You probably can't "hear" planes flying overhead when the wind is blowing 100 kts. Also, they are undoubtedly sheltered in a snow-covered area or snow drift which deadens the sound considerably. Does anyone know the altitude of the site? A media report I heard said 4000 metres...i.e. 13,000 ft. Doesn't sound likely that the T-O would be flying up there.cncpc wrote:Would there be some means of communicating with the aircraft they hear flying overhead, independent of their normal on board radio gear?
Plane missing in Antarctica
Moderators: lilfssister, North Shore, sky's the limit, sepia, Sulako
Re: Plane missing in Antarctica
Re: Plane missing in Antarctica
A little history
In 2001 Canadians aviators were called upon to pull off a dramatic rescue at the South Pole. A risky mission undertaken by a crew and plane from Calgary’s Kenn Borek Air. With news that an aircraft from the same company has gone missing in Antarctica we’ve decided to share our documentary profiling the heroic mission undertaken a decade ago.
It’s a land of either perpetual darkness or constant daylight. Fourteen million square kilometres of ice and snow - about one and a half times the size of Canada. Antarctica is truly the last great wilderness.
During the Antarctic summer at the Amundsen-Scott Research Center, scientists visit this remote corner of the world to collect data about the ozone layer and global warming.
Related Stories
Bad weather hampers search for Canadian plane missing in Antarctica
Plane carrying 3 Canadians goes missing in Antarctica
Photos
A Kenn Borek Air Twin Otter sits on a makeshift runway at the South Pole.
One of the Kenn Borek Air Twin Otters was able to land at the South Pole. But would it be able to depart?
But in the winter, everything shuts down. Six months of darkness engulfs the South Pole. Temperatures are so low that no life form can survive, except under a domed bunker built for a handful of scientists who continue their research.
Completely isolated from the rest of the world, the South Pole in winter is like living on the moon. After the last plane, usually in March, no one can leave and no one arrives, except just one remarkable time.
In the midst of winter’s isolation in 2001, the station’s medical doctor, Dr. Ron Shemenski developed pancreatitis and needed emergency surgery. At a hospital, in the outside world simple day surgery would cure him, but at the South Pole, nothing is simple. Shemenski needed to be evacuated – immediately.
But Shemenski was initially not too keen on having to leave the station.
“What was pointed out to me, I had the right to take my own chances, but I did not have the right to take the chance and leave 49 people without a doctor down there for the winter… I’m the only physician and there’s nobody to back me up. And that was the decision to take me out. I didn’t agree with it, but that was the decision,” said Shemenski.
So the South Pole base manager and support staff back in Denver developed an extraordinary plan. For the first time in history, they would send a plane to the bottom of the world in total darkness, to rescue the doctor and bring in a replacement. The temperatures at that time of year were cold enough to snap a piece of metal like a twig. The call first went out to the U.S. Air Force and its Air National Guard wing.
Fifty American military personnel were enlisted. Three LC-130 Hercules cargo planes were put on stand by and moved into position at Christchurch, New Zealand, to airlift the doctor back to the States. But the South Pole was too cold for the Hercules. Even if they landed, they’d never get back off the ground. The U.S. Air Force soon called off the mission.
But Raytheon, the American corporation that co-ordinates supplies for the South Pole, wasn’t giving up. If the U.S. Air Force wasn’t up to the job, they believed the Canadians would be.
It would be up to three young men in one small Canadian bush plane.
Sean Loutitt, Mark Cary and Norm Wong were about to embark on the flight of their lives on the legendary Twin Otter. It was designed by Canada’s deHavilland Aircraft in the 1960s, specifically for the Canadian north. The Twin Otter played a crucial role in opening the remote regions of Canada. Forty years later, it’s still the workhorse of the north. (The plane also ferries tens of thousands of passengers a year on commuter flights between Vancouver and Victoria.)
Sean Loutitt would lead the mission to the South Pole. Loutitt was the chief pilot for Kenn Borek Air in Calgary. For more than two decades the pilots of Kenn Borek Air and their Twin Otters have been criss-crossing the Antarctic.
As a seasoned bush pilot, raised in Canada’s Arctic, Loutitt is familiar with flying in extreme conditions. He also knew the Antarctic weather and understood the risks. Loutitt would leave nothing to chance.
“I don’t want to risk my life. I’m not going on a suicide mission...You start thinking about some of the possibilities that could happen and you want to make sure you plan for all the contingencies involved,” said Loutitt.
Two Twin Otters would leave from Calgary. One plane would fly into the South Pole. The second plane would act as a back up, in case of an emergency.
At the South Pole, the staff would have 10 days to prepare for the Twin Otter. Their first challenge – dig out a two-kilometre landing strip.
The small plane landing would be landing blind, in blowing snow and life robbing cold – at the bottom of the world. The runway was over two kilometers from base camp. The tractors had never operated before at temperatures this low. They were afraid the tracks would snap. At the South Pole, they were getting ready for the unbelievable.
The simplest task took considerable time and effort and planning. It was like working in outer space. Even the simplest task – like lighting the runway – required ingenuity.
“We had to light a runway with 55 gallon drums filled with wood and gas. Gasoline won’t burn at those temperatures. We poured gasoline on the wood and it wouldn’t burn, it just turns to crystals and the only way we could get the gasoline to burn was to use a propane torch to heat it up to the point where it starts to burn,” said Shemenski.
The two fully loaded Twin Otters made the five-day flight from Calgary to Punta Arenas, Chile. From there, they lifted off and headed to the British research station, Rothera on the Antarctic Peninsula. From Rothera, they would make the 10-hour journey south, across the continent to the South Pole, to save Dr. Shemenski.
Using the most sophisticated weather forecasting equipment in the world, they waited for a 36-hour window of good weather. Enough time to get to the South Pole, rest then fly back out.
There were two planes, two crews. One would go to the Pole; the other would wait at Rothera. It would be the search and rescue plane if the first one went down. It had been decided that Loutitt and Cary would be the pilots going to the pole. They then flipped a coin to decide which of the two mechanics would join them.
After three days in Rothera, there was a break in the weather. And so began the ten-hour flight into the unknown. Approximately half-way they would reach the point of no return – where they would no choice but to fly to the Pole.
Four hours into the flight, the weather took a turn for the worse but the crew carried on with their mission instead of turning back. The Twin Otter made a perfect landing. An incredible journey across a dark, empty continent – guided in by a dozen burning barrels.
“To finally see what you’re looking for and to be able to identify, that was an extremely special moment… It was very poetic actually to arrive at the bottom of the world, in a land that’s covered in ice and snow, to these glowing barrels of burning debris,” said Cary.
But the journey was only half over – and the most difficult part was yet to come.
They had begun a new chapter in aviation history – now if they could get off the ground the chapter would be complete.
But when they started up the engines to leave, there was trouble. The flaps were frozen in the fully extended position. If they couldn’t be fixed, the plane would never get the speed it needed for flight. If the problem wasn’t fixed – they would spend the next 6 months at the South Pole. It would be up to engineer Norm Wong to fix the plane.
“You get a heightened awareness. Time seems to slow done and you just focus on the problem and what you need to – accomplish what the goal is to get the aircraft running and operating again,” said Wong.
When the going gets rough, bush pilots are notorious for throwing out the rule book. They call it bush maintenance. They jerry-rigged the controls, not part of aviation rules, but they’re not exactly written for winter at the South Pole.
It was one of the slowest, longest, take-offs in Twin Otter history. But they were in the air. They hoped they were going in the right direction, but the instruments couldn’t be trusted in this cold, remote corner of the world. Later they received a sign.
“All of a sudden, there was this faint pink line on the horizon. It was really beautiful to watch it grow. It was like a gift and a sign to say everything’s going to work out and you guys are going the right way,” said Cary.
The rescue was over. But as they arrived in Punta Arena, Chile, they were met by scores of reporters – the eyes of the world were turned upon the Canadian crew and the reclusive Dr. Shemenski. It may have been the only time the crew of the Twin Otter were truly scared.
By the time they landed back in Calgary the media interest had reached a fevered pitch. Two Canadian pilots and one Canadian engineer had conquered the coldest place in the world. It would change the South Pole and perhaps Canada forever.
At Rideau Hall, the residence of the Governor General, the Twin Otter crew received their country’s honour for bravery.
They had made history, saved a life, and changed forever the isolation at the bottom of the world.
Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/w5/canadians-pull ... z2IvKyhjpJ
In 2001 Canadians aviators were called upon to pull off a dramatic rescue at the South Pole. A risky mission undertaken by a crew and plane from Calgary’s Kenn Borek Air. With news that an aircraft from the same company has gone missing in Antarctica we’ve decided to share our documentary profiling the heroic mission undertaken a decade ago.
It’s a land of either perpetual darkness or constant daylight. Fourteen million square kilometres of ice and snow - about one and a half times the size of Canada. Antarctica is truly the last great wilderness.
During the Antarctic summer at the Amundsen-Scott Research Center, scientists visit this remote corner of the world to collect data about the ozone layer and global warming.
Related Stories
Bad weather hampers search for Canadian plane missing in Antarctica
Plane carrying 3 Canadians goes missing in Antarctica
Photos
A Kenn Borek Air Twin Otter sits on a makeshift runway at the South Pole.
One of the Kenn Borek Air Twin Otters was able to land at the South Pole. But would it be able to depart?
But in the winter, everything shuts down. Six months of darkness engulfs the South Pole. Temperatures are so low that no life form can survive, except under a domed bunker built for a handful of scientists who continue their research.
Completely isolated from the rest of the world, the South Pole in winter is like living on the moon. After the last plane, usually in March, no one can leave and no one arrives, except just one remarkable time.
In the midst of winter’s isolation in 2001, the station’s medical doctor, Dr. Ron Shemenski developed pancreatitis and needed emergency surgery. At a hospital, in the outside world simple day surgery would cure him, but at the South Pole, nothing is simple. Shemenski needed to be evacuated – immediately.
But Shemenski was initially not too keen on having to leave the station.
“What was pointed out to me, I had the right to take my own chances, but I did not have the right to take the chance and leave 49 people without a doctor down there for the winter… I’m the only physician and there’s nobody to back me up. And that was the decision to take me out. I didn’t agree with it, but that was the decision,” said Shemenski.
So the South Pole base manager and support staff back in Denver developed an extraordinary plan. For the first time in history, they would send a plane to the bottom of the world in total darkness, to rescue the doctor and bring in a replacement. The temperatures at that time of year were cold enough to snap a piece of metal like a twig. The call first went out to the U.S. Air Force and its Air National Guard wing.
Fifty American military personnel were enlisted. Three LC-130 Hercules cargo planes were put on stand by and moved into position at Christchurch, New Zealand, to airlift the doctor back to the States. But the South Pole was too cold for the Hercules. Even if they landed, they’d never get back off the ground. The U.S. Air Force soon called off the mission.
But Raytheon, the American corporation that co-ordinates supplies for the South Pole, wasn’t giving up. If the U.S. Air Force wasn’t up to the job, they believed the Canadians would be.
It would be up to three young men in one small Canadian bush plane.
Sean Loutitt, Mark Cary and Norm Wong were about to embark on the flight of their lives on the legendary Twin Otter. It was designed by Canada’s deHavilland Aircraft in the 1960s, specifically for the Canadian north. The Twin Otter played a crucial role in opening the remote regions of Canada. Forty years later, it’s still the workhorse of the north. (The plane also ferries tens of thousands of passengers a year on commuter flights between Vancouver and Victoria.)
Sean Loutitt would lead the mission to the South Pole. Loutitt was the chief pilot for Kenn Borek Air in Calgary. For more than two decades the pilots of Kenn Borek Air and their Twin Otters have been criss-crossing the Antarctic.
As a seasoned bush pilot, raised in Canada’s Arctic, Loutitt is familiar with flying in extreme conditions. He also knew the Antarctic weather and understood the risks. Loutitt would leave nothing to chance.
“I don’t want to risk my life. I’m not going on a suicide mission...You start thinking about some of the possibilities that could happen and you want to make sure you plan for all the contingencies involved,” said Loutitt.
Two Twin Otters would leave from Calgary. One plane would fly into the South Pole. The second plane would act as a back up, in case of an emergency.
At the South Pole, the staff would have 10 days to prepare for the Twin Otter. Their first challenge – dig out a two-kilometre landing strip.
The small plane landing would be landing blind, in blowing snow and life robbing cold – at the bottom of the world. The runway was over two kilometers from base camp. The tractors had never operated before at temperatures this low. They were afraid the tracks would snap. At the South Pole, they were getting ready for the unbelievable.
The simplest task took considerable time and effort and planning. It was like working in outer space. Even the simplest task – like lighting the runway – required ingenuity.
“We had to light a runway with 55 gallon drums filled with wood and gas. Gasoline won’t burn at those temperatures. We poured gasoline on the wood and it wouldn’t burn, it just turns to crystals and the only way we could get the gasoline to burn was to use a propane torch to heat it up to the point where it starts to burn,” said Shemenski.
The two fully loaded Twin Otters made the five-day flight from Calgary to Punta Arenas, Chile. From there, they lifted off and headed to the British research station, Rothera on the Antarctic Peninsula. From Rothera, they would make the 10-hour journey south, across the continent to the South Pole, to save Dr. Shemenski.
Using the most sophisticated weather forecasting equipment in the world, they waited for a 36-hour window of good weather. Enough time to get to the South Pole, rest then fly back out.
There were two planes, two crews. One would go to the Pole; the other would wait at Rothera. It would be the search and rescue plane if the first one went down. It had been decided that Loutitt and Cary would be the pilots going to the pole. They then flipped a coin to decide which of the two mechanics would join them.
After three days in Rothera, there was a break in the weather. And so began the ten-hour flight into the unknown. Approximately half-way they would reach the point of no return – where they would no choice but to fly to the Pole.
Four hours into the flight, the weather took a turn for the worse but the crew carried on with their mission instead of turning back. The Twin Otter made a perfect landing. An incredible journey across a dark, empty continent – guided in by a dozen burning barrels.
“To finally see what you’re looking for and to be able to identify, that was an extremely special moment… It was very poetic actually to arrive at the bottom of the world, in a land that’s covered in ice and snow, to these glowing barrels of burning debris,” said Cary.
But the journey was only half over – and the most difficult part was yet to come.
They had begun a new chapter in aviation history – now if they could get off the ground the chapter would be complete.
But when they started up the engines to leave, there was trouble. The flaps were frozen in the fully extended position. If they couldn’t be fixed, the plane would never get the speed it needed for flight. If the problem wasn’t fixed – they would spend the next 6 months at the South Pole. It would be up to engineer Norm Wong to fix the plane.
“You get a heightened awareness. Time seems to slow done and you just focus on the problem and what you need to – accomplish what the goal is to get the aircraft running and operating again,” said Wong.
When the going gets rough, bush pilots are notorious for throwing out the rule book. They call it bush maintenance. They jerry-rigged the controls, not part of aviation rules, but they’re not exactly written for winter at the South Pole.
It was one of the slowest, longest, take-offs in Twin Otter history. But they were in the air. They hoped they were going in the right direction, but the instruments couldn’t be trusted in this cold, remote corner of the world. Later they received a sign.
“All of a sudden, there was this faint pink line on the horizon. It was really beautiful to watch it grow. It was like a gift and a sign to say everything’s going to work out and you guys are going the right way,” said Cary.
The rescue was over. But as they arrived in Punta Arena, Chile, they were met by scores of reporters – the eyes of the world were turned upon the Canadian crew and the reclusive Dr. Shemenski. It may have been the only time the crew of the Twin Otter were truly scared.
By the time they landed back in Calgary the media interest had reached a fevered pitch. Two Canadian pilots and one Canadian engineer had conquered the coldest place in the world. It would change the South Pole and perhaps Canada forever.
At Rideau Hall, the residence of the Governor General, the Twin Otter crew received their country’s honour for bravery.
They had made history, saved a life, and changed forever the isolation at the bottom of the world.
Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/w5/canadians-pull ... z2IvKyhjpJ
Re: Plane missing in Antarctica
Looks like rescuers are on their way
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/weathe ... story.html
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/weathe ... story.html
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sky's the limit
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Re: Plane missing in Antarctica
Just heard the search planes have been launched again. Fingers crossed.
Re: Plane missing in Antarctica
Never turn off your ELT in an emergency. This crew certainly would not have done so. That the ELT operated for 24 hours means that it survived the crash, stayed connected to its antenna, and was not consumed by fire. All good signs.
There is a reporter Bob Weber on here looking for info about Bob Heath. Weber seems slightly familiar with aviation and previous articles aren't too sensationalized but as always when dealing with the media, remember who you're talking to and realize they are probably going to get it wrong. Watch what you say.
There is a reporter Bob Weber on here looking for info about Bob Heath. Weber seems slightly familiar with aviation and previous articles aren't too sensationalized but as always when dealing with the media, remember who you're talking to and realize they are probably going to get it wrong. Watch what you say.
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bornagain1340
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Re: Plane missing in Antarctica
To the crew on the ground and everyone involved in the search: Keep your heads and stay positive. I'm personally picturing the -6 crew inviting their "rescuers" in for a hot cup of tea when they get there...get home safe gentlemen.
Re: Plane missing in Antarctica
Like many others who have flown with Bob Heath, our thoughts and prayers are with him
his wife Lucy, and the other unnamed crew members.
Here is what I make of it.
The information revealed is limited but enough.
First the accident is located at around 83 degrees, which probably means from 82.5 to 83.5
We know the ELT signal is coming "northern end of the Queen Alexandra Range"
"The aircraft was repositioning from the South Pole Station to Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica"
and as of a few hours ago, the signal was no longer being received.
It appears that he was flying through a mountain pass rather than over it
and not much flying time from their destination.
Perhaps someone could check to see if there were any GPS outages at that time?
Did the GPS database contain all the antarctic geographic information?
It reminds of the Air New Zealand GPS waypoint error
as the accident site corresponds to the highest peak.
I'll let someone else use their google earth to look at that.
I'm unable to look at the direct track but it appears to go right thru a mountain pass.
Ramjet
his wife Lucy, and the other unnamed crew members.
Here is what I make of it.
The information revealed is limited but enough.
First the accident is located at around 83 degrees, which probably means from 82.5 to 83.5
We know the ELT signal is coming "northern end of the Queen Alexandra Range"
"The aircraft was repositioning from the South Pole Station to Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica"
and as of a few hours ago, the signal was no longer being received.
It appears that he was flying through a mountain pass rather than over it
and not much flying time from their destination.
Perhaps someone could check to see if there were any GPS outages at that time?
Did the GPS database contain all the antarctic geographic information?
It reminds of the Air New Zealand GPS waypoint error
as the accident site corresponds to the highest peak.
I'll let someone else use their google earth to look at that.
I'm unable to look at the direct track but it appears to go right thru a mountain pass.
Ramjet
Re: Plane missing in Antarctica
New Zealand SAR as of 2000z: http://www.maritimenz.govt.nz/news/medi ... 30125a.asp
Seems like the Twin Otter dispatched out of McMurdo Base this morning was still not able to get visual contact due to cloud cover and winds. 12-hour forecast indicating much of the same, however, 24-hour forecast is indicated that the weather should be clearing up significantly, allowing rescue to take place.
All the best to those involved.
Seems like the Twin Otter dispatched out of McMurdo Base this morning was still not able to get visual contact due to cloud cover and winds. 12-hour forecast indicating much of the same, however, 24-hour forecast is indicated that the weather should be clearing up significantly, allowing rescue to take place.
All the best to those involved.
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bizjets101
- Rank 10
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- Joined: Fri Sep 17, 2010 7:44 pm
Re: Plane missing in Antarctica
Jan 24 15:00 est Press Release # 4
Bad weather continues to prevent visual contact being made with an aircraft missing on a flight in Antarctica from the South Pole to Terra Nova Bay.
The Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) is coordinating the search, working with United States, Canadian and Italian authorities, after the Twin Otter aircraft’s emergency locator transmitter was activated at around 10pm on Wednesday, 23 January. (NZ time).
Another Twin Otter aircraft from McMurdo Base flew to over the site of the beacon activation this morning but heavy cloud and strong winds prevented any visual contact.
The location is at a height of 3,900m (13,000 feet) at the Northern end of the Queen Alexandra Range, within New Zealand’s Search and Rescue Region – halfway between the South Pole and McMurdo Station (approximately 680km (370 nautical miles) in each direction).
RCCNZ Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator Kevin Banaghan said the beacon stopped transmitting overnight but this was not unexpected given the battery life and the cold conditions. The location has been well identified.
“Weather conditions remain very challenging and are forecast to continue for the next 12 hours. However, over the next 24 hours winds in the area are forecast to drop from 90 knots (170km/hr) to 20 knots (35km/hr), with cloud forecast to lift and become scattered.
“When conditions ease, the intention is to set up a forward base at a location approximately 50km from the beacon site, from which to launch operations to the site.”
Weather conditions have not yet allowed helicopters to fly to the area, but two helicopters, including a Southern Lakes (New Zealand) helicopter on contract to Antarctica New Zealand at Scott Base, remain on standby should weather conditions change.
Bad weather continues to prevent visual contact being made with an aircraft missing on a flight in Antarctica from the South Pole to Terra Nova Bay.
The Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) is coordinating the search, working with United States, Canadian and Italian authorities, after the Twin Otter aircraft’s emergency locator transmitter was activated at around 10pm on Wednesday, 23 January. (NZ time).
Another Twin Otter aircraft from McMurdo Base flew to over the site of the beacon activation this morning but heavy cloud and strong winds prevented any visual contact.
The location is at a height of 3,900m (13,000 feet) at the Northern end of the Queen Alexandra Range, within New Zealand’s Search and Rescue Region – halfway between the South Pole and McMurdo Station (approximately 680km (370 nautical miles) in each direction).
RCCNZ Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator Kevin Banaghan said the beacon stopped transmitting overnight but this was not unexpected given the battery life and the cold conditions. The location has been well identified.
“Weather conditions remain very challenging and are forecast to continue for the next 12 hours. However, over the next 24 hours winds in the area are forecast to drop from 90 knots (170km/hr) to 20 knots (35km/hr), with cloud forecast to lift and become scattered.
“When conditions ease, the intention is to set up a forward base at a location approximately 50km from the beacon site, from which to launch operations to the site.”
Weather conditions have not yet allowed helicopters to fly to the area, but two helicopters, including a Southern Lakes (New Zealand) helicopter on contract to Antarctica New Zealand at Scott Base, remain on standby should weather conditions change.
Re: Plane missing in Antarctica
I just got off the phone from talking with Bob's wife Lucy.
Lucy told me I was the first and only pilot who flew with Bob
to give her a phone call.
She very obviously appreciated the call and remembered me.
Lucy does read Bob's log book and asks him about the pilots
he flew with.
Lucy is also receiving lots of unwelcome calls from the press.
If you did NOT fly Bob, or are a member of the press, kindly refrain from calling her
and check the web site of Ken Borek.
If you are a pilot who flew with Bob
I'm sure you will know how to make the call
and that she would appreciate the call.
If you did NOT fly with Bob, your call will not get through.
Ramjet
Lucy told me I was the first and only pilot who flew with Bob
to give her a phone call.
She very obviously appreciated the call and remembered me.
Lucy does read Bob's log book and asks him about the pilots
he flew with.
Lucy is also receiving lots of unwelcome calls from the press.
If you did NOT fly Bob, or are a member of the press, kindly refrain from calling her
and check the web site of Ken Borek.
If you are a pilot who flew with Bob
I'm sure you will know how to make the call
and that she would appreciate the call.
If you did NOT fly with Bob, your call will not get through.
Ramjet
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Beefitarian
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I think what the press should be concentrating on is the fact that this is a highly experienced well equipped crew in a very difficult place.
Unless the person you are speaking with is actually in Antartica they won't be able to offer anything more valuable to report in addition to that.
My thoughts and prayers are also with the crew and all those involved in the SAR.
Unless the person you are speaking with is actually in Antartica they won't be able to offer anything more valuable to report in addition to that.
My thoughts and prayers are also with the crew and all those involved in the SAR.
Re: Plane missing in Antarctica
re Bob Weaver of Canadian Press
It looks like he has spoken with a number of people who flew with Bob.
To give him some credit, the article he wrote is factual, and extremely well written.
TBPress (ThunderBay) (and its possible that he has met Bob Heath...)
http://www.tbnewswatch.com/news/nationa ... by-weather
When the press often screw up stories this article impresses as very carefully researched.
It sets a high standard that other journalists could follow in reporting Aviation stories.
That's my take on it.
Ramjet.
It looks like he has spoken with a number of people who flew with Bob.
To give him some credit, the article he wrote is factual, and extremely well written.
TBPress (ThunderBay) (and its possible that he has met Bob Heath...)
http://www.tbnewswatch.com/news/nationa ... by-weather
When the press often screw up stories this article impresses as very carefully researched.
It sets a high standard that other journalists could follow in reporting Aviation stories.
That's my take on it.
Ramjet.
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Beefitarian
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Excellent article. By the way Ram the author is Bob Weber. That's why reporting is tough, you need to get it done as soon as possible.
The general public needs a little more time to sort out the right things to say. I type too much instead of talking, sometimes I need twenty minutes to cough up a simple sentence.
The general public needs a little more time to sort out the right things to say. I type too much instead of talking, sometimes I need twenty minutes to cough up a simple sentence.
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boeingoingone
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Re: Plane missing in Antarctica
I heard these rumours also about the flight tracker from some kba folk....hoping they were a mistake. Good luck Bob...hang in there and here's hoping your holed up in a tent right now..... and for you media maggots leave his wife alone.
Former hog driver.
From the globe:
Mr. Penikett said a former dispatcher for the company, who is now based in Kabul, watched his computer helplessly as the aircraft was detected flying at 13,000 feet, dropped to 8,800 feet and then climbed back up to 13,000 feet at 140 knots before suddenly recording “zero air speed.” All of this happened “within minutes,” he added.
“It’s my candid opinion that this aircraft flew into the rocks,” Mr. Penikett said. “Anything’s possible and again I hope for the best. But I’ve been through quite a few of these and it doesn’t look very good to me.”
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/nat ... le7681672/
Former hog driver.
From the globe:
Mr. Penikett said a former dispatcher for the company, who is now based in Kabul, watched his computer helplessly as the aircraft was detected flying at 13,000 feet, dropped to 8,800 feet and then climbed back up to 13,000 feet at 140 knots before suddenly recording “zero air speed.” All of this happened “within minutes,” he added.
“It’s my candid opinion that this aircraft flew into the rocks,” Mr. Penikett said. “Anything’s possible and again I hope for the best. But I’ve been through quite a few of these and it doesn’t look very good to me.”
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/nat ... le7681672/
Re: Plane missing in Antarctica
Rule of thumb is that if the ELT survives and is transmitting, the "crash" or forced landing was survivable. Generally when an airplane has a violent crash like hitting a cliff, (as the Globe article suggests) the ELT tends to be unable to operate.
Re: Plane missing in Antarctica
Seems an odd thing to say. If the Skytrac is transmitting every 2 or 3 mins (as Bob has said in the past on this forum) then it is obviously going to go from 140 knots to 0 even if you do a textbook landing.
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avcanada
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Re: Plane missing in Antarctica
Email updates can be requested by visiting http://maritimenz.govt.nz/News/RSS-feed ... ptions.asp .
Update #5 is now out
Update #5 is now out
25 January 2013, 12.00pm
The weather conditions in Antarctica remain unchanged.
No further flights will take place until conditions improve.
A further update will be issued at approximately 4pm (NZ time), unless there are significant developments before that time.
For further information contact:
Maritime New Zealand Media Line
Phone 04 499 7318
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TopperHarley
- Rank (9)
- Posts: 1870
- Joined: Fri Feb 20, 2004 2:56 pm
Re: Plane missing in Antarctica
I remember when I was just starting out in aviation how Bob reached out to mentor me and give me lots of great advice. Hoping for the best for him and all the others affected.
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bizjets101
- Rank 10
- Posts: 2105
- Joined: Fri Sep 17, 2010 7:44 pm
Re: Plane missing in Antarctica
Kind of disappointing to see Penikett speaking to the media about this.
Hoping for the best.
Hoping for the best.
Re: Plane missing in Antarctica
bizjets101
I did not receive your pm or email.
try Ramjet555 at G m ail . c com
I did not receive your pm or email.
try Ramjet555 at G m ail . c com
Re: Plane missing in Antarctica
If my track is correct on Google Earth, that site over the Queen Alexandra Mountains is just 25 nm away from "water" or a glacier on the right side of the track where the altitude is 3300' at the nearest point, going down to sea level. Also, the highest terrain in a 12-mile radius seems to be about 12,000 ft. They should have been clear at 13,000 depending on cold-weather corrections.
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Changes in Latitudes
- Rank 10
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- Joined: Sat Jan 26, 2008 8:47 am
- Location: The weather is here, I wish you were beautiful.
Re: Plane missing in Antarctica
Ditto on that TH and 10 years later he seemed to treat me the exact same way. It always amazed me that a guy like that would even give me the time of day.TopperHarley wrote:I remember when I was just starting out in aviation how Bob reached out to mentor me and give me lots of great advice. Hoping for the best for him and all the others affected.
Respectful, enthusiastic and extremely proficient at what he does. Very few people in this business carry the reverence that Bob does. I'm hitting the re-fresh button here and on the SAR website a lot, but I can't wait to hear him explain this situation to us in detail.
Re: Plane missing in Antarctica
While we all are hopeful of a happily ever after conclusion.... I don't think Bob himself would argue with the logic Mr. Penniket has opined, someone needed to say it, many are thinking the same thing I'm sure. I know Steve and I'm this is not a malicious, without a doubt he is hopeful of a happy ending.
