Australian Aviation safety Digest - online 1953 > 1991

[RFguy]

For those that have not stumbled upon this , this is great reading

 

https://www.atsb.gov.au/aviation/aviation-safety-digest/

 

I have just finished reading #93, 1975

[facthunter]

EVERYONE should read it.  Congratulations to whoever is responsible for making it available. Nev

[Garfly]

An apropos pprune opinion of yore:

 

https://www.pprune.org/pacific-general-aviation-questions/342921-old-aviation-safety-digests-versus-flight-safety-australia-vive-la-difference.html

[old man emu]

Times change, but nothing else seems to.

Just had a look at the March 1959 issue. There's an article on bogus parts (lack of traceability) and a warning to make sure that if your seat is moveable, make sure that checking that it is locked in position is part of your "Hatches and harnesses secure" procedure.

 

Apart from the tip 'n' tricks given in these publications, they are a great source for historical research. There are two crashes involving Butler Air Transport aircraft that so far I only have detail from newspaper reports. I hope I can find stuff about them in the Crash Comics.

[onetrack]

OME, the "Lutana", which crashed into Square Top Peak, near Nundle NSW, on 2nd Sept 1948 with the loss of all on board (13 people), is believed to have been operated at times by Butler Air Transport - but it was being operated by ANA at the time of the crash.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1948_Australian_National_Airways_DC-3_crash

 

https://aussieairliners.org/dc-3/vh-ank2/vh-ank2.html

[Garfly]

 

And remembered to this day, 75 years on, in Nundle.

 

 

 

[old man emu]

Although I don't have the records at hand to back up my opinion, I don't think that BAT would have operated ANK, especially since it was operated by ANA which was a competitor. In 1948 BAT had three DC-3s working hard mostly west of the Divide. I'm not sure when they introduced the Northern Rivers service.

[Old Koreelah]

The Lutana crash was the worst crash we’ve had on the Liverpool Range, but we’ve had several smaller aircraft come to grief.

Quirindi Aero Club puchased our hangar partly to act as a place of refuge to discourage aviators from crossing the range while it’s clouded in. So far we’ve had a few. My number is on the front door; I get them into the building, where they find tea, coffee, biscuits and comfy chairs.

Twice, when the plurry cloud won’t clear, I’ve put their plane in our hangar for the week and put pilots on the train.

 

I’d like to set up weather cams on the hangar opposite, but too many projects at present.

[facthunter]

It used to be my old stamping ground when I operated out of West Maitland. Like many Parts of the Great Dividing Range It can be very dicey at times. These areas NEED places to land and sit it out for Light Aircraft.  Nev

[Old Koreelah]

12 hours ago, facthunter said:

It used to be my old stamping ground when I operated out of West Maitland. Like many Parts of the Great Dividing Range It can be very dicey at times. These areas NEED places to land and sit it out for Light Aircraft.  Nev

They sometimes also need AvGas, which we no longer have. Turning back burns fuel, so every Alternate requires quite a bit of calculation.

[Old Koreelah]

On 30/3/2023 at 9:33 AM, facthunter said:

It used to be my old stamping ground when I operated out of West Maitland…

Nev a couple of us have been collecting material on local aviation history, so anything you can contribute would be welcome.

[facthunter]

60-65. with RNAC which had moved to Rutherford  from District Park Newcastle as the drome there was too small to be safely operated out of, Particularly when TV aerials were put up so high on the perimeter to receive Sydney stations. RNAC also operated out of Mudgee under a George Campbell. form memory. Getting out of the top of the valley was frequently with low cloud making it "Interesting" at times. as wqaws getting back from the NW when there was weather against  the ranges from Goulbourne  to Casino.

   RNAC also did a lot of general servicing and overhaul and the Planes were delivered to individual Homesteads where you had to find them and often taxy up to the front door from a paddock that didn't really stand out much from any other paddock. ALL good experience. In those days a lot of Farmers had their own planes. There was money in Wool.  Nev

[old man emu]

I got my UPPL with George in the mid-70s. They say that a DC-3 will take off with as much weight as you can get into it and shut the doors. The same applied to a C-150 with George and me in it.

[Old Koreelah]

4 hours ago, facthunter said:

…In those days a lot of Farmers had their own planes. There was money in Wool.  Nev

A story from that era has one local woolgrower going to the big smoke to buy a new car. He selected a Rolls and at a whim, bought a second one as a spare to keep in the shed.

[facthunter]

Tamworth had more rollers per capita than Toorak.   Nev

[pmccarthy]

One farmer bought an ex Royal visit car with a glass screen behind the driver. He said it would stop the dogs licking him behind the ears.

[Old Koreelah]

The Rolls Royce factory once received a scathing review from an Australian woolgrower because their new model had no running boards:

” where am I going to put the dead sheep?”

[facthunter]

In the Bentley.  Nev