Winslow Arizona, May 11, 2016
 

Our American cousins do have quaint practices, such as writing dates out of order, when abbreviated. Easy to become confused, therefore, trying to make sense out of a US accident/incident report.

Makes me appreciate even more the British AAIB, with the complete story in decent English; nothing left out, nothing exaggerated.

Tracey completed the report form on May 18, 2016, and signed it as the pilot in charge of this flight (P1). Evidently the Boeing Stearman owner is given as 3G Classic Aviation based in Delaware, a state with a reputation of convenience for questionable enterprise. Somewhere in this thread I remember reading that Ewald owned the aircraft, and five or six others of the same type....

The relevant information to my mind about TCT are the details given of her experience; total time 1,750. Total time on type 450, and in command, 440.
She also claims an instructor rating, which in the US may be quite basic -

Ewald gives total time of 20,300 hours, ATC, IR, Multi engine, FI. And on this type, 850 hours. Pilot in charge, 460 hours, and as instructor, 180 hours. Doesn't seem to add up, somehow.

Do I recall some FAA wheeze where pilots flying with other pilots can still both log PiC?

G

Doesn't Ewald own the Stearman? Perhaps he wanted to keep it one piece!

Thanks, Sam. That sheds some interesting further light on this fascinating saga.

On the Farnborough to Oz flight she went from Farnborough to Merville (stopped for a while) and then flew on to Charleville.

Two relatively short hops (roughly 135nm and then 95nm). The first leg we know she did solo as there is video of her leaving Farnborough. Did she wait at Merville to pick up Ewald before flying on to Charleville?

Maybe someone knows just where he joined the flight. Seems odd that she did not do this in 1 hop as it is well within the range of the Stearman.

Uni Update. Spoke to them today, I have been assured of a written response tomorrow.

To be fair to TCT flying across the Channel solo in a vintage open cockpit stick and rudder plane takes a bit bottle, every time I coast out at Weymouth making for Cherbourg my arse is all puckered up for the entire crossing and that's with a back-up AI and an instrument ticket.

Mary,

Not just questionable enterprise, but any corporation looking to minimize taxes. My first employer, in Canada, was Chevron, but the company was a Delaware subsidiary of the parent company.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2012/07/01...uckduckgo.com/

Shouild you look at the video of the Farmborough departure at 2:15 you will see a middle aged gentleman jump off the wing of a PA-28 parked in the hanger who TCT confers with with what looks like a map draped on the stabilator. At 11:11 the gentleman can be seen pulling the aircraft onto the ramp. Is the younger guy Ewald? I can imagine the conversation between the gentleman and TCT while gesticulating to the map ran along the lines of "we'll rendezvous here and lead you across the channel and land at Merville where Ewald can hop out and jump in the Stearman". Tell me I'm dreaming.

Should anyone be interested the new beta Companies House webcheck service allows you view private limited companies information with a simple free search.

It took me precisely 4 minutes to find and look at at basic abbreviated accounts of Bird in a Biplane Limited going back to 2012 ish, with a list of previous directors.

All this limited company information is open source and fully in the public domain.

At 11:11 it is Ewald.

I'm afraid this is a bit of a red herring: all N-Reg aircraft have to be owned by a US entity and most foreign based N-regs tend to be owned by Trusts which are set up in Delaware because the admin is simpler and cheaper. My own aircraft is owned on this basis.

Fowlmere was the registered address for Bird in a Biplane Ltd from August 2013 to May 2014.

see Dellam Corporate Information Limited, England

Although there is an edit at 6:27, to be fair in this video Tracey (or anyone else for that matter) does not mention 'solo' or 'alone ' in this video.

It seems to me that the campaign led by this thread has reached an impasse. It is unlikely that TCT will answer the questions posed and even if she did, I think it would lead to a long series of claims and counterclaims that would probably get us nowhere.

Much better to concentrate on the organisations that gave her awards as Satcos Whipping Boy is doing admirably with Portsmouth Uni.

As an LAA member, I was pleased to get the opportunity to rescind her award but this only occurred because Barry Tempest and others from WITHIN the LAA took the initiative. Surely there must be people from within the other organisations who are now unhappy with the awards? It is these people that should be found and encouraged to raise the matter within their own organisations.

A line to follow? No need there is a magenta one on the 430 in the Piper

Surely you are not suggesting messing up a nice chart with a china-graph pencil Satco:rolleyes:

...and perhaps a blue and yellow aircraft too ;)

I am obviously out of touch with back-up plans and the modern over-reliance upon fallible technology.
Cheers
SWB

edited to respond to Jay:
and perhaps some hdgs, timings and freqs. If none of these are required these days then I can categorically state that my wife could have done what TCT did. Maybe I should put her up for an Honorary Doctorate. ;)

Pity the knee pad notes are out of focus, perhaps something like:

1: Smile for camera
2: Fire up Stearman
3 Smile for camera
4. Takeoff, fly 3 miles on runway heading then circle till Cherokee catches up
5. Follow Cherokee to Merville, land. (god I'll need a drink)
6. Have Austria's answer to Lord Lucan jump in up front.
7. Sit back, relax, Sydney here we come, STRIKE THAT, Sydney here I come !

Forfoxake I agree completely, especially your last thought. I also believe that we should still keep digging because I'm convinced that there are a few more nuggets out there to add to the lies already exposed (Herne Bay video and her Seattle presentation map).

if I were a biz-jet owner who frequents Farnborough, I would be asking TAG why they let a Robbo-munching Stearman taxi within half a mile of my aircraft. :)

Let's stick to relevant facts, and avoid more distant speculation please....