Flight training suspended following a near miss by Bang Fai rockets in Kamphaeng Phet

Kamphaeng Phet: -- Flight training by Air Force airmen of the 46th Air Wing was abruptly cancelled on Tuesday when three Bang Fai rockets were fired into the air and narrowly missed an aircraft on training.

Group Captain Apiwat Pol-arsa, an operations officer of the 461st squadron of the 46th Air Wing based in Phitsanuloke, reportedly said that as he and a co-pilot were flying an airplane over Kamphaeng Phet and was making a descent from 10,000 feet altitude to about 3,000 feet, three Bang Fai rockets were spotted about 200 metres away.

The plane in question then made an emergency landing and flight training was suspended pending an investigation.

Group Captain Apiwat said he alerted the police to find out where the Bang Fai rockets came from and it was found out that villagers in Sai Ngarm district of Kamphaeng Phet fired the rockets despite the fact that the Bang Fai festival was over for quite some time.

The officer said that firing a Bang Fai rocket requires a permission three days in advance and the rocket must not climb over 5,000 feet and must be at least eight kilometers from an airport or airfield.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/flight-training-suspended-following-a-near-miss-by-bang-fai-rockets-in-kamphaeng-phet


-- Thai PBS 2015-07-29

What an amazing buffoonery... every year the same story of a near miss and sill, no one learn anything

out of it, what will it take to put a stop to this practice or reroute air traffic for that season of festivity?

probably an air disaster with hundreds of dead will drive the message home... such is the nature

of country bumpkin people....

Time for flights to start avoiding Thai airspace ?

Sometimes when i read articles like this i imagine it is a scene from a great comedy movie.

If LoS is in the international spotlight for failing to regulate commercial air safety there's not much chance they can or will do anything about villagers firing homemade rockets.

Group Captain Apiwat Pol-arsa should've noted where the rockets came from & called in an airstrike

...send in the Americans! They'll drone anything moving...ask questions later.

Send in suitcases of fiat USD.

Call it democracy!

If the Operations Officer for a squadron is a Group Captain, heaven knows what rank the Officer Commanding is!

Group Captain Apiwat Pol-arsa should've noted where the rockets came from & called in an airstrike

No doubt the stealth-submarines are closing-in as we type !

What an amazing buffoonery... every year the same story of a near miss and sill, no one learn anything

out of it, what will it take to put a stop to this practice or reroute air traffic for that season of festivity?

probably an air disaster with hundreds of dead will drive the message home... such is the nature

of country bumpkin people....

Except that such a disaster would be deemed an "accident" and no one's fault. Just one of those things that no one could have possibly foreseen.

What an amazing buffoonery... every year the same story of a near miss and sill, no one learn anything

out of it, what will it take to put a stop to this practice or reroute air traffic for that season of festivity?

probably an air disaster with hundreds of dead will drive the message home... such is the nature

of country bumpkin people....

Except that such a disaster would be deemed an "accident" and no one's fault. Just one of those things that no one could have possibly foreseen.

I don't doubt they did not see that coming. Who would think you would be taken out by rockets fired by your own side ?

And thanks to ezzra for that amazing word "buffoonery".

quote "The officer said that firing a Bang Fai rocket requires a permission three days in advance and the rocket must not climb over 5,000 feet and must be at least eight kilometers from an airport or airfield."

For those among you who have no idea where Sai Ngam is I will explain. It is about 20km southwest of Khampaeng Phet city.

The nearest airfield is actually Phitsanulok where the aircraft in question is based and about 120km from Sai Ngam. Sai Ngam is also not on any local, national or international airways and around here and in Sai Ngam we may see or hear an aircraft every week or two.

The other thing is quote " the aircraftwas making a descent from 10,000 feet altitude to about 3,000 feet, three Bang Fai rockets were spotted about 200 metres away."

Being that bang fai rockets are allowed up to 5,000 feet and the aircraft was around 3,000 feet and they were 120 km from any airport in an area which rarely sees aircraft at all perhaps the RTAF should give notice to the locals rather than the other way around.

...one tough nugget for many falangs have to grok---if they have not witnessed a bang Fai rocket being launched is thus:

"...dis ain't no Estes rocket!"

I have spent many, many happy years building Estes rockets and they are NOTHING compared to a bang fai launch.

If one were to compare airspace to sea space---the most maneuverable vehicle has the responsibility to take evasive action.

Which is exactly what occurred.

Next launch in 5---4---3---2---1--------------