AS PROMISED,…….Enjoy!!!!!
This news from 1940 is TOO GOOD and interesting, to not publish it. They even asked to share it which I do with pleasure.
Of course I lived in Tocumwal for a few years and that’s not far from Wagga Wagga. A beautiful town with the main-street full of colorful flowers , that is when I still lived in Australia and I am back home in The Netherlands now for 15 years. Time flies.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-01/the-day-a-pilot-landed-two-planes-in-a-paddock-in-regional-nsw/100502830?utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=link&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_web

ABC Goulburn Murray / By Courtney Howe and Matt Dowling
Posted on October 1

When two training planes took off from Forest Hill near Wagga Wagga during a training exercise in 1940, few could have imagined only one pilot would land both aircraft after a mid-air collision.
The military twin-engine Avro Ansons, with pilot Jack Hansen and observer Hugh Fraser in one and pilot Leonard Fuller and observer Ian Sinclair in the other, set off on September 29 for a cross country flight and were to return to Forest Hill.
Benalla historian John Barry said the two aircraft were 300 metres off Brocklesby near Albury when they were told to make a banking turn.
“As they did so they lost sight of the other plane and the two planes pancaked,” he said.
Mr Barry said the pilot of the bottom plane was injured as the planes locked together.
“The propeller of one of the engines on the top plane came through the cockpit and injured him so he bailed out.
“His gunner bailed out and the top plane’s gunner also bailed out, so we’ve got one fellow left on board the top plane.”
The men parachuted to safety.

The remaining pilot, leading aircraftman Leonard Fuller, moved the controls of his plane and realised that although his engine had stopped, the engine of the bottom plane was still working.

“He must have been a curious sort of chap,” Mr Barry said.
“The planes locked were going in a lazy circle and he found that using the flaps and the ailerons of the top plane he could fly both planes.”

Mr Barry said while he couldn’t control the speed of the plane and Fuller started looking around for somewhere to land.
“He saw a farmhouse and there was a landing site nearby 6 kilometres outside Brocklesby, so he put both planes down.”
Mr Barry said it was amazing he was able to land both planes, which were later repaired.
“He said afterwards when he was interviewed that he thought it was a pretty rough old landing, but it was better than the ones he been doing the day before.”
Mr Barry said the feat made headlines around the world and Fuller was promoted to sergeant.

The historic landing remains Brocklesby’s claim to fame and 81 years on from the incident there’s a monument near the site to mark the event.

This was an extra post. I found it fascinating and I comply with the request to share this news ..”.Help keep family & friends informed by sharing this article….”

Cheers Ritz