Anyone know if Wright Air got their plane out of Lake Eyre?

hi ross m
I thought all planes had to pass an air worthiness/safety and maintenance test on a regular basis or is sth.aus exempt /not included
maybe the one your referring to was owned by the original wright brothers perhaps it was there first fixed wing model l o l

Hi All,

All I will say here is;
There is more to Mr Wright than what a lot of people know about him at William Creek.

Cheers P&J

mazcan
My comment was based on a trip less than 3 years ago.

ALL who saw the plane commented on it's broken down condition.
I think any airworthiness inspector must have inspected it from the Pub Bar (too hot outside) and not quite close enough to see reality.


The doors didn't shut "like a Golf", in fact it needed the whole golf bag full of clubs hitting on the door to shut it.

I became aware of many things about that plane.
I have seen plenty of light plane,s but nothing ever approaching as bad as that one.

Ross M

Most doors in light planes/choppers aren't part of the airframe (read surplus to requirement apart from preventing humans from freezing) and are generally only lip service to what a door as you and I know one.
I can seriously guarantee you I've flown in worse. That's no claim to fame I can assure you, just a by product of flying around in light aircraft for work over a long period of time. I've been frozen, soaked, burnt you name it - all as a highly paying passenger.
Plenty of occy straps holding doors shut on jetrangers and the like. I'm in no way excusing a substandard aircraft, just saying some perfectly good working aircraft look like something noone in their right minds would get in.

"just saying some perfectly good working aircraft look like something noone in their right minds would get in."
Spot on gbc. The chopper we flew in up to Mt Cook in NZ had a bloody big gaping hole in the top of the cabin. Pilot did mention it was bit old. But it got us back safely. I reckon if the pilot is happen to take it up it must be air worthy!

If it was as bad as you say Ross M, why get in it. I wouldn't risk my life in a craft I could obviously see was that bad.

Maintenance standards are national, as set by CASA. If the plane looks like a bleep box on the outside, it probably IS one. With the exception of the Airvans, most of the aircraft we're talking about would qualify for 'vintage' status if they were cars, they are that old.

I wouldn't take the pilot's willingness to fly a heap of junk-looking aeroplane as a yardstick for its serviceability. Most pilots doing these scenics are the least experienced of commercial pilots, and are often working their first job. Constantly under the threat of the sack if they refuse to fly (that's assuming they're being paid to do the job in the first place).

Not saying that the case with this operator, but it is a general indication of how the industry treats inexperienced pilots.

Jarse,

Your comment
"Constantly under the threat of the sack if they refuse to fly"
reminds me of a company flying out of W. C.

Cheers P&J