The Best Flying Day of My Life | Into Australia’s Kimberley
This became the best flying day of my life.
Flying our homebuilt Sling TSi, VH-KCB, through Western Australia’s remote Kimberley, Carly, Evie and I left Broome for a four-hour journey across some of the most spectacular and isolated country we had seen anywhere on our trip around Australia.
The route took us north from Broome and across the Dampier Peninsula before the Kimberley really began to open up beneath us — the Buccaneer Archipelago, Talbot Bay and the Horizontal Falls, the Prince Regent River and finally Mitchell Falls, before continuing inland to the dirt strip at Drysdale River Station.
But there was another story running underneath the scenery.
There was no fuel available at Drysdale River, which meant everything we loaded into KCB back in Broome had to get us through the scenic diversions, all the way into Drysdale, and still leave enough fuel onboard to continue to Kununurra the following day.
That made fuel management a genuine part of this flight. We brought the Rotax 916 iS back to around 22 litres an hour, changed tanks regularly, kept a written fuel log and cross-checked the numbers against the Garmin G3X as we pushed deeper into the Kimberley.
And the aeroplane was brilliant.
By the end of the day we had flown around 421 nautical miles — approximately 780 kilometres — in four hours.
Covering this part of the Kimberley by road would normally mean roughly two full days in a four-wheel drive over some pretty serious tracks.
We had just crossed it with our family in an afternoon.
That night at Drysdale River Station, sitting down with a beer after parking KCB on the dirt strip, I found myself thinking less about the places we had seen and more about the aeroplane that had taken us there.
We built KCB.
And now we were trusting it to carry Carly, Evie and me deep into some of the most remote country in Australia.
There is something about doing a flight like this that changes the relationship you have with an aeroplane.
It stops being just a machine.
I’ve had some incredible flying days since this trip, but even now, this remains the best flying day of my life.
Aircraft: Sling TSi VH-KCB
Engine: Rotax 916 iS
Flight time: Approx. 4 hours
Distance: 421 NM / ~780 km
Route: Broome → Dampier Peninsula → Buccaneer Archipelago → Talbot Bay / Horizontal Falls → Prince Regent River → Mitchell Falls → Drysdale River Station
If you enjoy real-world general aviation, homebuilt aircraft ownership and seeing Australia from a completely different perspective, subscribe and come along for the rest of our journey around the country in KCB.
Instagram: @slingingdownunder
#SlingTSi #AustralianAviation #Kimberley
00:00 — The Best Flying Day of My Life
00:32 — Preparing for the Remote Kimberley
04:00 — Leaving Broome
10:00 — Into the Buccaneer Archipelago
12:30 — Flying the Horizontal Falls
16:08 — Prince Regent River
17:20 — Are the Fuel Numbers Working?
18:00 — Mitchell Falls
19:15 — The Final Push to Drysdale
21:00 — Landing at Drysdale River
23:45 — More Than Just an Aeroplane
🛩️ ABOUT SLINGING DOWN UNDER
I'm Kade, an Australian private pilot documenting real-world adventures in my homebuilt Sling TSi. This channel is about the reality of experimental aviation—from building the aircraft myself to exploring the vast Australian landscape solo. No filtered influencer nonsense, just honest flying, practical decision-making, and the occasional mistake.
🎯 MY MISSION
To share unfiltered general aviation stories that help other pilots (and future pilots) learn, while showcasing the incredible freedom of flying in Australia with the might Sling TSi.
🚀 THE AIRCRAFT: Sling TSi
Engine: Rotax 916 iS (160hp)
Avionics: Garmin G3X Touch, Garmin GNX375
Prop: DUC
Cruise: 145-155 KTAS
📺 WATCH THE BUILD SERIES
Want to see how this plane was built? Start here: • Building My Sling TSi — Full Build Assist ...
🇦🇺 COMING SOON: The Big Lap
In May 2026, I'm flying this Sling TSi around the Western Coast of Australia. Subscribe to follow the prep and the journey!