Moorabbin incident: Geoffrey Edelsten

[John Eacott]

Our local publicity seeker?

Geoffrey Edelsten in Helicopter crash landing: Herald Sun (http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/dr-geoffrey-edelsten-in-helicopter-crash-landing-at-moorabbin-airport/story-e6frf7jo-1225810505607)

Dr Geoffrey Edelsten in helicopter crash landing at Moorabbin Airport

Staff reporters
From: Herald Sun
December 15, 2009 10:50AM


DR Geoffrey Edelsten has been treated by paramedics after crash landing the helicopter he was flying crashed at Moorabbin airport.

The crash happened about 10.15am on the centre runway.

Police, the MFB and ambulance officers attended the scene, but the Edelsten climbed free of the chopper.

Paramedics treated him at the scene for a cut hand.

An MFB spokesman said crews were on hand to mop up any leaking fuel once the helicopter was moved.
NineMSN News (http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/983902/edelsten-in-helicopter-crash)


Edelsten in helicopter crash


10:30 AEST Tue Dec 15 2009
58 minutes ago

By ninemsn staff



Dr Geoffrey Edelsten is lucky to be alive after crashing his helicopter at a Melbourne airport today.
Edelsten was hauled from the wreckage of the chopper shortly with no serious injuries shortly after 10.30am, Nine News reports.
The aircraft was incinerated despite the efforts of bystanders using extinguishers.
Nine News helicopter pilot Ben Harris, who was one of the first people on the scene, said the craft yawed strongly to the left shortly after take-off.
"You need to put a fair bit of 'pedal' in the aircraft when you take off and it looks like he just failed to do so," Mr Harris told the Nine News 11am bulletin.
Edelsten walked away from the crash and was treated at the scene in an ambulance for minor injuries.
It is believed the trainee pilot was on his first solo flight.
Last month Edelsten, 66, wed 26-year-old Brynne Gordon in the most expensive wedding in Australian history, with the nuptials carrying a price tag of $3 million.
The extravagant ceremony at Melbourne’s Crown Casino raised eyebrows after '90s sitcom stars Fran Drescher and Jason Alexander were brought in to host the event, which was attended by more than 550 guests.



http://images.ninemsn.com.au/resizer.aspx?url=http://news.ninemsn.com.au/img/2009/national/1512_edelstencrash_9.jpg&width=310

[yarpa]

Well that's it then... investigation over. The adept channel nine pilot has concluded that he failed to have sufficient pedal input. Good work! I wish for once people would wait until the dust settles before making off the cuff statements. Hopefully 'Ben' gets some legal advice before being quoted again by his buddies at nine.

[darrenphughes]

Nine News helicopter pilot Ben Harris, who was one of the first people on the scene, said the craft yawed strongly to the left shortly after take-off.
"You need to put a fair bit of 'pedal' in the aircraft when you take off and it looks like he just failed to do so," Mr Harris told the Nine News 11am bulletin.

That statement doesn't make a lot of sense to me, being that that's a R44 in the pic. The yaw should be to the right if he failed to apply sufficient anti-torque pedal during the pickup.

[notnoz]

Ahhhhh Jeff. As if the wedding charade wasn't enough!!!!!

[Squeaks]

It'll buff out ;)

http://resources3.news.com.au/images/2009/12/15/1225810/605359-geoffrey-edelsten-helicopter-crash.jpg

http://resources3.news.com.au/images/2009/12/15/1225810/604911-geoffrey-edelsten-helicopter-crash.jpg



Melbourne Herald Sun (http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/gallery-e6frf7jo-1225810606500?page=2)

[eagle 86]

More like an accident I would have thought!! Media reporting 1st solo. New wife encouraging him to get back into the air - Hmmm!
GAGS
E86

[Delta Torque]

Pick up

Yaw left

Drift right

Descend

Skid Contact

Dynamic Rollover.

[blakmax]

Guys

As an adhesive bonding expert, I think that there is an issue with the amount of silicone involved in this situation. Personally, I would not let "her" anywhere near any adhesive bonding or composite repair activities. :hmm:
Blakmax



Just a personal thought.




OK Skip Undo, can you bring my coat too? :E

[Unhinged]

NineMSN Report (http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/983902/edelsten-in-helicopter-crash) has it that Edelsten’s helicopter was incinerated despite the efforts of bystanders using extinguishers.

Doesn't look very incinerated in the above photos.

I hope Ben Harris' words in the same report are a useless media misquote.

[John R81]

Not too damaged. Most of that will polish out.

[biggles99]

The list gets ever longer.

Big Ls.

[GeorgeMandes]

I guess when the memo came saying wear a flight suit, he was in a hurry and only remembered the "suit" part, as he appeared to be wearing a business suit and tie for his solo attempt.

When the helicopter is sold, it will probably be described as minor damage.

[Bomb Doctor]

Anyone know which school he was flying with??

[spinwing]

Mmmmm .....

Yes .... ;)

[WG99]

think I have seen it frequently at Essendon, based near eastern parking area? always thought it was black. registered to an overseas company?

[WG99]

always thought Dr E was a helicopter pilot back in the early 1980s when he kept his Enstrom at his property west of Bankstown, and had a live-in young pilot 24/7? is it true he had 80hrs rotary-wing instruction before this first solo? not sure if DAMEs give the OK for one-eyed students these days? questions I guess I'll never get to ask him for he wouldn't remember me from back then, applying for a job. didn't get a wedding invitation either.

[helimutt]

can't see the problem. Couple of new blades and the rest will T-Cut out!

[Dantruck]

Twenty six, my ass! :=

Dan

[WG99]

I was not aware that the R44 would be considered a suitable "trainer".
Could it be that Dr E was too light for solo flight without ballast in such a machine?
I know this can happen for I needed a 15lb sandbag in a Bell-47J, well forward.

[22clipper]

Who could forget the pink Enstrom? Didn't it crash near a school, killing the pilot? A colourful character our Geoff.
Geoffrey Edelsten - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoffrey_Edelsten)
http://www.geoffreyedelsten.com/

[WG99]

Thanks. Like to know more on the pink Enstrom crash! Will Google+Wiki.
I went to the US in 83 and stayed 15yrs so missed downunder news.

I seemed to be the only pilot who liked the Enstrom (oh, so did Les Morris who gave me the endorsement on the dreaded A-model VH FSP).
Operated VH IFR F28C for 18mths 79/80, safely carried more than 2,000 PAX and the experience was without incidence.

My thinking is that he was planning to buy an R44 so was getting the training as a prospective owner, but 80hrs rotary pre solo is a lot more than I've known.
Interesting life some folk have? It will go on ...

[22clipper]

Yeah I vaguely recall news reports at the time praising the pilot for avoiding the school. Grim truth is you don't have a lot of choice once the motors quit.

Did a tif in an F28 at Fox enstroms in Melbourne a few years back. The auto in the flying lounge room was so laid back compared to the R22. I could learn to love a high inertia rotor system!

[heli-cal]

Edelsten was known as a flamboyant entrepreneur in the 1980s, transforming the idea of what a doctor's surgery was with chandeliers, grand pianos and 24 hour opening.[5] He also had mink-covered examination benches, mansions and a fleet of Rolls-Royces and Lamborghinis sporting number plates such as Macho, Spunky and Sexy. [6]

Or, as Cupid Stunt used to say, "And its all done in the best possible taste!" http://i666.photobucket.com/albums/vv29/helixpteron/happy0009.gif

http://beefbagel.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/cupid-stunt.jpg

[WG99]

You're right on; landing spot is between your feet, slightly left or slightly right, below 500. No hard decisions about it, mostly luck or no luck.
Poor guy ... the job had no salary, just build up your hours, 24/7 on call, room in the garage/guest house section of the palatial estate. I dropped in my CV but we mutually agreed to be incompatible. Did see the Porsche 928 and the then wife.
Still looking for the crash report.
Am sure we will hear more on the R44 (CLX).

[ReverseFlight]

Could it be that Dr E was too light for solo flight without ballast in such a machine?
R44 POH says "In clear view of pilot : Minimum solo pilot weight 150 lbs"

[WG99]

150lbs is 10stone 7lbs in the old style (& in the US were he's been) and my bet is he is definitely not that heavy, so ... did he have ballast ...
Thanks for that info. Interesting.

[WG99]

22clipper -
accident of Enstrom was at Baulkham Hills 15mins into the flight on 31/1/89, 3 fatals, but no more info that I can find, except it said it bounced and burned.
(I made a typo with my rego .. it was IFY, not IFR)

[Ascend Charlie]

Think you will find that it was a photo flight, pilot was hovering, ran out of pedal and spun into the ground - no apparent normal recovery attempt. My brother watched it spin and drop.:sad:

[topendtorque]

How many Enstrom's did he own? Did one not decorate itself over the top of Mt Kosiocko at around the late seventies, early eighties as well, with another 'live in" pilot at the wheel. last name start with W.

Les Morris, now there's a name i haven't heard for a while, bless his departed soul. A rather, very extraordinary person was Les. His standard response to any FOI who was silly enough to ask him had he flown such and such a type was, "Oh yes I have about 1100 hours in that type." Usually in an affected, superior imperitive tone that used to get-right-up-their-noses.

Les turned up one day at our place of work, the company had not long bought an R22, which I flew as I was the only one with an endorsement. Les was there to, "do a few more," so to speak.

While he was there some bright spark, ahem! I think it was the boss, said why don't you go and do a few autos with Les so's you can check out the other guys later.

'Yep no worries', everyone agreed, I didn't get a vote. I had though been doing heaps in the '47 at this stage.

Now I had only done a very rudimentary endorsement with one Ron Shortis I think his name was from Perth.

I turn up at about 2.30 pm on a stinking hot day from a mustering job elsewhere after he has been endorsing others all day. He hadn't been doing autos with the others.

Les has a quick look at the book, his eyes light on the 52 knots bit about the minimum speed in autos or some such and gives instruction to me, "We'll do 'em at 52 knots, right?"

Well who am i to argue he's the ace right?

Light weight blades they were, did I say a hot afternoon, bloody hot, no wind, 75% fuel, in a standard 22.

Things were going sort of ok, he hasn't touched the wheel up until the third one when at about fifty feet he yells out real loud, "Holy jesus, look at that will yer?"

Well what else could I do? although as everyone would say it's not the best time to looking away from the job in hand in those aircraft.

What was he waving around? the bloody collective dual lever that someone? had forgot to lock in.

I told him straight up after I landed that i thought it was a real good time for a cup of coffee. lesson finished. I'm glad it was unstuck though in hindsight, god knows what stunt he was going to pull had it been connected.
a great guy was Les.

[Nigel Osborn]

Ron Shortis...........I remember him well. In WA Ron came to our bush camp to see if I could give him a job & then proceeded to tell me about his recent accident. He was a very new pilot & had been mustering in a 47. It was soon after his first take off when he tried to move a large scrub bull. He lost sight of it & decided to hover to see where the bull had gone. Being young, he decided to hover at 5 feet as per his endorsement. Suddenly glancing to his left, he saw the bull head down charging from the left. A few thousand pounds hit his left skid at full speed, where upon the 47 did a neat half barrel roll & landed on its mast head. The fuel tanks broke & leaked into Ron's upside down brand new helmet. The avgas ignited, Ron undid his seat belt, landed on his nose, broke it & then got out. Unfortunately the helmet then emptied the avgas down his new flying suit & ignited. Receiving very nasty burns, he passed out clear of the 47 until that evening when the crew looked for him & found him in a pretty poor state. And that is why Ron has scar tissue around his face & neck but surprisingly kept his good humour.
Bull 1, 47 nil.:ok:

[22clipper]

You gotta watch those removable thingos eh Topend? The Robbie pedals can be bad news too if the spring loaded detent doesn't engage, leaves 'em free to rotate. That's where single use ownership spoils a person, you always know how you left stuff. But in a hire machine you have double check everything.

[thekite]

Edelsten "owned" an Enstrom which was flown by that pilot who was not paid, but whose name was Don ????

Edelsten probably did not own it but his pilot overpitched it at the base of the mountains in Mt Kosciusco National Park then flew to the top of the mountain overpitched and crashed.

Shortis and I salvaged that helicopter.

After repairs I flew this apology for a helicopter and realised the following:

A) Come up to the hover. Engine power is insufficient to maintain RRPM.
B) RRPM decreases.
C) Because the turbocharger is the only thing that got this porker off the ground in the first place, loss of RRPM decreases the exhaust gas flow.
D) So MAP decreases. Not unlike lifting your foot after realising that your car cannot get over the hill.
E) Milking the collective will not work. Turbos do not work that fast. Hope you have not tried to transition over the fence and grab translation.
F) Oh dear

That was 25 years ago. I hope Don???? went on to better things. As for Jeff...
No surprises there.

thekite

[romeo foxtrot mike]

This accident happened to come up in conversation today and I searched the ATSB for a report but nothing came up, did anyone see a report on this event?

[Twist & Shout]

Holy “Thread Resurrection Batman”!

Wonder how Geoff and Brynne’s married bliss is going?

[Ascend Charlie]

His dopey mate Warwick Capper was on TV the other day, his plastic surgery looks worse that Shane Warne's.

[cattletruck]

Wonder how Geoff and Brynne’s married bliss is going?

His new girlfriend once walked into Maccas nude. Unfortunately crusty old flake was not on the menu.