While in Mareeba, the Out-n-Back crew had to the chance to speak with flight instructor David Curtis.
David has been flying to some of the remote airstrips in Australia for more than 20 years. He says the key to any successful trip is pre-planning and understanding the region.
'In my work I’d be away generally 2 to 3 weeks. It takes a lot of careful planning,' he said. 'You're relying on information for airstrips but you're also relying on information to get access to food, water or fuel.'
'Often you don't even know when you're going to get to the next bathroom.'
David said the pre-trip planning process on the ground is absolutely essential.
Some things to keep in mind include:
- What is the weather like today?
- What's the weather likely to be doing in a few days' time?
- Can I get fuel? Is it reliable fuel?
- Is there a fuel truck or is it a fuel drum?