Dodgy Abingdon Departures

Be VERY careful what you write

Dragon

Excellent philosophy…….

Welcome to the madhouse.

from one crashee to another..

😉

Welcome to the forum OldDragon. Thanks for sharing that with us. It certainly sent a chill down my spine. I’m glad you haven’t given up on aviation as a result.

Do you fly?

Hello
New person here – sorry to dig up an old thread but came across this one quite
by accident and felt I should say something – not even sure if any of the original contributers are still around.

However : A bit of a co-incidence, but I was reading some old AAIB reports at work the other day. On the 26th June 1966, a Cessna 172, G-ASHE, got airborne after that day’s air display at Old Warden and performed a fairly steep climb after take-off, maybe trying to emulate the display aircraft?. The aircraft’s drag rapidly overcame the available thrust & lift and the resultant pile of wreckage ended up in the spectator car park. The pilot and two innocent members of the public on the ground were killed………

Be VERY careful what you write – the actual events of this accident had nothing to do with anyone trying to emulate display aircraft – it was due to pilot error pure and
simple , how do I know? I was sitting in the back of that aircraft

ATB

Dragon

Hiya folks, as a non pilot (and thanks to the split with er indoors wiping out my savings not likely to be one now either) i can’t comment on whats safe or otherwise but i assume flying, like driving you should always be kept within your and the machines limits, and “bravado” or “showing off” if kept well within these limits should’nt neccesarily be dangerous, i understand the need for speed / hight and so on. i have been in a chipmunk that suffered an engine malfunction in the circuit shortlty after takeoff, we were still in the circuit the pilot had turned 180 degs and we were level with the upwind end of the runway he cut the motor as he put the nose down and we glided the base leg to a safe touchdown. as a result, i have a healthy respect for keeping it safe, thanks for the lessons here. much appreciated.
all the best.
Greg

You’re not too keen on flight safety are you Mogs? :D:D:D:D:D:D:D

Eh?

I know nobody keener. Particularly where it involves my safety.

Moggy

You’re not too keen on flight safety are you Mogs? :D:D:D:D:D:D:D

Have only seen two airshows accidents and only one was fatal but both made my heart leap into my throat. I wish people would stick to display lines rigidly – I live in fear of the day something goes seriously wrong. Some people seem to have no conception of the consequences of their actions for the display scene in general and that frightens me a little bit 🙁

Sorry if I came across all tetchy Moggy.

🙂

Moggy

Sorry if I came across all tetchy Moggy.

Just re-read the report and the aircraft was taking off towards the main gate at OW. Seem to remember a similar thing happened with the Fox Moth G-ACEJ back in the 80s, which had a Beech Musketeer crash on top of it, which then caught fire and destroyed the Fox Moth. After this I think they restricted the use of this runway to home-based aircraft only..

Moggy,

You’ve never seen an aeroplane crash then? They dont always conform to the circuit pattern or runway direction……I was only relaying the information I read in the report. Still doesnt change the fact that it’s not very impressive to do zoom climbs after take off in any aeroplane, because as I have said, it sometimes ends in tragedy, so thats a good enough reason not to do it! :rolleyes:

Chill Ewan!

That was a request for information, not a sceptical come-back.

Moggy

Back on a very black day in 87, the Russavia Rapide groundlooped from the grass runway (taking off east to west) at DX into the car park. The cars were further forward than they are parked these days, but if it could happen in the endless wastes of DX, Shuttleworth’s intimate field is even more possible.

I remember it well. And I also remember going to see my mate’s Ford Cortina estate a few days later, and thinking how effective that propellor had been in converting said estate car into a very large toast rack.

In the past, the uphill runway towards the hangars at Old Warden has been used. (Sorry, I don’t do numbers…) 1966 the setup, while like the current one, was different. There’s some great pictures from the air ‘as it was’ in some of the hangar display cases.

There was an accident in (IIRC) the early seventies where a modern light a/c crashed into and ‘wrote off’ a Fox Moth at the gate hangar end of the live side. I think the Fox Moth has returned, but I believe the light plane crew were killed.

Back on a very black day in 87, the Russavia Rapide groundlooped from the grass runway (taking off east to west) at DX into the car park. The cars were further forward than they are parked these days, but if it could happen in the endless wastes of DX, Shuttleworth’s intimate field is even more possible.

Euan, I’d rather not see any accident thanks. I’ve seen too many. I’m sure you have too.

HTH

1966 – could have been over the car park.

A HR200 student a few years back zoom climbed with consequences. Have a dig in the AAIB reports c.2000-2001.

Though every climb in our aeroplane is a zoom climb 😉

Moggy,

You’ve never seen an aeroplane crash then? They dont always conform to the circuit pattern or runway direction……I was only relaying the information I read in the report. Still doesnt change the fact that it’s not very impressive to do zoom climbs after take off in any aeroplane, because as I have said, it sometimes ends in tragedy, so thats a good enough reason not to do it! :rolleyes:

Can you elaborate?

Climb out from OW these days takes you nowhere near the spectator car parking area.

Moggy

A bit of a co-incidence, but I was reading some old AAIB reports at work the other day. On the 26th June 1966, a Cessna 172, G-ASHE, got airborne after that day’s air display at Old Warden and performed a fairly steep climb after take-off, maybe trying to emulate the display aircraft?. The aircraft’s drag rapidly overcame the available thrust & lift and the resultant pile of wreckage ended up in the spectator car park. The pilot and two innocent members of the public on the ground were killed……… 🙁

It still ain’t clever to do it, even after all these years and as somebody said earlier, take a look at the video clip of the Pulsar that the CAA Safety Evening guy shows….VERY impressive zoom climb on departure from a fly-in, but an even more impressive thud……and then silence!

Or in formation with DB 🙂

Those jibes never get boring do they? Made me smile anyway 😀

In truth, the wind wasn’t THAT bad, but one did require a positive application of crosswind technique. I did not want a long downwind taxi to 18, and would rather go a short distance to the nearby runway, and borrow a wing-walker. Better that, than loads of throttle and brake trying to keep straight against the wind.

Damien, have you got your license yet? Must be close now.

Just in case anyone believes their instructor to be really cool customers, it is worth noting that they are trained to only sweat on the right side of their faces!

Ah, so the scarf that Tiger Moth instructors wear is not to keep the wind away, but to hide the sweat …

Just in case anyone believes their instructor to be really cool customers, it is worth noting that they are trained to only sweat on the right side of their faces!

Cool customers? I always sh** myself when I have to fly with certain students…………….

Or in formation with DB 🙂

I just kept one eye on my instructor …

Just in case anyone believes their instructor to be really cool customers, it is worth noting that they are trained to only sweat on the right side of their faces!