I booked to go on an aerobatic flight in a tiger moth from Wanaka airfield a few years ago. Biked out there a little early to watch and get more excited – just in time to see it nosedive into the ground about 1/2km away. O M G – terrible, managed to bike over there quickly but nothing i could do as i could have collected what was left in a shoe box. Shocking.

Foxychick – some us have the experience and background to comment but choose to keep quiet and let other spout cr@p. As you said amazing how many ‘experts’ there are on here.

ex RAF pilot, private pilot’s licence holder, ATC wings, etc, etc.

Very sad day for all involved.

Agree. These Kids chose to get involved in something at a young age instead of watching tv and just mucking about after school.

Hope that it does not affect the opportunity to fly for cadets. Never seen anyone happier than a lad with mild cerebal palsy after his first AEF.

As for the armchair experts, as i said it is human nature to speculate. I admit smoking gun speculation is usually misguided, or as i believe the popular banking phrase goes “i was wrong”

it will be difficult to explain why 2 Tutors were so close with Air Cadets on board – there is supposed to be a mandatory minimum of 1 mile separation wih Air Cadets on board and formation flying is absolutely prohibited.

I know many people wondered why these aircraft were so close. By one of the staff at my squadron there aircraft actualy hit near the point were aircraft are to enter the airbases circuit. This would explain the distance of the aircraft as if the aircraft were to go up at a similar time they would come back and enter the circuit at a similar time also. Due to lack of radar with the grob cadets and the pilot are to look for aircraft and listen to radio communications, these are easily missed on first time flight as the pilot with be explaining alot about what he/she is doing.

I went flying today and as 3 aircraft left at similar times (1 with me in and 2 with other cadets in), we also returned at a similar time.(I was coming to land at the same time as the other 2 aircraft and my pilot had to do another circuit to approach).

My thought are with all who were effected by this accident.