Attempting my longest ever flight

[@Garythefireman66]

Well done Stef. Getting out of your comfort zone builds character and confidence 👏🏻👏🏻

[@09shadowjet]

11:25 Never seen a grass runway with a tarmac threshold before. Great video Stef!

[@tyjohnson7428]

Don't worry that runway is closed most days anyway 😂

[@netspeedinternet7181]

Great job indeed. Last week I completed an 1100nm trip in one day from Canberra to YSHR in the Whitsundays. In my little Bristell NG5 it took me 10 hours with only one 30 minute stop for fuel and toilet. That was entirely VFR too so I can totally relate to both your exhaustion and sense of achievement.

[@AvSeb-]

I think I saw someone do that on fr24 in the exact same plane. Do u come up on fr24?

[@netspeedinternet7181]

@@AvSeb- I do indeed. Although ADSB coverage in regional parts of NSW / QLD mean I drop off coverage for hours at a time, even at 7500 feet.

[@skylane1829]

Look at it this way….now you know how far you can fly it should you need to know for some future event…… Good job Chap!!!

[@DefinitelyNotaRussianSpy]

Wow small world, I think I see you flying out of Canberra regularly. You own the red bristell? I think there are a few of them.

[@scocking0]

Great job, well flown! I think you’re right to be _cautious_ on such a flight, but nervous? You planned it well, you had plenty of alternates. And 747nm, it’s a lucky number 😅

[@vatira]

Love this video, love seeing pilots journeys and how they test themselves! I'm a CFII+MEI and this is exactly how I teach my students to push their aviation boundaries, the planning, the caution, and the great understanding of ur aircraft is what makes experiments like this safe and rewarding, and makes you a better pilot in the long run! I remember my first time pushing fuel limits, it was while I was doing a bunch of night tours of Dallas with a bunch of friends, and I knew we had plenty of fuel, I had done all the calculations and kept up with all my numbers and note taking and everything looked great, but I still felt pretty nervous about it. But once I landed I felt super accomplished about everything I had done, and I can see that exact feeling in you as you concluded this video, as a flight instructor its one of my favorite things to see! (also I tell every student I have about your videos so hopefully they don't find this comment)

[@cirrusflyerh2843]

Steff, i do regular return trips Essendon to Archerfield and back. Most recent one was just last week. Ive done the non stop ones a few times and even though my SR22 G5 can do this easily, i choose to stop at Dubbo for a sanity and comfort break. Have also gotten into the habit of refuelling at Dubbo because the weather between Tenterfield and Archerfield can change quickly particularly in summer with easterly airflows pushing up over the great dividing range. RPT flights in & out of Dubbo are more frequent ( compared with Orange, Mudgee or Tamworth). This means the main terminal coffee shop is more likely to be open when you get to Dubbo. And if the weather turns real bad further north, you can always bed ip with a hippo at Dubbo Zoo for the night.

[@scottjessett6000]

Love your honesty Stef, and the way you handled it and explained how you felt. There's not enough real people like that in aviation!

[@t.p.mckenna]

Vulnerability is the most human of qualities, but so often we try to mask. Yet the main man up at the front of a B747, or a F16 pilot, both have it. So, you did such a service in a sharing your anxiety so openly on this video. Best part is your story telling capabilities, which are very strong, and how you conveyed the hardest part of the journey in retrospect. It made for a very tidy account. Thank you.

[@across8339]

This is what I subscribed for: great editing, no bs drama builds, honest, open and fascinating. I would love to have gotten my licence but time and funds were always against me; this is the next best thing.

[@StefanDrury]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed this one. It was a really fun flight and a good learning experience.

[@papics]

Well done! The very familiar feeling of how doing something new raises anxiety levels, and ends up building confidence (and fatigue :D) comes across nicely. I am still flying with a pretty fresh PPL, and every time I do something new, I do a ton of preparation, plans B and C, and at the end of the day I am tired, but always extremely satisfied with the gained experience and the thought that now I can do this too, and the next time I do it it will be already much easier, more familiar. Cheers!

[@brandon.sigurdsson]

You were the one that inspired me to take on my PPL journey! I’m currently 16.4 hours in and am LOVING it. You are so awesome Stefan

[@fngonzo]

Well done Stef! Pushing our limits is the only way we grow. 👏👏👏

[@paulc7551]

I love your comment about the long flight beating you up. I get stressed flying two hours away from home (VFR). Been watching your channel a while and living vicariously through you, hopefully will get back in the air soon (aircraft , weather and wallet permitting). In the meantime keep on flying for me, maybe we will cross tracks in the air soon.

[@ImDavidJames]

Nothing wrong with what you felt. Humble good bloke. Be proud of yourself. And great vid again Been binging through your stuff after finding you

[@harrywg1114]

Good on you Seff! You inspire me to get out of my comfort zone each day and I know that comparing yourself to others is not the healthiest habit, so this is something I am going to also follow in your footsteps to improve!

[@Soyayabb]

Well done Stef! Pround of you!~ I can feel your energy !

[@royevans1267]

Be very proud Stef....excellent as always.

[@GolfonFlying]

I love how you share your nervousness & how you plan to minimise the risks. I can fully appreciate this having recently done a big flight from Riddells Creek to Birdsville, Winton, Longreach, Charleville, Bourke, Cobar, Deniliquin and home.... (24 hours of flying in 5 days) the last day was one of my shorter days but had the biggest concerns, watching fuel, cloud and making alternates in case I couldn't land at home. Same thought processes you went through.. a lot of planning before the flight... lots of review during the flight.. the key-- making sure I always had plenty of fuel to accomodate time to divert if required

[@40fly55]

Love it Stef! A massive thanks for the vulnerability, honesty and openess you shared throughout this video. Brilliant.

[@Gregs_World]

Well done the very thoughtfully put together video wasn't expecting that particular runway past the paved threshold that was a surprise thanks for another great presentation to us the very best to you and your family, always

[@Glyrez]

Great flying mate! Thanks for the honesty! Pilot in learning here in the Boca Raton FL area. I learn quite a lot from your experiences and flying a Cirrus is in my bucket list!🛩

[@AdamLupton-hx5im]

Well done mate. Good on you. Love your video's.

[@flightsights]

I appreciate how open you are regarding being nervous. I have also experienced times flying when for no real reason I felt nervous. My instructor once told me that it was okay to be nervous since we were flying and we weren’t born with wings so we were doing something not natural for humans, which should make us nervous. That nervousness can be turned into focus and attention to details and used in a positive way. Happy flying Stef.

[@samuelpolden5207]

Stef stop for fuel at YMND if you ever need to on your trips mate. Ill be at the maintenance hanger. Love to have you stop in one day.. awesome job 👏 great flying as usual. Your channel is one of the reasons I'm now an apprentice AME & and student pilot. Keep up the good work buddy

[@TonyHarrisonPhotography]

Nice one Stef - great to hear you on the radio as you were leaving Orange (I was leaving Mudgee) - and good work on relaying for ATC - must have added a little to the workload on climbout. Great video, can't wait for more.

[@cjsims3000]

Did Stef have to relay for you to ATC?

[@TonyHarrisonPhotography]

@@cjsims3000 Nah, just overheard him doing it for someone that centre couldn't hear. Was just droning along and when I heard EYZ, I thought "I know that call sign", so gave him a "Hi Stef" when there was a lull!

[@AISuperFly]

Well done Stefan. This the best way to learn about your aircraft and more importantly your comfort level. As a ferry pilot I've done my fair share of long flights some without many options for fuel. I've also done Sunshine to Melbourne more than once in an SR22G5 which is just a little over 800nm. I can confirm that you can still do this trip with 10-15 kts of headwind, but regardless of how many time you've done it, the last hour is always an uncomfortable one. The Cirrus is an amazing machine for what it can do. Great job !

[@johnfitzpatrick2469]

Great stuff Stef. The sky is the limit. 🌟 🌲 Merry Christmas

[@CSTNKTAP]

It's great to see videos like this one, where it shows that flying is not always like we planned. Well done!

[@paulmilo999]

Crazy how things well within your capability and can leave you feeling way outside your comfort zone. I suspect most pilots have been there. Great vid.

[@JBAviation]

Great Video Stef!

[@piotrekflo]

Perfect flight planning, great video. The main thing is a super pilot. Welle done Stefan. Your plane is amazing also. The avionics upgrade is a big deal and very helpful for flight like this.

[@xbrules]

Another enjoyable, informative and entertaining video, Stef. The acoustic guitar music part way through was giving off bush tucker man vibes

[@AudioTones67]

KZbin needs a ❤button, not just a 👍button. This is my dream (local) flight, so it was a good education to see how challenging it can be managing weight and performance. I hope you had a good trip up here Stef!

[@grant-little]

Well done. We only learn when we push our boundaries. I'm not long finished my RA-AUS x-country so watching your videos makes me want to try and just push the comfort zone a little (within reason!!) and not just do the same thing. So thanks for the inspiration!

[@BonJoviMad100]

Congratulations man! I’m currently getting my RPC certificate, and HOPING to go solo just after Christmas and new years.

[@grant-little]

@@BonJoviMad100 Good luck with it, it's an awesome experience

[@BonJoviMad100]

@@grant-little thanks man! Where do you fly out of?

[@grant-little]

@@BonJoviMad100 Jandakot - you?

[@markvalerieedwards714]

Well done, great video to watch.

[@joelrichters]

I love this... you did well with building the suspense.

[@joelrichters]

I wish I had of known, I would have gone to Archerfield to take pics.

[@cdogg86]

Great job. Nice personal victory!

[@Mike_Costello]

Don't know how I missed this video. You came to my home town and all. Weird that just after you changed to Brisbane Centre I heard them Call VH-SUV (at 6:27 ) which is the callsign for the old 56TC Baron I used to fly in for aerial survey. That aircraft is long gone and the rego now belongs to a Bell 429 out of the Gold Coast. Made my ears prick up that's for sure. Great video as always Stef. I hope you enjoyed old Brisbane town.

[@jshbontjer]

Lovely to see your emotions during this flight. Happy for you!

[@mjotd8670]

And proud you should be..great flight, video, and editing!

[@stephenjordan8712]

Great accomplishment! 🙌🏻

[@classicraceruk1337]

You made it, well done Steff….. it’s a long day of flying. I would certainly have had a stop. Unless in my friends 421 Golden Eagle now that’s a mile cruncher. Swop the Cirrus for one!!!!

[@jetrider2011]

Welcome to my home town great flight. I always want to compare commercial to private flights thanks for the great content showing Aussie aviation.

[@NLJoren]

Congrats Stef, well done! And what a perseverance 💪

[@Balthazar744]

Another excellent video Stef. Well done on pushing your boundaries in such a mature and safety-oriented way. As pilots we should always have a contingency plan, preferably more than one. It's really interesting that you have captured the mindset of a commercial long-haul airline pilot like me, even though you were flying yourself privately. Whilst I may not be quite as anxious as you initially were (that gets easier with practice), my own approach to long flights is to embrace my concerns and keep myself alert. This makes me look for as many "safety outs" as possible. Also, many of my friends always ask about how boring it must be flying autopilot for such long flights. But as your video shows, there are so many things going on, so many considerations in addition to just the primary job of keeping the blue side up, that the flights are not boring. Although I'm sure you had a few moments of tedium. Well done.

[@M.C_43CHEN]

Wow, welcome to Archerfield Stef, I'm flying Cirrus at YBAF as well.

[@TrizzaW]

Great video! I love how real you keep these, on the emotion side. I can totally relate!

[@cjsims3000]

Thanks for the video. Love your work as always.

[@samyouelle1]

It was so awesome to see EYZ in my local airspace. Please come back soon!

[@downunderdave5417]

Great Vid as Always!!

[@danieljewell]

Great work Steff and thanks for sharing. I really learn a lot from watching how you run through your procedures. I did a small 2 hr nav out of Moorabbin on Sunday as part of my PPL and that had me exhausted and I was with my instructor.

[@MaverickAussie]

Welcome to BrisVegas, Stef! Archer's fun cos it's got dual runways in two directions and procedures up the wazoo thanks to Brisbane and Amberley airspaces. Congrats on testing your limits on the journey and nice to have you in our beautiful city!

[@pilotjancek]

Good job dude! Flying step by step and learing every day a bit more.

[@geoffnewberry477]

A very enjoyable video as usual, well done mate, keep these videos coming, they are very entertaining and educational.

[@callumg103]

I've been watching quite a few of your videos recently, and I find them so inspiring. A goal of mine is being able to get to the point where I can fly as much as possible and to push myself as you do. Appreciate the content mate 👍

[@StefanDrury]

That's such a great comment to receive, thanks for taking the time to say that Callum. I really wish you all the best with your goals to fly, and whatever adventures you have I hope you enjoy them all. Thank you again.

[@callumg103]

@StefanDrury Hoping to pass my Nppl next month, I just need the weather to be on my side and then small steps to get where I want to be to achieve some adventure goals.

[@jfpilot7100]

Excellent video, and I understand the feeling. Fuel management is a area were I always give myself as much room for manoeuvre as possible. Better too much than too little

[@hugoyang6641]

An absolutely thrilling video! :)

[@StefanDrury]

Thanks for watching Hugo

[@Hungrybonegaming]

Great video mate, I was on a nav flight to Mudgee when I heard you and EYZ on Brisbane Centre, I was very unsure if I was hearing things or not. Later on I realised you were overflying, and unfortunately you didn't descend to stop by. All in all, glad the flight went well

[@nickcOfficial]

Been waiting for the upload, seen your trip on the flight tracker 🤣 watching now 🙌🙌

[@timothybenade]

Well done buddy. You did great. 🥹

[@snowblazed3442]

Stefan you inspired me to get my PPL. Am only a few weeks out from my check-ride and I am taking your advice to never compare myself to other pilots. I am currently in NZ but have plans to fly across Australia as I build my experience.

[@Angus-H5665]

Great video. Im meant to go up to Brisbane next Friday on JQ560 but of course the fire fighters are striking

[@mini2flyerau]

I've heard about that, apparently Qantas and Jetstar are flying "business as usual" even though the fire fighters won't be able to respond.

[@chronos_vnc]

Just wanted to say that I think your videos are super entertaining and I'd love to see more stuff coming. Keep it up 👍

[@Boeing_Luke]

Well done on the epic flight Stef. Will make good practice for when those extended legs come up on your round the world trip. Well done mate.

[@glennwatson]

Congratulations. All you need is a radio call like “EYZ due to imc at your destination there will be a delay of 45 minutes for your approach. Cleared sector entry and hold.”

[@gastonsmorczewski]

Great video, love the edits you make in the videos

[@StefanDrury]

Thanks Gaston

[@janwatson5862]

Well done Stef,all practice for you for when you decide on your round the world trip.🐄 you can always rely on milkshake for support🐄

[@gavinsullivan9015]

Love these videos 👍

[@vlfreak]

nice job mate, nothing like pushing the boundaries 👌 waving from YMDG

[@PilotGery1]

knowing that the plane did what the computers calculates is actually quite a relief. Great Vid as always

[@oscarmedek7744]

Love seeing Archerfield on the channel

[@red_viper0017]

Funny to think that the planes I flew and where I used to learn to fly is where he parked at YBAF. The first nav I ever did was in the blue plane parked on the grass at YBAF. Thought the rego sounded familiar when I heard it on tower. I followed EYZ in on 4R. Nice to see you do the trip to YBAF was just too slow doing my after flight admin to say hi

[@milk-it]

You've now attained the status of "Queen of the Skies" for flying 747 miles non-stop! 😄 Nice work and well managed!

[@alexiclemeur4028]

Well done. I was in the circuit (the sling) when you were leaving in the morning.

[@JackHuckett]

Funny thing is that i watched you on flight radar do this amazing flight

[@foxiedogitchypaws7141]

Just don't push it too much, that's what Milkshake was thinking🛩️🤗🦊

[@markarm51]

A really good video. I live in Tamworth and I can't believe you flew over me and I never even knew. I would have waived as you flew by and hopefully strengthened your tail wind :)

[@ashton2969]

A little bit of excitement when you went direct wagga. Wagga's my home :D

[@StefanDrury]

Hi Wagga 👋

[@kenethsedgwick8596]

Excellent video !

[@wubba1575]

Well done Stef!! No idea why I feel like a proud parent 🤨🙈😂

[@colinpotter7764]

Really enjoyable video.

[@alexmatson81]

Great Video!

[@CiscosDisco22]

Awesome, well done.

[@Sunny_Obi]

I’ve never seen a plane going through clouds from that perspective. Was a little scary for me when it all went white. Good flying!

[@leifekstrom1828]

Nice work Stef. I trust the guys at TAG looked after you? Sorry I missed you being in Brizzy, maybe next time.😊

[@daztography1]

My home town, wish I would've known you were flying in to ybaf, would have loved to have met you...big fan of yours.

[@BonJoviMad100]

I agree.

[@Grant82gc]

Awesome work!! Btw, I live about a 25min drive from YBAF and 10min from YBBN.

[@scottcochrane638]

Great stuff

[@Nardi_05]

Great video

[@WhiiTe1000]

Love Archerfield. Work near enough to it that I can watch the aircraft come and go all day

[@shaneharmer2555]

Nice work!

[@PureGlide]

Camera on the wingtip won't help. I wonder how much difference it really makes? I certainly wouldn't fly with one on the wing on a long glider flight, thats for sure :)

[@Cherokee140Pilot]

My wife and I can only travel in our Cherokee as far as the smallest bladder. 😂 Well done! 👏

[@julianturecek2373]

Great effort Stef and awesome video once again. I was wondering how much fuel you had left in the tanks at shutdown?

[@dronepilot-jrf-w1381]

oh wow, it was you I saw fly over head. Hope you got out of Brissy before the weather changed on us :)

[@ericbuhrendorf]

I’m here for the avionics… lol. Does the MFD/PFD have checklists?

[@TheBigBen747]

The one time you fly up to my area, and I get covid a day ago🥲would’ve been awesome to meet and see the plane.😒

[@alexrenouf5110]

The legendary Echo Yankee Golf

[@pavan151]

Hey Stef, love your videos and seeing EYZ in person at the airport. Can you please do a video on apps/tools you use for flight planning etc? It would be really helpful for newbies like myself who are getting into flying and wanting to invest in good products! Cheers :)

[@marsgal42]

It's always good to challenge your comfort zone. 😀 My biggest "comfort zone" flight in 2022 wasn't that long (1.3 hours each way) but involved high mountains and landing at an airport I had never been to before (Revelstoke CYRV) at the bottom of a deep valley.