Banana Benders from up North

 Around the time of the 60's and 70's there was a lot of sporting rivalry in QLD
 especially between the two southern States of NSW and Vic

 An example - to try and insult a Queenslander the 'sports junkies' in the southern
 states would suggest that we were so dumb in everything we did the only thing we – 
 as in a Queenslander - were capable of doing was to put the 'bend' in bananas

 So the scene is in Melbourne at the Moorabbin light aircraft airport – March 15 1978
 to be precise and around mid-morning from memory – I was leader of the “Grumman
 Formation Flying Team” of three light aircraft visiting Melbourne for the upcoming
 Australian Light Aircraft Championships due to start at Morwell in two days time

 We (the team of three pilots) had spent the previous day sorting out our aircraft and
 doing some practice formation flying in the training area not far from Moorabbin airport

 Returning from the training area again I asked the tower on downwind if we could
 “carry out an overshoot” - an unusual request returning from the training area

 The Tower approved the procedure 'clear for overshoot' or similar expression so I
 commenced a turn onto final at a speed higher than normal with the propeller spinners
 of the other two aircraft in formation with me 'glued' to each wing tip (V-section)

 At that period of time the circuit airspeed was limited to 120-knots so I was careful
 not to exceed this air-speed during the initial “overshoot” - I had mentally planed to
 do two more if the tower approved as I wanted to show the tower what to expect and to
 see if there were any unseen or unexpected safety issues

 So around 120-Kts I commenced a gentle pull-up about half-way down the runway and at about
 100-ft – the angle was shallow about 40-degrees and when the speed dropped off due to
 the climb a turn was commenced to the right to fit into the right circuit pattern

 All went as planned with the other two aircraft 'hot' with me – again on downwind I
 requested an “overshoot” which was immediately approved by the tower – good I thought

 However during the overshoot there was another training aircraft on our right which was in
 conflict with our 'right turn' and the tower realising we wanted to break right asked the
 Cessna trainer to turn right – after the second or third request the aircraft obliged and
 turned but by this time all the excess energy required for the 'pull-up right-turn' had
 dissipated

 BUT the Tower was with me – so downwind for the last 'overshoot' and I was hot to put on a
 good show for the tower even if no one else on the ground was watching

 At the max airspeed I was prepared to go I pulled up as steep as I dared and waited for the
 airspeed to decay somewhat then rolled right applied some rudder and pushed forward
 gently on the stick to level-out and to avoid stalling the upcoming right wing

 My thoughts at the time were that if the 'boys' had stayed with me it was a 'bobby-dazzler'

 A quick eye-ball right-left and two spinners were still 'glued' to my wing-tips
 ..god I was pumped

 Tower “Where are you boys from?”  My reply “We bend the bananas up north”

 We returned to QLD 4-days later along with our newly-acquired Gold Medals