L-39 missing from Traverse City show
Tim Savage
By JOHN FLESHER
The Associated Press
07/05/98 1:06 PM Eastern
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) -- The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search
for the two-man crew of a privately owned military jet that vanished during
a practice flight Friday, a Coast Guard official said.
The Lake Michigan search begun Friday night for the Czech-built L-39
Albatross pressed into the darkness Saturday. On Sunday morning, the Coast
Guard halted its hunt for the plane, which yielded no clues to its
whereabouts.
The Coast Guard has designated the Michigan State Police as the agency
heading the land search for the two-seat jet. The plane left Traverse City
about 4 p.m. Friday and was reported missing five hours later.
The plane -- once used to train Russian military pilots -- was to have flown
in an air show at this weekend's National Cherry Festival.
In announcing the lake search's end, U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Paul
Calvey on Sunday identified the plane's pilot as Don Schaller but could not
specify Schaller's age or hometown. The plane's other occupant was Don
Rodriguez of Traverse City, Calvey said.
Calvey said Schaller was a member of the so-called "Red Star Squadron," a
Quincy, Ill.-based group of private individuals who buy airplanes from the
former Soviet bloc for display at air shows and other events.
On Saturday, searchers using two Coast Guard helicopters and two military
cargo planes -- one from Canada -- scouted lake waters about 25 miles
northwest of Traverse City, where the Coast Guard believed the jet was last
seen on radar.
In that area, Calvey said, searchers by air spotted what they believed to be
clues, including something that looked like debris and a possible oil sheen
on the water's surface. The Coast Guard later found only plastic sheets and
could not confirm the supposed oily slick, Calvey said.
In the meantime, he said, state police will continue investigating reports
that the plane perhaps crashed in the northern Lower Peninsula or southern
Upper Peninsula.
On Saturday, Coast Guard Rear Adm. John McGowan described Schaller and
Rodriguez as civilians trained in survival techniques.
McGowan, commander of the Coast Guard's District 9 base in Cleveland,
appealed to anyone who might have seen a plane in distress to contact the
Coast Guard, saying it was difficult to pinpoint the plane's location
because it might have been flying below radar.
The water temperature was about 60 degrees. A person could be expected to
survive about six hours in such conditions, said Cmdr. Barry Harner, head of
the Coast Guard's local air station.
The L-39 was to have flown at the Cherry Festival, a yearly event in an area
known for tart and sweet cherry orchards, with a Russian MiG-21. After the
disappearance, the MiG's performance was canceled for the weekend, said
Thomas Kern, the festival's executive director.
But he said the air show would continue Sunday with a performance by the
U.S. Navy's Blue Angels, an acrobatic flying group that also flew Saturday.
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Yannick Fournier
A Mig L-39 ? I thought the L-39 was an Italian one, from Aeromacchi. What
is right ?
Yannick
Please remove "No.Spam." in reply address, I'm tired of receiving more
spam than mail...
Adrian Cybriwsky wrote in message <6nojpu$l68$2...@news.ycc.yale.edu>...
:Mike Kopack (mko...@greenville.infi.net) wrote:
:: - CNN is reporting it as a Mig L-39
Rolf Kappe
The L-39 is made by a firm in the Czech Republic.
Air USA, the company who owned this aircraft, has about 10 of them
for sale in their current Trade-a-Plane ad. I wonder which one
it was.
--Rolf
Scott Vetter
>
> CNN is reporting that an L-39 is reported missing (and presumed lost) from the show
> - does anyone have more information? By the way, CNN is reporting it as a Mig L-39
> fighter with the Russian military, that was scheduled to perform with the Blue Angels.
> MGen (Ret) Perry Smith would have been able to add some info about this - of course CNN
> doesn't have a military advisor anymore.
>
> Fire Arnett and Kaplan
>
> Mike Kopack
>
> Mike Kopack wrote:
>
> > I don't believe that there are that many 'spare' acft, but the numbers are stick-on
> > vinyl so it doesn't take long to change. I saw a spare Blue Angles A-4 flown up
> > from Pensacola as a substitute before one show. In about 30 mins it was marked
> > up. (During the show about 1/2 of the markings came off)
> >
> > Mike Kopack
> >
> > ADingwall wrote:
> >
> > > The Thunderbirds are performing this weekend in BC. Numbers 7&8 arrived
> > > Wednesday with & being the standard singel seat F-16C and 8 being the usual 2
> > > seater used for press rides. The rest of the team arrived Thursday afternoon
> > > and lo and behold Thunderbird 2 was another 2 seat F-16C. Thursday evening I
> > > swung by the airport and noticed the ground crew was switching some numbers
> > > around. The 2 seater that had arrived as #2 became #1 and they flew Friday's
> > > practice with the lead 2 seater and the rest single seats. Going past the
> > > airport Friday night showed that #3 was missing from the lineup (It was over in
> > > the barn at the ANG base). Today's show was flown with a 2 seater as both lead
> > > and right wing.
> > > Has anyone else ever scene the T-Birds flying a show with 2 seaters? A ground
> > > crewmen mentioned that they had 2 seat versions of each number plane. Any
> > > confirmation on this?
> > >
> > > Today was a low show, weather should clear for tomorrow for a high show. Only
> > > real drawback is that we were moved back from the fence and therefore missed
> > > the "pre-game" routine.
> > >
> > > Adam
The aircraft was a private owner out of Illinois. The aircraft was
flown by the owner to Traverse City. The owner did not fly the aircraft
when it went down. The pilot was flying with an instructor from the
area since the pilot was unfamilure with the area. No ELT went off when
it went down nor any radio messages after it took off. The Coast Guard
gave up the search after a day, but the Michigan State Police and the
USAF were continuing the search. In addition, the Blue Angles, who were
there to fly at the Cherry Festival airshow, also joined in the search.
As of yesterday, they did spot an oil slick south of Fox island, but
no aircraft wreckage.
Dispite what the local news was "reporting" the aircraft was not
military aircraft, but was privately owned.
MLenoch
>it went down nor any radio messages after it took off.
ELT is not required for a jet of this type. (or is it?)
Scott Vetter
I heard that it was, but I haven't read the FAR's on this myself. For
my project, even if it wasn't required, it's still getting one.
Dave Sutton
The FAR's clearly exclude turbojets from the ELT requirement
and they are plainly not required. "hearing" that something is true is
a far cry from -knowing- that it's true. Please do not forget that ELT's
-do not- work under water, either, and would be of -zero- use in this case.
ELT's help them find a wreck. A cellphone is a far better bet for being found
--alive--. A PRC-90 and a cellphone ---carried in a survival vest--- are going to be
of far better use than an aircraft mounted ELT. Who cares where the --aircraft--
wreck is if you are either A: floating in a lifevest, or B: sitting in your parachute
harness hanging from a tree?? Common sense here, fellas.
Dave Sutton pil...@planet.net
Yak-50, Fouga Magister, DeHavilland Vampire, MiG-17
"There is no substitute for horsepower...."