secured the venue for May this year – 2019.

The Hangar House

We are working on the details and will let you know what is organised before long. Suggestions/requests welcome.

Yes, it is Mothers’ Day weekend, so why not bring Mum along to enjoy the weekend with us and our LOL’s (LOBO Oz Ladies)?

Lots of details to follow; the first job was getting a venue and dates out there.

 

LOBO Oz at AUSFLY 2018 (18th to 21st October)

A Traditional Aussie Fly-In
Whatever you fly, are building, are thinking of building, or you are thinking of a career in or just interested in aviation – you are welcome!
Come and join in the fun! Soak up the true spirit of Australian general aviation at work.
A mix of pure general aviation content
Education
Flying
Exhibitors
Aircraft to see and get up close
Social events
Free joy flights for youngsters – encouraging our future aviators
Catching up with fellow aviators is what this event will be all about. A relaxed, traditional Aussie fly-In!

“The organisers are hoping to be able to attract at least one of each type of various aircraft lineages – such as one each of the Vans types (from RV3 – RV14) for a static display and hopefully a flypast; wouldn’t it be great if we could achieve same for the Lancairs – imagine a line astern flypast of a 360, Super ES, Legacy, IV, IV-PT and Evolution – and may be even several of some of the types! From a planning point of view, if anyone is interested in participating in this with our beautiful machines, please let me know soonest and I’ll liaise with the event organisers.”

There will be a good opportunity for us to get out and do some flying. It would be great to see as many Lancairs as possible at Narromine.

Be great to get together…For full details of this event, check out www.ausfly.com.au”….

Scenic Flight Options for Sunday.

Option 1 – West Coast Scenic
9:30am Meet at Devonport Aero Club
10:30am Depart to the south and track toward Mt Ossa, Tasmania’s highest peak
Countinue south over Lake St Clair (Australia’s deepest lake) and the end of
the Overland Track
If the weather is good, we will head over Mount Field National Park and then
into the Southwest National Park to see highlights such as Federation Peak
and the Western Arthurs Range
We will then start heading back north over the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers
National Park and Lake Pedder before tracking up Macquarie Harbour and
into Strahan Airport for lunch.
12:00pm Lunch at Strahan Airport (Strahan is a 1220m long sealed strip)
1:00pm Depart Strahan and fly over Cradle Mountain on the way back to Devonport
2:00pm Arrive back at Devonport Airport
Total flight distance approximately 300nm.

Option 2 – East Coast Scenic
9:30am Meet at Devonport Devonport Aero Club
10:30am Depart to the east to Low Head and then track south east along the scenic
Tamar River Valley
Countinue over the city of Launceston down the Tasmanian midlands and
then cut across to the East Coast to see the famous Wineglass Bay.
Our track then takes us north up the beautiful east coast with spectacular
beaches and coastline, including the famous Bay of Fires.
Still going north we fly over Cape Barren Island and then past Strzelecki Peaks
and Trousers Point on Flinders Island and into Whitemark Airport for lunch.
12:00pm Lunch at Whitemark Airport (Whitemark has two sealed strips, 1720m and
1070m long)
1:00pm Depart Whitemark and fly back via the Barnbougle Dunes and Lost Farm Links
Golf Courses at Bridport and then along the coast to Devonport
2:00pm Arrive back at Devonport Airport
Total flight distance approximately 340nm.

Have you registered (and paid) for Devonport?

It’s only weeks till our convention in Devonport – have you registered yet? We desperately need numbers for final planning (catering and room bookings), so check out the last couple of posts here, and register your commitment here (click on the heading or the image):

(Many thanks to those who have done this already)

REGISTER – DEVONPORT FLY-IN RESPONSE

 

 

LOBO REGISTRATION PAYMENT FORM

Once that is done, please complete this form to register which other activities (BBQ, dinner, etc.) you and your partner wish to attend, and follow instructions to pay your registration fee upfront.

WE NEED YOUR COMMITMENT NOW!

Crossing Bass Strait

Getting our 3 girls ready to cross Bass Strait. We didnt even own a digital camera back then 20 years ago, however not a lot has changed as far as being prepared.

For any of you who are concerned about overwater flying, here is a link that provides good information from our locals in Tassy. Crossing Bass Strait

Let’s get organised. Devonport details.

Many thanks to our LOBO Oz members on the ground in Tassy. A comprehensive information document follows.

Click here for the whole document, then REGISTER HERE.

 

Devonport TAS. First weekend of March 2018

Planning continues for our Devonport TAS conference being held from 2nd to 4th March 2018.

WE have some exciting announcements as far as guest presenters and speakers. Our program is taking shape along the lines of feedback from members who attended Goolwa.

Devonport is a beautiful part of the world so please come and join us. Save the date now.

If you are planning any sort of Avionics upgrade including ADSB, or an upgrade to IFR, we will cover that. LOBO Oz is pleased to announce that Patrick Coleman, our Australian and New Zealand Sales Manager from Garmin, will be presenting at Devonport. An ideal opportunity to see the Garmin gear first hand and ask questions specific to us here in Oz.

Feedback from Oshkosh and from the joys of fault finding new avionics like the G3X etc. When you ring Garmin Support with your problem, the first question they ask now is: Do you have a fast stack hub installed. If yes they will ask you to call back when the hub is removed.