alf jessup

Way I look at it is if the fishermen had visibility of about a km at sea level the pilot had a lot less than that at any altitude above sea level Grey low clouds means grey sea very hard to distinguish a horizon My money is on spatial disorientation but that's only my opinion

Condolences to family and friends of those lost

Well to be politically correct 7500 flying hemispherical s from Wang to Ben & 8400 on return as you stated lol Alf

You still had 3500 to go Nev, 8500 is the outer step you pass through going direct Alf

Yes when I used to be a real pilot flying trikes I had leather pouches that fitted over the mike foam, worked a treat, BTW Bill some people can do more than walk and chew gum (2 Axis) Alf

All the holes lined up that day, it was from a multitude of things by the looks of it An uncontrolled fall from 500 ft will do it most times in any aircraft, I'm with you DJP, it didn't matter what it was Very sad loss as they were a lovely couple

He is alive and can fly another day, that is all that matters folks

Plenty of ways to die without flying. Yep, death and taxes are 2 certainties in life, well some avoid taxes in life but no one will avoid dying in the end. I would like to see a memorial for the brothers & sisters lost in our sport as a mark of respect for them

A lot of common silly mistakes I keep hearing when I am flying are pilots giving their 10 mile calls not in the direction they are actually coming from, for example Traffic West Sale, Cessna ........ one zero miles NE of West Sale, inbound at .....ft, expecting circuit time time ..... When in fact he is 10 miles SW inbound Silly mistake is looking at your compass, that is the way your heading not the way your coming from. Gets me all ancy and my head is on a swivel trying to locate this other aircraft especially when I am 10 miles out and in fact inbound from the NE and at presumably at the same height he is calling as a lot of people don't fly hemispherical s below 3000 ft, I do but that is just the way I fly I usually look like a rubber necked tourist up, down, left, right a myriad of times then actually call up the said aircraft if I cannot locate them asking if they are in fact inbound from the SW The usual answer is oh yeah , ahh sorry inbound from the SW. My heart rate then starts to stabilize Its not all that hard and this is not only at my home airport its at a lot of others Alf

Guess they will need a new tyre for a start cause they burnt one of them, and then if it was a catastrophic engine failure they might need one of them too, if not get the insurance company to deal with it if it was insured, if it wasn't get deep pockets PS all said with tongue in cheek BTW

Boys got it down safe, they survived the night and were found the next day Excellent result in my books, what ifs & buts and what should of been done can be dealt with later They live to fly and do whatever for another day

Condolences to the family of the pax Let's hope the pilot is going to be ok also and thoughts to his family Anytime of the year is a tragedy for these outcomes but this time of year is especially hard on the families for years to come

Was just a tongue in cheek comment John nothing more

Might go and cut me brake lines since some say you don't need em on here Just wondering why manufacturers put on that extra weight when building the plane They should get on here and get all the expert advice first Merry Chrismas BTW

Yes Merry Christmas fellow flyers, may you all have a safe and joyful festive season take care on the roads during the silly season and take care in the air May 2016 bring you all good health and happiness Alf

As long as it wasn't spinning the Jabby around with you in it is all that matters Bob

Ross & I in November 2013, Called him on approaching Townsville while travelling from Cairns to Brisbane in a hired motor home. As soon as we pulled up out front he was out to greet us with a warm smile and a firm handshake for me and a peck on the cheek for my wife. Made us feel so welcome for the 3 and a bit hours we spent with him in his home, only down side is we didn't get to meet Deb as she was over in the states at the time, I found him to be such a nice bloke we clicked there and then, had made a few calls to him over the years since meeting and he always had time for a yarn. This is a photo and a memory I will treasure RIP mate you will me missed Alf

Unfortunately I will be still in the desert at work & logistically it is almost impossible for me to attend, but i will be thinking of the family & all you guys & girls that attend, if I was home on break I would have been there in a heartbeat to pay my respects Alf

Eric, We are human and all prone to mistakes no matter how much experience some have, if he made the turn this thread wouldn't be up and Ross no doubt would have posted the successful turn back he made after having what ever problem it was, but unfortunately we are reading this and cannot change the outcome of his loss but we can try and learn from it, many have died in the past and many more in years to come may do the same. It should be a lesson for us all after this accident that below a certain height for a positive recovery just to do what your instructor probably drilled in to you and fly as far in to the crash as you can within 30 degrees each side of the extended centreline as that is what I was taught I am pleased you are going to continue flying as after this accident I thought for a split second that if it can happen to the experienced ones it can happen to any of us but I will continue flying as most of us will, I am acutely aware that my destiny is in my hands every time I leave the ground and hopefully my decision making is sound and I make the right call if ever there is a need for it in an emergency situation. Only when it happens to you it will be you alone that controls the outcome at the end of the day Note: as others have said we don't really know the real cause, I only know we lost a great ambassador to our sport and a generally great guy Alf

What we do in that split second decision after EFATO is something of an unknown as humans, Ross as experienced as he was probably had a lot on his plate after it happened & most likely had it drilled in to his head over his 45 years that below xxx height land straight ahead but being in someone else s pride & joy he maybe didn't want to damage it going straight ahead in to trees & possible thought like many others he could make it back, who knows but we all know the sad result. Every life lost of a fellow brother is hard but for me this one is the hardest to swallow as he was so passionate about aviation and for us fellow flyers in general, his tireless work as a board member even in the short time he had been, his appearance and most fly-ins, his friendly and witty nature will be missed by us all. I live in the comfort of knowing that I met Ross personally 2 years ago almost today and it was a wonderful experience that I will keep The aviation community and the world are poorer from his passing. And my heartfelt sympathy go out to his wife & daughter and his close friends

I just got back in from the field and cannot believe what I am seeing. I had the pleasure of meeting Maj in Townsville a few years back while holidaying from Cairns to Brisbane and we hit it off straight away, had regular contact with him since then. I am numb, gutted and shattered to here of this accident involving Ross. Ross was passionate about aviation as we all could see on here and I guess the only upside to this tragic accident is he passed doing something he loved. Wherever you are now heading mate, let there be a beloved Lightwing and a 912 to take you there Your knowledge, warmth, humor & everything about you will be missed by many mate, RIP Major Ross Millard Gone way too soon Condolences to Ross's family Alf

Sunday 8th November saw me do 5.5 hrs of flying for the day, day started off with me flying from West Sale to Bainsdale to pick up my passenger and from there we departed Bairnsdale for the coast abeam Loch Sport From Loch Sport we turned right and flew coastal at 2500ft to McLaughlins Beach then climbed to 6500ft to cross the water to the magnificent Wilsons Promontory A lap around the Prom then back via Yarram - Rosedale- Sale and back to Bairnsdale to drop off my elated and gracious passenger saw me depart back towards West Sale on my own, but had I had enough? No way as I approached Sale I decided to continue my jolly on this awesome day so off I went to Yallourn North- Moe- Newborough- Yinnar- Churchill- Traralgon then heading back towards West Sale Approaching Rosedale I still hadn't had enough so off to Longford-Stratford back to Sale and then to Maffra and finally back to West Sale after 5.5 hrs total of sheer flying pleasure Total fuel used was 80 litres out of 100 total Few photos of our awesome Gippsland country

Shafs I wouldn't care what I came back on from LA as long as it was with a reputable airline Sure beats the hell out of swimming the Pacific Damn if I had the range I'd fly my Tecman back lol

Agree 2tonne, I did my training in RAA behind a J160 and had no issues also have in total about 40 odd hrs behind one, just like you say don't fly where you can't land or minimise the time over inhospitable terrain no matter what your sitting behind

Jetjr The failure rate of the 3300 will be much higher than the 912 as over 50,000 912's have be produced and are out in the world, there would be lucky to be 2000 if that 3300's made so there can be no comparison on failure rates