| Well before daylight we were up and fed, we needed | | | | climbed back up to a safe height. |
| to get started at first light if we were going to have | | | | The ground crew told us it was clear where they |
| any chance of getting the mob into the yards before | | | | were so we headed for their position. |
| dark. The ground crew convoyed past with their lights | | | | Mustering over heavily timbered country is particularly |
| on as I was pre-flighting my machine, just like I had | | | | difficult, there are no landmarks apart from the odd |
| done hundreds of times before, exactly as I was | | | | billabong, fence line or patch of Turkey Bush, you need |
| taught-during my Helicopter Training-and then some. | | | | to keep your grid lines tight in order not to miss any |
| Fueled up and ready to go, a quick dirt map was | | | | animals and at the same time trying to stay in line with |
| drawn by the number one pilot to show me the plan | | | | the vehicles on the ground, on some passes I wouldn't |
| for the day. | | | | even see a vehicle and start to doubt whether or not I |
| Buffalo are quite different to muster compared to | | | | was in the right place then I would see the tail animals |
| cattle, they are generally smarter so you can't afford | | | | and relax a little. Back and forward, back and forward, |
| to make any mistakes and everyone must be in just | | | | hour after hour until finally a young bull breaks....... cars, |
| the right place otherwise you will have a mutiny on | | | | bikes and Helicopters everywhere! all it seems, trying |
| your hands. They also get hot a lot quicker than cattle | | | | to bend him in a different direction, if we can bend him |
| so you cannot run them for as long or as far, | | | | back, good, otherwise he will be caught in the bionic |
| particularly on the North Coast of Australia during the | | | | arm attached to one of the Toyotas and tied to a tree |
| wet season. | | | | to be retrieved tomorrow. As I'm ducking and diving |
| As we got airborne we could see a layer of fog lying | | | | amongst the trees with my head out the window |
| directly over the area where we needed to begin as | | | | looking for a spot to get lower to try and turn the bull, I |
| we flew out over the wispy cloud we could see it | | | | can hear my instructors voices from my Flight Training |
| wasn't very thick when we could spot trees through | | | | I try and listen to them but the adrenalin is pumping |
| some holes, the head pilot came over the radio saying | | | | now and and its the most fun I've had all day, I keep |
| he was going down through a gap to see how high | | | | my airspeed up and know where the wind is all the |
| the cloud was off the deck, I followed, but as soon as I | | | | time, constantly looking out for anything that will take |
| lost sight of the other Helicopter I pulled in pitch and | | | | out my tail rotor. |