"33:56.50S 151:10.30E"

Denniliquin YDLQ to Warnervale YWVA Sydney



It is Sunday morning and it is continuing raining at DLQ, highly unusual for this area of Australia, but always very welcome. This part of Australia is very dry and in need of this rain.

We lodged our IFR flight plan for Sydney via Wagga-Wagga, Binook VOR, then north of Sydney to Warnervale YWVA. An unlicensed sealed airfield located 45 nm north of Sydney. The smallest airstrip we have landed on so far during our Round the World flight. The reason we choose this airfield was it was closest to Manfred’s home.

We took off in pouring rain, our first real experience of full IFR weather. We did not become visual till the outskirts of Sydney, 2 hours into our flight. This is one of the reasons we have an instrument rating to allow us to fly in all weather and conditions. We have flown half way around the world with beautiful VFR weather and on this second last leg we have struck full instrument flying conditions. As forecast, correctly at this time, WVA was in VFR, fully visual. Otherwise we would have had to divert to our alternate, Bankstown, which is Sydney’s general aviation airstrip.

As planned it is always great to have someone meet you at a lonely airfield. Allison, Manfred’s wife was there.

Allison  greeted us with a warm reception  and open arms, this to welcome us safely back home for 2 full days of R & R, before our last leg to MUR and for HB PON’s well deserved 100 hourly service.

After 45 minutes by car we arrived home at the Melloh’s for a well earned rest.

Of course, Rolf was happy to be able to catch up on his computer communications, and to ring home to Switzerland, to speak to his wife Anne.