Joyride doesn’t require a plan
Beach, south of Kingscliff. airstrip at Coombabah. MARCEL van Hattem was not required to file a flight plan or notify authorities when he planned to return after taking a passenger for a 30-minute joyride off South Stradbroke Island.
By the time the passenger’s boyfriend raised the alarm – almost three hours after they were due to land back at Southport Flying Club’s Coombabah airstrip – the wreckage would have already sunk into the ocean.
An amateur pilot contacted by the Gold Coast Bulletin said it was common practice for pilots to not file a flight plan, if it was not required by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA).
“If you’re going up for a joyride and you’re not going to fly into controlled airspace, there’s no reason to file a flight plan,” he said.
“You would probably tell the people at your base where you are planning to go and for how long, or you would probably just tell a friend.
“It would then be a case of them knowing how long you’ve been gone and then the onus is on them to raise the alarm.”
Airservices Australia, the Federal Government body which monitors and polices aircraft flying into controlled airspace, said Mr van Hattem “did not and was not required to file a flight plan”.
When a flight plan is filed with Airservices Australia, a SARTIME which stands for “time search action required” is also nominated by the pilot. This is when AirServices Australia notifies Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) when overdue aircraft after communications checks on Air Traffic Services (ATS) radio frequencies fail to make contact.
Kim Rolph-Smith, a former president of Warbirds Australia, said his company provided adventure flights for its clientele.
He said as the missing plane was a private plane it wasn’t subject to the same types of requirements commercial flights had to meet.
IF YOU’RE GOING UP FOR A JOYRIDE AND YOU’RE NOT GOING TO FLY INTO CONTROLLED AIRSPACE, THERE’S NO REASON TO FILE A FLIGHT PLAN
“It seems very strange that it wasn’t reported missing earlier,” he said.
“Normally, when we have someone going on a flight, they have a friend or a spouse waiting for them on the ground.
“It beggars belief that the boyfriend or partner didn’t let anyone know they’d been gone for that long.
“These planes only have enough fuel to last around two hours.
“At the end of the day, the timing doesn’t really matter (due to the nature) …. of the accident.”