Ben Longden

I guess you could fly during that time, but be prepared for the Men In Black to visit you in hospital after the RAAF shoot you down... and 171 Squadron abseils into your lounge to kidnap the cat. 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. Besides, if someone does decide to launch an air attack on APEC, they will do it anyway. I guess having a no-fly zone will make them a tad more obvious on the radar. While on the subject, I wonder if the US will fly their mobile phone jamming helicopters while Dhubya is in town? * Oh and by the way, if you feel like a nice safe flight, come on over to Shepparton, we will always make you feel welcome* Ben

And Yarrawonga as well...... ;) Ben

August 13, 2007 08:12pm Article from: AAP A VIRGIN Blue Boeing 737 carrying 120 passengers and six crew has made an emergency landing in central Queensland. Virgin Blue spokeswoman Amanda Bolger said a pilot noticed a light in the cockpit, indicating there was a fluid leak in one of the engines during the flight from Brisbane to Hamilton Island around 2pm (AEST) today. "In keeping with standard procedure, the aircraft diverted to Rockhampton and landed without incident," Ms Bolger said. The passengers disembarked while engineers checked the faulty engine and a replacement aircraft brought in from Brisbane to take the passengers to their destination, she said. A spokesman for the Air Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), which examines aircraft incidents and accidents, said today's diversion did not warrant further investigation.

If I fly with someone else as PIC, I have to tell them, make it as smooth as Bob Hoover, or else the panel WILL be redecorated. :yuk: A mate who imitates UFO's with 90 degree turns in the sky (up, down and side to side) in 'normal flight' nearly learnt this the hard way. Ben

Mmmmmm :;)2: Who cleaned up the Skid marks..... Ben

Bloody hell... I really hope that you are able to get things sorted out after doing a good deed. Not many people would stop to help. Ben

:;)2: Photos is one thing, but vision is another. That footage will be priceless in determining the root causes of this bloody terrible incident. Ben

Ben

Hi Neil, And a bloody nice Storch it is too..... ;) Did quite a few laps over Shepp in that with Tristo. Ben

Article from: AAP Melb Herald Sun A PILOT escaped injury when his light plane overshot the runway and lost a wing in a crash landing at Sydney's Bankstown airport tooday. The single-engined plane hit a security fence shortly after landing about 11.45am (AEST), an airport spokeswoman said. "There was only one person on board the plane, the pilot, and he suffered no injuries," the spokeswoman said. The airport declined to comment on the cause of the incident. However, shortly after the incident, a police spokeswoman said it appeared there had been "undercarriage problems" with the plane during landing. Police said the plane lost a wing during the incident. The airport spokeswoman said the circumstances of the crash would be investigated by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.

By Paul Osborne and Christine Flatley August 09, 2007 05:15pm Article from: AAP Melb Herald Sun A CORONIAL inquest into a 2001 air crash west of Brisbane which killed four people has failed to identify the cause of the accident and recommended no charges be laid. The conclusion handed down today by Queensland coroner Michael Barnes left bereaved family members angry. Pilot Bruce Johnson and Queensland government mental health team members Dr Allen Hughes (Allen Hughes), Dr Katherine Thompson and Alan Duckett died when their Eastland Air charter flight crashed on take-off from Toowoomba Airport on November 27, 2001. The coroner found the pilot was not at fault and no charges were recommended. But he reprimanded the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) and called on the agency to re-assess its maintenance procedures. An Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) report previously found engine failure was the most likely cause of the crash. A problem had existed in the aircraft's left engine for months prior to the accident, the safety agency said. Dr Thompson's father told reporters outside the court today he believed there were several areas of blame. "I blame the operator for not having systems in place, I blame the maintenance man who was totally incompetent in the way he handled his job, and I blame CASA (Civil Aviation Safety Authority) for not picking up what they were doing and for not doing something about it,'' he said. Mr Thompson said the inquest result was unsatisfactory. "You can't have closure when your daughter's dead.'' Dr Thompson's mother Bronwen dismissed the inquest as a farce. "I just thought the whole thing was a total whitewash and a total waste of money,'' she said. "I can't believe that it was so blatantly obvious who was to blame for this. "If any one of those people had done what they were morally obliged to do our daughter would be alive today.'' Vanessa Hughes-Ainsworth said her life and that of the families of the other victims had been "changed for good''. "They're able to kiss their children in bed at night ... my husband never even got to meet his daughter,'' she said. The Eastland Air C90 twin-engined King Air had just taken off from the airport bound for the south-western town of Goondiwindi when it experienced trouble, crashed into trees and a power pole, flipped and exploded. Local workers tried to put out the fire but could not get close enough because of nearby gas cylinders. Eastland Air is no longer operating

The Age, Melb Sean Nicholls August 9, 2007 - 10:12AM The pilot of a Qantas Boeing 767 from Sydney carrying 185 passengers to Darwin was targeted by a powerful laser beam, prompting an investigation by federal police and aviation authorities. The incident, just before midnight on August 3, resulted in the pilot having to fly the next day's return leg from Darwin to Sydney as a passenger. A Qantas spokesman, Lloyd Quartermain, said last night that the pilot, who has not been named, had been referred to Qantas's doctor for assessment. Mr Quartermain declined to comment on whether the pilot was injured. He said the decision to replace him as pilot for the return flight was "a precautionary measure". "We had a report of a laser beam affecting a pilot operating QF486 Sydney to Darwin on August 3," Mr Quartermain told the Herald. "He landed the aircraft safely and the incident has been reported to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau and federal police, as is usual practice." Mr Quartermain said federal police were making inquiries, but he refused to comment on a suggestion that the laser was emitted from military equipment. He said the crew acted immediately when they saw the laser targeting the aircraft. "As soon as the crew saw the light they alerted the local tower, who in turn alerted the local authorities," he said. It was revealed this week that motorists in nine cars were accidentally put in the sights of a laser guidance system being tested by F/A-18 fighter jets on the NSW North Coast on May 28. An investigation concluded that the chances of injury were remote, with the risk of eye exposure considered low. The general manager of the Australian and International Pilots Association, Peter Somerville, was unaware of the Qantas incident but said there had been "a spate of these incidents over the past few months".

Dare I even enter the fray... with the F*&D v Holden, er... Jab v anything else debate.. I have flown the Jab, and really liked the experience. Once I got used to having the throttle where the seat adjustment knob would be, a centre stick that I had to have my hand in my armpit, a non adjustable seat and the fuel tank sloshing right behind me. Once in the sky, it took a while learning to boot the rudder when using aileron, to get the thing to go in a banked turn. Then on landing, having to manage throttle with a hand under my legs, was er, different.. Aside from the acclimatisation, the Jab is a top ship. I know that Jabiru make a panel mounted throttle, but why not keep it in the centre, as is standard on Piper, Cessna, Alpi and dare I say it.. Tecnam? Mind you, if I was given one, or unlimited time in one, I would never say no.. Ben *Ducks and runs for cover with Mike*

Ben

I was heading back from Echuca to Shepparton and as the cloud base was 2500, I found it smoother at 2000.. and I was right over the top of the main road into Shepp - so I decided to fly IFR -I Follow Roads. Anyway, I could clearly see the traffic below me, and there was nothing heading the same way, just a white car coming towards me on the highway 2000 feet below that suddenly started its flashing blue and red lights. I checked the speedo, as you do when you see red and blue lights... oops, 115 knots and then realised the poor old Plod probably thought his christmas had come early, with a whacking great 200+ Kmh speeder coming his way... So I just kept on tootling towards Shepp... I dunno if Plod got his man. though.... Ben

The CO detector in question is well and truly within its service life, and is located on the panel right in front of the pilot. Its an Aviaquip one and expires June 2008 I'm a bit suprised the detector did not alter colour faster... any ideas? Ben Symptoms of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Shortness of breath Mild nausea Mild headaches Moderate levels of CO exposure can cause death if the following symptoms persist for a long measure of time. http://www.casa.gov.au/fsa/2001/nov/32-35.pdf http://www.faa.gov/pilots/safety/pilotsafetybrochures/media/CObroforweb.pdf

Sweet..... Even managed to vacate the runway in style.. Ben

The Age 31.7.07 Two people have died in a light plane crash north of Melbourne. The wreckage of a twin-engined Aero Commander was found by a search helicopter crew in trees near the tiny town of Clonbinane, near Wandong, about 60km north of Melbourne, about 9.45pm (AEST) Tuesday, Victoria Police spokesman Wayne Wilson said. A search was started in the Wandong-Mount Disappointment area after residents reported hearing a light plane in trouble, followed by an explosion, about 8.20pm. There were no other people on board the flight. The identities of the victims are not yet known. It's believed the plane came down near Drag Hill Road, between Clonbinane and Mount Disappointment. A local police unit found the wreckage. Ground units were joined by a police airwing helicopter and a fixed-wing aircraft in the effort to locate the plane. It's believed the flight originated from Essendon Airport and was heading to Shepparton, 180km north-east of Melbourne. Earlier, the weather bureau issued a severe weather warning for western and central districts of Victoria, including the crash site, for severe winds averaging 75km/h with gusts to 110km/h, especially in elevated areas. The area is near the top of the Great Dividing Range. Monument Hill, a short distance from the scene, rises to 480 metres above sea level. © 2007 AAP

So, would it then be correct to use the callsign for Tecnam 4774 as "Tecnnam forty seven, seventy four"? Ben

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/articles/2007/07/28/1185339318736.html?from=top5 Ben

Thats probably the best description of rotors and waves I have read, yet. Ben

Not only the delegates, but the desktop Air Nazis who are denying us the skies.. I notice they have hired a former Network 10 newsreader to be the 'voice of patience and PR' for Sydneysiders.. I wonder just how folks will react when the city is in lockdown once Dubya and Putin arrive.... Ben

On my Nav check ride with Matt, he taught me that its fine to use geographical markers for a familiar strip, but when at a new location, to firstly ensure correct height, then use the geometry of the plane to align with airstrip features. So, after joining crosswind he would say to look over your left shoulder and once the tail plane has crossed the strip, to then turn downwind. This has always placed me in an ideal situation for turning base, which should be on about a 45 degree angle from the end of the runway. For me that has helped set up my best landings. As a double check, in the Tecnam cruising downwind, I look to the left, and find that the flap hinge 'aligns' with the runway, as well. Ben

Thanks Mike, That answers my questions. BTW, I might try and dig up some useless information on Hypoxia (onset symptoms etc) from our DAME for another thread. Ben

I copied this direct from the legislation, CAO 95 par 5, dealing with RAA registered aircraft and Flight Conditions. Would it be reasonable to say, based on that, flight over 5000 feet is permissable is safe to do so, fitted with a radio and in VFR conditions in Class E or G airspace. For the purpose of this discussion, I am not referring to a flight where the terrain altitude is 5000ft, Likewise, from the current VFG, any VFR flight can be made up to 20,000 feet - which is the exemption used by sky dive operators. I'm not trying to be picky, just separate opinion from law. Ben