18/09/2024
From Byron Teenpilotdownunder
Hey Crew,
Byron Waller here, Teen Pilot Down Under. This week, the crew (aka Rod Flockhart - instructor extraordinaire and Rob Waller - Dad/cook/cameraman) and I took off from Archerfield Airport on Sunday and flew over 600km to Rockhampton—what an incredible experience! Flying through unfamiliar skies was more thrilling than I could have imagined. We had a great morning in Rockhampton with an early 6:30 a.m. start in a taxi. The departure was smooth, with a really friendly controller at the airport. Heading north to Shute Harbour in the Whitsundays, we had to divert west of restricted airspace due to military exercises around Shoalwater (exciting I feel like a pilot now). The approach to Shute Harbour was rough, with hard banking from the west, but the views were amazing!
At Shute Harbour, we were met by the airport manager, who gave us some great news—BP had donated $3,000 to support our flight! I was shocked, BP had heard what I am doing and got behind me. Thank you SOOOO much, this will help me a lot and means more of the donations can go to Queensland Children's Hospital and Crohn's research. Then, to make things even better, I got the chance to go up on a scenic flight with a pilot and some tourists over the Great Barrier Reef, which was absolutely incredible. Now, I’m dreaming of flying an Evans!
We thought the weather would turn bad when we left Shute Harbour, but we managed to climb to 6,500 feet and flew to Innisfail at 145 knots, seeing stunning parts of the Great Barrier Reef along the way. Suddenly, the weather closed in, and visibility dropped to about five miles, with rain showers forcing us down to 500 feet to stay close to the coast. Despite the tricky conditions, we made a solid landing in Cairns though it was touch-and-go whether we’d have to divert to Innisfail. Something else that was really awesome was when I landed my plane in Cairns, I got to land over the top of a Qantas plane who was about to depart (talk about exciting - see the video on my website www.teenpilotdownunder.com).
We stayed in Cairns and had an awesome encounter with Alana Pearce (Aviation extraordinaire), who filmed our landing at the airport! All in all, it’s been an unforgettable journey so far.
After departing Cairns, I flew to Horn Island via Iron Range Airport, where I met some amazing, super friendly locals. It was a memorable stop, and their warm welcome made the journey even more special.
Today was one of the most incredible experiences of my journey so far, flying up to the very top of Australia to reach its most northern point! The view from above was absolutely breathtaking as I approached Horn Island, a place I’ve always dreamed of landing. Touching down there was a surreal moment, knowing how far I’ve come on this adventure. To top it all off, I’m hoping to reconnect with my old flight instructor, Lauchlan, which would make this day even more special. This flight was definitely one for the memory books!
To make today even better, the fund raiser on Go Fund Me reached a massive $15,000. This blows my mind. Thank you every single one of you for your very generous donations to help me and the kids Children's Health Queensland
Thanks for being part of the adventure!
Byron Waller - Teen Pilot Down
https://www.gofundme.com/f/flying-around-australia-to-raise-money-for-crohns
Thank you for helping make this mission a reality! We depart R… Byron Waller needs your support for 14YO pilot flying around Australia to raise funds for Kids
