A Strikemaster
Badly worded by me sorry. The mention earlier in this thread of it being the "exchange pilot's" fault and on the website linked earlier is incorrect as you point out. The Gp Capt was at fault , not RT.

Sh@t Merv, leave you alone for just a little while and look at the trouble you get into. Great to hear both you and Arnie are fine.
Don
PS. This is a far better story than the one about almost bleeding to death, or the costume at Wagga.

God, the media s#$%s me!!!!:mad:
CH10, not content with the actual video of the prang (all Roulette practices overhead the base are recorded for de-briefing purposes) put in footage of a Macchi prang in 1988. Obviously the real thing needed a bit of spicing up.:hmm:

Downloaded the link to the ABC report provided a few posts ago. According to Ms McDonald the aircraft (that’s “aircraft” – a “plane” is a carpentry tool) is a “Roulette”!

Regarding a previous query re gear up landings, it was never “policy” to prohibit gear up landings. The PC9 check list covers landing with all three wheels up, or partially down.
I (and most others) wouldn’t have a drama with landing with the nosewheel stuck up, but not with a main wheel stuck up. I was not confident that the airframe would retain its’ integrity (ie not fall apart and roll over) following the main wheel up case.
In any case the PC9 (or “Roulette” apparently) has a marvellous ejection seat, and that would be my preferred option in that case.

Well said Captain.

I'm surprised they didn't use the in-cockpit footage of the pilot 'parachuting' out of his 'Thunderbird' aircraft last year. It was colourful, dramatic, and would spice up the story just a tad !!

Maybe they could cut and paste the Hindenburg Zepellin disaster into the background.

The said Grp Capt must have known that just that experience, breaking an Australian PC-9, followed by the big spend up on the base commanders residence at Ohakea were the things required on his CV to land the boss job at Massey University Aviation Dept.

Prospector

From Channel Nine

RAAF daredevil cheats death in crash
17:34 AEDT Fri Jan 21 2005


An RAAF veteran cheated death when his aircraft crashed in flames after a daring aerobatic manoeuvre went wrong over Victoria.

Flight Lieutenant Roland "Arnie" Morscheck, 37, ejected just 300 metres over a Gippsland farm after his turbo-prop Pilatus PC/9-A collided with a fellow member of the elite Roulettes display team around 10am (AEDT).

Flt Lt Morscheck parachuted to safety in a cow paddock as his plane spiralled into the ground and burst into flames.

He escaped with minor injuries.

Flight Lieutenant Mark Ellis, 33, also escaped serious injury in the collision, landing safely at the nearby East Sale RAAF base.

Flt Lt Morscheck's aircraft - Roulette Five - was part of a formation of four aircraft practising for the 2005 display season.




It had just emerged from a barrel roll when it hit Flt Lt Ellis's Roulette Four and went into an uncontrollable dive.

Marj Crank, 64, was gardening at her house at Cobains when Morscheck's aircraft plummeted to earth nearby.

"All I heard was a bang and one of the Roulettes hit one of the paddocks and it was just a ball of flames," Mrs Crank told AAP.

"I just thought, 'That poor man', and then I saw the parachute.

"I knew he'd ejected and that was great."

Mrs Crank said she drove to a nearby gate and ran to the pilot's aid.

"I just put my arms around the pilot and told him I was glad he was all right."

Mrs Crank said Flt Lt Morscheck apologised to her for crashing.

"(He said) 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry', and he said he was OK."

What a nice lady....bit different from the usual "I thought it was going to hit my house...ban all airforce stunt flyers!!!"

Wonder what he was thinking just before abandoning the aircraft..."I'm alright, I'm alright, I'm alright....:ooh:NO I'm not!!"

:ok:

I guess Arnies' and Mervs' promotion prospects are guaranteed now!:} SQNLDR within 18 months is my bet:p

Hideously unnattractive.
 

Mirv is, without a doubt, the UGLIEST man ever to pull on the powder blue flying suit...!:}

Chippie Chappie, another consideration that hasn't come to light so far regarding the wheels up landing considerations with the PC9, is that the breathable oxygen stowage is located on the floor just aft of the cockpit. It would be a gutsy pilot that would risk rupturing that puppy if they didn't absolutely have to whilst dragging their arse down a thousand feet or so of bitumen.

Besides, Arnie gets a new tie to wear to all those public engagements the Roulettes "have to endure" :{

Arnie a "daredevil"? Driving a Chrysler Voyager, I think not!

Gordo

Captain Sand Dune,

I think you'll find Arnie handed back his Half Stripe to have a shot at the Roulette's so now I suppose WGCDR isn't out of the question!! Anyway glad to hear all escaped relatively unscathed! With any luck they'll ground teh PC9 fleet and we will get more CT4 Instructors through CFS to BFTS, Lord knows we need them.

On a side issue I have been reading PPRuNe for many years and I would like to congratulate all for not jumping in and crucifying the guys or the Team. This is a first for this forum I think!

With the hits the PC9 fleet has been taking lately, why not do an "all through" course on the Parrot?!:}
OK............I'll show myself out............

A question for someone in the know; are the ejection seats in the PC9 'zero-zero' types?
Just curious.

You only live twice. Once when
you're born. Once when
you've looked death in the face.

Nope - 0/60. IE you can pull the handle at 0FT, wings level with no RoD at a minumum of 60KT and survive. Probably get ~ 1 swing in the 'chute before hitting the ground.

Just by coincidence, it was back in the news Blowhard Beazley who forced the PC9 on the RAAF.

As I was told by one of the participants at the meeting, the RAAF wanted the Wamira, then the PC7, then last of all the PC9. They were prepared for a compromise PC7 deal for Bankstown political reasons.

Beazley simply said "you are going to buy the PC9".

Apparently the first cadet pilot to drive one came back white as a sheet, not your average basic trainer, but then it wasn't designed to be was it?

Pimp
Thanks for the heads up. The fact that it was a GPCPT makes it even better!

The PC9 purchase was also the work of the then Chief (R.F.), who thought it would make a good replacement for the CT4:eek: . That's why the RAAF PC9s have the PC7 undercarraige - because it was planned to operate them from the unsealed runways at Point Cook.
About that time the Macchi started falling to bits, so change of plan - off they went to Pearce to replace the Macchi.
That's why when Point Cook was shut down and the CT4A's sold for a song, the RAAF used the PC9 for "all through" training.

I can't see your point in relation to this thread though Sunfish? If you want to start a thread devoted to defence acquisition methodology (or a lack thereof) we'd be pushed for space I feel. :hmm:

Gordo

Didn't the RAAF trial a few pilot courses as 'all-jet' course on the Macchi? That would be fun as an ab-initio :ok:

I seem to remember hearing a figure of $3m back whilst they were being built...

"But I'm paying it off at ten bucks a week. And I wouldn't be doing that if I'd gotten that extra collision coverage. "