Marty_d

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-04-03/pilot-uninjured-nsw-plane-crash-albion-park-rail/106529716

Oh - forgot to mention - on the way back to Sydney I detoured to Williamtown AFB to check out the Fighter Museum.

Museum itself was a bit naff (or maybe I was spoiled by the warbirds at Scone) but I did see some Hawks and F35's taking off.  I don't particularly like F35's, with their long history of problems and massive price tag, but jeez they made some noise taking off.

Well, AI says 15,000 people attended - but I can't see where it's sourcing that from so it may be total BS.  Also whether it's for a sum of both days, or a sum of ticketholders regardless of whether they came 1 or both.

But there were definitely in the thousands each day, so it's probably not far off the mark.  One thing's for sure, I rang at least 20 motels before I found the last Airbnb in Muswellbrook, so there would have been a good tourist dollar influx to the region.

1 hour ago, Thruster88 said:

Pics on Facebook of P40 kittyhawk VH-PFO damaged in some kind of runway excursion at Scone airshow 2026 Sunday afternoon.

Wow, that must have been after the mass formation flight. I left before it finished to avoid traffic.

For far better photos, my wife just showed me a Facebook thingy #warbirdsoverscone - there's some beautiful pictures on there from some of those people with the big ass cameras.

As promised - some pics; sorry about the quality, I only had our little OM-7.  Some of the people there had lenses as long as rifles - would love to see some of their pics.

If they load the way I think, they are:

- Boeing Stearman

- Paul Benet in his Wolf Pitts after a brilliant display

- Beech 18

- Five - FIVE!!  P51D Mustangs in formation

- Grumman Avenger with F4U Corsair

- The crowd...

- T28 Trojan

- Tiger Moth rolling back after deadstick landing

- Fokker DR1, Sopwith, Stearman, Tiger Moth

- Sea Fury (fantastic flying displays with this machine too)

- P40 Kittyhawk

- Australian flag being parachuted down

- Pilatus PC9

- How often do you get a lineup like this? Spitfires, P40, P51, Lockheed Hudson

- A flight of Wirraways in the perfect sky above the ramp full of warbirds

- Transall C160 - massive aircraft and flung around the sky with skill.  Soon to be a firebomber here.

- Spitfires in formation.  Does life get any better?

- Spitfire again (my wife asked me tonight if I was dehydrated from drooling so much)

- F4U pulls in after a display

- The aerobatic crowd - Pitts, Pitts, Pitts, Extra 300, Yak 52.  All brilliant performers from the Paul Benet Airshows stable

- Mustang loaded for bear.  Mind you I think those bombs may have been fake given 2 blokes quite easily carried them.

- Lockheed Hudson

- Paul Benet lighting the barbie

- Fire Boss putting it out

- RC Model F16 ($30,000 worth) - they weren't game to say how much the twin turbine F14 Tomcat model cost, because the guy's wife was in the audience.

(If the pics aren't in that order, you'll figure them out.)

Give that goose a Spitfire...

I found out on Sunday Nev that there were another lot of dunnies on the other end of the ramp. Not signposted at all so there were no queues.

I learnt my lesson, went an hour earlier on Sunday, got a park on a side street close by (didn't block anyone's driveway) and no queues to get in.

Then I left while the "Balbo" was still forming up and watched a couple of passes from outside the airport, there was pretty much zero traffic when I drove off.

No aircraft or their occupants were injured during the airshow, fortunately. But a fair patch of ground next to the runway could be referred to as "badly burnt Scone".

Well that was fantastic!

Perfect weather both days, heaps of warbirds in the air (minus the unfortunate Spit which landed sans undercarriage), great routines.

Got to meet and have a chat with Nev (@facthunter ) which was great.

Most of my photos are on the camera so I'll post them here when I'm back home.  A teaser from the phone though (camera battery ran out halfway through today)... Paul Benet doing his knife edge past the pyros.

Was anyone else there?

Yes OT, as I said it sounded like BS to me too.

I guess the only person who actually knows exactly what happened is the pilot.

Tiger Moth just did a dead stick.

Perfectly handled, even managed to roll it into the taxiway. Very professional.

I'm currently at Scone and just talked to a guy showing his 65 Mustang (car not plane) who lives adjacent the airport.

What he's heard (note this is second hand and unverified) is that there was a strong crosswind, the Spit had to land, and it was a conscious decision to land wheels up rather than run the risk of being blown over and wrecking the aircraft.

As I said this is second hand from a local so may be complete BS. I can't see it myself, but then I don't know the Spits crosswind capabilities.

It's pretty flat land around here so if that was the case, I would have thought it a better option to land into wind in a paddock somewhere, but I don't know the circumstances.

That's an expensive mistake.

19 minutes ago, Admin said:

Thanks mate, now what do I do with it

Put it on auction in Clear Prop?

Yep. A chip off the old block.

It would be fun to fly around the beach and buzz the real gulls.

But if a Peking duck sees anything, it should be sent back to the kitchen for more cooking...

Electric trucks outsold diesel in China for the first time. 

They canardly miss it...

6 hours ago, red750 said:

The Margański & Mysłowski EM-10 Bielik (English: white-tailed eagle) is a low-cost Polish military training aircraft prototype, built by Margański & Mysłowski Zakłady Lotnicze, and first flown on 4 June 2003. The single-engine aircraft has a composite (mostly carbon fibre) fuselage with a light-alloy aft section, and the pressurized cockpit is fitted with ejection seats.

 

 

Can I register one as 19-?

Oh, that's a good idea.

I thought cabin heat usually came from a muff around the muffler itself, but taking it off an exhaust pipe makes sense.

I saw that and almost pooped myself because I thought it was Warbirds over Scone... But hopefully that's still on!

Me too please Mark. PM sent.

3 hours ago, sfGnome said:

Wow! And I thought plans-builders were nuts dedicated. 😀

Speaking from experience, you may have been right the first time!