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There's a long thread on MDX on pprune, an absolutely fascinating story with some very skilled flyers trying to analyse the aircraft's final position, and some very frustrating searches, also by skilled people. MDX just will not give itself up.

 

 

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Pretty wild country up there.

 

I remember this flight. There was also another that broke up over Gloucester a period before this one. They found the wings some distance from the fuse, right in the town itself from memory.

 

I am not sure if it was this flight, but there was a rumour that one of the undiscovered flights (which makes me reasonably sure it was this one) that allegedly carried a significant amount of cash from what I can vaguely remember was some real estate deal done and the guys were flying out after the deal.

 

Interesting that it has never been discovered in over 30 years.

 

A vast and wild continent we live on, they say parts of the Barringtons have never had a man walk over ... could be true, it is sure wild in places.

 

 

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The Stinson disappearance has parallels, but search managment has come a long way since the stuff-ups of that era.

http://www.recreationalflying.com.au/threads/riddle-of-the-stinson.15439/#post-124034

 

 

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Yes a truly wild place. I have searched a few times for it and you could literally be only metres from it and not see it especially after 32 years! Tom

Years ago when learning how to interpret Landsat images, I suggested the idea of analysing the images taken just before, and just after the crash. An automated system could surely pick out the changes caused by a burned tree (which is what led to the discovery of the Stinson). Astronomers have such systems to look for asteroids, and maybe skin doctors should apply it in the search for melanomas.

 

 

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Bunch of bookies returning from a race meet at Coolangatta was a 210 but not sure if it was MDX, similar circumstances.

 

The one in Gloucester broke up in cloud over the town and ended up in a playground couple of houses away from my cousins house. Think that was a C150 or 172. The Barrington Tops is an amazing weather generator.

 

 

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A disappointing result. I guess it will be found one day, perhaps at the bottom of one of the ravines they described in the above news article I would suggest highly likely . It would be good for the families to find the plane and men.

 

 

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There was a different thought posted on the Police site which I picked up on google. Someone made the point that everyone assumes he went down just after calling 5000', but from that point he was below the cloud base so things should have warmed up, and he may have been able to continue on for a while.

 

 

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In the late forties, An Australian bomber was lost flying to Wellington NZ.

 

It took decades before it was found, yet it was less than 5 mile from MY house ! and when bushwalking I found one engine & took photo,es to identify it.

 

The story was, long, low white cloud, the plane flew over the top of Wellington airport but no visual, good radio contact, so went around then around again, in ever increasing circles

 

until out of radio range, out of fuel, belly flopped into trees. Crew was still inside when found, by workers making fire trails in the area.Council bulldozed a big pit and pushed the wreak & bodies in.

 

the engine I found was knocked out of the wing by the trees.( I have a photo somewhere).

 

spacesailor

 

 

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  • 7 months later...

The trailer has Dick Smith saying nothing has been done in thirty years. Perhaps he's unaware of the intensive searches conducted by VRA people over many years. The terrain and vegetation is a major challenge.

 

 

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I think that Dick was saying 'Nothing has been done in 30 years.." with reference to our military deliberately (routinely) making impudent civil aircraft wait for permission to use airspace on the coastal route past Williamtown. It's not as though it would take a real lot of thought for them to decide - "Hmmm, let me think, is there some risk to our national security posed by this passing aircraft?.... let him circle while I throw this dice...."

 

I think he has a point there.

 

Especially when you think about the only route options available.

 

Pete

 

 

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Yep, you're right Pete. After watching the show, I can see that the trailer didn't tell the full story.

 

I commend Dick for his efforts to remove that blockage in the airspace. For many of us, flying along the coast is for perfect weather only, because we have to transit the lane around Willy.

 

 

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What he said was that there had been nothing done in 30 years to change the RAAF attitude towards granting clearance through the Williamstown restricted zone which caused the plane to divert from the coastal track inland over Barrington Tops, the Devils Triangle, and the same thing could happen again.

 

Edit: Beaten to it.025_blush.gif.9304aaf8465a2b6ab5171f41c5565775.gif

 

 

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Just watched it tonight looks like they are making some sort of announcement on Sunrise on CH7 tomorrow morning...maybe they have found something..

 

As for Dick Smith it just goes to show how Great this man is ..I tip my hat to him.. A great Aussie ..good on ya Dick ..

 

 

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I know of three credible witness reports that stated they saw an aircraft over Nundle turning east at full power and making a banging noise. On that night at the right time, discounted by police at the time but the more I look into it the more it is a possibility.

 

 

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