Fly-away to Mount Beauty (07/09/2024)
Destination: Mount Beauty [YMBT]
Distance: 145nm direct
Date: 07/09/24
Aircraft: 5
Crew: 11
The latest Bacchus Marsh Aero Club fly-away up to the Victorian snowfields was an absolute Beauty! With five aircraft (two C172M, one C172XP, one C182, one RV8) and eleven crew, we enjoyed near-perfect conditions, and for some, a first mountain flying experience.
Organised by club president, Andrew, we departed around 10:00am with each crew choosing their own route there. Some took a more direct route via Mansfield, while others opted to skirt tiger country with a stop at Wangaratta to top up on fuel and to stretch the legs.
With the forecast cloud of 3500 feet bases and 6000 feet tops, we climbed to 7500 feet and perched above the clouds in smooth air, achieving ground speeds of more than 140 knots.
The scenery enroute was spectacular! Wonderful waterways, lush rolling hills and winding valleys. At Running Creek we descended around a stubborn cumulous of 8000 feet tops that had parked itself right where we wanted to turn into the Kiewa Valley. We weaved our way around the giant fluff and immediately pulled back the power to lose height for the approach into the recently upgraded Mount Beauty Airfield.
With a light quartering northwesterly wind, crews assessed their landing options. Do we take the challenging 32 approach to land into wind, or stick with the recommended Runway 14 and cop a bit of tailwind? It was quickly decided that the latter was the best option.
We configured early and joined from the dead side of 14, hugging the valley to the right and joining crosswind over the pondage. While not as tight as the 32 circuit, things happen quickly with undulating terrain and towering mountains on both sides. We heeded the local advice to slow the aircraft on downwind and getting a notch of flaps out early. An early go-around decision is required for this arrival as there is a huge lump of a hill directly ahead. The tailwind resulted in a little bit of floating and a shimmy as the extra energy was forced to the nose wheel upon landing. The six cylinder engine in the C172XP makes the front heavier than a standard 172 so even the sack of ballast in the back wasn't enough to arrest the shake dance. A warbled radio call signalled our exit from the runway, and we taxied off and found a nice little parking spot on the apron just as the other crews arrived. So, despite the different routes taken and varied aircraft performances we all arrived at roughly the same time.
A walk into town shortly followed. We took the pondage path with expert guidance by our President come mountaineer, Andrew, who had us clambering up the side of the pondage wall to access the walking track. As we meandered into town, we spotted a Kookaburra in the old Gum Tree and the occasional patch of snow in the nearby Bogong Ranges. While we didn't get to strap on the snow boots this trip the lunch and banter at the Mount Beauty Bakery was a great opportunity to mingle with other club members, make introductions and indulge in fine foods and coffee.
As we departed the bakery we realised our navigation skills as pilots was limited to activities aloft. It took a few heads and google map interpretations to orient us in the direction of the track which would take us back to the airfield.
Fossicking through wallets for any sign of near-extinct paper currency, we managed to find enough for a landing donation. The folks at Mount Beauty truly have established a pilot's delight and we were grateful for the opportunity to use their fantastic facility.
We departed upwind on runway 32 into the stunning Kiewa Valley and climbed to 6500 feet. Most crews took a fairly direct route back via Lake Eildon while XLR opted for a precautionary fuel stop at Wangaratta.
With all aircraft safely back on the ground at Bacchus a few members headed over to the Geelong Gliding Club to celebrate what was, another successful and memorable flying adventure.
Check out all the other pictures here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/amZ7QroduBD3U6gT6