April 18  2006
The Federal Police descended on the Flying Warbirds Museum and took over the assets of Steve Hart and his Archerfield Flying Fighters Hangar along with a number of aircraft including his prized collection of warbirds
 
53 year-old Steve was jailed last May for 7 years with a non-parole period of two years and nine months after he was found guilty of nine counts of defrauding the Commonwealth

Steve has appealed the conviction and "...depending on the outcome of that (appeal) will determine whether they will be sold off and the monies put into a confiscated assets account"

 
For Previous News Desk Reports start HERE

April 19  2006
Some time back these news pages reported on a jet fighter style aircraft - based on the Grumman Panther of the '50's - under construction at a Mt Cotton property a few miles south east of Archerfield (Note "Grim-Reaper" Logo on Tail)
 
The designer and builder - John Gross - has now completed the aircraft and a few weeks back he took to the skies for the first time after 8 years of solid dedicated work

 
On April 1 2006 at Kingaroy airport the JG-2 taxied out and took-off completing around 10 minutes of what the builder/pilot John described as "scary" flying - the jet entered a spin not long after take-off - John had throttled back when a warning light flashed - he was still in climb configuration and the air-speed decayed rapidly!
 
After recovering from the spin(s) John returned and gave further flying away for the day
 
The next day the JG-2 was flown to 10,000' for flight envelope tests returning 30 minutes later with smiles all around for everyone in attendance

April 17  2006
As mentioned in last week's issue the Wanaka International Air-Show held in Kiwi Land attracts the best in the business and over the Easter week-end a new star emerged from within the gyrating aerobatic machines - and it's not a male performer as one would have expected
 
Russian born 36-year-old mother of two Svetlana Kapanina outshone world champion aerobatic pilot Jurgis Kairys with her Sukhoi SU-29 display
 
The awe-stuck air-show crowd watched in dumb amazement as Svetlana emerged from the cockpit after her 10G aerobatic routine and "unravelled her long blonde hair and shook it free"

News Desk Annotate

Svetlana decided to go parachuting when she was 18 and the jump pilot of the day tried to chat her up offering to teach her to fly ...and naturally enough she accepted
 
"By 1991 she was named Absolute Champion of Russia and has now won the female world aerobatic championship five times - last year she finished fourth against the men"
 
Her husband is a professional sportsman and kick-boxer and looks after the two children aged 2 and 4 at home in Moscow "while their glamorous 36-year-old mother performs and competes around the world"