Exadios

Another promo from the same event. Again excellent photography. How they get these shots I do not know.

The final results are up.

An update

There is certainly something funny going on with the weather I have attached yesterday's RASP. Yesterday was a practice day so everybody practiced sitting around and looking bored. [ATTACH]12829.vB[/ATTACH]

The WA competition is starting today - really tomorrow. WAGA Web site is here.

The biggest danger for Ag pilots is the chemicals they are exposed to. The rule is that all farm houses have power lines going to them. Likewise with sheds and dams. It is a bit pointless looking for wires and poles because you will probably not see them. Instead look for Egyptian Eyes, cuts in tree lines and, if the sun is in the right spot, shadows. Don't look only in the paddock in which you are going to land, look in the surrounding paddocks. If you can see the signs of a line crossing a neighboring paddock towards you paddock then its there - you just haven't seen it yet! Roads are just too dangerous period. Ironically in WA they almost never run power lines down the road - only in forests. You can tell that from the air by a cleared strip along one side of the road.

What?

I imaging that the pilots that are most likely to come into proximity of power lines are crop dusters and glider pilots. In both cases I would guess that power lines figure in 5% or less of the accidents. Crop dusters know where the power lines are and avoid them. So, if they have to rely on balls they have already screwed up. Also the wire cutter may handle the wire but a ball coming through the cockpit wind shield is a whole other matter. In the case of glider pilots in between 2000' and 1000' AGL is when "your" paddock is picked. By 1000' AGL the pilot is committed to a particular paddock - one without any power lines in it. I don't think that visibility balls will be seen until it is too late.

Interesting. Probably means that the plane had just been re rigged. Assuming that his wheel brake is on the air brake then the normal procedure is to advance the engine to takeoff revs with the wheel brake and air brake activated and then to put the air bakes away in order to start the roll. With the air brakes out I don't think that I would do a 180 to get back to the airfield because the air speed would have to be too high.

Yes, a real tragedy. From the news article he must have been tracking to the SW when he hit the lines. Also from the article he had been coming down for long enough for a ute to stop. I cannot image why he would leave it so late. I had a look on Google and I can see some lovely paddocks to the NW to land in. He may have had to do a ground loop but them's the breaks. He probably had some water. I can also see the power lines on Google so he would have seen them too. Its a mystery

From the gliding club: "December 24th The ASCC sadly has to announce, the tragic accident to one of the gliders in Corowa on Friday 24th of December 2010. The pilot involved was Ilmari Rintesalo. The accident happened during the self launch during which the glider was unable to climb normally. After hitting power lines next to the RedlandsRoad, the aircraft came to rest next to the road. Emergeny services responded quickly, but to our regret Ilmari did not survive. As soon a further info is available it will be published on the website." Presumably there is a runway 14.

To be fair to the power companies I think that in this case the pilot would have, or should have, known exactly where these lines are.

There has been a fatal glider crash in Corowa, NSW, this afternoon.

The ASH30 being assembled for the first time.

News story here

This year is shaping up to be a good one for gliding in the west. The last month has been very good with top of lift between 7000' to 10000' at better than 500'/min almost every day, even on days when the max. temp has been 20 deg. But we are paying for it this week. Somebody at Beverly managed to get to at the wave camp this year.

The comp Web site is here.

We in Australia have it very easy. In NZ they hold their comps in areas where the choice is land on grassed cliffs or flats covered with rocks the size of houses. Actually, I don't know if the wheel is up or down. I think I would leave it up with the hope that the aircraft would skip from rock to rock. Fortunately the pilot got away with a broken ankle only.

SA Comps news here and here.

When will they learn? Another wheel up landing probably causes by flying an improper circuit. :big_grin: This one at the NZ South Island Comps.

Thanks for the info

I missed it. Did the program live up to the promo?

Looks like a very good facility. Was it the shire that sealed the strip? I take it that the photo is looking to the south.

Not sure whether http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/plane-crashlands-at-jandakot-20101111-17ow5.html is an incident or an accident.

It came down short - probably needed a tighter circuit. Suspected back injuries never sounds good for the long term but hopefully OK. I see that it is a DG-505.