May 24 
Solo pilot - Bill Finlen - ended his epic and adventurous journey around the globe in grand style at 1625hrs Friday 24^th on landing at Archerfield

Bill's family, with a large number of well wishers and media personnel assembled at his hangar, were treated to the almost obligatory low level fly-past before Bill set his Beech V35 VH-TYE on the 'terra-firma' of R10R for circumnavigation completion


Previous News articles HERE

 May 26 
A Taiwanese based China Airlines Boeing 747-200 with 225 passengers and crew on board has crashed into the Taiwan Strait 20 min. after departing Taipei International Airport en-route to Hong Kong

   "The plane plunged into the sea off the island of Penghu, 50 kilometres west of Taiwan, shortly after take-off"

Taiwan aviation officials have confirmed that the Boeing experienced "inflight breakup" and broke into four large pieces at about 30,000ft disappearing off radar screens

 May 22 
The OZ Government has indicated that the cost of maintenance for the 35-year-old GD F-111 fighter bombers based at Amberley 16nm west of AF will increase dramatically in the coming years

  "...the number of hours we're flying has dropped dramatically and we know thatmonly fifteen of [the] 35 of them have been able to get in the air over the last three months, and each of those aircraft requires 30 hours maintenance for each hour that they fly..."

 May 25 
The replica of Smithy's 'Old Bus', the Fokker Trimotor with 6 POB, had the starboard main undercarriage leg fail shortly after take-off from Parafield airport in South Australia

The ensuring 'crash landing' attracted nationwide media attention

 May 23 
The Archerfield based Cirrus Aircraft Sales establishment situated alongside the main terminal at the airfield appears to be finally taking delivery of new aircraft after the Cirrus factory in the USA stepped up production output

4 aircraft have been delivered into OZ with another Cirrus at the factory being prepared

 May 29 
Four people have been injured in a helicopter crash on Tasmania's remote Great Western Tiers district

The helicopter owned by Sea Adventure Charters was being used by the Parks and Wildlife Service for track and hut maintenance

Emergency crews had to walk to the accident scene in dark freezing conditions as bad weather had foiled any attempt to reach the injured by rescue helicopter

 May 29 
A two seat trainer Cessna C150 aircraft that took-off without a clearance from Parafield Airport in South Australia finished up crashing onto Montague Road in Pooraka during peak hour traffic injuring only the person on board, the would-be-if-he-could-be   'pilot'

Police advise that the aircraft had been stolen from the airport at about 1630hrs and have arrested a 26-year-old Elizabeth South male person who is expected to be charged with acts that endanger life and property

 May 29 
An early morning departure from Redcliffe airport north of Archerfield ended up as a big embarrassment for the pilot after the aircraft failed to gain speed

The take-off was aborted at a late stage with the aircraft running off the end of the runway and finishing up on the flood levee bank that surrounds the airstrip

Media reports have the pilot as uninjured but the Cessna C310 twin appears to be not as lucky with heavy damage to the fuselage

Previous News Article on Redcliffe HERE