Solo student pilot in Cessna crash at Parafield walks away. 05/01/26

[onetrack]

Race cars no longer have major fires after crashing, because of the development of 5 main features in them -

 

1. Fuel tanks that are bladders made from rubberised Kevlar. They're almost puncture-proof, and they feature self-sealing valves that prevent major fuel loss, a primary cause of fire after a crash.

2. On-board fire suppression systems. They can be activated by the driver or race marshals to spray a fire suppressant around, which reduces the chance of a major fire taking hold.

3. Inertia-activated fuel cut-offs. They operate when a certain level of impact is detected, to prevent fuel being pumped onto the ground or onto a fire that is starting.

4. Fire-resistant clothing and protective equipment. This stuff provides a major level of protection from burns, if a fire does start.

5. Protective chassis/driver cockpit design. A cage around the driver helps protect the driver from impact injuries and a cage around the fuel cells helps prevent fuel cell ruptures.

 

A lot of race car fire-proofing ideas could be transferred to aircraft, but weight is always an issue in aircraft. I'd have to opine one of the important fire-proofing features is to have a protective structure around the battery, which is often where the fire propagates from. Metal parts crushed onto unprotected battery terminals starts arcing, which ignites any fuel spilled. You can have spilled fuel with no problem, as long as ignition sources are removed.

 

One of the first things you should do after any crash, is disconnect the battery as fast as you can get to it, or bend mangled metal materials away from it, so you can disconnect it. That process is applicable to any petrol-powered machine involved in a crash, aeroplanes or cars.

[facthunter]

The exhaust system is a common ignition source unless the engine has failed and cooled. OIL Ignites even better than Fuel on a Hot exhaust.. Bigger stuff has fire extinguishing for the engines. Shutting OFF fuel and electric Master is advised if the Landing goes Pear-shaped. You MAy want to use the radio.  Nev

[facthunter]

Best to get out of the Plane and a fair distance from it, IF there's any chance of it going UP. Long dry grass doesn't help. I guess it was a HOT day also.. Planes can be replaced. Nev

[onetrack]

Who recalls the pilot who crash-landed successfully in W.A.'s outback, and who then lit a fire to attract attention to his plight?

 

The only problem was, the spinifex was tinder dry, and located all around and under the aircraft - and the fire got out of control, and he burnt his machine to a crisp!! 

 

Edited Thursday at 05:51 AM by onetrack

[rgmwa]

Clyde Fenton??

[onetrack]

No, a bit later in the century than Clydes era, rgmwa! I STR it was in the late 1990's or early 2000's, and in the NW/Eastern Goldfields region of W.A., a way out from Laverton, W.A.

[rgmwa]

Worth a try. He was quite a character and it was the sort of thing he could well have done. He was forced down and lucky to be found at one point.

 

[Moneybox]

1 hour ago, onetrack said:

Who recalls the pilot who crash-landed successfully in W.A.'s outback, and who then lit a fire to attract attention to his plight?

 

The only problem was, the spinifex was tinder dry, and located all around and under the aircraft - and the fire got out of control, and he burnt his machine to a crisp!! 

 

 

It wouldn't matter if the spinifex was green or dry, I've seen green patches of spinifex sending flames 6m into the air. We often camp in spinifex country and take a lot of care to contain the fire because once ignited there's no stopping it. It would make a very bumpy landing area too.

[facthunter]

 A lot of green stuff burns fast on a hot windy day. Nev

[onetrack]

Yes, Moneybox - spinifex contains a resin that's like bitumen and it burns like bitumen, too. Many a four-wheel-driver has lost their 4WD to spinifex caught up in the exhaust system.

You can carry and use a fire extinguisher, or even a 5L sprayer on it (the sprayer is supposed to be more effective), but when you think you've put the spinifex fire out, it promptly flares up again.

[onetrack]

Nev, many acacia varieties of shrubby bushes are referred to as "kerosine bush", because they will burst into flame with a bit of heat applied, even when green. They contain a lot of volatile ingredients.

[phantomphixer]

On 5/1/2026 at 6:06 PM, Moneybox said:

I've been told any landing you walk away from is a good one. Did he pass?

And if you can reuse the aircraft it’s a perfect one.

[Moneybox]

1 hour ago, onetrack said:

Yes, Moneybox - spinifex contains a resin that's like bitumen and it burns like bitumen, too. Many a four-wheel-driver has lost their 4WD to spinifex caught up in the exhaust system.

You can carry and use a fire extinguisher, or even a 5L sprayer on it (the sprayer is supposed to be more effective), but when you think you've put the spinifex fire out, it promptly flares up again.

34 years ago we did a trip to Ayres Rock and took the aboriginal tour around the base. The old gin showed us how they extracted the resin from the base of the spinifex grass by placing it into a coolamon and belting it with a stick. The resin mixed with fragments of grass, then she heated the coolamon over an open fire melting the contents into a bitumen like goo. She then demonstrated its use for holding stone spear tips and axe heads in place forming the hot solution with her bare hands.

 

Each of the children received a stick with a ball of resin on the end, like a lolly pop. She (or the translator) said to reuse it just reheat it and that's all they had to do to change a spear tip or axe head. My son still has his memento that he received at 8yrs of age. 

Edited Thursday at 09:54 AM by Moneybox

[Bernie]

We were in Kakadu several years ago..we went on a eco trip with an Aboriginal bloke..I was looking at his woomera.and I asked him what sort of resin did he use... answered with Sikaflex mate bloody good shit..

Bernie..

[turboplanner]

On 08/01/2026 at 12:58 PM, Thruster88 said:

Is it a requirement for student pilots to be able to demonstrate a late go round with full flap before being sent solo? Would it be a good idea to limit student pilots to only 20° of flap to make a late go round easier to handle. Less pitch up and no need for flap retraction to get some climb happening. 

Yes it would, particularly now that we don't have endorsements. Some aircraft are docile if full flap is accidentally left on; others will lift the nose and try to climb onto their back and a lot of forward pressure is required on the stick. In some cases, possibly this one, an Instructor's to "let the aircraft decide when it's ready to fly avoids a premature yank into the sky nose up."

[kgwilson]

On 08/01/2026 at 12:58 PM, Thruster88 said:

Is it a requirement for student pilots to be able to demonstrate a late go round with full flap before being sent solo? Would it be a good idea to limit student pilots to only 20° of flap to make a late go round easier to handle. Less pitch up and no need for flap retraction to get some climb happening. 

When I was a student over 40 years ago there were heaps of touch & goes with full 40 deg down to none & in a 172 the controls are quite heavy compared to many other training aircraft like a 150 or 152 & pretty much all recreational aircraft.

 

The method drummed in to me was always carb heat cold, full power, yoke forward to counteract pitch while the electric flaps retracted & airspeed built up. There is quite a bit of pressure required to keep the nose angle down for speed to build while the flaps retract. Every now & then my instructor would yell something like "sheep on the runway go round" when on short/late final & the method was always the same. Like most students I got it wrong in the early stages sometimes forgetting the carb heat off on short final & retracting flaps before full power.

 

What happened here seems obvious to me but I have no knowledge of the training methods, the instructors assessment of the students readiness, the students attitude, understanding, ability to react to change, etc.

[skippydiesel]

Hi Kgwilson,

 

Your mention of "carb heat" revived a memory. 

 

While I was trained (in central west NSW) to use carb heat when weather and or engine performance indicated, it wasn't until I did an hour or so, in a C172,  in BC, Canada, that I was given the instruction to use carb heat before every reduction of power.

 

I dwelt on the lesson, found it good and started to follow the instruction no matter weather or engine condition. It makes so much sense;

• High exhaust heat, from the high power setting, should be used rather than trying to deice after throttle reduced and heat reduced.
• Carburettor icing usually occurs at low power settings (throttle reduction), so best to minimise chance of occurance by using high heat before reducing.
• Adding carby heat has no down side, other than the need to remove it prior to landing, to facilitate the possible need for a full power go round.
• Carby icing can catch the pilot unawares, so developing a habit to prevent this just seems to be the right thing to do.

😈

 

[Reynard]

[turboplanner]

8 minutes ago, Reynard said:

Well that's funny, but Training with one instructor over about 12 months gives a spread of weather and an organised transfer of knowledge being loaded into your sub-conscious brain in an orderly manner.

[BrendAn]

2 hours ago, skippydiesel said:

Hi Kgwilson,

 

Your mention of "carb heat" revived a memory. 

 

While I was trained (in central west NSW) to use carb heat when weather and or engine performance indicated, it wasn't until I did an hour or so, in a C172,  in BC, Canada, that I was given the instruction to use carb heat before every reduction of power.

 

I dwelt on the lesson, found it good and started to follow the instruction no matter weather or engine condition. It makes so much sense;

• High exhaust heat, from the high power setting, should be used rather than trying to deice after throttle reduced and heat reduced.
• Carburettor icing usually occurs at low power settings (throttle reduction), so best to minimise chance of occurance by using high heat before reducing.
• Adding carby heat has no down side, other than the need to remove it prior to landing, to facilitate the possible need for a full power go round.
• Carby icing can catch the pilot unawares, so developing a habit to prevent this just seems to be the right thing to do.

😈

 

In raaus training they make you use carby heat on every landing  and even in power off stalls if memory is correct 

[Blueadventures]

43 minutes ago, BrendAn said:

In raaus training they make you use carby heat on every landing  and even in power off stalls if memory is correct 

Agree, and I do it still, also when doing low rpm descents I bump rpm up to observe response then back to rpm setting.

[BrendAn]

1 minute ago, Blueadventures said:

Agree, and I do it still, also when doing low rpm descents I bump rpm up to observe response then back to rpm setting.

I don't have carb heat on the 2 stroke but I keep the revs up on descent to avoid cold seizure and carby ice.  Which is easy to do with draggy airframe.

[skippydiesel]

8 minutes ago, BrendAn said:

I don't have carb heat on the 2 stroke but I keep the revs up on descent to avoid cold seizure and carby ice.  Which is easy to do with draggy airframe.

Me neither  - on the 4/ - would need to get back into the carby heat groove,  if ever went back to an engine that needs it😈

[BrendAn]

3 minutes ago, skippydiesel said:

Me neither  - on the 4/ - would need to get back into the carby heat groove,  if ever went back to an engine that needs it😈

Yes. 912 with carbs on top are. Pretty immune to ice unless they have a ducted carb inlet.

[skippydiesel]

"Yes. 912 with carbs on top are. Pretty immune to ice unless they have a ducted carb inlet."

 

I would not go so far as to use the " immune" word - perhaps resistant.

 

My last 912ULS/Zephyr, with individual air filters, under cowl temp, ran a consistent 10C above ambient. In 10+ years of ownership and may 100's of hours, never a suggestion of catby ice.

 

My 912ILS/Sonex has an air box, with direct access to outside air. Under cowl also runs 10C above ambient. However the carby inlets are fitted with Cozycarb coolant heated rings, claimed to prevent carby ice.

 

😈