Archive (1372 life histories found)
''If you guys found Australia, I guess you can find Belfast without further assistance''
We spent a few days relaxing in Sydney and then it was time to fly home. Our route back was much the same but with more refueling stops and at a more relaxed pace. We experienced an alternator failure going into Alice Springs, but got it fixed ok…
Tags: air race, return flight
'We had all being maintaining radio silence to disguise our position from our competitors'
We spent a very merry Christmas and New year in Adelaide. The final sector of the race was to Bankstown ( Sydney ), with a compulsory stop over of one hour at Griffiths. Using the handicap system the organizers staggered the take off times so that…
Tags: air race, Australia, Christmas, New Year's
'OZ at last!'
Got a quick 30 min turn around and headed straight for Darwin. OZ at last! But our troubles were not over. As we got in range ATC informed that there were heavy thunderstorms in his area and the airfield had had a lighting strike and they were now…
'Our next planned leg was direct to Darwin, almost 1,000m over the shark infested Timor Sea '
This leg had presented difficulties for some of the other competitors. Miss Sheila Scott ( Air Race 99 ) was forced to land at Macassar due to electrical problems and was in need of some help. The Red Arrows team , flying a SIAI. - Marchetti SF…
Tags: air race, night flight, sharks
'We did some quick calculations and realized unless we got a fix of our position we would have to land somewhere before the engine quit.'
Next leg was across Saudi Arabia to Bahrain. I had never before seen such a desolate landscape, the Arabs call it,' Rub'al Khali or the empty quarter' and it certainly justifies the name. Quick turn around at Bahrain, little did I know at that…
Tags: air race, emergency landing, fuel shortage
'We all felt apprehensive as a solid wall of thunder storms arose before us on the horizon '
The Race was due to start on 17th Dec, but due to appalling weather conditions over the UK and France, the organizers postponed it for 24 hours in the interests of safety as some of the older aircraft were not equipped to fly in IMC (Instrument Met…
'This was the start of a great adventure for all of us '
I will always remember that night as one of the loneliest I had ever experienced. There was a full silver moon shinning on the Indian Ocean and off to the left I could just make out the rugged coastline of Iran. We had taken off from Bahrain at…
'Imagine trying to sell Newry as a shopping destination at the height of the troubles! '
All my life I have been involved with various organisations covering cultural, charitable and business. On the business side, I spent almost 20 years with Newry Chamber of Trade holding the posts of PRO and President. Imagine trying to sell Newry as…
'I am often asked 'wouldn 't you have loved a boy?' and my reply is always 'I wouldn 't swap one of them for 10 boys!!' '
As I look back on my life, or on that part of it that I have lived up to now, I believe that I have been blessed. I have been blessed with good health and we all know that 'your health is your wealth'. I have one or two small irritations associated…
Tags: Carlin Records, family, Family Business, Health, marriage, travel
'I have tried my best to live my life according to these standards and to pass them on to my children. '
Honesty, integrity, respect, reliability, good manners - these are the values that were instilled in me from an early age. First of all by my Parents, then at school and, as I grew up, by the teachings of the church. I have tried my best to live my…
Tags: family, Good Manners, Honesty, Intergity, Reliability, religion, Respect, school