Video doesn’t look like it felt

By PTE John Wellfare

FLIGHT Lieutenant Mark Ellis was left with a damaged wing on his aircraft after the collision.

“I’ve seen the video since and that doesn’t look anything like how it felt,” FLTLT Ellis said.

“When I first saw [the video] I was surprised at how quickly I separated from the formation. I actually thought it took a lot longer than it did. In fact, as I was climbing away I was kicking myself for staying in the formation for so long. The actual collision really wasn’t terribly violent.

“I know it sounds like a horrible cliché, but the training really did take over and it was like I was watching myself go through these motions.”

FLTLT Ellis pulled away from the formation and climbed to 3000 feet in order to perform a controllability check – a test of the aircraft’s ability to handle flying at slow speeds to ensure it would be safe to land.

Roulette Two, piloted by Flight Lieutenant Mitchell Roggenkamp, had been dispatched from the formation to check the damage on FLTLT Ellis’s aircraft and help with the controllability controllability check. “The aeroplane was quite controllable. It wasn’t flying normally, but it wasn’t a great source of concern,” FLTLT Ellis said.

A message came over the radio to confirm the other pilot involved in the collision, Flight Lieutenant Roland Morscheck had ejected safely and FLTLT Ellis was able to land.

By coincidence, FLTLT Ellis’s parents had visited the base that day and had been watching from the ground as the incident unfolded.

“Once I was satisfied the aircraft was recoverable I wasn’t greatly worried about the aeroplane, I was then more concerned that my parents would freak,” FLTLT Ellis said. “The staff [at RAAF Base East Sale] really looked after them until I came back into the building.

FLTLT Ellis returned to flying duties almost immediately. He took part in Australia Day displays over Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne less than a week after the incident.

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