derry

If it's true it would have to be a charter or a helicopter. I don't think there is a schedule from Birmingham.

I listened to Hasenhuttl on Solent on my way home and he was quite explicit. It was intentional to avoid giving Palace the ball with more direct passes and that not only does he need to educate the team but the supporters to understand what they are doing. I still think allowing opponents the comfort of getting ten behind the ball stops teams from scoring. Man City v Newcastle for example with far superior players. I think we should have been compact at the back but quick to get at their back four which we didn't try and do. Dwelling on the ball just makes the game in front more congested. We just played into their hands. We were lucky to get away with a draw.

I wondered how we would play against Zaha and Townsend. I think we were too frightened of them the way we decided not to play the advertised high tempo, high press, quick passes and runners up front and played right into their hands. It seems the whole emphasis was not to attack and lose the ball. I see Zaha has been charged with improper conduct. Several times after multiple passes amongst the defenders either Stephens or Vestergaard dithered too long and were closed down and lost the ball several times dangerously so. I felt the possession tactic is all very well but all we did was allow the opposition to funnel ten players back and deny our attackers opportunities through sheer numbers, on occasions they won possession and broke dangerously inside our half, I would have thought with the high line they were taking when we had the ball from the keeper it was far less dangerous to play over the back four quickly. Personally reverting to the safety first tactics caused us pressure in the box and could have led to more than the one goal we conceded. We had eight corners against us, a clearance off the line and were pressured on numerous occasions. I think we got it wrong and it was frustrating to watch the slow go nowhere sideways and backwards passing between the centre backs, reminiscent of Puel's and Pellegrino's obsession. When Valery gets into the final third he has to stop turning back and across the field and attack the last defender outside and try and get to the bye line.

Promes for one that wasn't available but we spent the whole of January 18 allegedly after him. We've spent an awful lot of money on other teams mistakes such as Carillo and Hoedt. Vestergaard doesn't look that special. It's easy to buy that sort of player. The fact we are loaning out so many costly recently bought players shows how poor we have been.

Is this just another bid for a player that is not for sale. The management then claim they were trying to do something. I know it's cynical but how many times have we seen it in previous windows slam shut with no decent incomings.

That looks like a pretty damning report. The McKays obviously hired the plane and crew (Did they own it?) They are mixed up in their terms. A commercial flight is confused as private and commercial. The proper terminology is scheduled and chartered. Although the passenger didn't, pay somebody did. A single engine aircraft couldn't be chartered to do that flight legally. It had to be a twin crewed by two commercial pilots. If the plane was a private flight the McKays couldn't be charged or it was commercial and illegal. I think the AAIB and NTSB have homed in on this aspect and there is no place to hide. I have no doubt the truth will come out. What's the odds on a tabloid paying megabucks for the missing pilot's story.

Yes, like a helicopter at front and a pusher engine. They thought Gerry had turned too steeply, had some fuel cock issues, lost height to about 150 ft and steepened the turn to 90 degrees and went in. There was suspicion that the other policeman who had hardly flown (photographer) panicked and grabbed the stick to avoid toppling over and caused the final spiral. Apparently the bubble cockpit was difficult to cope with.

Early in the eighties I had some arguments with members of the Hampshire Constabulary over aviation. Their social club subsidised flying training on a Fuji owned by Condor Engineering in Winchester at Thruxton. As I was an airline pilot with an instructor's rating I was one of those asked to instruct as we didn't have to be associated with a flying club as PPL instructors had to be. It eventually became apparent where this was going. HC were going to set up a flying unit run by a officer with a PPL/Inst Rtg who wasn't involved in the instruction. Eventually some of the officers got PPLs. An aircraft was rented hourly from Southampton School of Flying and used for police work flown by the PPLs most very inexperienced. I argued against this practice and tried to persuade that it had to be professional trained pilots as they had exemptions from low flying rules. I warned that there would be an accident but was ignored. The unit progressed and leased an Optica flown by the same people. On 15th May 1985 (yes another accident) Gerry Spencer who I had taught to fly was flying the Optica with a photographer another policeman. I was flying a Herald off R/w 21 at Southampton (now 20) climbing towards FAW beacon and was told by ATC of an Optica transiting E to W. Gerry recognised my voice and we exchanged brief greetings. When I finished in Guernsey I went to the hotel and checked the teletext news, there it was Police Optica crashes at Ringwood two fatalities. That pretty much finished the policemen working as pilots. They then bought a BN Islander and some CPLs were used, Eventually common sense prevailed and the Hampshire Police helicopter was purchased professionally operated. A couple of good men had to die to prove what we all knew. Only properly trained pilots should be used in whatever role they are required to work. The keen amateur no matter how enthusiastic just cannot cope with the demands that sometimes crop up if not trained.

If we bring in a new wing back on the right like Maehle who has a good assist record with Bertrand on the other side we might be grateful for him if the service in the goal area improves. Only Ings of the rest have a decent goal scoring record all the others score sporadically or rarely.

Cardiff to Guernsey on Saturday it's reported then presumably positioned to Nantes at some point. The safest way to operate VFR is to work the available radar stations civil and military close to track and any airfields that impinge. London Information purely pass information.

I think that may be flawed. If the aircraft was hired with a crew who were coincidently positioning an empty aircraft to Cardiff and gave a casual passenger a lift that's one thing but specifically hiring a plane and crew to position to Nantes to take a specific passenger to Cardiff it would be almost impossible to legally argue that wasn't a commercial flight. If the Mckay family owned the aircraft and gave Sala a lift to Cardiff with no money changing hands it would be I think ok.

Whatever we think, Ralph is making Valery his first choice right back by default, just because he keeps picking him in preference to Soares. Personally he is nippy on the ground courageous, poor crosser and an absolute liability with the ball in the air against taller players dropping off onto him. Physically we need a stronger right back in the Premier league.

Thanks the 60 rule seems the same. Reported that David Henderson, the original designated pilot was in his sixties. I flew as a Captain after 60 with no problems. There seems to be some very real questions to be resolved pilot wise. I think this is going to turn out to be an absolute bugger's muddle. I just can't see how it was a private flight.

Reported yesterday that Mark McKay was working for Nantes, facilitating the transfer and sourced the aircraft supposedly from Southern Aircraft Consultancy although they don't appear to be an aircraft operator. If the McKay family owned the aircraft and gave Sala a lift to Cardiff it would indeed be a private flight. My opinion for what it's worth is that if the aircraft was hired by the agent with a crew then it had to be commercial. Nobody has yet cast a light on why David Henderson went through the passport check with Sala, then pulled off the flight presumably leaving Ibbotson on his own, with Hobson's choice, **** or get off the pot. I wonder if Henderson filed the flight plan.

That's great, thanks. I was pretty sure things had got more restrictive in time. What about the 60 age limitations?

Looks like the media are catching up. Reporting AAIB investigating the pilot's licence. As he passed an FAA medical recently it looks like he had an FAA PPL however years ago it was quite easy to get an FAA commercial without ratings on production of licence and log book showing at least 250 hours experience. To fly a single, a basic licence was Ok in VFR. The US top licence is an ATR compares to UK/EU ATPL which airline Captains have to have. I believe ab initio pilots do the course, have a CPL which is then automatically upgraded to ATPL after reaching a certain experience level. (I believe it used to be 1200 hours) I'd be happy to be updated on the current criteria. As a US registered aircraft it comes under FAA supervision and FAA licences or maybe exemptions are required to fly it. It looks though that the pilot whilst entitled to carry out the flight privately and fill the aircraft with friends, with only a PPL would not have been allowed to carry a passenger that was paying for the hire of the aircraft or that a third party was hiring the aircraft. It looks like the aircraft was hired with two pilots to carry out the flights. The qualified pilot dropped out and Ibbotson carried on at the last minute. It was quite common on light aircraft commercial flights for a single pilot to fly but a PPL dogsbody flies as extra crew in the right hand seat dealing with passengers, paperwork, radio etc. There maybe also an age question. It used to be that if a pilot was over 60 he could fly a two crew with a pilot under 60. Private flights had no restrictions.

I saw somewhere the reason J Rod had such a long recovery was needing further treatment after getting it infected (superbug ???)

It originally started randomly in the transfer thread and was hived off by the moderator on the day and placed here.

Firstly, I once had the then Coxwain of the Guernsey lifeboat on the cockpit jump seat. I had a long chat with him and was mightily impressed with his professionalism and experience. The scenarios surrounding this accident are getting worse and worse. It is reported that Willie McKay has denied owning the plane but it is understood it was chartered by the McKay family, as his son Mark was acting on behalf of Nantes to take Sala to and from Cardiff. Obscurely when you look for an owner it comes up with a Minnesota chiropractor company???? Even stranger, David Henderson the originally named pilot had completed passport checks with Sala and had been expected to board the flight. Officials at Nantes-Atlantique airport insisted that David Henderson, a highly experienced pilot in his 60s, was set to take the controls of the Piper PA46 Malibu on Monday night. But he pulled out, leaving Mr Ibbotson to fly Sala to Wales. The UK's Air Accidents Investigation Branch said it was investigating the loss of the plane and working with authorities in the US, France and Argentina. This looks extremely strange because the professional pilot pulls out at the last minute and a private pilot looks like he stepped in and took a hire and reward flight when it is possible that he was not properly licenced in both the EU and US.

That sounds familiar. Football agent? In light single engine aircraft I used to wear mine and got anybody in the plane to do the same.

That wasn't the only thing, BEA screwed the pilot. Although both pilots were training captains cleared to fly in either seat the designated captain was acting as the first officer whilst the other Captain was doing the take off from the left seat. He died but the Captain was sacked because he was in the right seat. In later years for operational reasons the company wanted experienced Captains to fly together. I made them rewrite their operations manuals to read that where two Captains were flying together, the pilot occupying the left hand seat was the commander. We decided between ourselves who flew the legs and in preference usually occupied the left (captain's) seat.

Nothing we couldn't cope with due to training and common sense. I passed over Manhattan, a beautiful night on 9/10 I had about five minutes looking at it clear as a bell from 33000 ft. I was passing Port Solent next morning when my wife rang me with the news of the first aircraft. I just assumes it was a lost light aeroplane. I was changing with the Tv on and saw the second plane hit, no doubt then. I flew over the Pentagon quite a few times on my way down to Orlando and the damage was unbelievable. My next trip after 9/11 was a 757 trip to Sharm El Sheikh. I ****ed off the locals by making them pile all the bags outside the aircraft, made the passengers identify their bags before boarding and immediately putting them in the hold. In the end we had two bags not claimed. Never really felt uncomfortable anywhere, including a 36000 nm round the world 26 day trip.

I think this is beginning to look like a massive cluster****. It could run and run.

If he does own this US registered aircraft and the pilot hasn't US licences there is going to be a lot of effluent hitting the oscillator. Furthermore if it's a hired aircraft and private pilot the CAA are going to get involved. There is a massive mess waiting to come out. This one might take some dodging because under the counter deals will become transparent under the sort of scrutiny that this will get from the associated authorities, insurance companies and the media because of the high profile of the £18m player's death.

A football agent's 34 year old US registered single piston engine aircraft hired with a private pilot to fly at low level across the channel at night. What could go wrong? I would think the insurance claims are going to be in some difficulty.