Falling Leaf

Probably with the late Air Commodore Allan Wheeler at the controls. He was the Shuttleworth Aviation trustee at that time and an acknowledged expert with the Avro 504. His displays were models of their kind with only the minimum of “G” loading needed to achieve the desired result.

A real gentleman with a phenomenal background in vintage and veteran aeroplanes. His books are still well worth a read.

Cheers,

Trapper 69
🙂

On my first visit to Old Warden I remember the Avro 504 doing a falling leaf, that was about 1965, it must have made an impression for me to remember it.

One further question before I shut up. What was the origin of the falling leaf – was it the result of evasive action in WW1 airfighting battles or is there some other history?
Wicked Willip :diablo:

Probably discovered by a ham fisted student at the Gosport School of Flying during WW1 when trying to recover from the incipient stage of a spin entry in an Avro 504 and it flicked the other way a couple of times. Would have woken the instructor from his drowsing, of that I am certain.

I remember students doing the same in Tiger Moths with me in the early 1960’s. Mind you, I was not drowsing.

Cheers,

Trapper 69
😎

As a relative novice on the forum, didn’t realise when starting this thread what illustrious company we were in. Anyway thank you, gentlemen, for your wisdom, knowledge and experience, not to mention flying expertise.

But – there’s always a but……..

One further question before I shut up. What was the origin of the falling leaf – was it the result of evasive action in WW1 airfighting battles or is there some other history?

Wicked Willip :diablo:

Dave Phillips did an incredibly low and perfectly flown display in his Tiger Moth at Whenuapai’s Open Day a motnh before the Omaka show too. Superb to see his display twice within a month. The only other time ‘ve seen him fly (to my knowledge) is in the Hunter, quite a contrast.

We are very fortunate indeed to have such superb Tiger Moth display pilots as Dave and Ryan in New Zealand, especially as the Tiger Moth aerobatic display is somewhat rare to see at Kiwi shows these days. When we do see them, they are world class.

I saw Charlie Hilliard (I think, might have been Gene Soucy, they were flying identical Christen Eagles at the time) do an inverted falling leaf at Sun ‘N’ Fun in Florida in the early 1990s. I doubt that very many of the spectators knew what he was doing.

In a word Ouch! That has to be almost as much of a stomach churner as rolling circles or some of the other composite moves flown at airshows.

I saw Charlie Hilliard (I think, might have been Gene Soucy, they were flying identical Christen Eagles at the time) do an inverted falling leaf at Sun ‘N’ Fun in Florida in the early 1990s. I doubt that very many of the spectators knew what he was doing.

Mais un Rallye est suelement un parachute de tin n’est pa? 😀

D’accord et maintenant je termine le Franglais…………!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cheers,

trapper 69
:dev2:

Mais un Rallye est suelement un parachute de tin n’est pa? 😀

Saw someone do it in a Rallye, probably at an RAF Finningley show in the late 70s or early 80s, but I haven’t got a clue who it was.

Mon Dieu, quelle spectacle. Un Rallye fabrique le descente parachutale avec le pilote aliéné, je pense.

Felicitations,

Trapper 69
:diablo:

Falling Leaf

Quote from RAF Flying Training Manual Part 1 Flying Instruction AP.129 1931:

“Pull the aeroplane into its lowest possible stalling glide by holding the control column well back,then use full rudder and aileron together. Immediately the aeroplane banks over and tries to spin,use hard opposite rudder and aileron to check it and to force it over the other way. If done at low altitudes care should be taken not to stop the engine”.

I take no responsibility for pilots trying this out for real.

Saw someone do it in a Rallye, probably at an RAF Finningley show in the late 70s or early 80s, but I haven’t got a clue who it was.

Hi Ryan,
Sorry for stealing your ‘pot’ and awarding it to Dave in error. Journalists, eh?

Thanks for straightening the record out, despite my best efforts. 😀

Hello to all, particlularly Barry and JDK.

Tis I, the offending Tiger pilot in question. I still often do a falling leaf as an opener to my display routine and I used it in my freestyle sequence as mentioned by JDK and Barry at the Aero’s competition at Woburn in 2005.

I will have to own up a little though, it was not me performing the Tiger display at Omaka this year (would have been nice though, but at least I was flying something). The pilot of the display was Dave Phillips who normally can be seen cavorting around in a Hawker Hunter here in NZ ,also owner of Tiger Moth ZK-BSN.

For those who visit this way ever please stop by at Croydon Aircraft Co. and I will show you around.

Cheers, Ryan

Anna Walker is indeed a highly accomplished aerobatic display pilot in the Jungmann or Jungmeister. Another pilot whose displays enthrall me is Richard Picken with his Jungmann.

Brian Lecomber along with John Connor and John Harper from Firebird Aerobatics used to thrill all of us purists with magical displays in the Stampe G-AYWT in past years. Now sadly missed. I too remember that lyrical Woburn show in what was described as a “Frog Moth”…………!!!!!!!!!!!!!! As a solo slot in the Rothmans Aerobatic team in the early 1970’s the displays by Manx Kelly in the SV4B were excellent. Peter Kynsey, Brian Smith, Carl Schofield, Roger Graham, Chris Jesson and Brendan O’Brien all did superb displays in the Tiger Club Stampes.

The Omaka display described by JDK was by the expert from the Cromwell Aircraft Company at Mandeville, near Gore in South Island, NZ. His name is Ryan Southam and he came second to Brian Zeederburg in the DeHMC Woburn International Tiger Moth aerobatic competition in 2005. His displays show off the limited repertoire of the Tiger to good effect.

I wonder how many of us recall that great exponent of Jungmeister aerobatics, the late Roy Legg. His shows were a pleasure to watch 30 odd years ago.

For me the memorable top class vintage biplane pilots were seen at the various Lockheed Trophy meetings nearly 50 years ago. Names like Marcel Charollais, le Chevalier D’Orgeix, Reine Lacour, Charles Boddington, Neil Williams, Peter Phillips, Nick Pocock, Gerard Verette, Roland Lonchambon, Juan-Luis Aresti and Albert Reusch come quickly to mind. All quite brilliant on their day. Even I did quite well occasionally, by a fluke, when it all gelled.

Happy memories.

Cheers,

Trapper 69
🙂

Olde worlde biplane displays have been eclipsed my the manic hurtling of Pitts, Extra’s and hairy-chested Russian devices, which is a great shame.

Having said that, I have just remembered Anna Walker’s sequence at Legends this year, in her Jungmann.

The most lyrical display I do recall was Brian Lecomber at Woburn in his Stampe SV4 G-AYWT. Graceful, elegant, perfect energy management, and LOW- stall turns at 500 feet. With anyone else you might have worried but BL really was the master.

When was the last time you saw a really good Tiger Moth solo aerobatic display?

Omaka, NZ, Easter 2007, including falling leaf. Don’t take my word for it, I was chatting to a well known de Havilland rebuilder and pilot of the South Islandland, and he thought it rather good – the falling-leaf pilot in question picked up some coming-second trophy or other at some bash in Engerland at a DHMC show or other, too, so they obviously rated him as well.

As has been said, the falling leaf is a series of incipient spins in alternate directions. The art is to stop the wing drop in each direction equally. That is very much up to practice and knowing the individual aeroplane. I have always done them in low wing loading biplanes during displays but the figure can be flown in the Chipmunk if a modicum of power is left on.

The big problem is that the figure is a real height burner if continued for more than three cycles. All the preferred aircraft have a limited ability to regain the energy expended without a very boring and protracted climb to regain height.

I suppose this gives the crowd time for a leak, a carpet burger or an ice cream so perhaps the period so frustrating for the pilot is actually appreciated by those who pay to attend the show. Always look on the bright side of life…… de dum, de dum……….!!!!!!!

Cheers,

Trapper 69
😎

PS – That superb book written by Oliver Stewart in the 1920’s entitled “Aerobatics” contains descriptions of the falling leaf and, even more bizarre, the inverted falling leaf. All the illustrations in the book terminate the figures barely a wingspan above ground level……….!!!!

Ahhhhh, the falling leaf.

A series of incipient spins, left then right then left etc etc, just enough to let the wing drop and then recovered but with pro-spin controls held in so as the aircraft then goes the other way, giving the impression of a falling leaf.

Skybolt will tell you more i’m sure, or the TP elite at Old Warden will give you more information on the aerodynamic aspects than you could possibly handle at this time of day.

According to Neil Williams, best done in an aircraft with relatively low wing loading, so the Tiger Moth is ideal.

When was the last time you saw a really good Tiger Moth solo aerobatic display?