The Steamtug Blog

Avalon Airport, located close to our home town Geelong, is trying to push to become the second international airport for our state of victoria. Every second year it becomes host to the Australian International airshow which Mitch and I were fortunate enough to attend.

My mate Chris who I know through the vintage tractor club at the showgrounds, was working there as a volunteer and after taking him and him mates for an evening cruise on Adaqua offered to repay me with free tickets to the show. We got the right royal treatment with free bus to and from the venue which dodged all the traffic jams and car park kerfuffle that the poor people had to contend with, along with BBQ tea cooked right under the Avalon control tower which has the best veiw of the entire venue only available to those who were working there.

We arrived in the last dying moments of the trade show which was not open to the general public with enough time to view the displays for those in the aerospace industry. I was particularly interested in the gas turbine stuff trying to apply what I already knew about this technology from my power generation experience, and see how it transpired to aeronatical propulsion. (Sounds impressive doesn’t it!!!)

Out on the runway, we saw many flying displays featuring our own air force’s impressive FA-18 jet fighters, but it was all too predictable until this flying ace from the good ol’ USA who does all the famous airshows showed us how to land his little plane on the back of his support truck. It reminded me of an old chap I worked with who told us many fascinating stories that could not possibly be true, but interesting concepts anyway… but I remembered his story about the little plane that came down in a paddock and landed on the back of a horse. While thinking how similar that story was to the events unfolding on the runway, there he was! Old Herbie ready to sprout more amazing stories. I had not seen him since he retired many years ago. We had a laugh together before going our separate ways.

We also walked around the great collection of planes assembled for the show. We saw military hardware, old time planes, corporate jets that Mitch had his eyes on for when his business MD-Media (the host of this weblog) turns over its second million dollars… I have tried to convince him he needs a large steam yacht as his corporate flagship of which I would be chief engineer in charge of an all girl crew sailing to the destination of his choice for his next business meeting. (“Dad… I have a corporate meeting with some rich business collegues. Get the girls to flash up the boilers, stock the beer fridge and I’ll see you in Tahiti Thursday next week”) I will keep dreaming.

MSTEC Steam Rally

Last weekend, I attended the Melbourne Steam Traction Engine Club rally. I didn’t take my camera, but was amazed to see a new exhibit on the main arena. It’s a RapieR W90 drag line which was used to mine brown coal for the Hazelwood Powerstation at Morewell. I knew the club had owned this for many years but was always stuck for a way to get it to the clubs grounds. After it had to be moved for business reasons, the company who previously owned it finally decided the only way the club was going to get it out of there way was for them to take it to Melbourne for the club.

So it has arrived! And what an amazing piece of machinery. When I first looked at it, I noticed the wheels had been left behind. But soon found out, its a “walking” dragline and does not have tracks or wheels. It walks (very slowly) by pushing 2 pontoons down on the ground and pushing backwards. It would take forever to get anywhere and I reckon this method of propulsion is nothing less than ridiculous, but hey!!!! They built it and it worked for many years with this method of getting around. Look at the web page in the following link and play the little video. Its very informative and interesting. It will make you want to visit the club, just to see this dinosaur in action!

http://home.vicnet.net.au/~mstec/rapier.htm

And I’ll see you for another episode next week!!! Hooroo and Cheerio.