Time for another story.

[Nikkit]

Have been going through some old photos while trying to clean out a cupboard (is taking me ages as I keep getting side tracked!) and a few old photos jogged my memory from back in about '92...

I ended up with a job flying surveillance as an observer in the Straits.  I logged over 2500 hours in about 4 years. What an experience, and when I find my log books and photos on the odd occasion, they bring back a lot of memories.
We would fly between 4-7 hours per day (depending on the route, weather, traffic on the water) around the Torres Straits.

I have many memories – some a little more hair raising than others.

One day it was an all girl crew. Female pilot and 2 female observers and it was something we liked to brag about. So off we go, 3 girls, coffee, cake and all the other stuff we needed for the day. Take off and first couple of hours was pretty un-eventful. The usual boats on our route, nothing exciting.

Until we came to the reef that runs up through the middle of the Straits. Often there would be a canoe down from PNG with a few Papuans on board hunting for beche-de-mer the sea cucumbers. There were a couple that day and as they were not meant to be there we had to do a few passes and take photos and report them to the authorities.

Now we were allowed to fly at 500 feet (ASL - above sea level) and had special dispensation to fly down to 100 feet when we were doing a pass on a boat, so we could get a better look and take photos.
 
Seeing as the day had been quiet, there was no other air or sea traffic, the weather was calm so the water was pretty flat, we’d had our coffee and cake and needed a little excitement, we decided to go just a teeny tiny bit lower and let the chaps know that we were on to them and they should really set their stripy blue, red and white sail/tarp up and head for home.

So we may have come down to something similar to “zot feet”.

In other words – there was not a whole lot of air between the belly of our plane and the water. The mast on the canoe was higher than us.

We did another pass to take some photos. We could see the whites of those Papuans eyes!

And we did another pass just to ruffle their loin cloths...and they saw the whites of our eyes when they started throwing their spears at us!

Well, there was some yelling in the cabin, 2 chicks screaming “pull up pull up they’re chucking spears at us” the pilot hauling back on the stick and jamming the throttles up to  ‘go faster’.

The poor old plane was grunting a bit as it climbed under full throttle, the pilot was checking all the gauges and we were making sure both the fans outside were still going round and round. We had 2 “bubble windows” in the back (one each side) where you could stick your head into the window, so effectively you were outside the body of the plane. I had my head jammed in that bubble upside down and down and up and back and forward on both sides of the cabin to see if we had a spear hanging out of the fuselage anywhere.

Nothing, all gauges were good, fans still going round, no extras hanging off the plane that I could see. We then started breathing. And laughing. With relief!

We did another pass well above 500 feet waggling our wings at the blokes on the water.
 
Once we settled down we then realised it probably wasn’t one of our better ideas as if they’d struck it lucky and made us ditch in to the water – 3 white chicks on board may have made them forget about beche-de-mer for a while.

The authorities were impressed with our photos as they were so clear and close up and they could see the people very well. “A little too well” was one comment. “How low did you ladies go?” he asked. “Oh the usual mate – 100 feet, geeze they were chucking spears at us, you think we were going to go any lower than that?”

None of us could look at each other with out giggling though, so he knew something was up!

[CreamPuff63]

thats incredible! you're a bit of a dare devil  hope you unearth some more tales as you sort thru

[cookie1]

My tummy is hurting I have laughed so much. I am just going out but when I saw another story I had to read it.

You naughty girls, I am glad it turned out ok. Nikkit your adventures are book worthy. Thanks for another belly laugh.

Double bugger I have been laughing at this and re reading it and I have burned the fruit for my boiled fruit cake. Will have to put a bit more booze in it to cover the taste. Thanks again Nikkit, I love your stories.

[goldfish]

Thinking of printing these out for posterity, Nikkit!!   fantastic memories !!

[judydawn]

You've had a very exciting life Nikkit, a book could quite easily be on the cards.  Thanks for sharing your very amusing stories with us.

[mcmich]

Great story Nikkit. 

[Wonder]

great story Nikkit, you've certainly had an interesting life.

[astarra]

ROFL!! 

[Cuilidh]

I just popped on here for a quick scan to see what is happening and as soon as I saw your name and the subject I decided my window cleaning could wait for another wee while.

Thanks for the laugh.  What a life of adventures you have had and thanks for sharing them with us.

[obbie]

love your stories. girl power......

[gertbysea]

Love it Nikkit. I can just see it. Lovely  place to fly around .

Gert

[Nikkit]

Cookie - so sorry you burned the fruit. Hope it is resurectable (?)

Cuilidh - hope the windows are done now - can I get you to come round and do mine? I'll tell another story 

I think I'll print off some of my stories so that when I have popped my clogs and gone to where all the good girls go to  (if I'm lucky...) my kids can look at them and hopefully think that their silly old Mum was pretty cool after all!

In that cupboard is a box of diaries...I'm not too sure if I should keep them for my girls to read though. I was not the best behaved young lady 

Anyway - glad you got a good laugh.

[gertbysea]

Nikkit my Dh has written a couple of books about his life in Qantas. Not for children.

I have offered my daughter in law my Xrated love letters written by DH  when He was wooing me to Australia. Real, hand written letters. Poems and hand made cards. Pretty hot stuff.  I doubt my daughter wants them and certainly not my son but my granddaughters might get a giggle out it them in years to come.. He once wrote an extremely long poem of a cash register tape. LOL!

[cookie1]

Gert that is lovely.

Nikkit the fruit is fine, I added another swig of port to it.

Mum had some letters Dad wrote to her when they were courting. I promised her, as she was dieing that I would burn them. Guess what I did?     



I burnt them. I wasn't really tempted to read them....much. But I had promised. 

[mcmich]

How romantic Gert.
Love letters - how special   That would make up for trodden in maggots for sure