Ben Longden

And dare I say it with CASA as well.. Okay, I did not say that... I did not say that... stop shining that light in my eyes please... I may be cynical and thought it, but I never once said it... Ben

Ian, Wot a bout a press release for this? Christine Chudley Riverne Herald Newspaper [email protected] Rebecca Glenn WIN News 03 5441 8035 Ben

Well, whadaya waiting for? Ben

My instructor used to laugh when I would nick to the loo before a lesson, saying I was off for a "preflight pee" until one day we landed after a long lesson and he had to run straight inside.... My good Mate John with the Mini Mustang said the key was to plan your refuelling stops to coincide with bladder capacity when organising a long trip, and to ensure "neither was compromised"... Ben

;) Told ya so...... Ben *Now if only I could get it right for the rest of the place.. gawd knows the farm is starting to get dry again*

I used to work at a Pizza restaurant, and often would ask customers if they wanted their Pizza cut into six or eight slices.... And yes.... they would ask for six.... because they couldnt eat eight.... True!!! Ben

$331 Mil? Now lets see, how many more hospital beds and nurses would that provide nation wide in the next 12 months? Ben

http://media.theage.com.au/?category=Breaking%20News&rid=31278 Not for the fainthearted. At the Radon Air Show in Poland, two pilots were killed when part of their manouvers went wrong. Warning. This video from the Sydney Morning Herald shows the entire thing. May they rest in peace, and their families and friends find comfort. Ben

With the 200Km ADIZ scare and the 170 Million being spent on this by our tax dollar, I have said this before, and will say it again; While I can appreciate the need for security during this conference, I really feel that such a wide ban is an infringement on our civil liberties, and is perversly undemocratic. Ben

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/08/29/1188067162216.html Rhonda Markby August 29, 2007 - 11:11AM I was concerned for myself. I was losing a lot of blood, I was pretty shattered. I thought there was a fairly good possibility I could die Richard Bateman, the plane wreckage, and the spot where it crashed in New Zealand's Gammock Range. Photo: Timaru Herald A young pilot who crashed in a New Zealand mountain range taped a chunk of his scalp back on and trekked for two hours to raise help for his injured student. Flight instructor Richard Bateman, 27, is expected to be released from hospital after crashing in the Gammock Range in a Robin R2120 on Sunday afternoon. Student pilot Nick Eagleson, 33, was knocked out in the crash but Bateman managed to crawl out of the wreckage with a badly gashed scalp and free his companion. He used his survival kit to dress his wound before walking eight kilometres down a steep valley to get help. Bateman was taking Eagleson through some mountain-flying tuition when the plane crashed. They were part of a group of 35 club members on a week-long New Zealand tour. "We were both strapped in, Nick was unconscious," said Mr Bateman from his hospital bed. "I was feeling bad, I knew I had some injuries. I was bleeding from my head and my wrist was out of shape." The first challenge was to get out of the cockpit. The canopy would not release. Part of it was smashed. He suspects his head had gone through it as his headset was smashed. He managed to rip the canopy off. "I got out and then shut everything off," he said, pulling out the plane keys he found in his pocket when he was admitted to hospital. "I was pretty dazed." Bateman realised he had a serious head injury. There was a lot of blood. A large chunk of his scalp was loose. Behind his seat was his personal survival kit, a webbing belt containing first-aid gear, a compass, firelighters, personal locator beacon and a water bottle. It was gear he always took hunting and when he was mountain flying. When he had changed aircraft that morning he opted to take the survival kit and a warm jacket with him. "There was some good tape in it," he said, demonstrating how he had wrapped the tape right over his head and back under his chin to hold his scalp in place and stem the bleeding. "I think I put a baseball cap on, too." His next concern was for Eagleson. He was unconscious and lying in an unnatural position. His legs were trapped in the crushed fuselage. As he attempted to free him, Eagleson came to. Bateman managed to get him out of the plane, lying him down by the wing. It was obvious Eagleson had some internal injuries but he was not bleeding. Bateman triggered his own locator beacon as he was uncertain whether the plane's beacon was functioning. "I tried to figure out the best course of action. There was nothing I could do for Nick." He was concerned the signals from the beacons might bounce around the mountains, making it difficult for would-be rescuers to find the wreck. He knew he had to get help, even though you are meant to stay with a crashed aeroplane. Bateman headed off down the valley. "I just hoped I would run into someone fishing, a hunter, the farmer. "I was concerned for myself. I was losing a lot of blood, I was pretty shattered. I thought there was a fairly good possibility I could die." About two hours after the crash, and eight kilometres away from it, he found a musterers' hut. As he got to the hut he heard a plane. He lit a fire in an attempt to attract it. That didn't work. Realising he could be facing a night out, and becoming increasingly weak, Bateman was about to break into the hut when he heard a helicopter. He grabbed some dry grass and lit another fire. Success. The helicopter landed. "The guy asked if I had anything to do with the plane crash. I said 'yes', jumped in, and we went to the site." Those on the helicopter scrambled up to the crash site to check on Eagleson. The rescue was under way. Only 48 hours after the crash, Bateman was eating a pie and donuts and considering when he would be able to fly again. What he does know is the next time he goes through a mountain-flying briefing with a student, it shouldn't be too hard to convince them to carry survival gear. He was expected to be discharged from Timaru Hospital today. The Civil Aviation Authority is investigating the cause of the crash. The Timaru Herald with NZPA

Mmmmm.... a day flying would be good... even better if someone else paid for it!!! Ben

Bitch of a way to get a new 172.......:;)2: So, whats the story? Ben

THATS one way to fix the dreaded MiL problem...... Ben

Hope it bloody pours down.... I mean it.. This IS THE worst dought in decades.....;) Ben

With all of these secret squirrels flying Black Helicopters, it kind of makes me glad I live NOWHERE near Sydney..... So much for a democratic society....:confused: Ben

By Kyoko Hasegawa in Tokyo Article from: Agence France-Presse A HOLE in the fuel tank of a China Airlines airliner could explain why it burst into a fireball moments after landing, investigators in Japan say. All 165 passengers and crew fled to safety, sliding down emergency chutes with minutes to spare as the Boeing 737-800 burst into fire and then exploded after landing on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa on Monday. As investigators from Japan, Taiwan and the United States sift through the jet's charred remains, the Japanese side said it discovered the fuel tank had been pierced. "We spotted a hole in a fuel tank," the transport ministry's investigative division said in a brief statement. "We suspect that oil leaked from this hole and spilled from the right wing to the outside." Jiji Press and Kyodo News reported that investigators believe the tank was pierced by a bolt in the structure. Investigators have already recovered the airliner's black box to analyse the pilots' conversations. China Airlines, Taiwan's leading carrier, has offered its apologies - its chief executive flew immediately to Okinawa to console frightened tourists - and announced compensation for passengers. The company, which has reported nine fatal accidents since 1970, has also painted over its logo on the wrecked aircraft in an apparent bid to minimise bad publicity. Its chairman, Philip Wei, also offered his resignation to the board. Wei "tendered his verbal resignation shortly after the incident in a bid to shoulder his responsibility," a China Airlines official told AFP in Taipei. Analysts said the incident is a setback for the airline, which launched a safety overhaul after February 1998 when a plane ploughed into a row of houses in Taipei, killing 196 passengers and crew and six people on the ground. In Tokyo, Ho Han-yeh, head of the airline's Japanese branch office, visited the transport ministry to apologise for the blaze, and later bowed deeply in front of reporters. He reiterated that the company had not found any problem with the aircraft in its annual inspection last month. The carrier also announced a compensation plan for passengers on Monday's flight from Taipei to Okinawa, which is a popular tourist destination that lies closer to Taiwan than Tokyo. Business class passengers will be entitled to $T80,000 ($3,000) and those in economy to $T65,000 ($2,400) company spokesman Johnson Sun said in Taipei.

By Steve Creedy, Aviation writer Article from: </IMG> QANTAS has modified its fuel policy for flights to Perth airport after a jet from Singapore aborted two landings and issued a mayday before landing in fog, because it was unable to get to a suitable alternative airport. The crew ended up conducting an automatic landing of the Airbus A330-300 with about half the 800m visibility that is normally considered the minimum for landings at Perth. An Australian Transport Safety Bureau report released yesterday said the Qantas policy meant the aircraft left Singapore on September 16 last year without enough fuel to allow it to reach the alternative airport at Learmonth, 1110km north of Perth, in the event of a last-minute problem. It said the combination of the fog and the absence of a suitable alternative airport meant the flight had to make an emergency landing. Weather reports at the time of departure indicated the fog would roll in about 1 ½ hours after the aircraft's landing, and the crew had taken on fuel beyond the company's minimum requirement as a result of the forecast. The bureau found the crew actively sought and received weather updates, but it was not until midnight, when the aircraft had started descent and was committed to landing, that forecasts predicted the fog would hit the airport before arrival time. "At the time of the incident, the operator's fuel policy did not discriminate against Perth, which was relatively isolated in terms of distance from airports suitable for the A330, and other Australian airports," the report said. "This meant that, in absence of any applicable operational requirement, flights to Perth did not routinely carry additional fuel for flight from the planned destination to a suitable airport. "The operator was aware of the safety risk posed by unforeseen events, meteorological or otherwise, at destination airports and managed the risk through its integrated operations centre." Investigators found the crew's decision to attempt landings in conditions below the acceptable minimum for Perth was sound under the circumstances. It said the decision to select runway 21 and the use of the A330 autoland system reduced the risk of landing in the dense fog. But it found there were still risks that were not considered acceptable in normal circumstances. Qantas has since changed its fuel policy to take on more fuel on Perth flights to allow it to get to an alternative airport if there is any indication of fog. Qantas chief pilot Chris Manning said the airline had put an additional two-hour buffer on bad weather forecasts for flights into Perth. "We have done this because we're conservative, we've never seen this before, but all our flights now are carrying extra fuel if the weather is forecast to deteriorate within two hours of arrival," he said, noting that the standard Civil Aviation Safety Authority requirement was 30 minutes. "We've just done that because of the isolation of Perth." Captain Manning also rejected any suggestion that the company pressured pilots not to take on extra fuel. "Forecasting fog's relatively difficult and comments we put pressure on pilots not to take extra fuel is absolutely wrong, absolutely false," he said. "They took extra fuel and we don't take a note of that ever. That's the pilot in command's responsibility."

Melb Age. 24.9 Ben http://media.theage.com.au/?rid=31062&source=theage.com.au/top5

Er, can we log these hours?? ;) Ben

Pick a number and get in line!!!! :devil: Ben

:;)3: So the old Casa safety equation of VMC/IMC=CD goes from theory to practice again.... Bugger. Bloody rotten way of remembering it. My condolences to the family and friends. Ben (where a flight from visual conditions into Instrument conditions equals certain death for non instrument trained pilots)

Got the priorities right, I see.....;) On a side issue, the CSIRO did a study into hailstones and car damage after a bloody great hailstorm in Orange, NSW during the late 1980s. They found to dint a car panel or crack a windscreen the hailstone needed to be about 3/4 inch in diameter. They also found to prevent damage, even one woollen blanket on the bodywork was enough. Ben

August 18, 2007 04:56pm Article from: AAP THE body of a pilot and the wreckage of his light plane, missing since Thursday, have been found in far north Queensland. A rescue helicopter spotted the wreckage on a ridge line in the Cardwell State Forest about 4km north-west of Dallachy at about 10.15am (AEST) today. The 34-year-old male pilot, the only person on board the plane, did not survive the crash. The eight-seater Fletcher single engine plane was last seen leaving Ingham at about 3pm on Thursday, northward bound for Tully about an hour's flight away. The wreckage was found after an extensive air and ground search co-ordinated by the Rescue Co-ordination Centre (RCC), which extended its search east of Hinchinbrook Island due to the prevailing thick cloud cover and poor weather conditions. The search included the use of seven helicopters and three planes as well as support from Queensland police, maritime rescue and more than 50 State Emergency Services volunteers. The accident will now be investigated by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.

What about air to air missiles, ground to air missiles or helicopter launched guided wire missiles... or have I been reading too much Dan Brown? :;)2: Ben

Same thing for politicians in Victoria... as the world ceases to exist north of the Ford factory at Broadmeadows.. Ben