WO1 Max Pederson, Artificer Vehicle
Introduction
Max and Dawn Pedersen — 2006
Max was a 4th Intake Balcombe Apprentice (1950 – 1953), indentured as a Vehical Mechanic. He had two tours of Vietnam; the first with the original deployment of the Battalion Group 1965 — 1966(Tom Heesom); the second was as ASM of 1 Fd Sqn (RAE) Workshop 1970 — 1971. Max resigned in 1977. He returned to his home town, Casino, as an Instructor (Automatic Transmissions) at the Casino TAFE. He retired in 19??
In a long Army career Max served with many Units but between 1954 and 1959, Max was a Sergeant Recovery Instructor at the RAEME Training Center, with the last couple of years as the Senior Instructor. (He was the RTC Service Station Corporal immediately prior)
What follows below is a report, dated 22 Feb 1994, in his local newspaper The Northern Star . (It is republished here with their permission). It covers Max's conversion from heart attack victim to Ultralight airplane enthusiast.
Max Pedersen building his Sports Air ultralight — 2007
Since the snapshot contained in the 1994 report, Max, inspite of continuing heart problems (now fitted with an implanted defibrillator), has remained an Ultralight enthusiast using hired machines. He is close to finishing building his first Ultralight machine, a single seater Sport Air with 25ft wing span
Time Out
Learning to fly an ultralight has given Max Pederson of Casino a new perspective on life.
Max is no longer feeling down in the dumps —
he's flying high
MAX Pederson of Casino is up in the air over his discovery of an antidote to feeling down in the dumps ... flying ultralights.
He concedes the remedy may not work for everybody, but says learning to fly the tiny machines has given him an entirely new outlook.
"It has given me a new perspective on life, the countryside and on everything else you can name." he said. "There's really nothing like it, especially when you are up there alone."
Max suffered a massive heart attack in October 1992 and was scheduled to have quadruple bypass surgery the following April.
"In February last year I was sitting at home wondering what on earth to do with myself when I decided to go along to an open day at the Casino Aero Club." he said.
"I went up for a spin in one of the ultralights and l was hooked. I was there the next day for another flight. It was then I decided to have a go at flying them myself. If nothing else I figured it would stop me feeling sorry for myself."
The ultralights were far from being Max's first flying experience.
In 1977 when he retired from the Army as an Artificer Sergeant Major in charge of specialist trades, he had notched up 27 years and many hours in choppers and fixed-wing aircraft, particularly during two tours of duty to Vietnam.
"I'd always been interested in flying, but getting a licence for fixed-wing planes was just too expensive," he said. "For me and a lot of others, ultralight represent affordable flying.
"All up it cost me about $2000 to get my licence which I think is a very reasonable outlay for the enjoyment it gives. The flying lessons were only $70 an hour and that included all the theory."
Max learned to fly with Neville Bienke of Cloud Nine.
"I went up with Neville for a couple of flights before the surgery. I discovered that there is quite a lot of study involved in getting your certificate (to fly ultralights) so I decided to put the time I had to spend in hospital to good use. I bought all the books I needed and took them with me."
The six months rest ordered by doctors following his operation was used as a further opportunity to study subjects such basic air knowledge, air legislation and wireless procedures.
Although it had only been a few years since Max had relinquished a job teaching automotive engineering (specialising in automotive transmission) at TAFE, he welcomed the opportunity 'to get the old brain moving again.
"I had felt I was getting a bit stale, but the study sure blew the cobwebs out of my head." he said.
Max says ultralights are relatively simple to fly because there only are three controls — a stick and two pedals.
"Of course, I have never flown anything else so I have no point of comparison, but it's really not all that difficult. For me, landing is the hardest part. I start planning my landing from the moment I climb into the plane."
"Ultralights are very safe, though. They can glide for miles, you can land them in a paddock and really, the regulations mean there's not mach left to chance."
Max's wife, Lorna, is not entirely convinced. Diagnosed with Huntington's disease five years ago, she is too ill to experience for herself the thrill of ultralighting but says that even if she was well, she would not be tempted.
"She's a lady who likes to keep her feet firmly on the ground." said Max.
After successfully completing nearly 12 months of study and practical tuition with Cloud Nine, Max recently breezed through his exams and a medical to gain his ultralight wings.
He has no plans to buy his own flying machine, preferring to hire one from Neville Bienke.
"Owning an ultralight can be a fairly expensive enterprise when you take registration, insurance and maintenance into consideration," he said. "It suit me better to come out and take Neville's plane for a spin when I want to fly."
Max Pederson at the controls of an ultralight ... all set to head skywards.For Max, flying solo is the ultimate experience.
"It's impossible to describe what it's like when you're up there by yourself. You see things differently — it's just a fantastic feeling."
THE NORTHERN STAR — FEBRUARY 22, 1994 — 15.