The story of the runaway Auster.

[Frank Arouet]

Would this be handled any better today?

Wagga's Auster (http://www.henkimaa.nu/mow/things/auster.html)

[tail wheel]

I didn't read your link but suspect it will be the Bankstown Auster in 1955 or there abouts.

I'm sure the Air Force would again miss and they'd have to send the Navy up to finish the job! :} :} :}

[OZBUSDRIVER]

Yep, A Blackhawk with waistgun would be enough to do the job.


And, that would be the Army!

[Frank Arouet]

Army Red tape getting ammunition for an M60 would probably take a week. Someone would have to declare a terrorist alert and invoke the terrorism Act or the States and Feds would squabble over who would do the job. It may even need an environmental impact study and a development application.

My bet is it would run out of fuel before anything was done.

[Joker 10]

Not if it had ADSB

[Capot]

It may even need an environmental impact study and a development application.Now, don't be silly, neither would be called for.

But I do most sincerely hope that no-one, in these more enlightened times, would be so foolish as to even contemplate any course of action without carrying out a thorough and properly documented risk assessment.

Headlong and reckless action, rushed into simply because a situation is fast-moving and might resolve itself in any case while proper risk-assessment is carried out by a suitably qualified and authorised person, must be discouraged by severe penalties. It can only be for the worse.

Imprisonment is not enough for people who make quick decisions and then immediately act effectively. They must be condemned to sit at a desk evaluating risk assessments for the rest of their lives.

[Blacksheep]

They must be condemned to sit at a desk evaluating risk assessments for the rest of their lives. Wearing a fluorescent orange jacket and hard hat of course. ;)

[Tmbstory]

That has to be one of the stories of Aviation !


Tmb

[Frank Arouet]

Yes I was a wee lad at the time it happened and still remember the dinner discussions about the efforts to shoot it down.

Imagine the cost of such an enterprise today.

[Double Zero]

A few weeks ago a near identical incident happened at Goodwood, West Sussex.

The pilot of a Stampe swang the prop, and apparently through too high a throttle setting being left on ( he'd had the aircraft for years ) he was lucky not to get minced.

The aircraft took off, but very luckily ( overall ) hit trees at the airfield boundary.

Nobody hurt but the aircraft sounds a write off.

This was reported in some aircraft magazines, and as I work at nearby Tangmere Museum, I know someone who was there and saw the whole sorry thing happen.

I know a Stampe isn't exactly a B-52 for impact, but the large town of Chichester is about 1-2 minutes flying time away...

[chevvron]

Why bother shooting it down? It was over water and would run out of fuel eventually.

[Tmbstory]

Maybe it showed that it was easy to fly.

Reminds me of the early 1960's instructing students in a J5 (I think). It had only heel brakes on the Students side and none on the Instructor's side. I used to get the student to start the landing sequences from the right hand side and after a few, would then put the person back to the left hand side.

Some may say it kept you on your toes !

Tmb

[kevmusic]

I used to get the student to start the landing sequences from the right hand side and after a few, would then put the person back to the left hand side.

Sound policy. But where did you keep the beer?

[Frank Arouet]

Maybe it showed that it was easy to fly.


Yes very easy to fly but difficult to land unless you had the dexterity of an Ape to operate the flaps and remembered never to put in forward stick after the flare. It was also nasty in a deep power on stall.

[tail wheel]

Why bother shooting it down? It was over water and would run out of fuel eventually.

There are a number of internet stories on the incident, but I seem to recall the aircraft circling over Sydney's southern beach suburbs and over the sea. There was concern it would finally end up in the beach side suburbs, hence the decision to shoot it down.