|
Post by hardyakka on Dec 28, 2011 16:52:52 GMT 12
There I was, just cruising around at about 1500' above Hamilton in a Robin just having an aerial shufti, when I see an object that looks like a helicopter off in the distance. However, without getting much bigger (i.e. closer) it suddenly whizzes past my left wing... and although it has the same general shape as a chopper, this thing has fins and a tail instead of rotors. It's not a helicopter but actually an Air Swimmer Shark!! ;D Despite the warning on the box (For indoor use only) someone's $80 Christmas present (with $50 worth of helium) is drifting gently southwest over Hamilton city, climbing at about 200' per minute. A mylar balloon and plastic control package probably doesn't have enough mass to damage an aircraft, but I resisted the temptation to try and knock it down with a wing or a prop. I did however do my civic duty and reported it to ATC as a potential hazard advisory. The biggest regret I had was that the harness straps stopped me from getting my camera-phone out of my pocket in time to get some evidence... So the lesson for today is : Keep your flying shark (or clownfish) under control. Don't let it get out the door and escape. ( Cue the shark music riff from "Jaws"...)
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 28, 2011 17:39:44 GMT 12
Classic! That made me laugh. What a unique happening. Shark attacks Robin!
|
|
|
Post by FlyingKiwi on Dec 28, 2011 21:28:09 GMT 12
I encountered what looked to be a plastic grocery bag at 1,300ft over Howick a couple of months ago - amazing what stuff you see up there.
|
|
|
Post by flyjoe180 on Dec 29, 2011 10:34:51 GMT 12
Flying shark... not an everyday occurrence.
|
|
|
Post by slackie on Dec 29, 2011 12:23:18 GMT 12
And I bet you have no idea how much paperwork that generated... I bet the ATCO was quietly your report!!
|
|
|
Post by hardyakka on Dec 29, 2011 13:22:31 GMT 12
The controller at Hamilton was quite jokey about it. If he was P.O'ed about paperwork, he hid it masterfully.
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 29, 2011 14:43:10 GMT 12
Are you sure it wasn't one of the RNZAF's new Mako helicopters?
|
|
|
Post by voidhawk9 on Dec 29, 2011 21:46:24 GMT 12
...awesome! Also slightly dangerous I suppose. But outweighed by awesomeness of near-miss with flying shark.
|
|
|
Post by htbrst on Jan 4, 2012 5:41:27 GMT 12
|
|
|
Post by htbrst on Jan 4, 2012 5:51:15 GMT 12
|
|
|
Post by johnnyfalcon on Jan 4, 2012 7:56:31 GMT 12
Hmmm... underscores the importance of accuracy and diplomacy in what we post here. They're on to us! Lurking around waiting to quote us out of context.
|
|
|
Post by flyjoe180 on Jan 4, 2012 7:57:46 GMT 12
hardyakka, you're in print!
|
|
|
Post by hardyakka on Jan 4, 2012 11:13:15 GMT 12
Gotta love the NZ Herald Sideswipe column. That's going straight to the pool room...
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Jan 4, 2012 14:20:14 GMT 12
Is this only on their webpage? I went and wasted $2 on a paper and can't find any trace of it in there.
|
|
|
Post by ErrolC on Jan 4, 2012 14:34:41 GMT 12
back page, front section.
|
|
|
Post by baronbeeza on Jan 4, 2012 14:37:02 GMT 12
Dave, it won't have been wasted... just think of how much better informed you will now be.
I am glad the media are lurking here, they can all see what we thought of the Herald's David Fisher and the junk he has written.
I am still sore about the 'Trislander engines roaring in reverse' article he wrote. They did not offer an apology or retraction either.
Modern reporting is the pits... and those guys are far from professional.
Going to print with fabricated tales does not cut it... they should be licensed and accountable.
|
|
|
Post by hardyakka on Jan 4, 2012 14:37:22 GMT 12
I always assumed that the online Sideswipe was co-ordinated with the dead-tree version. It's on the back page of the first section usually.
Also, I've just had a phone call from a Herald reporter who is looking at doing a more in-depth story on the whole "Escaped Air-Swimmer" phenomenon.
|
|
|
Post by baronbeeza on Jan 4, 2012 14:53:47 GMT 12
Herald reporter who is looking at doing a more in-depth story on the whole "Escaped Air-Swimmer" Oh dear, prepare to be mis-quoted. I have posted this here before but it really is a classic. www.ntnews.com.au/article/2008/07/26/4808_ntnews.htmlMembers of the Top End Flying Club, based at Noonamah, believe people might be confusing some of their craft for spaceships.
The club's secretary, Mark Christie, said that the aircraft most likely to be confused with a UFO is the Russian built Sigma-4 ultralight, affectionately known as the 'flying sperm'. This what the Flying Club spokesman was talking about. This is what the newspaper butchered the article into.. You can all draw your own conclusions as to their intelligence.. Take the paper back Dave and just take whatever they will give you for it. You really did waste $2.
|
|
|
Post by Brett on Jan 4, 2012 16:26:21 GMT 12
Hey hardyakka,
If you are interviewed by the press, then try and work in the following quotes:
"I thought I was going to die!"
"Stunt flying"
"Boeing A380"
"Slammed the engine into reverse"
"Limp home on the spare engine"
You can also sprinkle in a few "nose-dives" and "plummets" but they'll probably put them in for you anyway.
We can then all play Idiot Bingo when the article comes out.
Cheers,
Brett
|
|
|
Post by baronbeeza on Jan 4, 2012 17:19:22 GMT 12
|
|