Thanks to all posters above who appear to be "in the know". That "knowledge" is in contrast to my own, which in the whole GA/"little aeroplane"/sky diving context is virtually nil.
Just for info, my own background is as an aircraft engineer, starting out with an RAF apprenticeship in 1961, and apart from military a/c, my whole career has been spent dealing with a/c of 50 pax and more.
I am NOT interested in speculating about this particular accident, but when I meet some of those involved (next week) I would appreciate answers to the following if anyone would be kind enough to share their knowledge. As above, my knowledge of this area of aviation is virtually nil, so "please be gentle"! Thanks in advance:
1. It seems that pilots of TURBINE powered para dropping a/c do NOT normally wear personal parachutes. Apart from the obvious size/weight/power differences between, say, a piston-powered Cessna and a type such as the subject of this accident, why not? (It also seems that most airworthiness authorities do not mandate but "recommend" that pilots wear parachutes, correct)?
2. Not being at all familiar with the type which is the subject of this particular accident, I've studied available photos on line. It seems that the Pilot door/s are of the "gull wing" type (like the famous Mercedes sports car, DeLorean, etc). It LOOKS as if the upper door hinge line is more or less on the a/c fuselage upper (cabin roof) centre line. Further, it looks like the rearmost door/window line is more or less in line with/just behind the pilots shoulder; AND that the aft lower door hinge line is just about in line with the pilots elbow, while the forward lower hinge line is just about at pilot knee level. Assuming such a/c was in a fully-developed stall (or possibly even a spin, upright or inverted), and assuming the door/window is fitted with an emergency release (e.g. withdraw all hinge pins, or similar idea), what are the chances that the door/window would break away from the a/c cleanly? (I am assuming that as part of it's original Type Certificate testing in Australia/elsewhere, this emergency jettison would have been demonstrated in some way)?
3. A "supplementary"/general interest Q if I may:
On my travels around and about I've sometimes seen "in the metal" an a/c called the Fletcher Fu 24. Apart from size and powerplant, to my untutored eye the two a/c look remarkably similar, not "just" in general configuration but also in outline (excluding the large fin strake). Are the two types "related" or is this just coincidence?
TIA
Last edited by AES; 3rd Mar 2024 at 13:24.