Light aircraft down in Dundee
 

My dear wife (her words) just got stuck in traffic in Dundee after a light aircaft came down in a tree on the municipal golf course. TV pictures showed it stuck about 40 ft up in the tree with the pilot OK but stuck in the plane. 3 axis microlight, not a local club aircraft. Pilot is reported OK.

Not so much down, as up....
 

I think that one is based at Damyn's Hall.

.... after a light aircaft came down in a tree on the municipal golf course

Under the Rules of Golf, the aircraft would appear to be an "movable obstruction" but the unfortunate pilot, as a "natural object", would theoretically be a "loose impediment"!:ouch:

Jack

FLIGHT DESIGN CTSW? - Apparently the tree is pretty much unscathed and , thankfully, so is the Pilot.

One imagines he's a bit teed off. Was the controller using PAR for a GCA (Golf Course Approach)? :}

Yes, but he was a fair-way from the airport and only got one green instead of three. I wonder which club he was from? A little birdie told me the aircraft was heard to go putt-putt before it came down.:)
NS

Looks like he's wearing a Hi-viz vest, clearly that is what saved him. Glad he's OK though.

Looking for a lost ball?

I'm sure he would have thought it was safer to "drive" after that event. An "eagle" eye view would be better to see what other potential places to land were around though. But then again a "slice" of luck there when the engine "faded" I'm sure he'll go to the 19th hole afterwards for a drink and a "sandwedge". Unfortunately it looks like he bent an "iron" or two.
:}

I was on duty today and this is one very lucky man!!!

I dont believe this!!
We were operatiing on a Jersey service today and heard this chap conversing with Scottish. Causing all sorts of confusion but enjoying his day, operating at 9000 - 10000 feet enroute to Kinloss. Repeated requests to fly at a flight level were lost in translation somewhere. When asked his level he said he was '9000 feet over Forth road bridge and enjoying a lovely view'.
Sorry to hear his day ended like this,
I hope he is ok.

CRX.

The talla sector controller, she did a brilliant job !!

Deffo one of the funniest threads I've read here!

Poor fella. Ah well, ya live, ya learn...

BBC NEWS | UK | Scotland | Tayside and Central | 'Biggles' tale saved crash pilot

What a complete and utter idiot.

I was going to post something more moderate, but in combination with the conversations reported in earlier posts on Scottish, I can conclude that this chap is nothing other than a danger to himself and others.

He needs his licence withdrawn and his head examined. Quotations of Biggles adventures suggests an extreme Walter Mitty character.

I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that a Pilots Airmanship is inversely proportional to the aircrafts Max All Up Weight and/or HP of his engine....:ugh:

I think we are being a bit harsh now, I know the guy, he flys from our airfield. he absolutely loves flying, but really strugled to get his licence. he is a very low time pilot having only got his NPPLM about 3.5 years ago and i would guess that even now he has a lot less than 100 hours. what may appear funny to others was probably his way of trying to deal with a situation that was turning bad. he is not a young man and has "his own way with dealing with stressfull situations" and although i find him hard work to be around, i have grown to like him over the years and wish him a speedy recovery.

Apparently he'd just done a low fly-by as he thought he might be losing fuel from the fuel tanks. He said he thought he might have a "hole in one".:rolleyes:
I've heard of people buying aircraft with their nest egg but this is taking it too far!
Perhaps he was a member here on "Prune" and thought this was some kind of initiation requirement?
Another rumour is that he was trying to make a "trunk" call on the radio to his famous friend Vicky "Pollard" with whom he "arbors" some kind of grudge.
All in all this "leaves" me in no doubt that this man was "treemendously" lucky.

Stckandrudderman

But the press article describes him as a hero who avoided built up areas and houses skillfully stalling the aircraft into the tree tops :)

We all know the press never get it wrong.

Nevertheless he is a very low time pilot and flying enthusiast and maybe he will learn something from this event? and come back a better pilot.

I wish him a speedy recovery and return to his new found passion.

Pace

Bearing in mind how the press is known to read these pages I think we all agree with the BBC article that the chap was a hero and had a miraculous escape in the face of almost insurmountable odds http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n107/DB6Mk2/Rock.gif. I'm sure the chaps from Gatwick will all agree with us too http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n...biggrinsys.gif .

Quite.

I apologise to those who know him if I seem harsh, but he should not be in the air on his own.

There seem to be a number of incidents where aircraft have landed on the canopy of trees like this and the occupants left unscathed.

ReHeat

That is harsh ! I am sure there are not many of us who can look back and havent at some time done something totally stupid which we got away with?

The difference is that he didnt get away with it. That makes his story fodder for us armchair /bar room pilots in this forum to disect and devour and judge in our leaisure and the comfort of our homes.

He is a low time, inexperienced pilot with more enthusiasm than ability and knowledge and that has got him into a mess.

Inadvertantly he proabably did the right thing stalling into the trees rather than hitting them at high speed.

It will be a hard lesson for him (I hope) and one that he will learn from. Banning him? No. Take that route and principal and there are probably loads of us who should have been banned at one time or another.

Pace

light aircraft down at golf course
 

CRX

But would you ban him from flying? Maybe insist on further training etc but Ban? Surely that would open a can of worms?

Pace

The BBCi report says: "He found himself left with no choice but to make his first emergency landing at the golf course, after a failed attempt to put down at Dundee Airport."

The golf course is on the NE side of the city, and the airport on the SW side. It would be interesting to see his track/altitude between the two.

I suppose that is the problem with owning your own machine with a low level of experience.

If you self fly hire from a club, an instructor has to authorise your flight (at my club anyway). This means if you are planning a trip of that distance (chelmsford - kinloss, in this case) your planning, fuel calcs, route etc will be reviewed, thus preventing any gross errors. In addition to that the majority of clubs have 30 day (there abouts) currency requirements, which is also effective in picking up rusty areas etc.

In other words you have someone with a greater level of experience 'keeping an eye on you'. Which was probably lacking in this case - although nobody can say for sure.

I am not saying that low hour pilots should not own aircraft, but it does remove this safety net......... the debate continues.

.

Controversial viewpoint on a site frequented by drivers of heavy metal :p:ok:

If that's true, then the FE should hang his head in shame, and think long and hard. Just as much chance of causing chaos on a local bimble as on any other type of outing.

What prevented him from landing at Dundee. Dundee is a nice airport to fly into, especially in comparison to some trees on a golf course...

Biggles never got shot down over Dundee :ok:

Without you on duty then, things would've turned out much worse... Hurrah! :)

CRX's comments earlier about the increased work load put on ATC are dead right!!...for the controller to be confronted with an ultralite aircraft flying through the middle of her IFR traffic as she tried to sequence it for arrival to Edinbugh is glady not a daily occurence....she did a brilliant job but then one as to be expected ...:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

I suppose landing on one of those long flat fairway thingies was the more difficult option then..... :ouch:

A V G (“Vince”) Hagedorn

Is:
A graduate in Maths

Having flown past Edinburgh, Fife, Leuchars and than Dundee - at which point, only a few miles to the north of the city, did he eventually realise that the sume total of his remaining fuel wasn't even going to get him back to Caird Park Golf course and not Kinloss , as he had planned.

He allegedly thought about putting down at Leuchars ( press quote) but , if this is so, then he could have got to where he did without flying right over the East of the city of Dundee - Much easier to approach Dundee airport by descending over the river towards the field.

I'm sorry but as hero of the hour he is a very lucky man. His flight planning was pants - From Barrow to Kinloss, Dundee is probably just over half way. Why didn't he route via Perth which would have avoided the conflict with EDI and given him two diversion possibilities?

you beat me to it
 

ORAC - i concur , having looked at the golf course on Google Earth , there seems to be rather more long fairways than trees ? difficult to believe that every fairway was occupied the whole length , those microlights stop in about 50 yds don't they, besides he could have stuck his head out of the window and shouted FORE !! that would have made any golfers scatter :ok:
still I'm glad he made it.

What I find incredulous is the fact that he is reported as being onroute to visit his daughter following a berievement.
Why didn't he go sqeezy jet or ryanscare? I'm sure she feels a lot better now, it will take her mind off things!:ugh:

More from BBCi:

"Greg Martin said: "It's incredibly lucky. The pilot has not just saved his own life, but avoided a catastrophe. "It is a miracle he is alive. He must have been pretty capable at handling that aeroplane."

"The pilot must have seen what was ahead and kept away from the built-up areas. He deserves credit.""

Mr Martin - I salute your optimism :E

"I elected to land in a tree rather than the golf course fairway." :ugh:His words, live on the BBC. Susan Boyle, eat your heart out :}

I think he made the wrong decision :eek:

I must admit that decision had me puzzled!
Nice long par 5 or a solid tree?????

Still am glad he is still here to explain the decision :-)