On Thursday night, Beech Duke VH-ORI was badly damaged; apparently some 50 axe "chops" to the fuselage, wing and engine nacelle. I'm told the damage is so severe/extensive that the aircraft will be written off.
Also the Navajo parked adjacent to this had its fuel caps removed and all the fuel drained out.
Both aircraft were parked at the western end of the field, near the AMT Helicopters hangar, close to the freeway but actually in a fairly remote corner of the field.
OMG, how awful. I know of one sabotage at Archerfield years ago and one at Coolie (I assume there would be others), has Caboolture had that sort of thing before? Is there any CCTV at Caboolture? If not, maybe they need to get some. Expensive though, as usual honest people have to pay for the actions of the feral minority.
Many moons back, a C303 Crusader was attacked by an axe wielding intruder while in it's farm strip hangar in the WA wheatbelt. A former employee was detained, and I think, prosecuted and served time. Aircraft was repaired. hangar was relocated closer to main property buildings.
A couple of years ago a C172 belonging to a local realtor had the instrument panel attacked and elevators smashed. A lot of peoples pride and joy sit in that paddock I am surprised that there isn't effective security there. As an aside a year ago I was rounding a bend underneath an overpass less than a kilometer from the aerodrome when I ran into barrier taped stretched across the road beneath at bonnet height. Fortunately it broke and did little damage however it would have killed a motorcyclist. Shows you the level of intelligence of some of the locals.
Yep - lucky to still have my old man around ....... Round a corner in the car at night to have a house brick hit the drivers side A frame. Launched from a vertical embankment next to the road. Couple inches to the left......
Singapore has it worked out how to deal with people like this......
Launched from a vertical embankment next to the road. Couple inches to the left......
Sadly, this is very common, there have been fatalities in NSW. Almost all bridges and overpasses, whether over roads or rail lines, now have very high climb proof fences to deter the idiots. The result --- increasing incidence of idiots rolling logs or large rock onto the road/rail line. All very sad. Tootle pip!!
Being nocturnal, these idiots use our sleep time to engage in anarchy.
Our freedoms are being eroded by cameras, but one has to consider the greater of the two evils.
Tampering with aircraft is a Federal Offence and should the culprits be prosecuted, they should face the full force of the CAA's available mechanisms, before, as is usual for pilots and operators, the civil court system.
There were also a series of hangar break-ins at Caboolture late last year. Initially entry was gained by forcing the locks on the side doors; these were the common key in front/push button at the back type locks which the local police tell me are child's play to force open. Needless to say I have deadlocks fitted, although that doesn't mean you're safe either as some hangars were entered by forcing back/cutting open the aluminum wall panels.
Generally all that was taken were items that presumably are easily sold on - radios, tools etc. A brand new 406 MHz Survival Beacon was also taken too - these ferals clearly don't know that these beacons are registered to the owner!
But the break-ins could have been worse - Thursday was the first time I know of where an aircraft has been damaged.
The old but sexy BE60 but not that many axe chops. Mind you it seems to me that the hits were not that random. If I was a suspicious person I would wonder who did this knowing the end result. Done on ONE side only, and seems to be deliberately aimed at wrecking an airframe. engine and props unharmed.
Someone intended this, I think..... but it could be just the side was out of sight and closest to where the fuel was stolen. Who knows what the criminal mind thinks!
Yep blackhand, you are right I did, what I meant to say it was deliberately done down one side only, the side out of view to anyone from the road or buildings.
Aero club buildings broken into, multiple times, rear wheels stolen from an old Ford Facon wagon used to tow the Gliding club caravan round the field......FFS we are dealing with some rally screwed up ferals
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but not that many axe chops. Mind you it seems to me that the hits were not that random. If I was a suspicious person I would wonder who did this knowing the end result. Done on ONE side only, and seems to be deliberately aimed at wrecking an airframe. engine and props unharmed.
