Two a penny

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A Queenstown commercial pilot had to chase his light plane, with passengers on board, after it began speeding towards the runway without a pilot at the controls.

The Transport Accident Investigation Commission is investigating the incident involving a Cessna 207, owned by Milford Sounds Scenic Flights, getting “out of control” at Queenstown Airport last month.

“During that time the aircraft took off by itself,” Mr Mathews said.

Commission deputy chief investigator Ken Mathews said the pilot got out of the aircraft when the engine wouldn’t start and used his hands to get the propeller moving.

It did not go on to the main runway or disrupt flights.

The pilot managed to get into the aircraft while it was moving and control it before any harm was done, Mr Mathews said.”

The Milford Sounds Scenic Flights aircraft was scheduled to fly to Milford Sound when it began moving without its pilot.

“But there were other aircraft about, so it wasn’t a good thing.

There was a person in the cockpit, but it was unclear what their role or qualifications were, he said. .

Milford Sounds Scenic Flights director Mark Quickfall said the pilot was stood down after the incident and safety procedures improved to ensure aircraft did not set off without their pilots.

The aircraft could carry up to six passengers but it was unclear how many passengers were in the Cessna at the time of the incident, Mr Mathews said. “Our report to the (Civil Aviation Authority) included actions to prevent this happening again.

“It was a serious incident and error of judgment by the pilot,” he said. He declined to comment further on the incident until the investigations had been completed.” The company reported the incident immediately to the Civil Aviation Authority, Mr Quickfall said.

The commission had not provided a completion date for its investigation.

Queenstown Airport chief executive Steve Sanderson said he was aware of the incident but would not comment.

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Actor Patrick Swayze, whose turn as a smoldering dance instructor in Dirty Dancing made him one of the iconic film stars of the 1980s, has died after a long battle with pancreatic cancer at the age of 57.

Swayze, an actor and dancer who cemented his status as sex symbol opposite Demi Moore in the 1990 romance Ghost, died at his home.

Swayze became one of Hollywood’s top stars with 1987’s Dirty Dancing, which defied Hollywood expectations to become one of the most-watched movies of all time. .

Swayze was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer, one of the most deadly forms of the disease, in January 2008.

The Texas-born actor played the swaggering dance instructor Johnny Castle in the film opposite Jennifer Grey’s sheltered teenager Frances “Baby” Houseman, who becomes smitten with him while on vacation at a New York resort during the 1960s. Pancreatic cancer sufferers are only given a five percent chance of survival. He said at the time that the cancer had already spread to his liver.

The series was broadcast in America earlier this year.

But he vowed to fight the disease and had treatment with an experimental drug, surprising Hollywood by filming a new detective series for television called The Beast in which he played the lead role..

“I think everybody thought I was out of my mind . thinking I’m gonna pull off a TV show,” Swayze said in an interview in January 2009, adding that he was scared and angry at his diagnosis..

Dirty Dancing, which was made for a modest budget and almost scrapped by its studio, became a massive box-office hit, earning Golden Globe nominations for both stars and spawning the Oscar-winning hit single (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life.

Swayze was working on a memoir with his wife of more than 30 years, Lisa Niemi, earlier this year.

Swayze co-wrote and performed the song She’s Like the Wind for the movie’s soundtrack, which went to No.

Producers did not have high hopes for the film but it reaped US$64 million at the US box office and US$214 million worldwide. The film remained widely popular more than two decades later and recently spawned a stage musical version. 3 on the pop music charts.

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Auckland University scientists have developed technology to power a wire-free heart pump that could save the lives of thousands of heart patients.

It could eventually offer an alternative to heart transplants.

It weighs only 92 grams and can be powered 24 hours a day for the wearer’s lifetime.

The pump uses magnetic fields to transfer power through a patient’s skin, rather than using wire cables.

A new company, TETCor, was created to take the technology for powering a wide range of devices implanted in the human body to market.

The new technology came out of collaboration between scientists from Auckland University’s Bioengineering Institute, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Department of Physiology. The existing method, using a wire cable that goes through the stomach and chest caused serious infections in about 40 percent of patients, and sometimes death.

TETCor chief executive Simon Malpas said heart pumps needed a huge amount of power.

The new wire-free version uses a coil outside a person’s body to generate a magnetic field.

The wires were also prone to breaking and restricted a patient’s activities. . A second coil placed inside the body, near the collar bone, picks up the signal from this field and creates power for the pump.

Dr Malpas saw the potential market as 50,000 people each year globally, within 10 years. The two companies plan to work together to combine the power transfer technology with the pump technology, and plan to begin patient trials within 24 months. If these pumps stop, you only have about one minute to live.

“It’s probably the most extreme implantable medical device you can get.”

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Dunedin’s mayor and city MP Pete Hodgson want the controversial Undie 500 rally out of Dunedin for good.

The rally once more descended into chaos last night, with Dunedin police forced to wear riot gear and use pepper spray to disperse student mobs. .The annual Undie 500 event, organised by Canterbury University engineering students, involves a pub crawl from Christchurch to Dunedin, in cars worth under $500.The 70 officers took about two hours to disperse the students.Hodgson, who represents Dunedin North, told Radio New Zealand it’s time to put a stop to the event. This is the third consecutive year the rally has led to disorder.Mayor Peter Chin said the Undie 500 isn’t welcome in Dunedin, and suggested the Canterbury students trash their own city instead, RNZ reported.Last year’s official Undie 500 was cancelled after rioting in the city resulted in 69 arrests the previous year.The event has previously caused headaches for Dunedin police left to control riotous behaviour at the end of the trip.Most of last night’s action centred in the three blocks around Castle Street, with mobs setting furniture and piles of rubbish on fire in Castle and Leith streets, Dunedin Area Commander Inspector Dave Campbell said.However, an unofficial version of the event still ran and 30 arrests were made after another round of disorder.Flying bottles hit two or three other people, who had to be taken away by ambulance for treatment.One officer was hit in the head and knocked down with a hurled bottle, and would have been seriously injured if not for his helmet, he said.Mr Campbell said there would be a boosted police presence this weekend and anyone arrested would gain a criminal record, due to a no-diversion policy.Mr Campbell said there would be a boosted police presence this weekend and anyone arrested would gain a criminal record, due to a no-diversion policy.They faced a variety of charges, ranging from disorderly behaviour and breaching the liquor ban to wilfully setting fire to property.Most of those arrested were Otago University students, Mr Campbell said.”We are happy we have been able to stabilise the crowd without exerting our authority too much,” he told the Otago Daily Times.The officer in charge of the police response, Inspector Alistair Dickie, said they had chosen to take a softer approach this year and were relatively pleased with how things turned out last night. We are pleased at the moment.”We could have sparked something here.”

. Hopefully, I don’t eat my words

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Aucklanders may see the return of trams trundling along the Waitemata waterfront if the ARC gets its way.

The Auckland Regional Council is “examining into the feasibility” of a light rail or tram system along the Waitemata Harbour waterfront.

The Government’s decision to buy and redevelop Queens Wharf, with public spaces and a cruise ship terminal, added impetus to examining at public transport options, said ARC Transport and Urban Development Committee chairwoman Christine Rose.

Planners estimate when people stroll the so called Wynyard Quarter at the waterfront seven out of 10 trips will be taken on public transport, walking or cycling.

“Light rail or heritage trams should be considered in any public transport options for Wynyard Quarter and Quay St as part of the area’s redevelopment,” she said.

She said planning had not previously looked at the use of light rail, but the regional council wanted to put that up as an option.”

The feasibility study into light rail for the waterfront will provide information on the potential demand for light rail and how it was used in comparable waterfront cities.

“We are striving to add to existing heritage and character, and to enhance Auckland’s waterfront viability and experience for workers, tourists and Aucklanders at large.

A report to the ARC transport committee today said modern light rail trips were being used for peak hour commuting as part of transport networks throughout the world..

In Auckland, a loop linking Wynard Quarter, Quay St and Britomart could be part of a wider transport solution for the city.

Or they were used in short loops often aimed at tourists.

*What do you think of the proposal? below. Progress on the feasibility study will be reported back to the Transport and Urban Development Committee in November.

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A former girlfriend of murder-accused Clayton Weatherston has told the High Court in Christchurch that he once kicked her across the room.

The woman, whose name and occupation is suppressed, said she was in a relationship with Weatherston from 2004 to August 2007, when he ended it.

Weatherston, 33, is accused of stabbing his former girlfriend Sophie Elliott, 22, to death at her home on 9 January last year.

The witness, who was Weatherston’s girlfriend before he started dating Elliott, recounted a violent incident in the latter half of 2006 when he had kicked her across the floor. He admits her manslaughter but denies the murder charge.

She had rushed to the bathroom and Weatherston would not let her leave. He had kicked her in the back and the ribs and her knee had hit her nose which started bleeding, she told the High Court in Christchurch. Her eye was bruised in the assault.

“I felt trapped,” she said.

He would not let her leave the house and took her car keys because he wanted to talk about it.

“I told if him if you don’t get help I will leave you,” she said.

She recovered and she got very annoyed and told him to get help.

Weatherston had, according to Elliott, denied a previous violent incident in his bedroom on December 27, 2007, and had accused her of making up stories and being crazy.

Earlier in the day, Elliott’s friend Erin van de Water, told the High Court in Christchurch Elliott had told her of a meeting she had with Weatherston on January 7, 2007, in his office in the Economics Department at Otago University. As Elliott was leaving Weatherston had accused her of ruining his career and Elliott believed he had tried to push her down the stairs. As Elliott was leaving Weatherston had accused her of ruining his career and Elliott believed he had tried to push her down the stairs.

She heard from Elliott how Weatherston thought he was much better than her and she was lucky to be going out with him. They would often “vent” on their personal life and she became aware of the relationship with Weatherston.

Elliott often wondered if they had a relationship as Weatherston would want to spend quality time with his ex-girlfriend who was supposed to be the most amazing person. . By Christmas they did not seem to be a couple any more.

Van de Water, a make-up artist, said Elliott felt her self esteem was damaged by Weatherston’s comments and her confidence was noticeably knocked. She reported that earlier that day she had visited Weatherston to give him a photo album of his graduation.

On December 27 Elliott had come to her house and looked shaky and flushed. He had made insulting remarks about her appearance saying her chin was too pointy and her eyes were too far apart. Weatherston had started shouting and forced her on to his bed and put his arm on her throat.

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Home loan customers probably missed the “bargain of a lifetime” on long-term mortgage rates, after a multibillion-dollar borrowing frenzy in the past few weeks, some economists say.

But floating mortgage rates are likely to fall further and stay down, possibly till the end of next year.
Other economists say lending rates may go lower, given a weak world economy, and there is no need to lock in rates now.
In the past week or so, five-year fixed lending rates jumped from about 6.
In a highly unusual move, Reserve Bank governor Alan Bollard said yesterday that long-term interest rates were too high.5 per cent as people suddenly switched to longer-term loans, to lock in much-lower-than-average rates.5 per cent to 7. The frenzied demand pushed rates up. .
But the rise in the past fortnight was “unwarranted” and, if rates stayed up, it could put unnecessary pressure on companies and home owners borrowing from banks, Dr Bollard said.
BNZ advised a fortnight ago to “fix now”.
Bank of New Zealand chief economist Tony Alexander says the Reserve Bank is just showing its impotence to haul down longer-term fixed rates, even though wholesale interest rates dipped almost a third of 1 per cent on Dr Bollard’s announcement.
Westpac economist Donna Purdue said the Reserve Bank was expected to cut official interest rates 50 points at the end of the month, which would bring floating rates down sharply. People had now missed that “wonderful opportunity” to lock in cheap rates, Mr Alexander said, although three-year rates remained much lower.

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Executives at Air New Zealand are to act as cabin crew for the airline’s subsidiary, Zeal 320 Ltd, during next week’s planned strike action on trans-Tasman and Pacific routes.

Talks between the airline and the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU) are continuing.
But the EPMU said it did not believe the airline had staff available to replace striking cabin crew.
Air New Zealand told Radio New Zealand it had 100 fully qualified staff, including top executives who have volunteered to keep planes flying over the Easter period.
Air New Zealand’s group general manager of short-haul airlines, Bruce Parton, said senior staff, including Glen Sowry, who is heading the negotiations, will act as crew on the Zeal 320 flights. .
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Mr Parton said the airline may consider sacking and replacing the 250 Zeal cabin crew if the industrial action is drawn out

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Tourist’s wedding trip ends with bashing

Saturday, 28 February 2009

Scotsman Stuart Martin came to New Zealand to celebrate a mate's marriage today instead he's lying in a coma in Hawke's Bay Hospital.
Mr Martin, 31, was attacked in central Taradale after attending the stag night of his friend Rory McBrearty, who is to marry his fiancee, Meghan, in Napier today.
The pair have been mates for more than six years and Mr Martin had flown from Australia to attend the wedding.
Speaking to The yesterday, the shaken Mr McBreatrty, also 31, had just been at the bedside of his comatose friend.
"I'm pretty upset about it all.
"I'm on the verge of a breakdown, to tell the truth," Mr McBrearty said.
"They're [hospital staff] not saying much about his condition, but it's pretty serious. It's overwhelming.
"They came to the Bay from all over the place."
He said he and about 20 friends had spent much of Thursday being driven on a pub crawl around back-country pubs before winding up at a friend's house in Taradale.
"It was just your normal stag do. That's why the stag do was so close to the wedding. We finished up at a friend's place in Taradale. It was good.
"We went around town [Taradale] and Stuart went through town," Mr McBrearty said. A group of us was walking from there to another place. We were just walking home.
"We hadn't been drinking in Taradale.
During a scuffle he was knocked to the ground and two of the attackers stomped on his head and face. .
He was taken to Hawke's Bay Hospital after a passer-by alerted emergency services. His attackers' shoes left an imprint on his face and head.
Mr McBrearty described his friend as a "small, friendly guy who makes friends with everyone".
No-one in the stag party noticed Mr Martin was missing until one of the group walked back past the town centre and saw the police cordon. Everyone who knows Stu loves Stu. Everyone who knows Stu loves Stu. He's just one of those guys. He's a little white boy there's nothing to him."
Yesterday, police charged three 17-year-olds with assault. Darrin Wright, Hamish Bowman and Joshua McConville, all from Taradale, appeared before a JP and were remanded in custody till Wednesday.

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Axe bandit hits Wgtn service stations

By CLIO FRANCIS - Wednesday, 14 January 2009

Supplied
BRAZEN ROBBERY: Wellington Police said the early morning robberies at a Shell station in Newtown and a Caltex station in Miramar, left staff traumatised and the offender with less than $300 cash.

A brazen robber with a tomahawk axe strapped to his waist struck two service stations in Wellington today.
Acting Detective sergeant Andrew Compton said in both cases the lone robber lifted up his shirt to expose what the victims thought was a tomahawk axe placed across his waist.
Wellington Police said the early morning robberies at a Shell station in Newtown and a Caltex station in Miramar, left staff traumatised and the offender with less than $300 cash.
The first robbery occurred around 5.
He said police were sure images taken from security cameras at the petrol stations would help find the person responsible.
Later, at 8.20 this morning at a Shell station on Constable Road, Newtown, he said.
He said that at both petrol stations the man demanded the contents of the till, and left with small sums of cash.45am, the man walked into the Caltex Station in Broadway, close to Wellington Airport. The victims said he wore a black beanie over his face with a black cap on top.
The robber is described as being dark skinned, possibly Fijian, in his mid 20's. .
He was dressed in a red t-shirt with a long sleeved grey jacket and was wearing baggy jeans.