Student Pilot

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About 30ish years ago I saw what looked like a landing light headed to the airfield (it was just on dusk), I was a pax in a car that my wife was driving. The light got bigger and brighter as it got closer, the light became a silver (chrome or mercury appearance) sphere. It was hard to tell what size the thing was, as it got even closer it went below the level of the horizon as we were in a valley/gully, you could see it against the background and appeared to be a couple of hundred feet high. The speed was hard to guess but I'd say a fast aircraft. The silver ball went passed us (guessing 200m away) and looked then to be only about a metre across, I have no real idea about distance and size. We stopped the car to watch it. The globe then looked to climb to a point about 500 feet above the airfield and appeared to hover for about 10 seconds then went straight up. The track went into a silver blur as it disapeared out of sight in what seemed like a second. The thing tracked the same direction from first sighting it till it went vertical, the direction was west. From first sight to disappearing I'd guess at 5 miles and it took about a minute maybe two at the most. I have spent a bit of time both in the air and on the ground in the bush and remote areas, I never seen anything since like it. One of the pilots I used to work with said he had seen a very big rotating cylinder in an area that used to have a few night sightings of strange lights in the 60's and 70's.

It is reported they were flying low level in formation at night over water, flying into water at night is catastrophic.

Nice aircraft

Looks like they were doing beatups or flybys, the 170 previously did a flyby. The Pacer or Tri appeared to be slowed up landing and the Six was coming in hot for a beatup.

Any of the Avid/kitfox derivatives originally designed by Dean Wilson had steel tube frames and separate flaperons.

Reading about that the Greek navy were trying to take the boat in tow, they were sent away at least once. When they tried to get a tow rope on the trawler the folks on there were calling out "Go to Italy" they didn't want the Greek boat to take them in tow. When connected and starting to tow the boat overturned. While not being in the same category as the Titan crew it's been said the 700ish on board bayed between 6 to 8 thousand US dollars each for a spot on the trawler. That is big money, clearly they were not camp refugees with the arse out of their trousers living from bins on the side of the road and begging. Any sea travel is dangerous especially on shitty old non seaworthy boats, they would have known the risks. In this area there has been constant talk of the flow of people and the danger they face. The reward they think is worth the risk, would you sit in a 5 man rubber inflatable (not the trawler quoted) with 20 other people with 6" of freeboard trying to cross 100nm mile of open water?

As it turned out the search for Fossitt was the most expensive ever looking for a person in the US, I wonder what the cost searching for the sub cost? looking for billionaires is an expensive business. As a comparison there have been 17 deaths on Everest this year, I wonder how much was spend helping those folk out?

The only thing you will get back will be a reference for which AIP/Regs to look at. CASA doesn't give definitive answers.

The carbon pressure chamber wasn't his idea, Steve Fossett had built one just before he died in an aircraft accident around 2007. Fossett's design was thicker though and I think maybe the fibres were cross hatched? Rush made out it was held together with string and camping gear but it was engineered. He also seemed to foster the idea that he was winging it even though he spent years as an engineer in the aeronautical industry. The sub had been on something like 20 dives before with people commenting on the noises from the carbon fibre. Even after being confronted by quite a few people about structural collapse fears he still thought his hull sensors warning system would provide adequate warning. Didn't.........

The fact that he left one pax behind indicates he had a fair load on, the aircraft didn't climb after take off.

Laminar flow?

And selfish insensitive people smoking, even the flight crew! There have beens some gains 😁

Interesting yes, not so practical. Oz did have a heap of these from the Navy, they sat for years corroding away until they were finally sold for scrap. Just to convert to turbine power 3 million plus, another million to install a 4000 litre hopper and for the CASA paperwork. The delay in CASA processing add another million and 5 years. When they become operational they cost 3 times what an 802 cost to operate and deliver only 500 to a thousand litres more than an 802. You have spent maybe 5 million per aircraft compared to the cost of an 802 at 2 million. Top that off with nobody being prepared to cover the cost of any of this the government would have to pay bringing into play another level of bureaucracy and delay. Todays fleet of 802's are all privately owned and available at no cost to the tax payer, only call when needed or on contract standby cost. I am no fan of large air tankers, I am a big fan of very large air tankers. The current fleet of lat's in Oz from Herc's to 737's usually only drop up to 11,000 litres. They say they drop 15,000, they don't. 11,000 is still a good load when used rightly. Personal experience is few LATs drops are effective, too light, too high.

Gotta love google translate 😁

Depends on the particular nosewheels geometry in relation to it's rake and trail. Some need weight until you ready for flight, others like most Cessnas and Pipers doesn't seem to matter

Lots of Ag strips around there, probably not used any more.

The first one just south east of Guyra might have been a bird strike, it wasn't advertised as that at the time. They ejected intact in the escape capsule. The second one to the west went in almost vertical during a practice attack with the loss of both crew.

You just have to talk to people trying to make a living at Bankstown.........no good reports.

Initially reported as a beatup

Lovely bloke

500 pages? 🙄

In the last 30 years or so I have had nothing but obstruction and obfuscation from CASA, as a pilot, operator and contractor.

There's a lot more that hasn't been released or reported on, they are in a lot more trouble than just fiddling the books.

Planes shave wood....