Fran West Flyabout to Wolfe Creek Crater, Western Australia

This was another inland detour made during my flight around Australia's coast.

The flight departed Kununurra, near Lake Argyle, and headed down to Halls Creek. The day was fairly hazy with the smoke from bush fires.


Wolfe Creek Crater is the second largest meteorite crater in the world at over 800 metres wide and 50 metres deep. To the Aboriginal people, this big hole in the ground is where a legendary snake appeared out of the desert.

Fran West Walkabout in Alaska

When you travel, it's a good idea to photograph the signs which are unique to a place.

Places like Alaska have some really very interesting signs like this one.



Taken near Talkeetna, before we boarded the tour boat, the sign spells it out making sure we don't go off the path leading to the river!

Fran West Flyabout to Bullo River Station, Outback Australia

This was a memorable place to land for many reasons, one of them being the opportunity to meet author Sara Henderson.

During my coastal flight around Australia, Bullo River Station was one of the places I decided to refuel the aircraft.


After heading inland from the coast over the Victoria River, and then to the homestead, a surprise was waiting for me. There were horses spread right across the middle of the strip.

They didn't move after a low pass in the plane over the strip, so I had to land short and then taxi between horses to reach the fuel pump.

Just another joy of flying in the Outback.

Fran West Walkabout on the Perito Moreno Glacier, Argentina

In January this year I followed another dream, to trek in Patagonia in southern Chile and Argentina.

As an added bonus, the tour included a trip to the Perito Moreno Glacier.
We were going to go on a glacier trek but first we had to have crampons fitted to our boots.


The guide then taught us how to walk on the ice with them. His best description was to "walk like a monkey" while really digging our boots into the ice for a good grip.





Then it was walking over soft crunchy ice and looking down into the clear blue depths of water-filled crevasses. And in the background was the thundrous roar of the glacier calving into the lake, Lago Argentino.

Fran West Flyabout over Lake Powell, Arizona/Utah

One of the best holidays I organised for myself was a trip to the Southwest of the USA last year.

Lake Powell and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area need to be viewed from both the ground and the air. So I rose at 5am for a 6am joyflight, with the pilot flying a route which took in some of the picturesque canyons, Rainbow Bridge and the dam.

The air was smooth and the rock formations were gradually being bathed in the early morning sunlight.


Dangling Rope Marina, on the Utah side of the lake, was worth getting up early for, wouldn't you agree? Sometimes the early bird gets more than just a worm!

Here's more information.

Fran West Adventure on Florida airboat

After presenting a session at the Women in Aviation International conference in Orlando, I took time off to do a bit of touring.

I'm a big fan of CSI Miami and love the opening scenes which show an airboat speeding through the swamps. Just had to do that.

Near Christmas, Florida, I managed to sit right up the front of the airboat and take some real close ups of alligators slithering off the banks and under the boat.

The driver said Australian crocodiles were meaner and more aggressive than Florida alligators. Was he trying to wind me up just because I'm an Aussie?

He did, however, say "Don't drop your baby in the water because you won't get it back!"


P.S. I had all my winter woollies on - coat, gloves, scarf and beanie and I was still freezing. It's a bit breezy!

Fran West Flyabout in Alaska

This is a beautiful flyabout to do.

Take a commercial flight to tour around the Denali Range in Alaska.
Magnificent mountains and gorgeous glaciers! It's true.


Unfortunately, I didn't do the flying here, I don't have a twin endorsement, but it didn't matter. The scenery is gob smacking and we were fortunate to have a small window of opportunity to see some of the mountains before they were cloaked in cloud again.