Hatches and Harnesses secure????

[old man emu]

The first solo NavEx for a Bankstown pilot will be one he never forgets. Flying a Liberty XL2, he departed Bankstown for a trip to Goulburn and back. On Departure from Bankstown, he experienced a bit of turbulence as he headed for Camden.

 

Suddenly, the starbord passenger's door came loose. The door is hinged overhead, along the centreline of the aircraft. It swung up, fully open, breaking the door frame and the window. Due to aerodynamic forces, the pilot was not able to pull the window closed at cruise speed. He elected to make an emergency landing at Camden.

 

Now it so happened that Camden's main runway 24/06, was closed at the time as a film crew was working on a motoring programme (Top Gear). It was the subject of a NOTAM.

 

The pilot saw the nice, long sealed runway and aimed for RWY 24. Because of the wind noise, he could not hear radio transmissions from other aircraft, or the Airfield Safety Officer warning him that the runway was closed. On he came, and made a successful landing on 24, seconds after a high powered sports car had turned onto the runway and blatted off in the 24 direction.

 

The pilot shut down and the aircraft was pushed out of harm's way. The damage to the aircraft appears to be limited to a new door, and a good hose down for the left hand seat. The pilot hails from the Sub-Continent, and is of a darker hue. It is said that when he completed his landing, his eyes were as wide as Locomotive headlights. His fundamental oriface was still puckering an hour later.

 

A job well done!

 

Old Man Emu

 

 

[Guest Flyer40]

Great work for a pilot on his first solo navex!

 

But I'm appalled that a sleazy bank-owned airport would jeopardise aviation safety for the sake of making a quick buck from a cheesy imitation television show.

 

This is not the UK or USA where there's a runway every couple of miles. Runways in Australia are limited and valuable resources.

 

I can just imagine the producer saying "Jeremy has planes in the background so we have to have planes in the background". Those TV tossers should pay the full price and go to OP or Wakefield where they belong.

 

 

[Ben Longden]

Well, it was an emergency landing, and they are allowed under these situations... the Dutton Rally closes the Shepp airport, but there is a caveat that the Air Ambos and emergency landings are the exception. My guess is this would be the same.

 

Congrats to the pilot concerned for getting his ship down safely, even if the seat cover had to be changed.

 

Ben

 

 

[Guest brentc]

Personally I'm not a pillar of society, but I don't really think it's relevant that the pilot was black!

 

 

[Mazda]

Incredible!

 

 

[motzartmerv]

Good job.. I had problems that day to, well, had to land on the grass exeeding xwind max for the acft...ggrrlll...The notam said 10 min prior approval was req'd, i called and asked and was refused, (by car1)..I kicked myself later that i didnt consider useing the glider strip...

 

cheers

 

 

[Guest Flyer40]

If there's a next time, tell car1 that it's an "operational requirement". If he refuses that and forces you into an unsafe situation he's in deep trouble.

 

(moderated by Ian - Reason: language)

 

 

[IanR]

As mentioned, the Notam for Camden certainly said that the runway would be opened for operational requirements - with 10 mins notice.

 

I overheard the Top Gear people talking yesterday about the incident - apparently "The Stig" was driving at the time and was left somewhat shaken !!

 

I didn't realise that it was the Liberty and that he had problems - saw them on the tarmac looking rather intently at the aircraft !

 

 

[Ben Longden]

Personally I'm not a pillar of society, but I don't really think it's relevant that the pilot was black!

I'm not a pillar either... some folks think a pill is more likley.... ;)

 

So there was a 10 minute requirement... well, my understanding of this guys predicament was that he was now in a no comms flight due to the unplanned departure of the hatch.

 

He was simply not able to radio Camden.. and did what any sane pilot would do in an emergency with a structure and comms failure - aviate, navigate and try to get the thing on the ground safely.

 

I would hazard a guess that the cast and crew would have been advised that the strip could be used by aircraft in an emergency.

 

Besides, it would make for an interesting 'sidebar' for the show... ;)

 

Merv, I agree with the comment made. it would be an operational REQUIREMENT for you to use that runway. For them to deny you that means they are forcing you into an unsafe situation. Perhaps they would like to explain to CASA why they refused you permission?

 

Ben

 

 

[motzartmerv]

Oh damm.. so the little jabby landing in a howling xwind won't make the cut now...boooothumb_down

 

 

[motzartmerv]

Hey, that reminds me..Ya say this was this dudes first solo nav. I remember the wx that day...was pretty shocking.. mod/ sev turbulance, strong gusting winds out of the west i believe..hmmmm...poor guy, hope he keeps going after that rattle up..

 

 

[IanR]

Hey, that reminds me..Ya say this was this dudes first solo nav. I remember the wx that day...was pretty shocking.. mod/ sev turbulance, strong gusting winds out of the west i believe..hmmmm...poor guy, hope he keeps going after that rattle up..

It was Thursday this week - was a beautiful day.

 

 

[BigPete]

Whats Going On?

 

We had a pilot on his second solo navex (Albury - Deniliquin - Echuca - Shepparton - Albury) call up on our CTAF, saying he was over a lake and was lost. We could tell he was quite agitated.

 

(This was last Friday Week 25/07/08) Cliff banks our CFI, who was out with a student asked a few good questions and soon realized he was over Kow Swamp and guided him to Echuca.

 

To say the pilot was relieved to be on the ground is an understatement. He was very, very thankful. After a cup of coffee we settled down and reviewed his flight plan. He was using WAC charts, and you have to fold and join them to see our little corner of the world.

 

Everything was correct EXCEPT the map alignment. He followed his bearings correctly, but unfortunately the Deniliquin to Echuca leg was way off. He finished up exactly where the wrong heading would take him - Kow swamp.

 

My question is - wouldn't his instructor have reviewed his navigation? Checked his paperwork? Before he departed?

 

regards

 

 

[Admin]

Whats Going On?We had a pilot on his second solo navex (Albury - Deniliquin - Echuca - Shepparton - Albury) call up on our CTAF, saying he was over a lake and was lost. We could tell he was quite agitated.

 

(This was last Friday Week 25/07/08) Cliff banks our CFI, who was out with a student asked a few good questions and soon realized he was over Kow Swamp and guided him to Echuca.

 

To say the pilot was relieved to be on the ground is an understatement. He was very, very thankful. After a cup of coffee we settled down and reviewed his flight plan. He was using WAC charts, and you have to fold and join them to see our little corner of the world.

 

Everything was correct EXCEPT the map alignment. He followed his bearings correctly, but unfortunately the Deniliquin to Echuca leg was way off. He finished up exactly where the wrong heading would take him - Kow swamp.

 

My question is - wouldn't his instructor have reviewed his navigation? Checked his paperwork? Before he departed?

 

regards

You joking Pete - getting lost would be a frightning experience for the guy especially on a nav student - that is dangerous stuff

 

 

[BigPete]

Yes Ian - I'd say his confidence would be shot. To his credit though, he did follow his bearings exactly, in hindsight you could even say this was a very good lesson. I bet he will never make the same mistake again.

 

regards

 

 

[Guest airsick]

in hindsight you could even say this was a very good lesson.

Dangerous way to learn a lesson. Furthermore if it scares him off flying then what lesson was learned?

 

 

[motzartmerv]

IanR.. oh ok, sorry i thought they only had the one day at it..

 

cheers

 

 

[BigPete]

Well, airsick - I shouldn't think it will stop him flying. Might stop him navigating for a while. :big_grin: Most of us learn more by doing or having things happen to us. His instructor must carry the blame for him getting lost. Duty of care and all that.

 

This early fright will probably make him a far more cautious pilot than he may have been otherwise, and yes I agree with you. It was a dangerous thing to happen. :black_eye:

 

regards

 

:big_grin::big_grin:

 

 

[motzartmerv]

Pete, i don't know if id go that far, but yes certainly some onus is on the instructor.. Its exactly that sort of simple error that can cause big problems...especially to a newbie who fails to recognise whats happened early enough..

 

I can't think of any reasons why his instructor wouldn't check his maps and things..And being his first solo nav, the flightplan would have been done together..

 

cheers

 

 

[Ben Longden]

Certainly an 'interesting' few minutes for this pilot. I dips me lid to him for asking for help. Thats the mark of a good pilot.

 

Ben

 

 

[IanR]

IanR.. oh ok, sorry i thought they only had the one day at it..cheers

Better get used to it !! They are filming on and off through September I think.

 

 

[old man emu]

Personally I'm not a pillar of society, but I don't really think it's relevant that the pilot was black!

Brentc,

 

The relevance of his skin coloration was only that it highlighted his wide-eyed appearance when he got out of the plane. I reckon he did a damn fine job. He seemed to be a nice type of lad.

 

The flying school's LAME came out on Friday with an instructor and they replaced the broken door. The instructor flew it back to Bankstown.

 

The weather at Camden at the time of the incident wasn't too bad. The wind speed was low.

 

Old Man Emu

 

 

[Timm427]

Dangerous way to learn a lesson. Furthermore if it scares him off flying then what lesson was learned?

Carry a GPS - DON'T CHEAT and certainly don't tell you instructor it's in your pocket.

 

 

[brilin_air]

If a lost pilot comes on radio looking for help, what would you consider to be the best questions to start firing at them to assist?

 

I think my first question would be , how much fuel do you have on board, that would allow me to have some idea how quick we have to work. What do other people think?

 

 

[Guest Decca]

Hi Brian. Good question. How about reassuring statement/s eg "Don't worry", "We're here to help" followed by the questions "What is your heading", "What was your last known position"?

 

Hope I'm on the right track to answer your post.

 

Regards, Decca.