A team of central Victorian aviators is gearing up to fly the 2500 nautical miles from Esperance in Western Australia to Queensland’s Hamilton Island in the 2015 Outback Air Race next month.
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Pilot Gary McClure from Kyneton, first officer Greg Barkla of Castlemaine and crew members Lyn and David Mayo – known as 3 Pies with Sauce – will compete against 25 other teams to complete each leg of the race in the most accurate time.
“The way it works is that it’s not actually a race, it’s more like a time trial,” Mr Barkla said.
“(We) all start in Esperance and you are given two points that you’ve got to find on a map.
“You work out from the information you’ve been given the distance between the two points and you have to estimate the time it’s going to take to get from point A to point B.”
The race is all an elaborate fundraiser for the Royal Flying Doctor Service and the last time Mr McClure and Mr Barkla competed the team successfully raised over $17,000 for the cause.
This year they’re on their way to $13,000 and Mr McClure said there would be more quirky fundraising opportunities along the way.
“The team that wins a particular leg on the day gets given a mannequin’s leg that’s painted gold with a strap on it and you have to walk around the town that you land in and people ask what it’s all about and they can put money in the leg,” he said.
The latest fundraising effort will be a gala trivia night at the Old Castlemaine Gaol this Friday night. To book a seat or table call Greg on 0407 823 920. Entry is $20.
