The following is a letter sent to our CFI Paul Barber from Ed Bishop with permission from the author. The letter is presented here in full and only minor changes have been performed for grammatical reasons:

“Paul

On Saturday Feb 16 at about 1700hrs Reg Flanagan overflew the airfield and announced that he had undercarriage problems and required the glider strip (26R) cleared so he could do a possible wheels up landing. As the instructing in charge I, and the other club members present offered what assistance we could.

He was eventually able to land engine off with all wheels down.

The gist of this report is not what transpired, but the fact that our presence as operators on BLA airfield could and unfortunately does require us to help in emergency situations.

I have listed below a few principles I feel we should endeavour to follow in such circumstances.

1. Have one person in control-probably on the radio/phone
2. Delegate to others on the ground
3. Do not tell airborne pilots what to do-they are in control and are responsible for their decisions and a/c
4. Keep radio transmissions to a minimum and relevant
5. Offer suggestions if necessary
6. Provide assistance as requested
7. Remain calm!

Paul, this are only my suggestions having been thrown into the situation. Maybe the Panel could briefly discuss this topic and add or modify as they see fit. A copy could then be forwarded to all instructors as food for thought.

Regards

Ed

PS: We have one small fire extinguisher in the Pie Cart. I will talk to the local CFA to see what we should have out there given we have aircraft with 100 litres or more on board. It looked very small when I picked it up thinking I may have to use it!”

One item not mentioned in Ed’s letter is a request by the pilot for emergency services. Ed did not hesitate and dialled 000 to contact emergency services. Three fire engines, two Ambulances, three police cars and the SES truck arrived on the airfield to assist if their services were needed. The item to bear in mind here is that the pilot requested emergency services and if you are in a similar situation to Ed, do not hesitate and call immediately. To my knowledge and from Reg Flanagan’s comment, no charge is made by any of these services for their attendance.

The club commends Ed Bishop on keeping calm, assisting a fellow aviator and managing the circumstances to ensure the best possible outcome for all.

John Switala
President – Gliding Club of Victoria