Cool stories & Famous Aust Aviators

[Sexual Chocolate]

Apparently there's a famous Australian croppie (think he is / was from Victoria) who once landed a fixed wing on the helipcopter launching pad of an oil rig in Bass Strait. They say that the aircrart was ferried back to the mainland slung under a chopper. From memory the pilot's first name was Ben and his surname also started with a 'B'.

Is there anyone out there who can confirm the story and provide any further details?

Anyone who can confirm his name and the title of his biography? (not even sure there is one but heard someone had written a book about the guy)

Finally, any REALLY COOL stories about lads who pulled off similar amazing feats?

[Brian Abraham]

Ben Buckley from Benambra, Victoria. I spent 27 years in Bass Strait and never heard that story although Ben certainly was known to give authorities a lively time. Yes there is a book, a Google should find it for you. A most interesting character with a big, big heart.

[Deaf]

Story I heard in the 70's was touch and go on the pad, same bloke

[Sexual Chocolate]

Chocolate. This subject has been done to death already. I believe the answer you are looking for is here (http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=181387&perpage=15&pagenumber=5)

In future, note there is a button labelled 'search'.

[Milt]

Didn't you hear of my touch and go with a Vulcan on an aircraft carrier in Lyme Bay.

If I'd had a tail hook I would have taken it home!

[xinhua2]

I lost a prop off my Auster while trying to deliver a million signatures to Beasley at Old Parliament House about the state of things in aviation. Forced to make a landing at Duntroon footy field and don't remember much after that. Couple of cricket stumps got in the way, (had no right being there anyway). Threw one at the missus the other day.

But nothing else.

Ring that fkucing bell and you'r wasted for weeks.

[GOATRIDER]

All your stories are nothing compared to an average everyday pilot getting into a Cessna 207 with six fat punters on board and flying to Milford Sound New Zealand in a turbulent Sou Easter----not even the RNZAF (if we had one) could commit such a feat of aviation...in short if Wilbur and Orville were to land in Queenstown today they'd laugh their asses of at the equipment flying around the skies...speaking of Vulcans though- did you hear about the one that ripped one of its landing gear legs off at wellington Airport in the sixties...apparently the pilot's big ole RAF waxed tash got in the way of the control column eh what?---and blimey, the leg struck the runway embankment prior to the runway...pooey nomex suits all round and a rap over the knuckles from upstairs...not to mention socks up trousers down and demotion prevailed...in all seriousness the pilot did a great job flying it back to Ohakea and they repaired it...

[tinpis]

A little village near Bumfuk Eketahuna is missing its idiot :hmm:

[Capt. On Heat]

Eketahuna Tin?-There's more than 1 idiot there!

Anyway, back to the point; I heard about this kiwi bloke and although the thread specified famous AUST aviators I thought it worthy of a mention.

Can't remember the driver's name but in a two engine waka a few decades ago now, DC-3 size ish I think. **** IFR day from NZAA to Welly or Palmy ish, total electric failure. DR'ed his position to be near a small rural town he knew with an accompanying former Ag strip. Constructed (in his f***en head on the spot) a teardrop approach to the alignment of the vector using a watch and his compass a whilst also dealing with a subsequent engine failure!!!! Pulled if off, popped out of the cloud at a not so elevated altitude and landed on the aforementioned abandoned Ag strip. Goddamned legend in my book!

[Captain Nomad]

How about the RAAF Mirage pilot who when asked to 'orbit' the Sydney harbour bridge commenced looping the bridge! His argument - traffic control hadn't specified which axis to conduct the orbit!

Obviously well prior 9/11 - sad them days are gone :(

[Double Asymmetric]

Captain Nomad, get your hand off it....

[tinpis]

A pilot come into Goroka many moons ago in a Baron 55.
His gear was stuck up and wouldnt extend even by cranking.
He guessed the prob was bound up-lock rollers.
So while manually flying it he removed the pilots seat.
Undid the inspection hatch under the seat with a screwdriver.
Selected wheels down again and held the torque tubes down to stop em from bowing up.
Got the wheels down and landed sitting on the spar.

[Mr.Buzzy]

This one time...at band camp.............

[CoodaShooda]

Capt Nomad

I thought it was a P-51 flown by a gentleman with a stutter.

[tinpis]

Ah..Cooda P-51s
Tin knows a gentleman got one them going from a nuclear bomb blast site in SA
Fixed it up a bit and flew it to Coober Pedy where he was met by the DCA in them days.
Then was escorted (wheels down) by DCA Aerocommander to Parafield.
There is a nice vid clip of it taking off in Coober Pedy generating the biggest bloody dust storm you could imagine.

[GOATRIDER]

more more!!!- im nearly there---thank god I've got a knob on the end or I'll fly off and hit myself in the chin.

[Vacant Towers]

No names, but there is a well known gent that flew his Tiger Moth solo from his farm to Tamworth (very pre tower days) to pick up the examiner for his 'licence' test.:) :)

VT:ok:

[DeBurcs]

I heard it was a Tiger Moth looping around the Harbour Bridge, flown by a well-known gent with chronic cold-sores.

[Sexual Chocolate]

Mirage reminds me of another story.....

Guy is out and about in his jet doing serious low level - x hundred kts at 20 feet sorta thing. Flies through the canopy of an irregulalrly large tree but comes out of it okay - leading edge damage etc but still makes it back to base.

Called into COs office for the mandatory arse reaming.

CO: You F###ing F###ing F###ing D##k H##d! You realise, another 10 feet lower and you wouldn't be here??!!!

Guy: Begging your pardon Sir, another 10 feet higher and I wouldn't be here either!!!

[JetABro]

Heard about a South African guy who went to England to buy a Bongo. During his time to get to know it he went off over the channel, then a fog rolls in behind him and blocks his return. After thinking "Oh sh!t", decides to call ATC for help. All they can suggest is to ditch near an aircraft carrier and get plucked to safety by them. Bugger that, so he gets in touch with the ship and asks if he can have a go at landing. Sure. Uses only half the deck. He has a tea, waits for the fog to clear, then gets airborne with room to spare.
Last I heard the Bongo's still flying in SA. Don't know about the pilot though.

[Captain Nomad]

Continuing the low flying thread, my grandfather has vivid memories of a flight in a catalina that was yet to have its insignia painted on. Taking advantage of this situation the pilot decided to buzz his home town somewhere in western NSW. There were spotters everywhere during the war who reported aircraft sightings and movements but due to not having his markings he thought he could get away with a low pass down the main street. My grandfather was sitting in one of the rear blister turrets and can still remember looking eye-level with shop facades and seeing the complete shock on peoples faces! And yes - the pilot managed to get away with it!

And then there was the guy who tried to loop a Walrus.... Almost killed himself but lived to tell the tale.

Fav pastime for some of the restless cadets at Temora was to knock off the tops of the local farmer's hay bales. One farmer got pretty tired of this game and stuck a good old 2x4 into the top of his bale... Fortunately the pilot who scored the hit that ripped a wheel off his Tiger Moth was known to be clever with words. My grandfather was an airframe fitter and turner and got rather cross with him when he returned a damaged airplane. Pilot wasn't too worried, "Don't worry Allen - I'll find a good story to cover you - you won't get in trouble". Sure enough the pilot got hauled into the office and emerged unscathed and somehow talked his way out!

Finally, a chappy called 'buster shields' (the 'buster' part was an earned nickname!) almost finished my grandfather off for good when he conducted a low level leg from Williamtown to the catalina base at Rathmines on Lake Macquarie. The object of the exercise had been to 'bomb' the Williamtown boys in retaliation for a similar rubbish bombing that they had given Rathmines as part of the good humoured victory celebrations. On return, Buster misjudged his low level turn around Coal point and a big gum tree on the point made a very loud shuddering contact with the right wing of the catalina and within fractions of seconds full power was added while rolling wings level before a heavy impact on the water of the lake.

Have to write these down before Grandad's tales go with him to the grave - he has so many good stories!:ok:

[yowie]

Any Friday nite....Any Aeroclub bar ,or (due to their rather sad decline) anywhere pilots may be found congregating......

Seen the pic of the Mirage inverted over Sydney Harbour,maybe Bloggs could add some more re the loop........

[relax737]

I can't wait for more of these stories....yawn.


Did yo hear the one about the guy who landed his F111 on the helicopter pad at Darling Harbour,. I was told it was true

[Lodown]

Used to enjoy going to a doctor for the annual medical many years ago near Brisbane. He was an ex-nav with the Pathfinders. 30 minutes for the checkup and another 30 minutes in awe of the description of trips at low level in a mosquito.

[Dogimed]

Hey relax737,

Why are you in this industry, daddy couldnt buy you a job anywhere else?

Dog

[Fliegenmong]

Relax73 - I heard about that - wings stuck in the full sweptback position, and no brakes!!:D

[colonel cameron]

Heard a story of a bloke who lost a prop off an Auster and glided to Moree, but you probably don't want to hear about that.

I have heard it re told all over Australia and embellished to no end.

But who cares?

[Razor]

I remember 3 army fixed wing aircraft doing a formation flypast under the Westgate, Sydney Harbour and Gateway Bridges in the early 90s.

[Obiwan]

I remember 3 army fixed wing aircraft doing a formation flypast under the Westgate, Sydney Harbour and Gateway Bridges in the early 90s.Pilatus Porters when they were 'retired'. I have it on tape somewhere, used to tape anything aviation on the news when I was younger :=

[colonel cameron]

To highlight how times change, a loose formation of (a few, don't ask), broke off from another loose formation of well over 50 aircraft doing a flyover at Sydney for Syd Marshall's funeral and went "commando" under the bridge.

A few questions were asked, but NOBODY gave ANYBODY up, despite the obvious sightings from air and ground. I know, I was thereabouts.

These days a thousand daggers would be in your back.

DCA had faults, but nowhere as evil as our present day CASA. At least they were respected as Gentlemen with a high degree of aviation experience yet not a whit of legal personal interpretation to commonsense regulations.

[scrambler]

I almost lost where this thread started. Oh thats right Ben B.

I have it on very good authority that the landing was on the longford helipad and not an oil rig.

Ben is also know for a number of other feats including flying a child into Essendon in very poor weather after a serious accident on a farm in the Benambra area.

[GOATRIDER]

I remember once seeing a Cessna 207 take off from Queenstown airport full of fat Americans!!!!!!!!-----beat that!