Jeff Gordon

Ouch, they are two salutary tales. Memo to oneself, never buzz the hanger, or anywhere for that matter.

:welcome:Welcome Tim, I am a lurker on this site and trained for my RA on a Tecnam. I found the biggest problem with the Tecnam was getting it out of the sky, it just loves to fly :big_grin:

You need to fill the cabin with water as quickly as possible. Some high wing aircraft will float for a short time if the wing fuel tanks are almost empty, if not the weight of the engine will drag the aircraft down vertically. when living on the island of Guernsey most of our flying including training was done over the sea so we had to know the various techniques depending on the aircraft. I have seen the results of successful ditching and fatal ditchings on both high and low wing aircraft. The low wing ones were usually more successful.

Has anyone been taught the technique for ditching into water? It was not taught in either my RA-AUS or PPL courses, but an old aviator friend of mine (ex-RAAF) told me gear up (if you can) and make sue the tail goes in first.

Welcome Tex

Brown Brothers Winery at Milawa Vic...now there's an idea. I have looked for airstrips in the wine country of SA but only found Aldinga Beach in the McLaren Vale.

Another great strip is at Loam Reastaurant on the Balarine Peninsula near Queenscliffe at Philip Myer's property. Just got nominated for best new restaurant. Very Degustation style Menu, where you have to look for the food on the plate...but worthy of a stop anyday.

Philip is flying sea-planes in Tasmania these days http://www.flyingboat.com.au/html/philip_myer.htm

Hi JG, Great pics and Great trip. Just love the Outback and the Wonderful wide open spaces.

Very hospitable Noccundra Hotel, see my blog below Moorabbin to St George for a pic. just fly in, taxi to the Bar get out of the plane and the XXXX beer is cold .

This is the thread I will be watching now that the condolences have gone out. As a group of interested pilots and as the facts come to light, we can all learn from this accident. For instance I learnt from the PPRuNe site that the pilot left EN at 4pm headed North via Kilmore, hence was travelling over known territory and the reason why he was North of a direct track to Nhill. Another report was of a long scar on the land, which could lead one to believe a shallow entry, so my original comments still remain. See #1.

I hope I will be...but in an old peoples home!!

Just checked their FB

The numbers are in and ICON took a record 143 deposits at the 2011 EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Show! Our order book is now at position#694, and in the process, we raised over $28,000 for EAA Young Eagles.

Right on Turbo...I'd take the bus anyday...and read a nice book....what' a few more hours when you have the rest of your life to live. The second tragedy here is that a great and well meaning orgnisation may get their wings clipped because of one incident.

(Please note this thread serves as a learning tool of discussion regarding the accident listed at:

http://www.recreationalflying.com/threads/plane-crash-north-of-melbourne.28077/ -Ian)

He was roughly 14 Nm off track to the north.Last light at Horsham on Monday was 5:57 pm EST

The area aroumd Horsham is wide open wheat country

Well done Mike, firt solo is very special. I hope you celebrated with your instructor afterwards!

Accidents are usually caused by a series of things that go wrong in succession. I will be watching with great interest the accident investigation. Tragic as this is, there is always something to learn from it. Brett, in the Angel Flight photo it mentioned an article on the deceased pilot Don Kernot. It may be suitable to post it here in memory of his work. I will leave that up to you.

Just horrible for everyone involved. really feel for the father losing his daughter and wife now stable but still critical in hospital.

Report on the Incident and a photo here

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-08-15/plane-crash-wreckage-victoria/2840538/?site=newcastle

That's bad...dont think i can live that long:wink:

Told me they want $2000 deposit and Can't deliver till 2015. Sounds shonky to me

they signed up 148 orders at oshkosh

Flew into and out of Mangalore last week, nice facility but seems the flight school has taken over. Got into trouble using their Loo!!

Hope to see you out and about one day...but not too close now as I am a green horn!

Friend of mine just back from OshKosh put me onto this...What do you think?

http://www.iconaircraft.com/

Hi Timold. i am new around here and found the crowd very pleasing

Welcome Jack and many happy days flying ahead. The Ten Commandments are Gold Wayne. Thanks for sharing.

Returned last Tuesday night at 4.30pm from the Big Ugly Bastards Birthday Bash in St. George Qld. Plane flew beautifully all the way with 5 days flying. Tassie Maule-driver, Paul Boland was a great help with loads of sage advice from a 35 year pilot to a 5 minute pilot.

Heading up North with 30k knots headwind and making only 75k ground speed was longer than expected and we put down in Walgett for the night. Not the most desired location, but dinner in the Sports Club was most illuminating as we don’t think there was a sportsman in sight…just plenty that watch it! On the way up we diverted from Griffith to Narrandera for refuelling as it did not have a north south runway and I didn't want to risk the crosswind landing in that strength of breeze.

Early start next day and all good on arrival in St George, with a hairy crosswind landing at the airport…that showed some unique flying skills in front of my mates! An afternoon boat cruise and fishing expedition on the Balonne River and the Riverland Restaurant that night could not have been better with many speeches and a little too much BWS inbibed and BSHT expleted methinks!

Took off due West at lunchtime next day to Cunnamulla then a refuelling stop at Thargomindah.

By 3:30pm we were dropping into the Noccundra Hotel airstrip for the night…taxiing right up to the pub. Met some interesting people there including a 60 yr old Byron Bay hippie who was going to walk the Simpson Desert , but after two days had to be rescued by his daughter, as well as Clinton an Aborigine who told us a story about the fear snake, the scourge of the Cooper Basin. Apparently it coils up like a spring and pounces in you from as far away as 2 metres and is a very aggressive biter! Sounded just like my first wife!

Early start next morning had us into Innamincka Township airstrip and then overhead the Cooper Basin

before arriving at the Lake Eyre. then down the Eastern side for a refuelling stop at Marree.

From Marree we climbed to 4500 ft for a spectacular flight over the Flinders Ranges before putting down in Hawker for the night.

Big night at the Hawker Hotel Motel with (x) pints of Coopers Pale Ale and Pepperjack Shiraz to wash down the very nice Rump Steak. Then next day to Mildura for fuel and then to the dreaded Kilmore Gap with rain showers etc closing in.

Had a few diversions out of Bendigo dodging rain showers and thought we may have to put down in Mangalore, but managed to get through to Kilmore between the showers.

Good going through the Gap, but had some fun finding Academy, a reporting in point for Moorabbin Airport. (just getting a glimpse of the Bay here in this pic…but on track)

Into Moorabbin after 25 hours flying in sun, fog, headwinds and rain showers but no, bones planes or rules broken!

I learn heaps of flying lessons along the way but feel that my first big test is over and now feeling a lot more comfortable in the plane.

I have thought about what happened in the GA test last week and decided that what happened was mainly due to myself, my lack of knowledge mixed with a pinch of over-confidence. I believe now that the ATO was trying to teach me a very important lesson. That is take nothing for granted and don't fill in your knowledge gaps with a she'll be right attitude. Thorough planning is the key, and to take off without a plan, just thinking things will work out is a recipe for disaster. I am a great optimist and have always believed in the power of positive thinking, but that will not be good enough when something unusual comes up, and you don't have a plan to fall back on. Every word he said to me during the 3.5 hours and the 1 hour after that the following day has stuck, and I have being going over and over it in my mind. Shaken my confidence? Yes for sure it has. Made me a better aviator? Yes it certainly has!