- Wed Jan 17, 2018 12:44 am
#402000
While i am on holidays and enjoying a chin wag with you all i thought i might finally post a poem i wrote in July 1986....the hg pilots always enjoyed my rendition at the July monthly meetings however it always brought back a cold sweat for me!. In those early cb radio"s days we called each other by our phonetic radio names , with a little bit of customisation, indeed some still call me Charlie for Col or with two Mikes one guy became Mango etc.The vehicle was a Landcruiser ute with an open wire cage on the tray. Anyway i digress so .... enjoy the ride from hell!
A LESSON FOR ALL
Here is the tale of a flying crew of seven,
Who never left the ground but nearly got to heaven,
Heading up the mountain in a 4wd Cruiser,
Little to suspect the drive down will be the bruiser
Too strong to fly today, the tempting cu"s just that,
So we hung around anyway with a cuppa and a chat,
All aboard, heading down-the wind it fairly blew,
And this is how we nearly lost the Byron Bay crew
In low range 4wd we came upon the steepest part,
A clunk was heard and suddenly we were a billycart,
Mike, Golf and Mango-the boys realized quick,
Baled out the back, but not poor Nick
Along with Charlie, Bravo and the driver Delta,
The four of us rode it out just like helter skelter,
With sheared off racks and steadies, the gliders thumped the ground,
A nightmare coming true, a catastrophe of sound
The screaming panic from the cabin-the truck it paid no heed,
Became a deathly silence with the now lethal speed,
A lot goes through your mind at times like these,
But i remember staring past telegraphpole size trees
Up ahead the track, it turned about,
The final crunch coming, there was no doubt,
Like a squeamish movie not wanting to recall,
I closed my eyes and tightened to a ball
The sliding sickening roll as over we went,
Hope we hit small one"s, hope our luck"s not spent,
The final lurch, silence-and a dusty awake,
Climb out the windscreen, do a stocktake,
All finally gathered around, bruised and sore,
The truck a wreck our gear all tore,
But all agreed after what had been,
The sunset that day was the best ever seen...
A LESSON FOR ALL
Here is the tale of a flying crew of seven,
Who never left the ground but nearly got to heaven,
Heading up the mountain in a 4wd Cruiser,
Little to suspect the drive down will be the bruiser
Too strong to fly today, the tempting cu"s just that,
So we hung around anyway with a cuppa and a chat,
All aboard, heading down-the wind it fairly blew,
And this is how we nearly lost the Byron Bay crew
In low range 4wd we came upon the steepest part,
A clunk was heard and suddenly we were a billycart,
Mike, Golf and Mango-the boys realized quick,
Baled out the back, but not poor Nick
Along with Charlie, Bravo and the driver Delta,
The four of us rode it out just like helter skelter,
With sheared off racks and steadies, the gliders thumped the ground,
A nightmare coming true, a catastrophe of sound
The screaming panic from the cabin-the truck it paid no heed,
Became a deathly silence with the now lethal speed,
A lot goes through your mind at times like these,
But i remember staring past telegraphpole size trees
Up ahead the track, it turned about,
The final crunch coming, there was no doubt,
Like a squeamish movie not wanting to recall,
I closed my eyes and tightened to a ball
The sliding sickening roll as over we went,
Hope we hit small one"s, hope our luck"s not spent,
The final lurch, silence-and a dusty awake,
Climb out the windscreen, do a stocktake,
All finally gathered around, bruised and sore,
The truck a wreck our gear all tore,
But all agreed after what had been,
The sunset that day was the best ever seen...
1975 : Lightning Bolt ( 18x16), Cobra ( cambered keel , roach tips ), Skydart ( 2 piece crossbar , fin ), Ibis ( keel pocket , > a/r , wider nose angle ) , Pelican , Pelican2 , Orion ( 40% d/s , metal battens , tip supports , lufflines?, folding a frame & kingpost , stronger ), Mega3 ( 70% d/s , floating crossbar? ), Meteor ( nose nappy , streamline kingpost , mylar inserts ), Foil ( streamline downtubes , thinner wires ), GT ( glass tips ), XS ( vg , speedbar ), Climax ( topless , 90% d/s , keelpost hangpoint , pip pins ), Climax4 ( >a/r , cam l/e's ), Sting3 ( < a/r , lighter/easier , poorer glide/speed range, fun..), Gecko ( moderate a/r, powerful vg, side wire/luff wire compensation), Fun190 (stress free basic user friendly).
Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness . MT.
We are all in the gutter...but some of us are looking at the stars. MT.
Youtube videos- Col Rushton
Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness . MT.
We are all in the gutter...but some of us are looking at the stars. MT.
Youtube videos- Col Rushton