HGFA Skysailor Magazine

SKY SAILOR 17 May | June 2019 S pending a total of 21 days in the air, Bendigo pilot and Flight Instructor at Knowsley Airpark, Justin Shaw said the motivation for the aerial expedition was solely to celebrate the joy of flight that is unique to his aircraft, all while flying over the vast Australian countryside, with a group of good mates. Starting from Knowsley Airpark near Bendigo, and finishing in Karumba, the pilots expect to spend a total of three to four hours in the air each flyable day. “I am most looking forward to flying the Birdsville Track, the gulf country and – weather permitting – flying 21 days in a row,” said Justin. “Our trip is sponsored by Poliglide and Knowsley Airpark. We are promoting the XC potential of Gin paragliders and Freshbreeze paramotors. One of the main things we want to demonstrate on this flight is the use of the Gin Pegasus 2. Some promote the sales pitch that pilots should buy their second wing first, that introductory wings are not suitable as XC wings. We are going to demonstrate how wrong this is by having pilots on these intro wings because the safest, most reliable wing is the ideal choice for your first wing.” The idea for the Australia-first feat, came from an English professional photographer, Dan Burton, a friend of Ballina pilot and Poliglide CFI, Andrew Polidano. The path the pilots will follow includes Swan Hill, Menindee, Broken Hill, Peterborough, Maree, Birdsville, Boulia, Mount Isa, Cloncurry, Normanton, and Karumba. “The most iconic places we will fly over include Menindee – which features extensively in the Burke and Wills story, the Dig Tree, the Birdsville Track and Birdsville,” Justin adds. “Broken Hill to Peterborough is our biggest diversion from the Burke and Wills trail. Up the Silver City Highway, north from Broken Hill, is a closer track, but getting from Tibooburra to Birdsville is too much of a challenge for the support vehicles and would become more of a 4WD than flying expedition.” Six pilots involved in the trip include Andrew Polidano from Ballina, Peter Forbes from Bendigo, Brandan Tacey from Beveridge, Peter Evans from Canberra, Chris Farnay from Clonbinane, and Justin Shaw from Bendigo. There are potentially three or four other pilots taking part in this trip, though these are yet to confirm participation. “There are ex-students from both Poliglide and Knowsley Airpark joining us on the trip,” tells Justin. “Big XC is an inspirational type of flying for a lot of pilots, knowing ex-students are among us helps new pilots imagine themselves doing the same.” Flight down memory lane to follow the Burke and Wills track by air In an Australian-first feat, six paramotor pilots will take a flight down memory lane in August, travelling around 2,800km to follow in the footsteps of Burke and Wills.