False Alarm for Search and rescue!

[farri]

I`ve just finished talking to the the Cairns police and the pilot of the Cairns based rescue helicopter, which landed here, just beside the house.

 

This morning Peter Bayne, owner and pilot of the Kitfox that is based and flies from here, went for a flight to Babinda, as he has done many times before.

 

At about the half way point on the way back, the engine started running roughly. Peter was able to keep it running and due to the fact that he was 1500` AGL and there were plenty of clear paddocs bellow him he chose to carry on and laned safely back here.

 

He and I were sitting talking about the incident when I got a phone call from the owner of our local boat yard, asking me if I`d crashed the Drifter. ( Havn`t flown yet today). She had just receive a call from the water police saying that someone had just reported that a black and white aircraft had gone down at harvy creek.

 

When I told Peter about what I`d just been told, he said, that was about where the engine started playing up and reasoned that someone on the ground must have heard it and thought he was going down so they decided to report it.... I don`t know who reported it or who they called, may have been the 000 number.

 

Peter and I decided to go to the boat yard to try and get more information. At that stage we didn`t know wether an aircraft had crashed. While we were there the rescue helicopter came overhead and we realised it was doing a search patern.

 

Peter decided to notify the authorities and report his situation because we reasoned that it might be his aircraft they were looking for. I left and came home to find the chopper here beside the house and the pilot talking to my granddaughter.

 

I explained the whole situation to the pilot and the search was called off. When I came back inside I got a phone call from the Cairns police so I explained the whole situation to the officer also.

 

I told the chopper pilot and the police officer that it was unfortunate that the situation had occured, for a false allarm. I was told, "while not knowing all the facts, they alwas work on worst case scenario".

 

I`ve writen this because the incident will probably make the news. I want to put the facts and the truth out so if it does make the news and it is not reported correctly, everyony on this forum will know what realy happened.

 

Open for discussion.

 

Frank.

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

Thanks Frank for the heads up, good to hear Peter is ok....Any damage to the Kitfox ?...from memory it had a KFM flat four in it ?....It is nice to know however that they do respond in such an efficient manner, even if this was a falsie...............Maj...

 

 

[farri]

Ross, No real problem other than some well meaning local farmer put in the report causing the search. As I said Peter landed safely, no AC damage at all. The engine is a KFM.

 

Thanks Frank....It is nice to know however that they do respond in such an efficient manner, even if this was a falsie...............Maj...

True Story: Happened quite a few years. Got woken up in the middle of the night by a car going past the house down to the Drifter shed. The car came back to the house, I got up to find one of the local cops at the door. He asked me if I`d been flying and I told him we wern`t allowed to fly at night. He then told me that two local ambulance officers were driving to Cairns and at the same spot of Peters engine hiccup, they saw what appeared to be the light of a light aircraft going down somewhere between the highway and the ocean. (distance being about 1.5/2 nm).

 

Within half an hour after the copper left, a rescue chopper turned up. It had a light on it like I`d never seen before. It light the area bellow, in an enormous circle, so well, that I could see the trees and the cane paddocks, clearly, from the hous here. The chopper flew in a north/south search patern, from around 1am until almost daylight. No aircraft had gone down. I wouldn`t have wanted to pay the bill $$$$$$$$$.

 

Frank.

 

 

[facthunter]

It's not really a false report. Actually everyone did the right thing there. The person hearing the engine running badly and the plane low did the right thing. Anybody knowing of some danger to an aircraft is required to report it. They take the worst case scenario Fair enough. That is the way it should be. Nev

 

 

[farri]

Nev, Agree completely! This morning the lady at the boat yard, just up the road, told me that recently she reported what she thought was a aircraft in trouble. Turned out it wasn`t....Appart from the obivious, the question is, just when and how do we decide that an aircraft is in trouble.

 

My experience: An aircraft was flying overhead heading south and making a fair bit of noise. All of a sudden the noise stoped. I look up to see the AC soundlessly flying along. I truely believed the engine had failed. I estimated it`s height to be around 5000` AGL and from it`s position I reckoned it would come down somewhere around Babinda.

 

I realy wasn`t sure what to do but I decided to phone Babinda police. A lady answered the phone and I told her that I thought an aircraft had,had an engine failure, it was heading towards Babinda and I thought it might come down somewhere east of the town. At the start she treated me like I was an idiot then she ended the call by saying " We`ll keep and eye out for it. "

 

I got off the phone feeling like I was a bit of an idiot but I also felt I`d done the right thing. No aircraft came down though!

 

Frank.

 

Ps. Geese, I`d rather be flying!!!

 

 

[Bandit12]

It is very nice to hear that there are people who are concerned enough to call it in. All up a good outcome!

 

 

[ianwells]

I was once called up by the local police to see if I had been flying and was I OK. I had been out in the drifter and been doing some fairly severe sideslips at a local strip. apparently someone had contacted the police saying they had seen an aircraft flying with a very unusual attitude and thought it may have crashed.

 

I always thought my attitude to flying was generally OK.

 

 

[farri]

Hey! Ian. I`m glad to see that there`s at least two of us who know how to side slip.

 

I`m a very 'unusual attitude' sort of guy also ( and it`s never improved much with age ) . So far no one has called the cops.

 

Frank.

 

 

[facthunter]

To see someone doing a sideslip properly would be a rare sight to confuse many. Nev

 

 

[farri]

To see someone doing a sideslip properly would be a rare sight to confuse many. Nev

Nev, I can`t let that one pass! When you say 'Properly', what aircraft are you talking about? (Please don`t tell me "all aircraft obey the same laws of physics.")

 

I`ve flown enough types to know they all behave differently and require different methodology. I can do side slips in the drifter that will make you eyes water. I flew the Zenith 701 that was housed here for ten years. It could be sliped (I did regularly. Part of my tool box, so to speak) but nothing like the Drifter. All situations being different, my idea of 'properly' is the one that gets the results you are looking for, at the time. Theory is for the class room.

 

What I`d like to see here! Instead of talking about aircraft in general, identify the particular aircraft being discussed. My opinion is, it will be of more benifit to everyone than talking generaly, which could even be detrimental.

 

Different subject: ....I`ve just got back from the aircraft shed and Peter Bayne is down there trying to find the problem with his motor. We did a post motem (so to speak) on yesterday`s events. Peter ( me also ) is very impressed with how quickly a search was established and how many people were contacted,in a very short period of time, by the authorities, in trying to establish the facts, .

 

To all you guys and gals out there, involved in search and rescue, please believe we truely appreciate it.

 

Frank.

 

 

[facthunter]

Frank. Briefly.. We did have a fulsome discussion sometime in the past in this forum).

 

A proper sideslip is performed at a slow airspeed has quite a lot of wing down and has a good and steady rate of descent. It's used for a reason ( as YOU know) essentially losing height quickly on approach when you need to. Not done well, it is clumsy, somewhat dangerous and does not achieve a max angle steep approach. The recovery from it has to be executed well too or you will not have full control or may float excessively. Into wind it can counteract the crosswind at the same time. In a turn it will increase the rate of descent while changing direction. Don't practice any of this near the ground till you are good at it. Nev

 

 

[poteroo]

In the distant past, it wasn't unheard of for Flight Service to call the local pub, looking for the pilot who'd forgotten to cancel their SARTIME......... no mobiles then, and unheard of for the Tardis phone at local airport to work.

 

Caught out twice in the early days of ELB's, (121.5 types). Dropped flight bag roughly on floor of office and startled half an hour,(?), later by a stranger with headset and direction finding aerial who'd tracked down the offending ELB. Very embarrassing! Modern units don't have a switch prone to being so easily activated.

 

happy days,

 

 

[motzartmerv]

Wow. What a story. Thanx frank. Agreed that evryone did the right thing. The only thing id add is perhaps a pan pan call night have been on the cards? If everybody's reporting, ie, the pilot, witnesses etc then the rescue guys would be acting on more info. Cancelling a pan could be just as valuable to the rescuers.

 

To be honest I've never considered the scenario until now. But worst case, there actually could have been a downed aeroplane out there somewhere, and if neither guys give a pan or mayday, then the rescuers may overlook or miss one completely.

 

Thanx again frank. Great lessons for us all!!