Praise for burnt pilot
Part of today's story in the Sunday Times
SUNDAY TIMES 17 AUG 03
By Nick Taylor
As pilot Alec Penberthy lay suffering from shocking burns his first thoughts were for his passengers.
After escaping from his aircraft that crashed and exploded in a ball of flames at Jandakot on Monday, he began looking for his mates.
But as the bush burnt around him he collapsed under a tree and could only wait for help.
"He was not concerned about himself," helicopter paramedic Bevan Grove said. "He was asking how everyone else was. He had walked out of the plane and all he knew was that there were other people somewhere. That was his main concern" "He said, 'Oh, my god, what have I done?' "From what I could see and from what I have been told there was nothing more he could have done. He battled to bring the plane down safely."
Mr Penberthy had just taken off fwith a team from Fremantle-based marine technology company Nautronix for survey work off Rottnest Island.
Lets all pray for a full recovery for the survivors of this tragic event
Also from SUNDAY TIMES.
It is a sad commentary on life, but it happens all to frequently - it takes a disaster to ram home a potentially dangerous situation that has been staring at officialdom in the face for years.
A tragic example occurred this week when a twin-engined Cessna 404 crashed and exploded soon after take-off at Jandakot Airport, killing one man and dcritically injuring five others.
What the crash highlighted was the lack of a dedicated fire service at the airport, although it needs to be said that even if there had been one on this occasion, the result of the crash could have been the same.
That aside, the crash brought into sharp focus the Federal Government's unfortunate decisioon to scrap the airport's fire service in 1992 to reduce costs. Thsi followed a change in safety regulations which allowed the airport to not have a dedicated service because of low passenger numbers.
It was a decision out of touch with reality. While it is true that there are low passenger numbers, Jandakot airport has a high rate of aircraft because it is a flying school base.
Training flights heighten the risks of a crash and on that ground alone the ariport should have its own fire service. In the wake of the crash, airport safety needs to be scrutinised.
If a fire service is based at the airport it would need to have access to major arterial roads, a factor that needs to be examined. WA's Fire and Emergency Services Authority was quick to pint out that it was not responsible for airport fire services. This rested with the airport's owners.
Fair enough if this is the case, but something has to be done quickly to close the firefighting gap which has left Jandakot out on a dangerous limb.
The airport owners and all users of the facilities should contribute to a levy to help pay for a dedicated fire service which would cost $1.5 million a year. If necessary the Federal Government should also meet part of the cost.
Its a small price to pay when lives are at stake
end of article
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So all those advocates of location specific charging, hold your breath and be ready to fork out another 4 bucks or so per landing.