FlyBoy1960

It's faster from my end 🙂

The only public article is here https://www.twz.com/40255/crash-in-iraq-helps-unmask-secretive-ultra-quiet-special-operations-drone-program There are more but you need to register etc.

According to the article, they are flying 36 hours at a time in the Middle East. They are doing 55 flights before the engine reaches TBO so the engines are getting replaced every 3 to 4 months and these engines which are out of time but only a few months old get "disposed of" whatever that means. Imagine the parts supply for us regular people, almost new parts really cheap but unfortunately that doesn't seem to be happening. The article mentions they are flown out of Jordan but operated out of New Mexico. A normal flight is 36 hours but they can do 45 if needed. The Gimbal on the bottom is water cooled and worth ~$2 million and is used for surveillance, targeting and everything else. The payload is the expensive part and the engine is considered a disposable part based on the hours they are doing

These have been around since 2008 as UAV aircraft. One of the reasons Textron purchased Pipistrel according to the article.

whatever happened to the other group which was going to run parallel with the RA-Aus. It was all over this website for about a year and then just quietly disappeared after they kept missing their 'open for business' dates ?

I am disputing what you have said, because the coroner didn't once mention icing. That was your interpretation of the events, and not a fact from the coroner's report. I do agree with you, that icing was a likely possibility, and at least one of the reasons that this flight ended in a fatality. But the very first reason was the pilot not having the skills to decide that the weather was not suitable on that day for his level of training and the equipment in the aircraft. There is no other consideration that needs to be made other than a pilot making very poor decisions from the moment he taxied. I keep coming back to the statement in the coroner's report that even the guys wife/de facto wouldn't even fly with him. You don't need any more red flags than this statement on its own.

perhaps, if they leave it long enough, they think we will have forgotten and the can sweep everything under the rug

Why havent the RAA issued a statement yet ? Their employees have been referred to the DPP to be charged as criminally liable. The whole thing stinks from start to finish!

The guys at TL Ultralight in the Czech Republic did this about 5 years ago. These are the people that make the Sting, Stream, Sparker, Sirius, etc. and other aircraft in the range. They built about 20 units that were commissioned specifically for military training because they needed a low-cost way of operating an aircraft with a turbine engine for military training. Apparently, they couldn't do the same thing with a Piston engine variant. I saw some photos of the aircraft when I was lucky enough to go to AERO Friedrichshafen about 5 years ago. I will see if I can find the photos but it looked really nice. No idea of the price or anything else but it looked really good. A quick search found this information TL-Ultralight, a Czech aircraft manufacturer, has developed the Stream Turbo, an ultralight aircraft powered by the PBS TP100 turboprop engine. This engine is notable for its low weight and high static thrust, producing 241 horsepower (180 kW). It is equipped with autonomous oil and fuel systems, an electric BLDC starter-generator, and a digital control unit that maintains a constant propeller speed. The aircraft can reach flight levels up to 29,500 feet (9,000 meters) and has a maximum starting altitude of 19,700 feet (6,000 meters). tl-ultralight.cz tl-ultralight.com.au The Stream Turbo's design offers pilots an experience akin to that of a military fighter jet, featuring tandem seating and a highly streamlined Kevlar-fiberglass composite airframe with retractable landing gear. While primarily intended for military use, the aircraft's performance and design make it suitable for basic fighter training, especially for developing world militaries. 20 units were commissioned for the Czech Republic military as a basic trainer aircraft. pimaair.org The PBS TP100 engine itself has applications beyond civilian aviation; it is also utilized in various military contexts, including vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) operations for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

It could just be the rego lapsed because the owner got ill/died, lost his job and could afford to fly, wifey seperation etc. Its not always a neferious thing that causes a rego to lapse. He could have just also lost interest.

you get what you pay for in China. My Telsa Model Y was made in China and it is perfect in every way My iPhone was also made in China and it has worked perfectly for about 6 years Price and quality don't go together. If you pay a fair price then you will get a good product out of China every time. We are not shopping at the $2 store.

it's not a dumb comment because I didn't know the person. I had no idea of his age or even where he is located and flying from. I just noticed when I was reading it a 2nd time during lunch that he was not on the witness list and thought he would be a real obvious person to bring into the inquest. When you read the coroner's negative comments about him it made me wonder very briefly if he had passed from natural causes or self-inflicted (I have been listening to, too many crime podcasts). I could think of myself in his shoes wanting to do whatever was necessary to avoid this sort of scrutiny and stress.

Interesting ? Accident or self-inflicted ? I would be worried in his position

I am just wondering after reading it again over lunch why the flight instructor was not called to give evidence. He is mentioned thousands of times but was never interviewed ? What's going on there ?