Week in brief April 29 2011

Now this should be vital viewing for all pilots lucky enough not to have been involved in a forced landing yet. Ugo Derouet, a 21-year-old, 180-hour student pilot in Canada, suffered an engine failure in a single-engine Cessna earlier this week and with nerves of steel, and then some, managed to successfully land the aircraft on a highway east of Montreal during rush hour. The pilot and his three passengers walked away without a scratch, and the aircraft suffered minimal damage as well. And the whole ordeal was filmed on a video camera by one of the back seat pax, showing how calmly Derouet dealt with the emergency in a manner that belied his young age and relatively limited experience. Click here to watch the video.


And while on the subject of forced landings, you’ve probably already heard that on Easter Sunday arvo a private pilot conducted a forced landing on the eighth fairway (a straight-ish par 5, thankfully) at Liverpool Golf Club after his C150 suffered an engine failure as he returned to Bankstown Airport. We hear that the 64-year-old pilot clipped a tree and a flag and did a bit of damage to his left wing, but nonetheless walked away fine – the aim of any forced landing. And we couldn’t help but bring you these amusing reader comments on the story on the Daily Telegraph website:
- Reminds me of the scene from [Martin Scorsese’s] Casino.
- Would have to be the biggest birdie seen on the 8th at Liverpool.
- Mind if I land through?


Piper Aircraft has named experienced aviation business development and sales executive Dana Cox as their director of sales for the Asia-Pacific region. Piper Executive Vice President Randy Groom says Cox’s new position is vital to realising the manufacturer’s continuing globalisation initiatives, and with Piper finally getting an official Australian sales agent in the form of Moorabbin-based Piper Australia Aircraft Sales here’s hoping there’s productive times ahead for Piper Down Under. We hear that Cox will be heading our way in the near future.


The Courier reports this week that aviation enthusiasist Andrew Willox is constructing a perfect replica of a 1912 Royal Aircraft Factory BE2A biplane in his shed south of Ballarat. The BE2A was one of three types of aircraft used to train RAAF pilots at Point Cook, along with the Bristol Boxkite bi-plane and the Deperdussin monoplane. After four years’ work, Willox has completed the fuselage, tail and cockpit of the aircraft and is now on the lookout for a 1912 Renaut air-cooled V8 engine. Once finished (scheduled for early 2014), Willox will donate the replica to the RAAF museum at Point Cook. Anyone wanting to donate funds/knowledge to the project can reach Willox by phoning (03) 5346 1493.


CASA is to give air operators improved and up-to-date guidance on how to develop their operations manuals. The updated guide to developing operations manuals will take into account the new regulations being developed covering air operator’s certificates. Work is underway on drafting Part 119 of the Civil Aviation Safety Regulations, which relates to air operator’s certificates for Australian operators. This will see the regulator make a number of changes to the requirements for operations manuals. To find out more about the operations manuals project click here.


US Flying reports that a group of private US investors led by aviation market analyst Brian Foley now appears unlikely to submit a formal counter bid for the assets of Cirrus Design prior to its sale to Chinese interests. The group had planned on coming to the rescue to keep the popular GA aircraft manufacturer in American hands following the announcement in early March that China Aviation Industry General Aircraft (CAIGA) wil purchase the company. Apparently the group will now wait to see if the Chinese offer proceeds to fruition before deciding their next move. The sale of Cirrus to CAIGA could close as early as next month.


The US National Transportation Safety Bureau has released its aviation statistics for 2010, which show that 1435 GA accidents occurred in the US last year, 267 of which were fatal, resulting in a total of 450 deaths. As bad as that might sound, it’s actually a decline on the 2009 figures and represents a modest 6.86 accidents per 100,000 flying hours. A mammoth 20.9 million GA flight hours were logged in the US in 2010.


Lufthansa Technik AERO Alzey is offering an MRO scholarship via the Regional Aviation Association of Australia. Valued at over $10,000, the scholarship will be awarded to a LAME or final year apprentice who has, “demonstrated a commitment to the Australian aviation industry”. The recipient will receive two weeks of either CF34 or PW100 engine orientation training in Germany. Applications close July 15; for more info click here.