River

The female captain was an excellent pilot, but lacked some tack when making announcements at making passengers feel at ease. For example, one time the airplane in front of her blew a tire on landing, scattering chunks of rubber all over the runway. She was asked to hold while the trucks came out to clean up. Her announcement: Ladies and gentlemen, I’m afraid there will be a short delay before our arrival. They’ve closed the runway while they clean up what’s left of the last airplane that landed there.

Further talking about 'Most Dangerous Flying' events, some years back I was working as range control at the Tin Can Bay Military Training Area north of Brisbane Australia and close to the small coastal village of Tin Can Bay with Frazer Island just off the coast. An Armoured Cavalry Squadron with M113 Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC's) armed with a 30 calibre machine guns plus a 50 calibre heavy machine gun on each vehicle. They also had a number the M113 Fire Support Vehicle (FSV's). These FSV'S had a 76mm main gun plus a 30 calibre machine gun each. The day was somewhat bleak with occasional light rain and total coverage of low cloud down to around 500 feet. The squadron had lined up as many APC's and FSV's on the main firing point for a mass firepower shoot. The target area ground was a mix of sandy soils and the odd solid metal sheets of thick steel for targets, etc and some light scrub land. So you can imagine the volume and fire power of this squadron. Oh I should mention that a NOTAM was in place for the restricted airspace that it was active meaning its a no-go area! Just as we gave the all-clear to the squadron to open fire at their will - I heard the familiar sound of a GA aircraft engine somewhere nearby... However as I heard the aircraft sound the squadron commenced a full-on open fire with all guns firing down range, a quite impressive amount of the target area started kicking and shaking with bits and pieces of everything flying all over the place. Remember all weapons use tracer rounds usually at a ratio of 1 tracer round to 4 standard rounds. What was surprising was the amount of tracer rounds that were ricocheting off the sand and zooming up disappearing through the low level cloud and rain mist, and that's only the rounds one can see curtsey of tracers. Then to my total amazement and horror a Cessna 172 comes flying directly straight at us and right in the centre of the impact zone of all the machine guns and the 76mm canons all blasting off as many rounds as they can! The Cessna was flying just below the cloud at I'd say 300 feet. You could actually see many ricochets zooming bloody close the aircraft and yet it continued flying straight down the range and directly overhead the firing point and my position. I hope you can appreciate that with the noise, smoke, radio talk over the net with the individual vehicles and command trying to keep everything rolling in a smooth nice piece of organized military err precession and the speed that the aircraft arrived unannounced - it was no easy to get a cease-fire before the aircraft was on us. To this day I don't know how the aircraft was not inadvertently 'shot down' either by direct fire (there were some targets well down range which would have meant the trajectory of some guns may have gone close to the aircrafts flight path or hit by a the ricochet). Yes, I did get his number and we immediately called 'someone' down in Brisbane to pass on the incident to the appropriate authorities. The pilot must are seen the tracer rounds as their were hundreds of them and very bright due to the bleak, low cloud and overall low light. The worrying wash-up of this incident was that just about no one who were in the various armoured vehicles firing saw the aircraft! You can be lucky.

Parachutists - GA Fixed Wing Aircraft and Helicopters... Up until a couple of years back there was a loophole in the regs that allowed parachuting onto a reasonable large park just south of the Walter Taylor road bridge across the Brisbane river at Indooroopilly, Brisbane. This bridge is also a reference point for entry and departure north from Archerfield GA airport. As I live nearby and have quite a full view of this entire airspace I was always amazed to see up to 5 or 8 parachutist jumping out from what looked like either 5000 or possible 10000 ft and free falling down to around 3000 ft and then doing various maneuvers or 'spirals' right down to the park. Many a time I observed fixed wing GA aircraft flying straight through the parachutist as they opened their chutes! My final straw broke when a group of some 7 parachutists were free falling when a Hughes (Now MD500's) I think, helicopter came fanging out of Archerfield and flew straight through the middle of the parachutist as they were opening their chutes... It was that close I fully expected a mid-air. I contact the local CASA bloke immediately at Archerfield and made a complaint re this incident and that of the early near misses. He indicate he was aware of the issue but that until someone made a format complaint his hands were tried due to the loophole in the regs. It only took about 3 months and no more parachuting was seen. My biggest issue was that if an aircraft/helo had a mid-air with a parachutist, the aircraft would no doubt bang into a residential house with serious repercussions not only to the local residents, the aircraft and its POB plus the parachutist but also our aviation reputation. I can just see the media having a total field day with this type of incident...

UK WOUNDED HEROES' POLAR CHALLENGE The team and a microlight Wednesday January 23,2013 WOUNDED servicemen yesterday unveiled their most daring expedition – as the first people to fly to the South Pole by microlight. The Flying for Freedom group of soldiers and RAF personnel whose injuries include lost limbs or partial paralysis will attempt their epic journey from November next year. This is the ultimate challenge. I want to be part of a British attempt on a world record. Former Para Jamie Hull They aim to cover 3,000 miles in temperatures as low as –30C (–22F) and hope to raise £1.2million for the expedition. Former Para Jamie Hull, 37, who was burned in a plane crash, said: “This is the ultimate challenge. I want to be part of a British attempt on a world record.”

German C160 making its final landing to be retired... Hundreds of spectators and plane spotters came to see the final farewell landing... However the pilot lost site of the runway on finals a landed on a road just before the airstrip and bounced off the road and landed 30 meters further along on the runway with a then 'normal landing! Note how close the props got to two plane spotters!!! and others. Bet the pilot will remember this landing for all the wrong reasons eh!

Hi guys, re photo of contrails (my photo) alas no storms... it was just a very hot day with ground temps around Brisbane between 36 -40 deg. Skies were blue. River

Aircraft in holding pattern just west of Brisbane this afternoon at 6.30pm...

The words say it all... Pip..! Pip..!

Late night ABC late night news had an extended segment on the NZ Helo incident which showed two different very good quality high definition videos and excellent close-up video of the helo back in a storage building and the pilot talking about the incident. Both video’s, one side on and the other with the helo flying directly straight at a camera clearly show a untethered cable hanging from the top the tower mast, as the helo moves slowly closer to the intended pick-up mark the rotor wash causes the untethered cable to be sucked towards the helo with the cable resulting being sucked into the main rotor blades. The pilot appears not to have seen this reasonable small diameter wire as he again appeared to be looking in the area; however, he most likely was looking at the tower. This begs the question as to was there a ground based ‘air liaison official’ who’s responsible for first clearing the area for any obstacles, wires and other associated damages, etc. If this was so, the person failed to ensure that untethered cable was in-fact correctly secured..? I noted also that this helo (and possible all other civilian helos) appeared to have very low safety structural standards regarding the strength of the seats and their associated mounting frames and support structures as the close-up video with the pilot in the storage building shows the weak structure of the seat supports. Whilst the incident was violent in dynamic forces, etc the actual landing impact whilst very heavy indeed was totally possible in pilot/passenger survivability allowing that no fire occurred. These videos will make for very good pilot training videos (shown of-course at the appropriate timing…) as if shown too earlier in their training the video would quite possibly see the trainee pilot excuse him/her-self from the course near to be seem in aviation again.

Hi Tomo, Even I was a very surprised of the zoom results. The camera was only my 'quick shoot' camera as I have a high quality camera too but I left it back home. Its a Panasonic DMC-TZ10 with a x12 optical zoom, and I have it set to Shutter Priority at 1/500 sec. and use one of those small three-legged ball-jointed all along each leg (plastic) tri-pods. Plus I fired the shot/s using the 2 sec. shutter release timer. The tri-pod is only about 150mm tall and I rested the unit on the car top. Does it's job very well indeed. Its quite interesting to compare two photos taken of the same scene if one is taken hand held and the other with a tri-pod. The sharpness quality of the tri-pod and shutter-timer release is impressive. :thumb_up: Cheers, River

Whilst on a visit to Yamba and having lunch near the lighthouse at Yamba, northern NSW last Thursday July 21st I heard a Ultralight engine sound but for the love-of-money I could not find the aircraft... Then after looking out a sea I noted a autogyro flying south and took this shot of the aircraft as it was flying around the southern outcrop on Yamba beach. I enlarge the Autogyro which is just a speck using 'photoshop' and this was the result. looked like a nice ship and the pilot enjoying a nice though breezy day. Cheers gang, River

I sympathise with your bad luck.... and although the ‘cat has got out of the bag’ you may wish to consider fitting a imaging surveillance device of the likes shown below in your hanger. http://www.bushnellaustralia.com.au/productpages/trailcameras/trophycam_119467C.html One only has to use a little covert imagination in where to place and hide them and you have a realistic chance of capturing good imaging of the perpetrators in the act without their knowledge. Yes, I know this will be an after the incident result however, the disappointing fact is that if a person’s really has intend to break-in, they usually will have the equipment to be successful unless quite expensive security and lockment measures are taken. Moreover, in doing the above often outweighs the value of the items one wishes to secure, it’s a bit of a ‘catch 22’ situation. These devices are exceedingly good and quite inexpensive. I would also recommend that you take-up with the airfields management as to their consideration of covertly installing a number of these at strategic positions with-in the airfield as again these units can be of valuable assistance to the police or airfield management. Whilst they are advertised for ‘game and hunting’, use their use in general purpose security surveillance in excelling good. River

Ultralight Landing Goes Wrong * James O'Loan * From: The Courier-Mail * February 06, 2011 1:14PM AN ultralight aircraft was "blown through a fence" near Toowoomba this afternoon. The student pilot, about 30, was lucky to escape with a deep cut to his arm. He was executing a rehearsed emergency landing when a sudden gust of wind struck the side of the aircraft. It pushed the ultralight through a wire fence, with wreckage cutting deeply into his arm. Ambulance crews arrived a short time ago to treat him and found his instructor unharmed. It is believed the pair were landing in a paddock next to Clifton Airfield, which has been experiencing wind gusts this afternoon of 15-20 knots. "When they landed, a big gust of wind pushed them sideways and it was blown through a fence," an airfield worker said. Emergency services rushed to the scene about 12.15pm.

G'day 'Gang", On the current updated flood photos map in http://www.nearmap.com of Brisbane and the river flood areas you'll see a number of helo's flying about...

This serious incident occurred back on April 20th 2008 and went very close to bring down the aircraft. The F-111 was flying at 900m (approx. 3000ft) on a test bombing raid over Evans Head, in northern NSW, when a pelican struck the fiberglass nose and smashed the radome before being sucked into an engine. Its impact smashed the plane's ray-dome before causing an immediate engine failure! Aviation experts said flying the plane would have been extremely difficult because the whole aircraft would have been unstable. A RAAF spokesman admitted the 30-minute flight path back to Amberley, 50km west of Brisbane, was over built-up areas with "One engine was working fine, while the other was at reduced power." From memory I understand that immediately after the bird impact, both engines failed. The pilot instantly put the aircraft in a climb to gain as much height as possible and then considered if an ejection and a change of underwear as required. As the was ‘some height’ the pilot attempted a re-start of both engines, one engine re-started with reasonable power though the other engine was seriously crook. The crew then conducted a flight controllability and upon believing they were able to handle the seriously damaged aircraft opted to return the Amberley at reduced power, etc and made a successful landing back at Amberley. Not a bad feat as Evans Head to Amberley direct is approx. some 185 kms. [ATTACH]10548[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]10549[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]10550[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]10551[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]10552[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]10553[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]10554[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]10555[/ATTACH]

They did fly lowerthe earlier years. However it's now an impressive memory... Going back a number of years with the RiverFire F-111 dump-an-burn performance at Southbank, it was when the ‘training squadron’ of F-111 boys who were then tasked with the River-Fire job they do on what would have been by far the best ever flight show. :encore: I was located that year on a small grassy knoll between the riverside expressway and the state government executive building. The F-111 came down so low that it was just visible above a riverside expressway road and I could easily observe the various aircraft squadron and other markings on the fuselage it was that low..! The pressure way, heating and noise was to say the least, very highly impressive to the extent that the locals around me all just about ‘shat themselves’... :thumb_up: I was later told at the errr powers to be indicated that the flight was a ‘little too low’. The following year the job was assigned to one of the operational squadrons who, so I was told, were unimpressed by having to err cater to the whims of mere putting on public displays as they believed they were up that and there for the ‘real world’ of defending and fighting for our country, etc ,etc... The RiverFire Show at year and for all future flyovers with the dump-an-burn were considerably higher in altitude and appear to have been getting higher in altitude each year. However, there may be a genuine reason for this in airshow safety requirements, especially over major cities, etc and quite possibly due to the continuing aging of the aircraft. Whichever is the case – the F-111 dump-an-burn has been the most spectacular and impressive RAAF display one was seen outside military exercises’. :ilmostro: Damm they are going to be missed for that reason alone. Pip..! Pip..! River

There were Two F-111's... But it sure was 'low key' ??? Throwing some fuel into the fire, pardon the pun... ‘Wmooph!’ :confused: It would appear that just about everyone failed to observe the second F-111 flying as wingman to the first main flyover dump an burn over the Southbank. Yes - There was a second F-111 flying off to the primary dump-an-burn aircraft's right-hand side (East) about a distance errr say 200 ft? and just rear of the primary aircraft. This F-111 I observed (and others) was not using its afterburners and hence not easy to see. Why this occurred I do not know – however, there could be a couple of scenarios to this. The crew may be had a afterburner malfunction and they opted to fly alongside the Southbank routed aircraft instead of conducting the ‘usual’ second dump-an-burn down river and over the Story Bridge? Another possibility may have been that what we saw (the second F-111) was how it was to happen...? I don’t know. To add smoke to this observation was I believe there were two F-111 aircraft listed for the RiverFire show, remember in the media one aircraft was being flown by a ‘standard crew’ and the other F-111 was being crewed by the squadron’s CO and one other airman. As we were also listening to the radio station sponsoring part of the RiverFire show their live radio coverage and counted, etc, etc plus the usual aircrew to radio station comms went totally dead some time before the F-111’s were to make their flyover and dump-an-burn... The aircraft arrived overhead Southbank with no radio station build-up or warning so to speak. All this leads me to ponder and reflect that there may have been a SNAFU prior to their arrival? I’ve been somewhat bemused that what myself and others saw has gone unnoticed. Pip... Pip... River

If ever you needed proof that the installation of a ballistic Parachute System in for aircraft is worth the money and extra weight... This should convince you :thumb_up: This is a news and video (see link at bottom) from the AVWeb Aviation News site. A 22-year-old Argentine aerobatic pilot is out of business for the moment but living to blog about it thanks to the BRS ballistic parachute he installed in his RANS S-9. Dino Moline's only injury was a slightly burned foot after a wing snapped off during a negative G maneuver. The published negative G limit is -4. Moline was performing at Show Aereo 2010 at El Trebol, Argentina when, as he pulled up while inverted, the left wing departed. Although we haven't spoken with Moline, he is quoted on an Argentine blog site this way. "I do not know what happened, I think it was fatigue and I felt an explosion, saw a shadow passed me and was the wing. Then I heard Cesar (Faristocco) shouted my radio to pull the parachute and I did. I do not think anything. I saw fire in the plane, and I despaired a little. Burned my foot, but I'm okay." The incident happened in front of about 3,500 spectators at the show, which was sponsored by the local flying club in El Trebol, a small town in Sante Fe province in northeastern Argentina. BRS says that's "save" number 253 for the whole plane parachute system. Real Aircraft Loses Wing, Lands Safely (Under Canopy) River

This is out of the Ipswich Times newspaper (Queensland) Miracle Escape After Pilot Flips Plane Josephine Gillespie | 18th March 2009 [ATTACH]7391.vB[/ATTACH] A 71-YEAR-OLD pilot had a lucky escape after the light plane he was flying crashed into a fence at Coominya, south of Esk. The man was the only person on board and had taken off from the Coominya airfield off Keirnen Lane when the crash occurred about 9.05am yesterday. Queensland Ambulance Service Regional Operations supervisor Mark Nugent said it was understood the man had performed previous solo flights. At the time of the crash it is believed the pilot was practising taxi manoeuvres when the plane crashed a fence and tipped on to its roof. “For an aircraft, it is what we consider a low speed incident, compared to what could have been,†Mr Nugent said. He said the 71-year-old had been transported by chopper to the Princess Alexandra Hospital with chest injuries and lacerations. “Even though we consider them minor injuries, the injuries may develop into something serious later on,†Mr Nugent said. “He has been transported as a precaution.†Trevor Baillie, who works and lives on the property where the plane crashed, said he had been shocked to see the flashing emergency lights when he turned up the familiar dirt road. “I have seen the helicopter flying around,†Mr Baillie said. “I had been in Fernvale, but I wasn't expecting this.†It is not the first time Mr Baillie has seen the aftermath of a plane crash. “It is all part of the game,†he said. “I was involved in Stradbroke Air and about four years ago my boss was killed in an air crash. “I have seen a few upsde down.â€

These reports come from various news and forum sites... What concerns me is the comments in the last couple of paragraphs... Sebring's LSA Expo show Remos LSA Crashes At Expo January 25, 2009 A Remos GX light sport aircraft which may have been associated to the company's display at the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring, Fla. crashed on takeoff at Sebring Airport early Sunday, killing the passenger and sending the pilot to hospital with undisclosed injuries. According to the Tampa Tribune, the aircraft attempted to take off about 7:45 a.m. and crashed on the airport's south ramp. Airport spokesman Mike Willingham told the Tribune that another aircraft was to take off in formation with the crash airplane. The identities of the people involved were not released but authorities did say they weren't local. Plane Was Part Of Flight Of Two ANN REALTIME REPORTING 01.25.09 0850 EST: Officials have confirmed one fatality in a Sunday morning takeoff accident at Sebring Regional Airport (SEF) in Sebring, FL. Witnesses tell ANN a Remos GX light sport aircraft crashed within seconds after takeoff around 7:30 am EST. The plane was the second aircraft to take off in a flight of two formation, and started its takeoff roll about 20 seconds after the first. The aircraft impacted the ground off the right side of Runway 18 at SEF, about halfway down the 5,200-foot runway. The main wreckage came to rest on the grass median separating the runway and taxiway. Debris was seen on the concrete ramp adjacent to the terminal, in front of a well-known aviation business on the airport grounds. Rescue crews were reportedly on scene within minutes. The second victim was airlifted to an area hospital. The condition of that individual is unknown at this time, and identities of the two people onboard the accident plane have not been released. Officials with the US Sport Aviation Expo, now underway at SEF, tell Aero-News the accident did not occur within the confines of the event. Airport officials have not released an official statement as of yet. ANN will update this story throughout the day. All details above are preliminary at this time, and subject to change as more information becomes available. Fatal Accident Mars Final Day Tragedy struck the final day of the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring when a Remos GX aircraft crashed on takeoff Sunday morning, taking the life of the passenger, identified as Steven Fletcher, a photographer for UK publication Today’s Pilot. The accident occurred about 7:35 a.m. on January 25, before the gates opened for the Expo’s final day. The pilot, Mike Kostelac, was airlifted from the scene to a Tampa hospital and is listed in stable condition. The FAA and NTSB are investigating the cause. The Tampa Tribune reported Tuesday that Todd Gunther, air safety investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), said there was no "pre-impact structural failure" of the plane and the engine was running. Flight Design CTsw Forum... Witnesses said the Remos got about 250 feet AGL, then suddenly rolled inverted and came down very steep. Rumor is the ailerons were not connected to the bellcranks in the cockpit. Apparently these are diconnected when folding the wings back for transport. My thoughts and prayers are with the families involved. The word from a reliable source who know the Remos plane and the parties involved said the accident was the result of an incomplete preflight. Prior to the flight someone had been demonstrating how the wings are able to be folded for ground storage or transportation. As a result , the locking mechanism the wing employs was not secured completely. I know I am guilty of moving through the preflight too quickly sometimes. We can all learn from this tragedy. My prayers go out to the Remos community. Take Care and Fly Safely.

Re Skyfox Gazelle manual G'day Harro, OK, I've reduced it to 2.6Mb in size and it appears to be quite readable although unsure as to its printout quality. Anyway, PM (private mail) me with your email address and I'll send you a copy. Cheers, Rodger :thumb_up:

Re Skyfox Gazelle Manual... G'day Harro, I'll see if I can reduce the file size and get back to you ASAP. Rodger

Skyfox Gazelle Manual... If anybody is interested, I have a copy of the original Skyfox - Gazelle Manual. Called the Safety And Proficiency Course Guide. It's 23 pages with the basic instructions and specifications, etc. Its in a Adobe PDF file of some 26 Mb (megabytes) in size as it's at 300dpi print quality, not that it helps with the quality as the orginal appears to be printed out using and old typewriter. If anyone needs just a quote or some figures from the manual, just let me know and I'll post them on the forum here. Cheers, Rodger

These couple of photos may be of interest... River :black_eye:

This article makes for some interesting comments... :confused: i_dunno