02 Mar 2007 - Darwin day 3

Rain a little heavier today, with the low weather system approaching. I thought I'd be sitting it out again until Richard said 'time to throw you in the deep end'... Off to Cape Don with him in a B58 Baron - a plane I'm familiar with, but have flown very little, so it's just as well he's there to look over my sholder.

Departure was around a line of approaching storms, but we got to Cape Don ok, dropped of the caretaker and a load of goods, then it's my turn for a fly. I'm not as comfortable in the plane as I'd like, and without some time to prepare I'm really relying on Richard to keep me heading in the right direction, which is never the way I instinctivly feel I should be going (not to self, do as you taught others - heading and time!).

We were due to return to Darwin, but diverted to Bathurst Island due to the weather, and waited it out for a couple of hours. With some help from the weather radar, we later decided to depart, but still had an interesting trip back, taking a VOR approach down to minimums in heavy rain, with plenty of assistance from Richard to keep us upright and look outside while I flew, but it worked out ok.... Without the radar, or if the trip was any longer, and we would have just elected to stayed the night there. As it was, we were lucky to get in around the worst of it.Richard got drenched tying the plane down (I'm not yet endorsed on the plane tug) and I got to watch some crocodiles hatch, from a load of eggs someone flew back to Darwin.

Because of the weather delays, we were a little late getting back, so missed an opportunity to take on another charter company at a pre-arranged game of laser-shoot-ups, but did still catch up for a social drink once we'd all dried and changed...So that's the induction - worse weather than the boss has seen, strange places and on the run thinking - should make something outa me...