I was fortunate that I had a web-based income by this time, as I started doing some online work for a friend. That was something I was able to do anywhere in the world, as long as I had my laptop and an internet connection.
As the UK summer ended, the Australian summer began. Australia is another country where there are lots of Tiger Moths giving Joy Rides. Australia is also a country that I have always wanted to go and visit, but didn't know when I would.
Well I found out that being under 30 years old, I could get a working holiday visa, and work for any employer I wanted out there. I also found out that for a 3 month period, I could apply for a temporary certificate of validation of my American FAA commercial pilots certificate which I obtained in 2003. This enabled me to operate commercially in Australia.
Since these flights were joy rides rather than air experience instructional flights, I didn't actually need to convert my instructor rating.
That was the answer. This move killed 4 birds with one stone. It got me out of another winter in England. It got me the summer season of flying Tiger Moth's that I had been trying to get for two years. It meant that now I had a reason to go and see Australia. It also meant I could probably stay there in the sunshine, apply for my US visa and stall there until I get it.
I spent a few days calling Tiger Moth operators in Australia at 3am UK time which was when I could get hold of people down under. I eventually found one in Melbourne that said if I was coming anyway, they will most likely use me as I seem qualified, and they are short of pilots. That was good enough for me, I didn't have to rely on having a confirmed job offer, since I had the web-based work coming in. So I applied for my working holiday visa, booked my ticket, sold my car, sold my Land Rover, and I left.
It was the best decision I could have made at the time, and it all fell into place. One of my instructor colleagues from back at Coventry was originally from this part of Australia. Her parents lived in a small town about 100 miles north of Melbourne and they took me in when I first arrived. They looked after me for a few days while I bought myself a car and settled into the country.
The picture below is outside their house of the car I had just bought, in front of the car I had rented from Sydney to get there.
I found a place to live down near Melbourne in a nice posh share house. The house I was staying in and the one next door were joined and were owned by the same person. All of us living the houses formed our own little community.
We were all very friendly and professional people from around the globe, each with our own story. The picture below was on the decking around the back of the houses where we often had a barbeque.
The place was very close to a beach I used to frequent with some of my new found friends. The sunsets there were amazing.
As soon as my certificate of validation of my FAA commercial license came in the mail, I was checked out on the Tiger Moth in a day. Then I began to fly the joy rides.
I was finally getting what I had been longing to do for a very long time and the experience was far greater than it ever would have been in the UK.
Flying happy customers over the Melbourne coastal areas. Looping and barrel rolling gracefully over the beach.
Flying in formation with the other company Tiger Moth. Below is my picture of Norm.
Below is Norm’s picture of me when I took the lead in the formation.
It was everything plus a whole lot more than I ever dreamed of. The airfield was a war time airfield, with a huge grass area to take off and land in any direction that the wind is coming from. The video below is some footage from the ground, and some airborn footage from the front cockpit of when I took one of my house-mates for a ride.
The area I lived in happened to be quite close to where the Aussie soap Neighbours is filmed. I went into the famous street fairly frequently whenever I passed by.
I met some of the actors in a nearby pub called the Elephant and Wheelbarrow where they frequent. I met Alan Fletcher who plays Dr Karl Kennedy. Alan is in a band called the Waiting Room. He’s there performing every Monday night.
I met Margot Robby who played Donna Freedman.
On a different night, I met Kym Valentine who plays Libby Kennedy. This was on my 28th birthday.
What happened next was being in the right place at the right time, lead to an Aussie expedition. I was asked to ferry a Cessna 172 from Darwin and bring it down to Melbourne. The owner had bought the plane to learn in and had around 20 hours logged. Him and his wife were moving down to Tooradin just south of Melbourne, so it was an all expenses paid trip and what a way to see the country. It was one hell of an adventure across the outback. I've documented it all in the video below.
I left Australia that April as their summer came to end. I stopped over at Mumbai for two weeks on the way back to England to visit family, and then I headed home to get ready for the next move. By this time I thought I had figured out how to make the career move to the US.
