Tuesday, January 14, 2020

FAMOUS RED BARON MISSING IN ACTION AGAIN ,MEDIA COPS FLAK

The   Red Baron seaplane used to  be a feature of the Townsville waterfront .  Then  it  was moved to  Western Australia ,where it  was used to make  scenic flights about  Perth .  For  a long time now , there has been   talk that  if  it  did not return   to  Townsville,  an  equally renowned   amphibian , Snoopy , colour yellow ,  would  come  to  Townsville  and  use  the  Red  Baron's mooring. 
 As a result , the  mooring (above)  advertising  Red Baron Seaplanes was visible for what seemed years . You would expect the local media   to  keep a close weather eye on   this ,  simply ring  O412 896 770  from time to time .With the passage of time , no    sight of  Snoopy,   it became apparent  there were no  aviation   correspondents in  the  local media  hangars  . Little Darwin raised  the  situation on  several occasions  and  even telephoned  WA . 
 
A  prominent  South East Asian journalist we know, on a  visit to Perth ,  volunteered  to drop in on the seaplane company  and   get the  latest  info  for  us  as  it  sounded  like an  interesting story to her .

 Guess what ? Our  Shipping  Reporter , the only one north of the Cape of Good Hope , yesterday  discovered  the  mooring, along with the  Red Baron Seaplanes   sign, a regular feature of the waterfront,  was missing .  Sunk ? Scrapped? Moved to another   site?  Souvenired  by South China  Sea  pirates ?  Not picked up by the local scribes in  the trenches . 
 
On ringing Red Baron Seaplanes   in Perth , the Shipping Reporter was informed  it did not herald the second coming of the Red Baron ...the marina  had  asked  them  to  move  the  mooring , its  whereabouts  now  not certain.
 
Yes, Snoopy does  exist, stored away in a hangar,  and  talks are  going on about  the  possibility of the plane  going into operation in Townsville, no indication when  . The owner of the  company is  colourful  WA  adventure  tourism operator and   Entrepreneur of the Year  , Mack McCormack , a former SAS  member who taught mountaineering . He is founder director of Safelight , a Perth company that installed  safety equipment for both the  Sydney Harbour  Bridge and the Matagarup  Bridge climbs .
 
He has  received attention out west for his  plans  to set up tours from a floating  helicopter pontoon on the Swan River  and to either  run a zip-line  from the top of  Brookfield Place  to  Elizabeth Quay , or a controlled jump off the side like the Sky  Jump  in  Auckland , New Zealand .
 
Over the years he was  written up  in connection with  a  Cessna Caravan floatplane  ,  a  22 seater  Grumman   Albatross  and  the  51 metre Norwegian built  luxury yacht  Lissa Solklint . Described as  enterprising , an obvious understatement,  he supports the SAS Resources  Trust , a charity which  helps former SAS soldiers ,  their  widows and  families.