[f-AA] Handpropped - pilotless takeoff

[Ian Harvie]

Todd, there is a well documented account of an Auster at Bankstown 
airport, Sydney in the fifties that took off after being propped. It 
flew up and started to do lazy circles over Sydney gradually heading 
towards the coast because of a light wind. Fearing it might run out of 
fuel and crash in the city, the airforce was called in to shoot it down. 
(What over the city?!)But their guns jammed. As a result the Navy was 
summoned to the rescue and they had to fly from Nowra some distance 
South. By the time they got there it was well out to sea, but they never 
the less did shoot it down and it crashed into the sea.
There have been stories about efforts to find it lately as they knew 
more or less where it went down. This whole shamozzle took a couple of 
hours.

Ian

Todd Pattist wrote:
> Hi all,
> 
> The subject of aircraft stability has come up and I'm interested in 
> cases where an airplane, like my Champ, has been handpropped without a 
> proper tiedown and has gone to full throttle and escaped.  I recall some 
> cases where the airplane takes off, but I can't recall all the details 
> of what type aircraft, or exactly how far away it flew.  Can anyone fill 
> me in, possibly giving me a link to an accident report or just firsthand 
> recollection.  How far can our airplanes fly without a pilot?  To fuel 
> exhaustion?  Or just to a spiral-in crash at the far end of the runway?
> 
> Thanks for any info.
> Todd
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