Touch & Go
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The 27-year-old man from Yaraka, in central western Queensland, was granted bail by Alice Springs Magistrates Court as his legal team arrives in the red centre over weekend.
The tyres on the aircraft left two long marks on the surface of the famous landmark, which are expected to cost millions to remove.
He has has been charged with a string of aviation and criminal offences, which include operating an aircraft while intoxicated, endangering the safety of an aircraft and criminal damage of a sacred site.
The man’s six-seater, single-engine Piper Saratoga has been seized by Northern Territory Police for forensic examination.
Detectives are trying to establish what motivated the man to try to land his plane on the monolith and he’s chosen to remain silent over the matter.
Local media have dubbed the pilot “The Red Centre Barron” but have been placed under a gag order – effectively blacking out coverage from mainstream media.
Dayle Wap-Johns is a cleaner at the nearby Ayers Rock Resort and saw the action unfold.
“He coming in hot. Like real hot,” said Mr Wap-Johns.
“He done flown right over [sic] my head and straight on for the rock,”
“I heard the ‘squeek’ from they tires, too – when he put ‘er [sic] down.”
As The Betoota Advocate is independently owned and run, we are not subject to the gag order and can report on the story accordingly.
The alleged aviation criminal is set to reappear in court later this month.
The tyres on the aircraft left two long marks on the surface of the famous landmark, which are expected to cost millions to remove.
He has has been charged with a string of aviation and criminal offences, which include operating an aircraft while intoxicated, endangering the safety of an aircraft and criminal damage of a sacred site.
The man’s six-seater, single-engine Piper Saratoga has been seized by Northern Territory Police for forensic examination.
Detectives are trying to establish what motivated the man to try to land his plane on the monolith and he’s chosen to remain silent over the matter.
Local media have dubbed the pilot “The Red Centre Barron” but have been placed under a gag order – effectively blacking out coverage from mainstream media.
Dayle Wap-Johns is a cleaner at the nearby Ayers Rock Resort and saw the action unfold.
“He coming in hot. Like real hot,” said Mr Wap-Johns.
“He done flown right over [sic] my head and straight on for the rock,”
“I heard the ‘squeek’ from they tires, too – when he put ‘er [sic] down.”
As The Betoota Advocate is independently owned and run, we are not subject to the gag order and can report on the story accordingly.
The alleged aviation criminal is set to reappear in court later this month.
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I predict a long and costly investigation by CASA, taking no less than a year, at the cost of around 2 million dollars. The inevitable result will be said pilot loses his license and launches a string of ultimately unsuccessful appeals, and a whole lot of new regulations are drafted that jerk us all around.
AVMED will no doubt want a crack at it as well, introducing mandatory liver function tests to check for alcoholism, and "cultural awareness" will be included in the human factors exam.
AVMED will no doubt want a crack at it as well, introducing mandatory liver function tests to check for alcoholism, and "cultural awareness" will be included in the human factors exam.
Wow! Not quite what I was expecting to read when I clicked on this thread.
It doesn't beat the V35 under the Eiffel Tower, but it's 'up there' in the crazy stakes (if true).
It doesn't beat the V35 under the Eiffel Tower, but it's 'up there' in the crazy stakes (if true).
Given that it's not the first of April, to what do we attribute this hoax?
Something on at Uluru in the near future? Flagging tourist numbers?
Or just good ol' fun? If so ...
Something on at Uluru in the near future? Flagging tourist numbers?
Or just good ol' fun? If so ...
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Smacks of a tourism-oriented media stunt to me.
Anybody who's been up there and had a wander around would know it wouldn't be a good place to land a airyplane.
EDIT: I just re-read that report in post #2. I call BS on that story!
.
Anybody who's been up there and had a wander around would know it wouldn't be a good place to land a airyplane.
EDIT: I just re-read that report in post #2. I call BS on that story!
.
Last edited by Stanwell; 5th Feb 2015 at 08:53.
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I'm with Creamie....hoax 
Having been up there (once) I struggle to recall an area big enough to do a T&G in a hot air balloon, let alone something like a 'toga. You might touch, but the next undulation will leave you legless
Be more of a touch and splatt
Having been up there (once) I struggle to recall an area big enough to do a T&G in a hot air balloon, let alone something like a 'toga. You might touch, but the next undulation will leave you legless
Be more of a touch and splatt
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The Beetoota Advocate is a satirical paper which publishes hoaxes and sendups. Following the recent knighthood story, the advocate published a story on Bill Shorten's plan to make Prince Phillip head of the CFMEU. The advocate has featured on the ABC's Media Watch when the commercial TV stations have taken up the advocate's stories as real without checking first.
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The Beetoota Advocate is a satirical paper which publishes hoaxes and sendups. Following the recent knighthood story, the advocate published a story on Bill Shorten's plan to make Prince Phillip head of the CFMEU. The advocate has featured on the ABC's Media Watch when the commercial TV stations have taken up the advocate's stories as real without checking first.
Media Watch: The Betoota Advocate takes on Today (17/11/2014)
Cheers
Paul
Awww, I thought we'd snag at least one of the SBS watching, culturally aware mob, before the feline escaped from the bag.
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Photos look similar, they didn't go far for them
The Photos are from a Saratoga with a gear problem in early 2014 at Darwin. NT News reported the story.
Last edited by dayzel87; 5th Feb 2015 at 14:26.