Chipmunk accident?

[Dora-9]

Does anyone have any info on the accident involving VH-QOZ in the last few days please? Occupants OK?

[rmcdonal]

I think this is it.
Plane down near Goulburn: two hurt - Local News - News - General - Goulburn Post (http://www.goulburnpost.com.au/news/local/news/general/plane-down-near-goulburn-two-hurt/2436570.aspx)

Seems all OK :ok:

[Dora-9]

Thanks for that.

It only went on the register a few months ago....

[Bankstown Boy]

I saw the carcass on the back of a truck at Bankstown.

Unfortunately looks like the chippie might be a right-off. The spine of the fuselage is broken, the undercarraige has shredded the main spar and the firewall looks like an old coke can that has been used for target practice.

Pity, was a beautiful bird after years of painstaking restoration

[Frank Arouet]

The Gypsy Major engine was only ever designed to make an aeroplane fly from one forced landing ground to another. When my Auster and I were strapped together this advice served me well. Pity about the Chippy though.

[jas24zzk]

True Frank,
but most importantly, not too shabby a result for those on board.


This incident is also over 2 weeks old.

[Horatio Leafblower]

...is the owner/driver a EAA Dash Captain?

[metalman2]

so where do these aircraft end up once the insurance(assuming it's insured) has paid out, I know how the motor vehicle system works but where do the bent aircraft end up???

[T28D]

re birthed

[metalman2]

the economics would depend on the value,,,a P40 was worth bugger all in 1955, now a corroded piece of crap with a data plate is hot property,,,so too a bent chippie, not worth much now but in a few years ,big bucks ,I reckon. So is there an auction house that does aircraft, or is it a closed tender kind of set up?

[Dora-9]

Frank Arouet - with great respect and at the risk of having a failure the very next time I sit behind a Gipsy-Major, that's complete tosh!

The Gipsy is renowned as a robust and highly reliable (if rather oily) engine - interestingly, I know of three G-M engine failures in the last six months (a Tiger and twice in Chipmunks) and the cause was external and not specific to the engine type. What you stated reflected an earlier-era club/school, and rather sadly, long gone philosophy. I started with the RAC of WA in 1961 and they were firmly wedded to this attitude - all approaches were glide approaches etc. When I sit behind a Technam or whatever doing a circuit so wide that it would embarrassing in a B747, I wish this attitude was still with us!

The accident shows typical Chipmunk survivability - much airframe damage but the cockpit area is intact. The only injury was, so the owner told me, because of a loosely worn harness.

Sadly, the aircraft is to be written off and "parted out". Already people are circling chasing both engine and propeller....

[VH-XXX]

The most likely scenario is that the owner will be offered the aircraft as a wreck from the insurance company (if there is one) at a very favourable figure. They is the easiest for them.

If he doesn't purchase it then it's off to an auction house for for sale by tender.

If you were interested in it I'd call the owner and see what his plans are and then try and see if you can find out from him who he insurance company it

I know of a large number of people whom have purchase their written off aircraft only to repair them and be back flying with an aircraft that then cost them 50% of the original purchase price. One I'm aware of riveted the back of one written off aircraft onto another front from a written off aircraft and wha-la!

Don't get me started on the written-off but fly-away Cirrus Sr22 that sold for $20k in a tender!!!!

[Frank Arouet]

DORA-9;

I didn't say anything was wrong with the Gypsy Major. It represented state of the art engines of it's day. It does not compare with a modern higher compression engine.

Ignoring it's capabilities and treating it like a new Lycoming can, and often does, bring people undone.

this advice served me well

[Dora-9]

Thanks Frank for clarifying that, I thought you were saying it's an unreliable engine. I agree with you, you can't treat it like a modern engine....

Cheers.

[rjtjrt]

Dora-9 and Frank
Can you expand on the differences in how GM should be treated cf modern horizontal opposed engine?
John

[Frank Arouet]

"squeeze me"?

I don't quiet understand the question. If it pertains to GM the auto manufacturer viz Gypsy Major viz modern horiz opposed engines, you perhaps should ask the question first to a metalurgist. Things change and we move on.

I have heard on numerous occasions persons say "the FJ was the best car ever built". Well, I am ashamed to admit, I once owned one of them also, but I can't compare it with a Honda Accord Euro.

BTW, my Gypsy MK10 was manufactured in Brazil. Could have been a GM subsidiary. It stood me in good shape for more than 10 years because I treated it like an old engine despite it's youth, but relative age.

If you get my drift. Treat the engine like you own it.

[Centaurus]

I started with the RAC of WA in 1961 and they were firmly wedded to this attitude - all approaches were glide approaches etc

Glide approaches as the main landing technique was taught in the RAF and RAAF well before the Second World War and we were taught them on Tiger Moths in 1951. As most post-war aero clubs employed experienced former wartime instructors, Service flying techniques were taught.

More advanced aircraft such as Harvard and Wirraway did powered approaches except glide approaches were also taught in preparation for practice forced landings. The high rate of descent in a glide with advanced types made them quite difficult to judge the approach especially in strong winds, and the round-out was made higher with extra speed in hand for the inertia in the flare. Several of the old RAF Pilots Notes for Spits and Mustangs and even heavy bombers gave two airspeeds for landing - glide and powered. The Cessna 172 POH states that powered or glide approaches may be used with airspeeds the same.

There may be some truth in the accent on glide approaches as normal in those days, probably because engines in the 1920's were not as reliable as modern aero engines. Nevertheless, nowadays glide approaches in Australian flying schools have been bastardised beyond recognition from what was originally taught.

Now we have the curious technique of throttling back just before base so as to simulate a forced landing pattern. In turn this causes chaos when someone cuts in on pilots doing powered approaches. In fact it has got to the faintly ridiculous situation when pilots in the circuit call ATC and advise they are going to conduct a glide approach!

What they mean of course is they are going to practice a forced landing on the field and people better move over and give way. And the radio chatter sends you mad in the circuit..

If you want to practice glide approaches in the circuit then simply fly a normal circuit until somewhere on base you simply close the throttle when you think you can get in from there. If the circuit is busy and you are following other aircraft then no problem at all. Just maintain circuit height until on final and then close the throttle once you can get in from there. There is no inconvenience to others in the circuit and you get your practice at gliding in. No charge for the good advice...:ok:

[Dora-9]

Frank - I DO own one! And believe me, it gets treated very gently indeed (oil changes every 25 hours etc).

Cheers.

[kaz3g]

"Can you expand on the differences in how GM should be treated cf modern horizontal opposed engine?"


Hi John

I fly an Auster with an 0-320 fitted but I couldn't by a long stretch describe the Lycoming as a modern horizontally opposed engine.

It is essentially the same technology as the 0-290 that was fitted to the aircraft back in 1944.

That said, it is probably one of the most reliable aircraft engines around and, in my view, far more so than the venerable Gipsy even though I thrill to the sound every time I hear a Gipsy fire up.

Come along to the YCEM 50th on March 17 if you want to see some old aircraft including Austers and Chippies.

kaz

[rjtjrt]

Kaz
Thanks, I am based at YLIL, so just a short flight for me.

John

[Newforest2]

...is the owner/driver a EAA Dash Captain?

You are correct in that assumption, he flies for Qantas.