planes can't fly despite fuel test

greenspun.com : LUSENET : TimeBomb 2000 (Y2000) : One Thread

Planes can't fly despite fuel test: CASA

Source: AAP | Published: Monday January 24, 7:44 AM

Light aircraft were unlikely to return to the skies immediately as many would fail a test cleared to check for fuel contaminants, Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) director of aviation safety Mick Toller said today.

About 5000 aircraft have been grounded for up to a month after using contaminated Mobil avgas.

CASA yesterday finally approved a test for detecting the substance contaminating engines of light aircraft.

About 500 test kits will be released today but many aircraft will have to wait in turn as tests are expected to take up to four hours.

And Toller warned many aircraft would not pass the test anyway.

"As a fail-safe test we're not quite sure exactly how many. Let's be hopeful but let's also be realistic," he told ABC Radio.

"I think certainly more than half are going to fail."

Toller said the test kits would be distributed as quickly as possible.

"We're just ready to roll probably ... Tuesday at the latest, recognising that Wednesday is a public holiday, let's get it out as quickly as we can."

Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association general manager Mike Hart said the test could be used to clear planes that had not shown any problems despite using the suspect fuel.

"We need to get the test out in the field to the engineering organisations who'll be responsible for doing the tests so they can start basically working on those aircraft they know had contaminated fuel but so far have shown no forms of contamination," Hart told ABC Radio.

He said the focus must be on the financial recovery of the aviation industry but Mobil was less forthcoming than other oil companies.

"An aviation recovery trust which would be a bipartisan approach by oil companies and regulators and other people involved in the industry, we would like to see people contribute to that," Hart said.

"We've had expressions of interest by the way from BP and Shell and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority but absolutely nothing from Mobil."

http://www.theage.com.au/breaking/0001/24/A42376-2000Jan24.shtml

-- boop (leafyspurge@hotmail.com), January 23, 2000

Answers

Related link:

Air_panic_a_'complete_furphy',_says CASA

(Whatever a "furphy" is...)

-- I'm Here, I'm There (I'm Everywhere@so.beware), January 23, 2000.


Please - what is a "furphy"?

-- pramada (pram108@yahoo.com), January 23, 2000.

How many of the unexplained aircraft crashes have been caused by this? How many pipelines are pumping fuel through leaking pipes where the fuel gets contaminated by foreign matter? Coming to a pipeline near you:Crashing planes, explosions and fuel leaks into your ground water?

It ain't Y2K anymore, it's the fuel companies. (And the pipeline companies)

-- Cherri (sams@brigadoon.com), January 23, 2000.


A Furphy is is a rumour, usually without basis.

Why?, well for that we have to go back to the trenches of World War I, the Australian Troops were supplied with water by travelling water carts made by the Australian Furphy Company. Troops used to gather around them and swap rumours with one another and with the guy who looked after the cart, (he got around a lot and picked up all the hot gossip). Any rumour therefore became known as a Furphy, after the carts.

The Furphy Farm Water Cart (to give it its full name) is now a valuable antique because of this and the end plates of the cart, which are made of cast iron are quite decorative, having the following poem moulded into them...

Good, better, best

Never let it rest

Till your good is better

and your better, best!

RonD

-- Ron Davis (rdavis@ozemail.com.au), January 23, 2000.


Thank you, Ron. I now have a new word to amuse my friends and confound my enemies. (And, in looking at the virtualaustralia.com site, a few more words and phrases that I'll try to remember never to use if I'm ever sitting in a bar in Sydney...)

-- I'm Here, I'm There (I'm Everywhere@so.beware), January 24, 2000.


Moderation questions? read the FAQ