b'Flying high Les Thiess loved planes, but wanting to ownone wasnt just for a hobby. By the 1950s, the company was working in remote locations upand down Australias east coast and making regular trips to PNG.That first Avro Anson aircraft revolutionisedthe way the brothers did business. Airborne, they could stay close to projects (and the increasing number of workers) as well as assessing their sites from above. And, of course, Les bloodyloved it.Shirley Warland was a Thiess secretary from thelate 1950s and through the heady 1960s. She remembers some adventures on the Beechcraft Model 18 in particular. It seated nine people, had a twin engine and was actually very comfortable, even if you could see Ernie flying it up in the cockpit. The brothers would often take the controls, even though they didnt have licences. Iremember one time, we could smell burningand realised that the radio had short-circuited, says Shirley. We put it out [on the radio] and thenhad to fly without contact to land. We shouldve been scared, but I guess it was the spirit of adventure. It was amazing to fly over remote parts of the country, then spot Thiess boys down there building roads or dams.The first Thiess company plane revolutionised the way the brothers did business.24'