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Oh dear. . .Im away from the airfield for a week and. . . .


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Did my Air/ Ground radio stint all day today. . .9 am to 6 PM. . . been otherwise occupied last week, and no one told me about the shenanigans.

 

Incident #1. Lady driver on the M6 motorway, next to our site, phones the airfield number and leaves a message to say : a ' Low Flying Plane', "That only missed my car by a few feet". . . "It frightened me to death and I had my kids in the car and it made me swerve I was so shocked. . ." I saw it clearly in front of me, and it had TWO engines on the front. . ." "It happened as it was just getting dark"

 

Our site is very small, by light aircraft standards, and No one has ever landed a twin, nor taken off in one, the whole time that the airfield has been in existence. it just isn't big enough.

 

I have to assume that this was a joke message. it is now 2130 and it has just going dark. Our Ops finish at 20 00 hrs, last take off which at this time of the year is still broad daylight.

 

I will treat this with the contempt it deserves . . . unless perhaps some Hoon in a twin did a a low flyby after everyone had gorn home. . .who knows. .. ?.

 

TODAY ( Sunday 12th May ) we had quite a busy day but the first thing I was told was that one of our resident pilots had over run Rwy 25L in his Skyranger 912 ( 80HP ) had, on Friday, landed his machine Way too fast, and Way too deep into the strip and ran off the end,. . over the gravel vehicle track, and into a deep ploughed field. . . .and that the Aircraft is a total write off. ( Video available soon )

 

Again, today, a Dynaero Ban Bi, which is a composite aircraft, was given the duty runway, the longest ( 25L ) but for some reason landed on the Shortest (29L ) which is only 220 metres.. . . I told him that he was lined up on the short runway and he did not respond. . . .He continued with the landing, touching down with around 90 metres left. He 'Shimmied about' trying to stop, (Brakes don't work that well on damp grass. . .) and managed to do so with the aircraft finishing the run 20 metres beyond the runway, crossing the taxiway and vehicle track, and just running into the ploughed field beyond by around 3 metres. . .No Damage. but why ffs ? ( Pics of the aircraft available soon )

 

Makes yer wonder dunnit ?. . . the Pilot apologised and said that he mis-read the runway number and had never flown in before. . .

 

We are listed in around four National airfield guides, and have a website full of useful, pictorial information for all the runways. . . . Mind you, to be perfectly fair here, I KNOW people who shouldn't be allowed near a bloody CAR either. . . .

 

 

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Did my Air/ Ground radio stint all day today. . .9 am to 6 PM. . . been otherwise occupied last week, and no one told me about the shenanigans.

 

Incident #1. Lady driver on the M6 motorway, next to our site, phones the airfield number and leaves a message to say : a ' Low Flying Plane', "That only missed my car by a few feet". . . "It frightened me to death and I had my kids in the car and it made me swerve I was so shocked. . ." I saw it clearly in front of me, and it had TWO engines on the front. . ." "It happened as it was just getting dark"

 

Our site is very small, by light aircraft standards, and No one has ever landed a twin, nor taken off in one, the whole time that the airfield has been in existence. it just isn't big enough.

 

I have to assume that this was a joke message. it is now 2130 and it has just going dark. Our Ops finish at 20 00 hrs, last take off which at this time of the year is still broad daylight.

 

I will treat this with the contempt it deserves . . . unless perhaps some Hoon in a twin did a a low flyby after everyone had gorn home. . .who knows. .. ?.

 

TODAY ( Sunday 12th May ) we had quite a busy day but the first thing I was told was that one of our resident pilots had over run Rwy 25L in his Skyranger 912 ( 80HP ) had, on Friday, landed his machine Way too fast, and Way too deep into the strip and ran off the end,. . over the gravel vehicle track, and into a deep ploughed field. . . .and that the Aircraft is a total write off. ( Video available soon )

 

Again, today, a Dynaero Ban Bi, which is a composite aircraft, was given the duty runway, the longest ( 25L ) but for some reason landed on the Shortest (29L ) which is only 220 metres.. . . I told him that he was lined up on the short runway and he did not respond. . . .He continued with the landing, touching down with around 90 metres left. He 'Shimmied about' trying to stop, (Brakes don't work that well on damp grass. . .) and managed to do so with the aircraft finishing the run 20 metres beyond the runway, crossing the taxiway and vehicle track, and just running into the ploughed field beyond by around 3 metres. . .No Damage. but why ffs ? ( Pics of the aircraft available soon )

 

Makes yer wonder dunnit ?. . . the Pilot apologised and said that he mis-read the runway number and had never flown in before. . .

 

We are listed in around four National airfield guides, and have a website full of useful, pictorial information for all the runways. . . . Mind you, to be perfectly fair here, I KNOW people who shouldn't be allowed near a bloody CAR either. . . .

Just shows how valuable you are Phil.

 

Going crosscountry to new airfields for the first time does open your eyes to the need to do some homework before you leave; everyone else in the circuit bar you knows exactly what they are doing, and they all know where the "clubhouse" and the "haystack" are and which inviting runway is as rough as guts, along with the altitude trick and the parachute circuit trick and so on. A lot line up on taxiways also.

 

 

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Did the lady on the M6 frightened by the low-flying aircraft state what colour it was and whether it had any markings?? Didn't happen to have camo colouring and WW2 markings, by any chance??

 

Not the first time people have had the s**t scared out of them with ghost WW2 aircraft, or even ghost civvy aircraft.

 

I can recall one lady visiting a WW2 aircraft crash site in broad daylight, who sighted a laddie in WW2 flying gear walking towards her. She was surprised at his out-of-date outfit, he smiled at her - and then he vanished into thin air!

 

Never had any experience like it yet, myself, but the reports from reliable people about ghost aircraft are too numerous to say that they are literally, "flights of fancy".

 

The Bizarre World of Phantom Plane Crashes | Mysterious Universe

 

 

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Going crosscountry to new airfields for the first time does open your eyes to the need to do some homework before you leave;

Yes. I can recall one of my biggest stuff-ups flying into YSHT for the first time. Forgot to check and set the correct QNH so completed the circuit a couple of hundred feet low. No other traffic at the time, no hassle, landed safely - no damage except to my pride.

 

 

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Yes. I can recall one of my biggest stuff-ups flying into YSHT for the first time. Forgot to check and set the correct QNH so completed the circuit a couple of hundred feet low. No other traffic at the time, no hassle, landed safely - no damage except to my pride.

Yep, I've done that.

 

 

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Did the lady on the M6 frightened by the low-flying aircraft state what colour it was and whether it had any markings?? Didn't happen to have camo colouring and WW2 markings, by any chance??

 

Not the first time people have had the s**t scared out of them with ghost WW2 aircraft, or even ghost civvy aircraft.

 

I can recall one lady visiting a WW2 aircraft crash site in broad daylight, who sighted a laddie in WW2 flying gear walking towards her. She was surprised at his out-of-date outfit, he smiled at her - and then he vanished into thin air!

 

Never had any experience like it yet, myself, but the reports from reliable people about ghost aircraft are too numerous to say that they are literally, "flights of fancy".

 

The Bizarre World of Phantom Plane Crashes | Mysterious Universe

Regrettably, the Lady had her phone blocked against return calls, so I was unable to call her back. I'm always polite when we get a complaint, to help protect the site as we have a couple of people in the area who tried to block permission from the outset, back in 1991. although mercifully, we haven't received one for over a year before this, which was caused by a noisy helicopter. . . the site management banned Helicopters as that was the fourth complaint, all from a nearby Farm. It's a shame that Gyros were also banned, as joe public can't tell the difference, ie if it's got rotors, it's a Helicopter !

 

I have not had the pleasure of ever seeing a 'Ghostly' aircraft myself though, only a ghostly shape travelling in the opposite direction whilst flying IFR legally. . . !

 

 

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I really ought to expand little on the 'Ghostly Aircraft' story above,. . . I was taking a radar Advisory service ( RAS ) from an RAF unit Not a good Idea for Civvies - (but that is only MY Cynical opinion ) I was only 17 NM from RAF Shawbury, where the radar station was then located, when this VERY near miss occurred. . . . I had set their sqwawk encoding Mode C, and yet they said that they didn't see the light twin which passed over our heads around 50 feet above on a reciprocal heading, IN CLOUD.. . .which is why I have NEVER EVER taken a radar Info, Nor Advisory service from a military station since. I trust that NOW they have Mode 'S' available that the situation is a bit better. . . but one always wonders. . . This was 12 years ago by the way. . .

 

 

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I Spoke to the pilot who over ran Rwy 25 tonight,. . . loads of excuses,. . the MAIN one being that he couldn't apply power to go around, as he was sliding along the wet grass at 90 degrees to the runway. . . with his left wing facing the forward direction. . .. Dunno why he was telling me,. . .I'm just the bloody Radio Guy. . .

 

Incompetence, according to the Airfield manager, who got the event on video on this phone. He has asked me NOT to post this on the internet at the moment, so I won't.

 

His version was 'No Wind, . . Hot Day. . .Too Fast,. . .Too Deep, . . .should have gone around,. . End of'.

 

Knowing the Pilot, . . .I cannot disagree. Very Low experience,. . .RestrIcted licence for the last three years, meaning he is limited to traveling within an 8 NM radius of the airfield although he WAS allowed to carry a passenger. Purchased an 80 HP aircraft after flying 2 strokes for all of his training, only just had a conversion.

 

You can guess the rest.

 

Sad.

 

 

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look on the bright side Phil: no-one was hurt it seems and that's the main thing. They live to drink that excellent English beer another day.

Can't disagree there mate. . . it was a 'Walked away from it' with no injuries story ( Happily ). . . . I spoke to the passenger today ( Sunday 19th ) who is the Airfield security guard, This Gent is a long time Foxbat A-22 owner with hundreds of hours P1 over 20 years..

 

He said that he was 'Strongly Suggesting' ( ! ) that the pilot give it up and Go Around, . . . . . but he didn't.

 

I saw the aircraft today, . . .many structural tubes on it are bent and twisted, main and nose gear legs sheared off, engine twisted in the frame with a mounting bolt fractured, plus other attachments torn away. I am NOT a qualified aviation insurance assessor, but I can't honestly imagine that being viably repairable.

 

I heard also that the owner has just purchased a Thruster Sprint. So he's Game, I'll give him that.

 

 

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Can't disagree there mate. . . it was a 'Walked away from it' with no injuries story ( Happily ). . . . I spoke to the passenger today ( Sunday 19th ) who is the Airfield security guard, This Gent is a long time Foxbat A-22 owner with hundreds of hours P1 over 20 years..

 

He said that he was 'Strongly Suggesting' ( ! ) that the pilot give it up and Go Around, . . . . . but he didn't.

 

I saw the aircraft today, . . .many structural tubes on it are bent and twisted, main and nose gear legs sheared off, engine twisted in the frame with a mounting bolt fractured, plus other attachments torn away. I am NOT a qualified aviation insurance assessor, but I can't honestly imagine that being viably repairable.

 

I heard also that the owner has just purchased a Thruster Sprint. So he's Game, I'll give him that.

well, Mr Foxbat would have known about short field landings. Pilot should have listened but it's easy to be wise after the event. One area where I'm 100% confident of wisdom of my advice is: they should find a pub and have a pint or 5. Maybe they'll be lucky and find a Shepherd Neame Spitfire, or a Fullers London Pride, or a Charles Wells Bombardier. Phil, you could suggest others. IMHO they should stick to ales as lagers don't deliver the same health-giving effects. Mental health, that is. I had a long chat re this with my late relative Tom, who for 4 yrs flew night fighters and rocket-firing Typhoons in WW2. Survived too, including being shot down and made to walk 400 miles by the Germans, in winter. He said, on returning from a sortie, all beer is good beer. He was constantly happy to be alive, lived to 92.

 

 

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I often wondered if the Germans have any beers called Messerschmitt 109, or Focke Wulf Lager. . . but somehow I doubt it.

 

Lovely to chat to the veterans, My only WW2 vet died a few years back. . 'Chalkie' White, flew Wellingtons, Stirlings amd got to fly Lancs as the war was nearly over. Died at 94, up to then, he still rode his push bike a mile to the pub and back !

 

 

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