All GA MUST file flight plan!!!
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All GA MUST file flight plan!!!
From NZ Herald today
A $4.50 flight plan could have saved the lives of a couple whose light aircraft crashed off north Canterbury on Sunday.
Rescue authorities said today it was not a well planned flight and they were not told the aircraft was missing until Monday morning.
Civil Aviation Authority spokesman Bill Sommer said had a flight plan been filed a search would have started within 30 minutes of the aircraft failing to land on time.
On Monday, as aviation experts began to work out the most likely search area, the body of Marian D'Eve was found washed up on Amberley Beach in Pegasus Bay, north of Christchurch.
Businessman Dr Russell Smith's body was found about an hour later and parts of the aircraft were found soon after.
The couple had been heading from Nelson to their property at Kirwee, west of Christchurch.
Mr Sommer said the aircraft disappeared off radar on its descent but that was not unusual and not an automatic cause for concern.
"It is not compulsory to file a flight plan but we are looking at whether it should go back to being compulsory if you are going more than a certain distance from your home base."
He said a flight plan may not have saved Dr Smith and Ms D'Eve but it would meant the search for them would have begun within minutes and not the next day.
That would have increased their chances of being found alive if they survived the crash into the sea, he said.
"It is commonsense. You can put it in via the internet, you can fax it or phone it in and it is $4.50."
Dr Smith may also not have had updated Canterbury weather details when he took off from Nelson, he said.
"There is not a lot of planning gone into this flight. The weather in Christchurch was pretty tatty," Mr Sommer added.
The pilot of at least one other small aircraft cancelled his flight into Christchurch because the weather was bad, he said.
He said the CAA's strong recommendation was for the pilots of small aircraft to file flight plans.
"It saves lives," Mr Sommer said. "A $4.50 flight plan is really the best life insurance around."
A $4.50 flight plan could have saved the lives of a couple whose light aircraft crashed off north Canterbury on Sunday.
Rescue authorities said today it was not a well planned flight and they were not told the aircraft was missing until Monday morning.
Civil Aviation Authority spokesman Bill Sommer said had a flight plan been filed a search would have started within 30 minutes of the aircraft failing to land on time.
On Monday, as aviation experts began to work out the most likely search area, the body of Marian D'Eve was found washed up on Amberley Beach in Pegasus Bay, north of Christchurch.
Businessman Dr Russell Smith's body was found about an hour later and parts of the aircraft were found soon after.
The couple had been heading from Nelson to their property at Kirwee, west of Christchurch.
Mr Sommer said the aircraft disappeared off radar on its descent but that was not unusual and not an automatic cause for concern.
"It is not compulsory to file a flight plan but we are looking at whether it should go back to being compulsory if you are going more than a certain distance from your home base."
He said a flight plan may not have saved Dr Smith and Ms D'Eve but it would meant the search for them would have begun within minutes and not the next day.
That would have increased their chances of being found alive if they survived the crash into the sea, he said.
"It is commonsense. You can put it in via the internet, you can fax it or phone it in and it is $4.50."
Dr Smith may also not have had updated Canterbury weather details when he took off from Nelson, he said.
"There is not a lot of planning gone into this flight. The weather in Christchurch was pretty tatty," Mr Sommer added.
The pilot of at least one other small aircraft cancelled his flight into Christchurch because the weather was bad, he said.
He said the CAA's strong recommendation was for the pilots of small aircraft to file flight plans.
"It saves lives," Mr Sommer said. "A $4.50 flight plan is really the best life insurance around."
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SAR
I do not know what the cost to ASA is but a simple flight note to the effect of departure, arrival and enroute deviations and a SARTIME works for me. Saves a plan in the system for a class G VFR flight.
I don't get charged for it and that’s great but I would rather not create too much cost to anybody without the need to. If I fly through CTA sure a plan is common courtesy to ATC and still no charge, but if its all class G why go to that expense for basically a SARWATCH service.
Cheers
J
I don't get charged for it and that’s great but I would rather not create too much cost to anybody without the need to. If I fly through CTA sure a plan is common courtesy to ATC and still no charge, but if its all class G why go to that expense for basically a SARWATCH service.
Cheers
J
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Did being on a plan assist in locating the chieftain that went missing on finals in Christchurch not that long ago?
Point is, knowing something is missing is one thing. Being able to do anything about it is another.
Condolences to the families.
Point is, knowing something is missing is one thing. Being able to do anything about it is another.
Condolences to the families.
It is true that having a flight plan is not a set in concrete guarantee that you will be found immediately but it is sure as hell better than an 18 hour delay.
I don't want to condem a dead man, but he was obviously an intelligent person who displayed a bit of stupidity on this occasion, and it just serves as a reminder to all those that forget that mistakes can easily be fatal in this profession.
I don't want to condem a dead man, but he was obviously an intelligent person who displayed a bit of stupidity on this occasion, and it just serves as a reminder to all those that forget that mistakes can easily be fatal in this profession.
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Mate it's personal choice. If it's not legally required and it's a private flight then the onus is on the pilot as to the level of SAR protection they want for that particular flight.
It is personal choice to have health insurance, contents, income protection etc. Everyone makes a decision on these sorts of things based on their perception of the risk to them of having or not having such things. If a person wants to fly themselves somewhere with no SAR protection and private passengers carried are aware of the arrangements then what is the problem.
It's about time people took responsibility for their own actions and didn't rely on government to make decisions for them. This nation is heading towards a nanny state where no individual choice is allowed. Why not dispense with the flight plan and insert a computer chip (into every pilot) with GPS that is mointored by Satellite...
It is personal choice to have health insurance, contents, income protection etc. Everyone makes a decision on these sorts of things based on their perception of the risk to them of having or not having such things. If a person wants to fly themselves somewhere with no SAR protection and private passengers carried are aware of the arrangements then what is the problem.
It's about time people took responsibility for their own actions and didn't rely on government to make decisions for them. This nation is heading towards a nanny state where no individual choice is allowed. Why not dispense with the flight plan and insert a computer chip (into every pilot) with GPS that is mointored by Satellite...
Moderate, Modest & Mild.
Why not dispense with the flight plan and insert a computer chip (into every pilot) with GPS that is mointored by Satellite...
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ELT's
Often they do not activate after a crash. Personal EPIRB is better idea, set it before you make the hit and keep it on you or your crew/pax.
A few weeks ago AUSAR commence a search here in QLD and they found a perfectly good aeroplane....dicky ELT.
Why not have either and a SARTIME as well.
J
A few weeks ago AUSAR commence a search here in QLD and they found a perfectly good aeroplane....dicky ELT.
Why not have either and a SARTIME as well.
J
Bill Sommer quoted as saying:
The search would have started within minutes, within minutes of what.
Certainly not the accident.
The SAR time on the plan has to expire first, before anything happens. The VFR flight plan system in New Zealand is completely computer based. If it is filed via the internet the only person who knows its there is the pilot. The only time anyone else knows a plan has been filed is when the SAR time expires and the computer spits out an overdue indication.
You are encouraged to ensure that you allow plently of time to cancel after you land if you are not cancelling in the air.
You could crash hours before the SAR time expires, no one will start looking until the computer raises the alarm.
All aircraft in New zealand must carry an operative ELBA. Obviously didn't work in this case.
He said a flight plan may not have saved Dr Smith and Ms D'Eve but it would meant the search for them would have begun within minutes and not the next day.
Certainly not the accident.
The SAR time on the plan has to expire first, before anything happens. The VFR flight plan system in New Zealand is completely computer based. If it is filed via the internet the only person who knows its there is the pilot. The only time anyone else knows a plan has been filed is when the SAR time expires and the computer spits out an overdue indication.
You are encouraged to ensure that you allow plently of time to cancel after you land if you are not cancelling in the air.
You could crash hours before the SAR time expires, no one will start looking until the computer raises the alarm.
All aircraft in New zealand must carry an operative ELBA. Obviously didn't work in this case.
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Given the time line you could safely bet any SAR effort would not have got underway till daylight monday anyway.
Curious, the aircraft was a radar contact. Was it also in radio contact, clearance through the zone etc?
Curious, the aircraft was a radar contact. Was it also in radio contact, clearance through the zone etc?
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easy to be well clear of controlled airspace at amberley beach - LL 3500 there, having just dropped from LL5500, and LL9500 just north of that. i'm not sure what the weather was, but it would not be unusual for the cloud base to be 1000 - 1500ft, with VFR aircraft tracking the coast south, past kaikoura and turning inland at the first opportunity (with that cloud base) since cape campbell, which is amberley/lethfield
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mandatory flight plans
unfortunatley elt's dont go off after a crash , we had an aircraft stolen which later crashed at night riped both wings off then hit yhe ground and elt didn't go off . flight service don't really won't to know about us (private op's) know unless you go sar times then pilot's (even commercial ) forget to cancel them
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Didn't save a thief!!
And what happened after the prang, the thief had heaps of TV coverage!!! You or your insurer lost a plane. And the ELT did not work. Carry a personal EPIRB as well. if you survive a big one chances are your personal EPIRB will be able to be switched on. Or better still if you know you are going down turn it on first!
J
J
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ELT underwater
Nike
While I don't wish to get this thread off topic, too much.
ELT's will work underwater, a story from the NT several years ago has a Bell Super transporter (B21?) went down off Troughton Is. The ELT was bieng reported for a few days by overflying heavies. The water up there is deep enough.
Hope this helps.
While I don't wish to get this thread off topic, too much.
ELT's will work underwater, a story from the NT several years ago has a Bell Super transporter (B21?) went down off Troughton Is. The ELT was bieng reported for a few days by overflying heavies. The water up there is deep enough.
Hope this helps.
