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Why we love airplanes, airshows and all things flying? Our afternoon at RAAF museum Point Cook.

February 20, 2011 in Family, Inspiration with 1 Comment

The same reason why many of us harbour the desire to have the secret ability to fly. 

Its Freedom, Speed, Diving,… 

and there we were listening to Darcy O’Connor, a retired Air Force pilot now flying Airbus jets for Jetstar, one of

Mustang at Point Cook

Mustang from RAAF Museum air display

Australia’s budget airlines. But on weekends he still gets a buzz talking to groups of kids and adults and putting on a short display of aerobatics at the RAAF Air Force base at Point Cook, just outside of Melbourne – the longest continuous operational Air Force base anywhere in the world.

The plane being put through its paces today was a Mustang, built at Fisherman’s Bend in Australia in the 1950’s as the only place outside of the USA licensed for production.  With a huge 12 cylinder Merlin engine, this plane had speed and endurance and as it completed loops and high speed rolls above us as a dad I couldn’t help wish that I had learnt how to fly as a kid. As Darcy returned to the ground in the Mustang my 7 year old daughter asked “Dad, when can I learn to fly”

Flying

Mustang in flight

I imagine amongst the group there to watch the display this weekend, it was a common thought for kids and adults alike. 

The air displays are a regular (and clearly popular) attraction at Point Cook with displays at 1pm each Tuesday, Thursday and Sundaythroughout the year with regular aircraft featured including the Winjeel, Harvard, CT4A, Sopwith Pup replica, Tiger Moth and Mustang. In addition visiting aircraft such as the DC3, Bird Dog or even a modern PC-9 can sometimes be seen. 

RAAF museum

RAAF Museum - military transport display

The adjacent museum capped of the display with some history of the RAAF and several hangars of aircraft. Next door was a hangar showing how restoration of these historic aircraft takes place. 

Flying boat at RAAF Museum

And if you really want more then airshows featuring military, commercial and historic aircraft and aerobatics and regular events at cities around the worlld including world famousFarnborough show in England or the Paris (Le Bourget) show in France.  The USA also has a long season of shows including for example Miramar Airshow in October or Aviation Nationat Nellis AFB every November.  In Australia try catching the Avalon airshow held every 2 years and just down the road from Point Cook towards Geelong.

The RAAF Museum is a 25-minute drive south-west from Melbourne. Air displays and museum entry is free and the museum is open Tuesday to Friday: 10am–3pm;  Weekends and Public Holidays: 10am–5pm. 

If you want to extend your day the point cook area just next to the Air Force base is the Point Cook Coastal Park, with walking trails and great views across Port Phillip Bay back to Melbourne as well as a wetland area teeming with bird life.  Not far away is Weribee park and the open plains zoo.

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From below – your options to see the Titanic?

October 29, 2010 in Above or Below, Inspiration, Travel with 0 Comments

The Mir submersible

Mir submersible for viewing Titanic in the Atlantic

Most people know the story of the Titanic, the “unsinkable” ship that sunk on its maiden voyage after hitting an iceberg crossing the Atlantic in 1912.  The story has been retold many times and in abundance since the rediscovery of the ship on 1 September 1985 by American and French research vessels, which has led to numerous expeditions being mounted to investigate the wreck. You’ve probably seen the Oscar winning movie and in recent years there seems to be a Titanic exhibition popping up everywhere hosting some of the objects that have been recovered from the wreck site, survivors or the onslaught of time and sea water.

I recently visited Titanic: The Artefact Exhibition in Melbourne which has been sold out for months and its season had to be extended.  Sailing away in November it will move to another part of the world to retell the story while enabling people to see some of the items from the ship recovered from the ocean floor. A quick search online tells me that over the past 15 years, more than 22 million people have seen this exhibition in major cities worldwide – from Chicago to Los Angeles and Paris to Dublin.  And starting in November London is next to stage it over 6 months at the O2 arena.

Whats more with the 100 year anniversary of the fateful sailing in 2012, expect to be hearing much more about the Titanic in the coming year. For starters a Titanic Memorial Cruise, meant as a tribute to those who lost their lives, will cross the Atlantic arriving where the liner sunk on the 100 year anniversary (April 14/15) for a remembrance service.  Already sold out more than 500 days before it will sail, the 12 night cruise will follow the Titanic’s original itinerary. Travelling the other direction Voyages! Titanic 2012 cruise will depart Boston, Massachusetts, on April 9  2012.

Titanic wreck

But nothing would be quite the same as getting up close to the remains of the Titanic lying on the ocean floor.  The IMAX film Ghosts of the Abyss might provide some impression of the scale of the adventure required to explore the wreckage inside and out, but if you have the means then the Great Canadian Adventure Company can help.  Running from Newfoundland, exhibitions on the Russian Research vessel, Akademik Keldysh, travel to the wreck site and then aboard the MIR I and II submersibles will take you down underwater nearly 2.5 miles to the wreck site.  At US$54500 for an 11 day adventure, it’s the price paid for being one of the first non scientists (or movie makers) to see the wreck of the Titanic up close.

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Explore Seven Continents & Beyond – Best of August 2010

September 13, 2010 in Inspiration, Travel with 1 Comment

August has unfortunately been a bit busy for me, moving house and spending what seems like most of the last month with the flu/bronchitis hasn’t helped but in between unpacking boxes and recovering here is my wrap up of the most interesting, topical and/or useful travel stories I’ve spotted in August to help inspire you to explore seven continents and beyond.

Europe

The Lake District is one of the most beautiful areas in England so head north and explore it.  Tony Greenbank of Guardian Travel provides a short diary of his exploration of the area by bike.

North America

This post on the Frugal Traveler’s parents joining him in Nicaragua caught me eye, a great read and a travel trend for the future I think.

And just in case Nicaragua isn’t considered part of North America (where is the accepted line between the continents of North and South America) I loved this visual diary of a flight from New York City to Berlinfrom Christopher Niemann in the New York Times blogs.  The armrest battle starts on boarding!

South America

The Amazon evokes thoughts of adventure and this story from Keith Bellows of the National Geographic Traveler magazine explores the lost world of the Amazon highlighting where travellers rarely go on board the Aqua, one of only a handful of boats running regular trips down the Peruvian Amazon.

Asia

I’m heading to Hong Kong in a couple of days so when I saw this article from CNNGo last month on deserts in Hong Kong I had to make note so I could seek out some mango or thousand layered pudding – Yum

Africa

My first safari experience in Africa was in Botswana, an experience I’ll never forget and these memories were stirred for me by Inside the Travel Lab with The Safari Symphony- The Okavango Delta, Botswana.

Australia & Pacific

Its Australian football league (AFL) finals in September so an apt explanation of Aussie Rulesfrom the @traveldudes for anyone who flicks on late night TV somewhere in the rest of the world and happens upon a telecast of a game will know whats going on.  I also wrote in July about A Day at the Footy: Sport the local way to highlight when travelling that attending a local sports event is a great way to experience a city like a local.

Antarctica

The ice that covers the continent tells a story about what Earth’s climate used to be like.  This post from the Antarctica blog provides a TED Talk on the fascinating process.

Beyond

There is an entire (mostly) undiscovered world under the water to explore so this post from the prolific Patricia Vance on the World’s Most Incredible Underwater Adventures is great to wet your appetite!

The Space Shuttle’s final race to retirement

August 26, 2010 in Extreme, Inspiration, Travel with 0 Comments

Dream of riding on the Space Shuttle into space?  Sorry you’re a bit late as their impending scheduled retirement ends an era. You’re options now will be to perhaps try zero gravity flights on the vomit comet as a way to experience the thrill of weightlessness without going into space or explore the commercial space opportunities that are emerging many headed by well known entrepreneurs who having made their fortune are spending them on trying to open up the next generation of space travel. From Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic who will reach the edge of space to ambitious space access replacements for the shuttle such as Elon Musk’s SpaceX or Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin a handful of companies are trying to push the boundaries and lower the cost of access to space for all.  

The Space Shuttle Endeavour in transit

Space Shuttle Endeavour in transit on special 747 Jumbo

And while the space shuttle will be permanently grounded it does mean you’ll now have the opportunity to see them up close on the ground.  Something that hasn’t been possible while in service, as NASA is offering the remaining three Shuttles (Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour) free to museums willing to house them for visitors to see. This has kicked off a race for institutions to bid for them, backed by intense lobbying and fundraising efforts.  And although the Shuttles come free the cost of getting them to the institution and then storing them isn’t a cheap endeavour. Considering they can only be transported on a special jumbo 747, which must have access to a suitable runway close enough to the museum that the shuttle can then be moved without dismantling into an indoor climate controlled building large enough to house them.  With all that is required many institutions are out of the race before it began! 

It has already been decided that the oldest surviving shuttle, Discovery, will be given to the Smithsonian, whose new facility next to Dulles Airport in Virginia just outside Washington DC meets all the requirements and along with its Washington Mall museum is America’s repository of space history. The Smithsonian currently has on site the training shuttle, Enterprise, which will be given to another museum once it is replaced by Discovery. The Smithsonian is a treasure trove of air and space history and both sites are free to visit and easy to access, see their website www.nasm.si.edu for more details and also definitely don’t miss seeing the Apollo 11 command module.

Shuttle launch profiles.

Space Shuttle launch profiles

And while the Smithsonian gets its Shuttle, museums around the world are still in the race for the others. Where they will end up is still up to NASA so stay tuned. We all probably remember where we were when Challenger and Columbia were destroyed in fatal accidents and the Shuttle fleet has played a large part in inspiring people to explore beyond earth so will be popular attractions once they’ve found their new homes.  At least until commercial space travel has kicked off and we might be seeing the Average Joe on their way to space.

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From Below – Eiffel Tower: The view is not just from the top

August 10, 2010 in Above or Below, Inspiration, Travel with 0 Comments

The Eiffel Tower (La Tour Eiffel) is one of my favourite world landmarks, I’ve been coming back to Paris for years now, first as a backpacker and more recently as a husband with kids, and regardless of which arrondisement you’re in you are always catching glimpses of It rising up above the city. A constant reminder you’re in one of the most beautiful cities on earth.

From Below - Eiffel Tower - Day

Built in 1889 for the World’s fair, the tower was originally derided by the public, calling it an eyesore, and was intended to only stand for twenty years when it was to be pulled down.  However it was deemed useful for communications purposes and was allowed to remain.  A good thing as well as now it is the most visited paid monument in the world and a universal symbol of Paris.        

 

The view from the top of the tower is a must for any first time tourist, being able to see over all of Paris is breathtaking.  However I’ve always enjoyed the view from below the tower just as much and although I might have only gone to the top two or three times I’ve walked under the tower on over a dozen visits taking in the lattice structure from different angles, night and day, as you can see from my pictures from different visits 

Underneath Eiffel Tower

From above you appreciate the city unfolding before you, but from below you can appreciate the complexity of its construction – a structure as a piece of art, while taking in the sounds of Paris life.

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