August 15 
Ekka Show Day and the normally full itinerant aircraft parking bay at Archerfield airport

The Royal National Association show is on this week drawing people from the outback to the city to view the latest in equipment for the "man on the land"

Changing Times - Archerfield used to be extremely busy place at this time of the year with the "bush pilots" and their families flying in from out west in their Cessna's

 August 9 
The QLD based Virgin Blue airlines flight DJ-319 aborted two departures from Melbourne's Tullamarine airport to-day because of a faulty part

Media reports have the plane gathering speed down the runway just before lift-off when the pilot applied the brakes and returned to the terminal

Passengers were told a red light had come on indicating a problem

 August 9 
A couple of L-5 Stinson tug aircraft had an in-air argument at an Italian glider airport last week and finished up hitting the ground before the dispute could be sorted out

Media reports indicate the two humans associated with the tug aircraft were able to walk away with just a few scratches and bruises after the dust had settled

 August 9 
A Cessna C182 failed to make the runway at Cooktown in tropical Far North QLD to-day and ended up landing in the jungle 500m short of the airstrip

The four people on board the aircraft survived with 2 uninjured but the Cessna appears to be extensively damaged and considered a "write-off"

After messing about with statistics over the past 60+ years the OZ Government has finally reported that  aircraft fatal accidents  are the only type of accident that is equally reported in Australia, USA and Canada and now used as a benchmark for OZ safety

Virgin Quote:-  Australias general aviation fatal accident rate per 100 000 flight hours for the year 2000 was the lowest  of the three countries reported (down from 1.41 ten years ago to 1.00) Note for non-aviators:  Road fatalities were  9.3 per 100,000 population/hrs in 1999 - aviation 2.17

 August 11 
A news report from Key West, Florida, USA, has a couple in their 60's wanting to join the Mile-High Club  but after reaching the desired 5000ft altitude they "pulled a knife" and tried to force the pilot to go to Cuba

The pilot ditched the aircraft about 30 miles out over the sea instead and was rescued by the Coast Guard

The fate of the drowning Piper Cherokee aircraft with passengers remains unknown ..the FBI are investigating