Col Pay, regarded as one of Australias “legendary” pilots in news reports from there, died last week in a crash while testing a new type of air tanker. Pay was test-flying an Air Tractor 802 air tanker, made in Olney, Texas, when it flipped on a lake. Pay, 75, was evaluating the aircraft, which was reportedly equipped with a system that allows wheel-equipped aircraft to skim the surface of a lake and scoop up water for fighting fires. This type of aircraft is used in the U.S., Canada and Europe for firefighting but the scooping versions are equipped with amphibious floats and pick up water while in a high-speed taxi. Pays accident happened while he was scooping water from Lake Liddell in the Hunter Valley. Pays company, Pays Air Services, has contracts to provide firefighting services in the area and was evaluating the aircraft. The pilot of a second test aircraft, Harley McIllop, witnessed the accident. Australian authorities are investigating and the aviation industry is mourning Pay’s loss. Hed been flying for more than 50 years and was a founding member of the Scone Aero Club. “We just can’t believe it,” Club President Neville Partridge told reporters. “He was such a character, but he could be a cranky bugger, too. He was so experienced, really tough.”
Well-Known Aussie Pilot Dies In Air Tanker Test
Key Takeaways:
- Legendary Australian pilot Col Pay, 75, died in a crash while test-flying a new water-scooping air tanker system on Lake Liddell.
- Pay was evaluating an Air Tractor 802, equipped with a system allowing wheel-equipped aircraft to skim and collect water for firefighting.
- The highly experienced pilot, with over 50 years of flying, was testing the aircraft for his company, Pays Air Services, which provides firefighting services.
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