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90pc of planes fail fuel test

27jan00

A GROWING number of planes are showing contamination from the avgas crisis as aircraft owners worked throughout yesterday's public holiday to get back into the skies.

CASA estimated about 200 planes were tested yesterday, with just 10 per cent cleared to fly. This meant most of the 5000 aircraft grounded on January 10 under a CASA directive were still out of service. "The majority of the test results showed contamination," CASA spokesman Peter Gibson said.

Engineers were on duty at Bankstown Airport yesterday, watching some of the 1000 videos distributed by CASA to maintenance workers outlining how to carry out contamination tests.

Most of these test kits were sent out to airline companies by Mobil yesterday.

"About 80 per cent of the 1000 kits we planned to distribute by the end of the week should be with maintenance companies now," said Mobil's corporate affairs manager Alan Bailey.

But despite the effort, many companies may not be able to take to the air immediately.

While the tests take just an hour to complete, contaminated engines need a day-and-a-half to be cleaned out.

Lawyers for the 6500 members of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association hit out yesterday at claims by Mobil that its $15 million compensation package could be threatened by the legal action being taken by airline companies.

"The law is not used and does not operate in the way that they would have the public believe," said Peter Gordon of Slater & Gordon. This is the law firm representing the association and which lodged a Supreme Court writ on Monday.

"What you're seeing from Mobil is an attempt to mislead and intimidate people in relation to their rights," the law firm said.

enting the association and which lodged a Supreme Court writ on Monday.

"What you're seeing from Mobil is an attempt to mislead and intimidate people in relation to their rights."

Slater & Gordon has written to Mobil urging the company to discuss the situation, threatening Supreme Court action which could run into tens of millions of dollars.

The case is set down for a first hearing on February 4.

Meanwhile, airlines are highlighting another expense they have been forced to face -- charter airlines have to pay to hire planes operating with Shell fuel to deliver supplies.

Corporate Air director Norm Jones has been forced to rent out planes to continue his service.

"These are expenses we will never see back when all this eventually comes to an end," he said.

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Just updating latest news for those of you who follow this saga...

Regards from Down Under

-- Pieter (zaadz@icisp.net.au), January 27, 2000

Answers

Pieter : It's too bad those tests weren't done BEFORE the fuel was delivered.

-- Shoo (flyonthewalls@yahoo.com), January 27, 2000.

Pieter, thanks for your on the spot reporting and updates. That surely is a sorry mess for the aviation industry downunder. Please keep us posted to ongoing developments.

-- Lurkess (Lurkess@Lurking.Net), January 27, 2000.