June 2006 calendar

[John Eacott]

June 2006 calendar & related accident

Another couple of offerings from around the world this month. The R22 image comes from vaqueroaero, and was taken near San Diego. Click on the thumbnail image, and the full size photo will open to be available as your desktop image (the widescreen images are fairly large files, so expect a slow download if you're on a dialup connection):




Belly Tank provided the S64 image from firefighting at Gosford, NSW, earlier this year. The Rural Fire Service contracted this Skycrane:





We are still looking for good hi res photos to be used as calendar backgrounds, please contact me via e mail [email protected] if you have something to be used. I need at least 1280 x 800 for widescreen, and 1024 x 768 for standard.

Thanks

[helo1]

Calender

Great calender John.
Will go through my pics and send you some

Anthony

[franzliszt]

June Calendar

An excellent calendar John - thank you very much - looks great!

FL

[rotorob]

Thanks again, John, for some marvellous backdrops. I hope that the R22 pilot can see a bit more of the ground than we can, assuming that he is supposed to be in VMC.....
Rob.

[Heliport]

More superb calendars John.

Thanks to vaqueroaero in California and Belly Tank in Oz for providing this month's superb pictures.


Heliport

[John Eacott]

Sad to report that the pilot & owner of the R22 in June's calendar, Peter Simpson, died whilst flying last week off the coast of Oregon

[22clipper]

That's grim news John, what happened?

[John Eacott]

Link here.

DESCRIPTION

N168PT, A ROBINSON R44 ROTORCRAFT, CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES INTO THE OCEAN ONE MILE OFF THE COAST, THE THREE PERSONS ON BOARD WERE FATALLY INJURED, WEST OF ASTORIA, OR

WEATHER: AST METAR 131455Z AUTO 00000KT 5SM BR OVC004 13/12 A3007

[vaqueroaero]

I flew with Peter out of Civic Helicopters in Carlsbad for about 3 years. He worked there as an instructor and mechanic. He had achived a life ambition by buying his own R22, and he also owned a gyroplane. He was due to get married in December. He was a CFII.

He was piloting the R44, with 2 others onboard, and was following a Jet Ranger. The weather report given by John Eacott doesn't quite match what the coast guard reported on scene. They reported 1/4 mile visibility and an indefinite 100 foot ceiling. What they were doing flying in those conditions and 1 mile off shore I just don't know. I have my own theory as to what happened and I don't think it requires too much speculation.

They were part of an expedition that was retracing the path opened by Lewis and Clarke.

A tragic and totally wasteful end to 3 lives.