onetrack

The Bristell was first registered in November 2023. It would essentially be a brand new aircraft, possibly less than 150 hrs flying time. With a pretty expensive factory-built European aircraft, do you really think that a total electrical failure is a possibility at just over 18 mths old? I see that as a very, very low possibility. Whatever happened, happened fast, so if it was a major electrical failure, that would not create the scenario of a rapid crash with the piloting experience this bloke possessed. By all reports, he was a quiet and unassuming legend, as far as aviation knowledge went. He kept such a low profile, I cannot find any photos/information of the aircraft doing any flying, nor any records of when/where it was advertised, or sold to him. Even the clubs produce no records of him, which I find quite amazing for a man in his position, reported to be "highly active" in aero club activity.

I watched that SKY news clip, what a load of drivel. Byron Bailey comes across as a dill, talking about the aircraft "having radar". Totally unprofessional. Talks about the Bristell as "home-built", when they are factory-built only. Winter often provides a good number of flying days, and smoother ones than Summer. The bloke in the link below wrote himself off in a Mooney, in Nov 2024, whilst carrying dogs around the U.S. He had a CFIT in Windham, NY State. While a dog is not directly implicated in the crash, previous photos of his dog-transporting techniques show dogs apparently loose in the cabin, while other shots show some dogs in pet carriers. But regardless, dogs in an aircraft cockpit are a potential major distraction that one doesn't need, when the workload can already be high. This U.S. pilot was obviously battling with poor weather conditions, maybe a dog distracted him even further, and made him lose situational awareness. I can only see two likely scenarios for this Bristell crash, either a severe medical event (heart attack or stroke), or the dog got excited and knocked switches or controls, and produced an upset that he couldn't recover from. NTSB report leaves unanswered questions about deadly Windham plane crash - WNYT.com NewsChannel 13 WNYT.COM The NTSB is out with their report on a deadly plane crash in Windham, Nov. 24.As NewsChannel 13 has been reporting, the plane was carrying three dogs rescued from a high-kill shelter. The pilot and one dog...

.......handing out apples to all and sundry, saying, "Try one of these! - they taste SO good!!" Dyno took one, and bit into it, and within seconds, he knew he shouldn't have touched it. His mind went into a kaleidoscopic explosion, like he'd taken LSD (that's if they had LSD back then - although, if the bloke was singing Janis Joplin, then LSD was surely around there, too), and his eyeballs popped and he saw the surrounding world in a new light. The worst part was, it was a world full of people trying to kill him and eat him!! - so he started running through this............

Tasmanian Police have identified the couple and their aircraft - a Bristell Classic, formerly called the Bristell NG5, RA registration 23-2180. The couple are Greg Vaughan, 72 and his partner, Kim Worner, 66. Couple aboard missing flight from Tasmania named as Gregory Vaughan, Kim Worner - ABC News WWW.ABC.NET.AU The couple missing since Saturday on a flight from Tasmania to New South Wales with their dog have been named by Tasmania Police. AMSA have pulled out of the search and handed it over to the Tasmanian Police. It's become too rough in the Strait for search boats to go out, and the solitary search aircraft now is the PolAir helicopter. PolAir have been searching the coastline East of Georgetown, it's obviously been calculated that they went down within 20 mins of leaving George Town, as zero communication was made by the pilot. Tasmanian Police say they will continue the search for today and tomorrow, and will then re-assess the need to continue searching. It's obvious they'll only be looking for wreckage now, there will be no survivors.

......."I've had enough of this stomping around in primeval steaming jungles, snacking on Neanderthals and pterodactyls, and watching volcanoes blow their tops! - there must be more to life than this!" So Dyno set off early one morning, to try and find a Garden of Eden for Dinosaurs, a place where.........

Failure of components as they fail to meet specifications or are used outside their specifications, is also a high possibility. Remember the U.S. Challenger Space Shuttle disaster in 1986? It was due to o-ring failure because of a record low frost at the launch platform, which was never anticipated, and a temperature that the o-ring design was not ever expected to encounter.

Dogs are the equivalent of toddlers. They need near-constant restraint and control, otherwise they will get into everything. Dogs are easily excited - especially when they sight what they view as prey, or something that's fun to chase. A bird flying past the aircraft would more than likely make any dog excited, and jump for it. A dog in the lap of a passenger of an ultralight, that has a compact cabin at best, is asking for trouble. I cannot see where a "mid-sized dog" would fit in the rear compartment of a Bristell. The rear compartment is limited to 15kg capacity, and also divided into two sections - A and B section, and the POH advises B section is limited to 1kg. From the POH: "The rear baggage compartment is located behind the seats. It may accommodate up to 15 kg (33 lb). This space is divided into two sections – baggage compartment A and B. Do not use baggage compartment B for heavy objects (max. 1 kg)." I see aviators showing their dogs in the rear seat of 4 seaters, restrained by a suitable harness, which I would consider is sensible and practical. But a front seat position for a dog would be a big no-no, IMO.

Yes, that was the famous/infamous Frederick Valentich case. The disappearance of Valentich has never been satisfactorily resolved, but spatial disorientation has been suggested as the most likely cause. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Frederick_Valentich

Rubber products do indeed degrade fairly rapidly, and it's important to know when the rubber item was manufactured. Having said that, I've got Japanese vehicles with coolant hoses that are over 20 years old, and they show little sign of degradation, despite their extended use. This is not to say I recommend you leave rubber hoses in place on your aircraft, for 20 years! The 5 year Rotax replacement recommendation is pretty reasonable.

The Tasmanian Police held a media conference at 6:00PM EST today - but, typical of Police Media conferences .... 1. They were tight-lipped, just went over all the known details, and revealed nothing more than we already know - even to the extent of refusing to ID the aircraft make, when it's already public knowledge, and on the ASN database..... 2. They have had some information come in from the public, but refused to reveal what it was. It certainly wasn't along the lines of, "Yes, I saw this aircraft screaming earthwards"..... 3. They had to field the normal dozens of dumb media journalists questions..... 4. They've found precisely nothing worth reporting. The link to the Tassie Police page is below, and on the page is a link to a media sound file, that is an audio record of todays conference. I fear that any news that comes in from now on, will only confirm our worst expectations. Extensive search in Bass Strait for missing plane - Tasmania Police WWW.POLICE.TAS.GOV.AU Tasmania Police Northern Division Commander Marco Ghedini and Tasmania Police Inspector Nick Clark have today provided an update into the search for a light plane, and its two occupants, which was...

Another interesting point, is the payload capacity of the Bristell. In the POH, it states clearly in red lettering that the MTOW of 600kgs must never be exceeded. However, the aircraft weighs 356kgs empty. When one looks at the "payload range" (Page 77) in the POH, the payload capacity is pretty lean, when you consider that the average older adult would most certainly be at least 75kg. Add in the dog, full or near-full fuel, some hand luggage (they did plan to visit friends in NSW, and that means SOME modest level of luggage, even if they did only take the bare minimum), then it appears to me, they could easily have been overweight on takeoff. The CoG appears to need close attention on this machine as well, so they would've needed to be on top of all this, to ensure full compliance with the POH. https://www.advancedaviation.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Bristell-YVP-POH-.pdf

Media are now reporting that the couple were carrying a pet dog on board as well. Sounds to me like a recipe for problems in a cramped cockpit. One would presume the dog was being carried in the passengers lap. The Bristell has 3 luggage compartments, two that can hold 20kg each, in the wing roots, and a rear area behind the seats that can hold 15kg. Unless they carried a pet cage and installed it behind the seats (seems like that would be difficult to do, unless it was a Chihuahua), then the only other option is carrying it on the passengers lap, which I would think, is pretty risky, as regards the dog accidentally coming into contact with switches and controls. Then there's the fact that the Bristell has some serious handling issues, and the owner has only owned it a short time, and perhaps may have not been fully conversant with the Bristells "issues". And finally, the Bristell is available with a BRS, but it seems this aircraft wasn't fitted with one.

I seem to recall BrendAn had a big roll of 17mm coolant hose which fitted his Isuzu trucks, and he was offering it to other forum users a while back (maybe 6 mths ago?). Not sure what brand it would be, though. Send him a message and see what he's got. EDIT: Found his post, it was in March, he has 17.5mm Mackay hose. I've used Mackay hoses for over 60 years, but I think they made better quality hoses in the early days (40-50 years ago). I prefer Gates at every opportunity, my personal opinion (backed by years of experience) is that Gates products are superior to most other brands - Dayco, Mackay, and Chinese products. Silicone hose is the most durable of all, of course. https://www.recreationalflying.com/forums/topic/38915-started-a-spare-parts-list/page/17/#comment-578001

Not a single person has come forward to say they saw anything. A bloke on the rumours forum says he was working on the coast of the mainland near Cape Liptrap, all afternoon, right under the Bristells supposed flightpath, and he neither sighted nor heard anything, and he's an aviation buff. AMSA's start point was the LKP of the aircraft, so it was being tracked in some form. This can only lead to one conclusion, the pilot either had a medical event, or a major structural failure occurred, and the aircraft went straight down into Bass Strait. The simple fact that no communication or Mayday was issued from the aircraft is pretty ominous, the pilot was experienced, and reported to be a regularly active member of the local Aero Club.

An unverified report says the aircraft is a Bristell, fitted with the latest avionics, and reportedly has a transponder. One would think if the transponder was operational, the aircraft or some wreckage would've been found by now. Of course, a transponder isn't much use if it's 50M under water.

Updated information says the aircraft is a 28-registered ultralight, no ADS-B fitted, reported as being fitted with lifejackets, and the pilot is a male in his early 70's, and his passenger is his wife, in her 60's. Police say the aircraft is bright green (an unusual colour), and it was purchased only 3-4 mths ago by the pilot, who is reported as being an experienced aviator. Latest search area appears to be concentrated between Leongatha and Cape Liptrap. Unverified reports state that a fuel or comfort stop was planned for Leongatha, but the aircraft didn't even make Leongatha. The area between Leongatha and CL appears to be mostly farmland with a few modest-size areas of native vegetation. Surely, if they went down in that region, Saturday afternoon, someone would've seen something?

.....as they'd all run away when they heard an escaped Tiger was on the loose - thus leaving Bone almost deserted. The Cat Farm foreman was deaf, so he never heard the warning about an escaped Tiger, and failed to run away with the rest. What was not generally known - and something that Turbo never mentioned - was that when he was studying for his PhD (Pussy Handling Degree) - which was to ensure he was legally qualified to start up his Cat Farms - Turbo was known to tickle the tummies of.................

Aircraft was actually heading to Hillston airport, approximately 180km WSW of Condobolin, NSW. Hillston airport is the home of Kidman Aviation. Family members of the travellers raised the alarm around 5:00PM when they found the aircraft hadn't arrived. The AMSA Challenger is searching Bass Strait, in the area where the aircrafts LKP was recorded. The Spirit of Tasmania was diverted to assist in searching the primary search area, but they found nothing, and the SoT resumed its journey after the diversion. Bass Strait search underway for missing aircraft flying from Tasmania to New South Wales - ABC News WWW.ABC.NET.AU A search is underway for a light aircraft missing over Bass Strait since Saturday, bound for Central Western New South Wales, with the Spirit of Tasmania joining the search effort.

....spotted a large domestic pussycat on its nocturnal wanderings and yelled, "Look out!!", firing his pea rifle from the hip - just the once, of course, as pea rifles need to be front loaded after every shot. Meantimes, Turbo had riddled every structure, every vehicle, and every inanimate shape that even slightly resembled a large cat, with his .308 Winchester with the 10 round magazine. As the smoke cleared and Cappy raised his head, he asked, "Did you..........

The Blackhawk accident causes are not related to FAA infrastructure, technology or staffing issues. The crash was a direct result of arrogant military aviation leaders who consider they own all U.S. airspace, and they only need to pay lip service to civilian rules and regulations. Why aren't the military aviation leaders getting totally reamed out by Homendy? They went straight into a RPT flight path, on a training mission, practicing "edge of abilities" piloting skills - as they so often do. They were apparently using night vision goggles. I didn't see any mention of the night vision goggles in the hearing. We have already lost a Taipan and all the crew here, and NVG's are largely being blamed for that loss, leading to spatial disorientation. Add in the U.S. militarys constant practise of flight clearances down to as low as 75 feet (no doubt, "to build flying skills"), and the outcome was inevitable. Moronic doesn't even begin to describe this. Imagine if it was a large RPT full of politicians or military leaders, that the Blackhawk hit? You'd have a total, mega-billion dollar revision of airspace control in the U.S. immediately, as a result.

Email Ian directly using the contact address on this site, and he will sort it out. Many websites are wary about email address changes, you have to contact the person running the site to get them to change it in their system.

I guess the advantage he's got, is huge amounts of power. He can certainly handle his machine, he probably does the same thing a dozen times a day on training ranges.

It worked initially, but it's gone now. Maybe the Spanish Air Force chiefs had it taken down? - because it reflected badly on them? The fighter pilot got VERY low, and pretty slow, AND inverted, over a public beach crowded with people. Not exactly the done thing. EDIT: I found a news item on YooToob with the footage ....

The level of complacency, bureaucracy, and outright darn stupidity in U.S. aviation controls and regulations, that is coming out of this NTSB investigation is nothing short of astounding. Jennifer Homendy is on the ball again here, as always - she just needs to go a lot further, and to rip a new one, for a lot of people in the U.S. aviation scene. It is utterly mind-boggling that the U.S. Military actively choose to TURN OFF their ADS-B's, in ALL their military helicopters - on the basis of "military security". WTF???? Who puts the military morons into these positions, to make decisions such as this??? This is defying the basic principle of ADS-B's, and turning the aviation clock back 100 years, and placing every RPT airliner at major risk, when the military are operating in the same airspace as RPT aircraft. What is even more concerning is the inaccuracy of the Blackhawks barometric altimeters, which have been found to have inaccuracies of between 80 and 130 feet. At low level, where the military expectation is to operate at clearances as low as 75 feet, this is just a dozen disasters waiting to happen. It truly is a sad reflection on the U.S., that things have gotten this bad in U.S. aviation. Less than a second before hitting a passenger jet, helicopter instructor told pilot to change course, NTSB hearing reveals | CNN EDITION.CNN.COM The first of the National Transportation Safety Board’s three days of investigative hearings is underway to help determine what caused the deadly midair collision on January 29 between an Army helicopter on...

.....something was "off" in the concert programme. It became even more suss, when someone found out that Turbine Roadshows and Entertainment (Yes, folks, TR&E is even bigger than Comcast, even though you may never have heard of them), was behind the event - thus leading to cries of, "We want our money back!!" Turbo, who was also in the audience (but keeping a low profile, as always - he'd told his secretary he had to attend a major Tribunal hearing), started becoming alarmed when the cries of "We want our money back!!" became a crescendo and people starting jumping onto the stage and destroying equipment (which is what they expected to see, with the real Bon on stage). Things started getting out of hand quickly, and Turbo realised he'd have to decamp rapidly, before he was recognised. Accordingly, he donned a.................