back to article Qantas jet almost rammed by sky-hog glider pilot

A Qantas jet had to swerve out of the way of a sky-hog hang glider in the vicinity of Adelaide, Australia, according to reports. The incident actually took place in February, but has only been picked up by the Australian media in recent days. The Sydney Morning Herald quotes a Qantas spokesman as stating that "a hang glider …

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  1. Rich Harding

    What's the difference between...

    "alternatively that the rogue aircraft wasn't a hang glider at all, but something resembling one – perhaps a paraglider"

    Yeah, 'cos they look really similar - not ;)

    Whilst I can understand the author not knowing this, if the Qantas pilots were close enough to file an airprox, they are highly unlikely to have mistaken one for the other.

    These are paragliders:

    http://www.avonhgpg.co.uk/image.php?menu=8&ID=56

    This is a hang glider:

    http://www.avonhgpg.co.uk/image.php?menu=8&ID=64

    The suggestion they had to take sharp evasive action further confirms their identification, as paragliders are visible from much further away, due to their profile, whereas hang gliders can remain practically "invisible" due to theirs.

  2. SImon Hobson Bronze badge

    TheReg - always on the side of accuracy and non-sensationalism

    No, that must another TheReg.

    There's a bit of difference between "The Qantas crew noted the hang glider's presence and took appropriate action." and "Qantas jet almost rammed by sky-hog glider pilot".

    Mind you, I think TheReg must be slipping, no mention of a school anywhere within 100 miles ?

  3. Pascal Monett Silver badge

    No kidding ?

    "unwilling to entertain the possibility of an errant HGFA member simply keeping schtum"

    As opposed to an HGFA member admitting having dreadfully cocked up and had a close brush with death, on top of being entirely responsible for the whole mess and liable to legal pursuit ?

    How utterly unexpected !

    Pascal.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Survived the wake turbulence?

    If the errant aircraft was that close to the flight path, the chances are that it would have been severely affected by wake turbulence. (Anyone seen 'Pushing Tin'...?)

  5. CG

    Wake turbulence < Smarmy pilots

    "If the errant aircraft was that close to the flight path, the chances are that it would have been severely affected by wake turbulence."

    - I think from that distance the smell of cheap watered down whiskey and the voice of the smarmy pilot mentioning 'If you look to your left you will see a handglider decending rapidly towards sydney harbor bridge' would be harder to overcome than puny backdraft turbulence.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Strewth Bruce !

    Strewth Bruce !

    You should see the size o' the mozzies we got back in Oz !

    Fair Dinkum

  7. Mike Moyle

    ...Musr eat lots of carrots...!

    "- I think from that distance the smell of cheap watered down whiskey and the voice of the smarmy pilot mentioning 'If you look to your left you will see a handglider decending rapidly towards sydney harbor bridge' would be harder to overcome than puny backdraft turbulence."

    You can see that all the way from Adelaide...? Damn, Aussie pilot's have good eyes!

  8. Adam Netterville

    Spitball into a hurricane

    Uhhh, an airliner with that size would have no trouble flying THROUGH a glider, heck most decent engines nowadays could suck him up whole spit out the chum and spin back up in time for touchdown.

  9. Terry Barr

    Right of way

    When I last looked at the air law textbooks a glider had right of way over a powerd aircraft and a balloon had right of way over a glider.

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    re: right of way

    Yes, the rule of thumb is the least maneuverable (sic) aircraft has right of way. Odd that a hang glider would have rank over a multimillion dollar jet, but the jet has power to move away from a collision course so that's the rules.

  11. Aubry Thonon

    Re: Right of way

    Yes, they have right of way; EXCEPT IN CONTROLLED AIRSPACE, where the controller decides who has right of way. (the same applies to boats approaching major ports, regardless of their type)

    And anybody who flies around a city KNOWS where the control airspaces are - and before you ask, yes, I am a student pilot.

    As this idiot was in controlled airspace, s/he had no rights whatsoever except those given to him/her by ground control. Want to bet the pilot never filed a flightplan through the controlled airspace?

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