May 27  2007
Two men from Esperance and one from Perth were killed when the Piper PA-28RT (Turbo-charged) Arrow they were in crashed just short of the runway at Esperance in WA - a passenger (some reports have the pilot) making a normal phone call to authorities about 20 minutes before the ETA

 
Police report that a storm (conditions inappropriate for VFR flight) had occurred in the area at about ETA - 2015 hours Saturday night - indicating that the accident may have been weather related

May 28  2007
A helicopter pilot remains in a serious condition in the Townsville Hospital after the helicopter he was flying crashed on a station property around 110 kilometres south west of Charters Towers

 
Police were notified that the helicopter was overdue around last light yesterday - a search of the area was coordinated by AUSSAR and wreckage of the helicopter and the injured pilot were located a short time later

May 22  2007
One of only two BD-5B aircraft in OZ was all but destroyed when it caught fire after an apparent engine failure during take-off at Northam in WA

The pilot of the home-built aircraft was attending the Sport Aircraft Association WA Chapter fly-in where some 40 other aircraft were participating in the annual event

 
The Honda powered "05" machine sporting RAAF roundels landed heavily back onto the runway and caught fire - several SAAA members rushed to save the pilot from the burning aircraft ..some of the SAAA members received minor burns after having to stand in flames as they extricated the pilot from the cockpit

May 22  2007
The Russell family owned Jimbour House - around 30 kilometres north of Dalby in QLD - was the scene of yet another action packed adventure flight a few days ago when an aircraft departing from the property airstrip stalled and impacted the ground and cartwheeled destroying the machine in the process

The two persons on board the single-engine machine - an instructor and student - escaped virtually unscathed

 
The Hempel's Flying School operated 4-seat Cessna C172 aircraft was on a cross-country training flight with a student undergoing instruction

News Desk Comment

The News Desk concurs with a media report that had a Senior Police Constable saying "Any landing you can walk away from is a good one"

May 23  2007
It took only 31 Years for a flying school to change from the top floor of AF Main Terminal Building to the ground floor - with a few deviations along the way to make life interesting

Gordon Bradberry - of Air Training Centre/Arena fame - has restarted with another "new" flying school - AV8 - based on the ground floor of the main terminal building at Archerfield

 

News Desk Comment

It's the Age Thing - negotiating several flights of stairs to the top floor of the terminal building back in the '70's was really nothing - the ground floor seems to be such an attractive place to run a flying school more than 30 years later

The RQAC also occupied the area up until the late '60's

May 23  2007
A single-engine PA-32 Piper Cherokee 6 on charter from Horn Island to Warraber Island in the Torres Strait with 4 POB has ditched in the ocean about 15 nautical miles south-west of Warraber Island

The Australian Search and Rescue coordinated the search for the downed aircraft - with assistance from police - after being notified the plane had experienced difficulties

 
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority says the crew of a rescue helicopter winched the four to safety and all of those rescued were wearing life jackets

News Desk Comment

OZ Regulations for single-engine aircraft travelling over water require life-jackets to be worn by all persons on board