New Friends at Sunshine Coast
I'm back from an overnight prep flight up to the Sunshine Coast! This trip, especially the first leg, presented some challenging conditions such as low cloud and winds, requiring me to be flexible with my transit plans. I departed Cessnock and tracked along the coast, first transiting Williamtown's Airspace and then a quick stop at Coff's Harbour for snacks and refuelling, where I landed in a very strong crosswind - right up at the max for a 172! Then, it was again time to continue flying north, through the Gold Coast and Brisbane, up to the Sunshine Coast. These points along the flight presented their own individual challenges, as I was navigating some very busy airspaces and had to keep my eyes and ears open!
My evening at the Sunshine Coast was wonderful, and I'm still so grateful for the hospitality that I received from the lovely people there. Special mention must be made to the Sunshine Coast Aero Club. With the winds too strong for us to feel comfortable using just chocks, Janaya and I were offered a spot on the grass outside the club to tie it down. Then, we were welcomed for dinner at the airport. It was so great to talk to everyone there; you were all so kind to us! I really appreciated both the words of support and the advice I received. I also had the opportunity to head up to the tower that evening and meet Naomi. If it weren't for her, I may still be taxiing around the airport!
Advanced Flight Theory, a local training provider, offered the accomodation for myself and Janaya overnight. I had a wonderful night's rest, and we also enjoyed being able to walk down to the beach that evening.
We took off a lot later the next day because we spent most of the morning chatting with people at the airport- Vanessa, Cran, Naomi, and everyone else; thank you for being such incredible supporters; I'm looking forward to coming back in 2 weeks' time!
The next morning was much better in terms of weather, so I followed a more inland route, flying first to Lismore and then on to Cessnock, with Janaya throwing a few practice forced landings/ precautionary searches to keep things interesting!
2 weeks left until I depart!
