Man Builds Plane in Canberra Garage - ABC News (Australia) story ran 14 May 18.

Not such a crazy idea on this forum but seems to interest the general Australian public. Thought you might be interested in a News Story - "Man Builds Plane in Canberra Garage", that ran this weekend on our National Broadcast Station in Australia. Experimental aviation is not as big down here. OK, so I built a Zenith Zodiac 601 in my garage, good. But it gets more interesting, I entered us in the Australia Outback Air Race 2018. My wife and I head off in the Zodiac mid August to cross Australia, a distance of 2,132nm from Brisbane to Broome. (See attached map) And hopefully back again. Follow our adventure on Facebook.

What else would you do with your Zodiac 601? Well the beauty of it is we are also raising funds for the Australian Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS). The RFDS has been providing critical aero-medical services to Outback Australia for 90 years this year. For most of you in the USA it is hard to imagine how critical this service to people living and visiting the Australian Outback actually is. With a waiting room of 7.69 million square kilometres, (same size as contiguous states of the USA) the RFDS provides 24-hour aeromedical emergency services that can reach anywhere, no matter how remote, within hours. Combined with telehealth consultations, fly-in fly-out GP and Nurse clinics, mobile dental services, patient transfers, and a myriad of other health services, the RFDS is constantly working to see that those living in rural and remote areas can enjoy the same health outcomes as those living in city areas.

Just to put remote in perspective for you. If you took the state of Texas and placed it carefully into the Australia outback, it would NOT cross a paved road of any kind. Would NOT cover a single hospital. Only 3471 people would have to become Texan's. Now imagine you are living, working or touring your kit plane out there and you have an accident. Your a long way from anywhere.

A very large expensive professional organisation flying a lot of miles per year keeping people alive and healthy. Started 90 years ago by the Reverend John Flynn and still largely supported through fund raising efforts of ordinary people across the planet. 

Having the gift of being able to complete a wonderful kit aircraft in my garage, it is very nice to be able to give something back and support such a valuable organisation doing this incredible work. 

Please consider supporting the work of the RFDS with donations and follow along on the adventure, go to our Team Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/RFDStwoup. Click the donate button their and read up on our posts.

Build straight, fly right.

Steven & Christine Mogg

Here are a few other links:

The TV story ran on ABC Sunday News in NSW/ACT

https://youtu.be/wut0TU2q3z0

The Outback Air Race Web site for race details.

http://www.outbackairrace.com.au

The online story has been published: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-05-13/canberra-man-who-built-plane-...

There is also a social video on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abccanberra/videos/10156661244157125/