Historic Aviation – something different

I was watching an old TV series, may have been the one with Anthony Quayle narrating.
A pilot talking about his exploits in the X craft series of rocket aircraft stated that during engine tests the aircraft blew up with him still in the cockpit.
Fire crews dowsed the aircraft with water and he stated that the only injury he acquired was wet trousers.
On hearing this the press reported,
“X craft blows up, Pilot wets pants!”

Scott Crossfield was the pilot in question I believe.

‘Better on a camel’, or ‘Brings you there & takes you back’ – nothing about reaching ones destination……going way off topic!

Ive yet to fly with Virgin, i have to be convinced that they will go all the way this time.

Hoskins again!!!

He didn’t pull out in time.

Floitus interruptus?

I’m sure the aircraft in question could not possibly have reached a mile in altitude. Thus, I fear that this was probably only the Half-Mile-High Club. In other words, they didn’t go all the way. 😮

I was watching an old TV series, may have been the one with Anthony Quayle narrating.
A pilot talking about his exploits in the X craft series of rocket aircraft stated that during engine tests the aircraft blew up with him still in the cockpit.
Fire crews dowsed the aircraft with water and he stated that the only injury he acquired was wet trousers.
On hearing this the press reported,
“X craft blows up, Pilot wets pants!”

“IMPROPER INFLIGHT DECISION TO DIVERT HER ATTENTION TO OTHER ACTIVITIES NOT RELATED TO THE CONDUCT OF THE FLIGHT…”

Those NTSB reports…..pure filth!!! 😉

Can’t have been a ‘mile high’ if it crashed into the bay.
.

Might give a different meaning to ‘Going Down’ in an aircraft though – eh snaff ?

Also the reason that airlines toilets are designed to be so tiny

Never knew that – I always thought it was to save weight/space and therefore be able to fit more victims in ‘cattle class’ ; )

http://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20001212X18632&key=1

Is the letter ‘t’ missing from the word ‘simulated’ in that report?

The probably mythical car story may not have a reliable source, but a sadly fatal aircraft accident does have an unimpeachable source. (By all means try and devise alternative explanations for the facts of the case. But there’s an obvious conclusion, first.)
http://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20001212X18632&key=1

Four weeks later Sperry’s body was washed up further east along the coast. Whilst he’d been wearing a flying suit and boots when he left Croydon, it is reported that the corpse was naked when found…

It is, apparently, the action of the waves that ‘undresses’ dead bodies in the sea.

Can’t have been a ‘mile high’ if it crashed into the bay.

Also the reason that airlines toilets are designed to be so tiny.

From Snopes ref the above:

Although this story is routinely told as a true, local, and recent occurrence, versions of it have been in circulation for decades, and folklorist Bill Ellis states it has antecedents dating to the early part of the 20th century.

Moggy

It never ceases to amaze me what people get up to in the moments leading to death. This is a graphic but true example as told to me by the Coroner who held the inquest. A young boy was driving his car at speed with his girl friend as front seat passenger. The car failed to negotiate a bend and smashed into a stone wall causing massive impact damage and the death of the occupants. Post mortems were held on both bodies. The pathologist reported his findings to the coroner prior to the public inquest. He found that both occupants had died from multiple injuries. But that was not all. The boy was without his manhood. A search of the vehicle failed to find it. He then re-examined the girl’s body including an oral examination. There it was.

The Coroner scheduled the inquest and gave notice to the parents of the two victims who expressed their wish to attend. Witnesses gave evidence about the car and how it was driven. The pathologist gave evidence about the apparent causes of death. He did not mention his more lurid findings. The Coroner in his mind had to decide what had caused the driver to lose control of the vehicle. He chose to ignore any impact on the boy’s concentration the girl’s attention may or may not have had. He took the easy option. Excessive speed had caused loss of control. Verdict: Accidental Death.

The same thing happened some seven years later – but this time off the south coast of England and with an outcome less fortuitous for Mr Sperry!

On 13 December 1923 Lawrence Sperry was flying his Sperry Messenger G-EBIJ out of Croydon, bound for Amsterdam, when due to an engine fault he was forced to go down in the English Channel off the village of Pett (no, that’s not a Freudian slip!). Witnesses on land saw him going down and the Rye Harbour lifeboat was called out. When it reached the crash site, it found the Messenger floating but no sign of Sperry. It searched for him in vain and when it gave up, it towed the Messenger back to shore. Four weeks later Sperry’s body was washed up further east along the coast. Whilst he’d been wearing a flying suit and boots when he left Croydon, it is reported that the corpse was naked when found. Later an inquest was held at Rye. At that evidence was given to the Coroner by Mr Percy Jackson, Managing Director of the Sperry Gyroscope Company, that he knew Sperry ‘intimately’ ….. – no, I thought that too, but the Messenger was only a single seater!

Any members on this Forum?

…Mr Sperry is in the habit of doing stunts in the air…

…no, stunts…

…no, stunts…

…STUNTS…

…oh, never mind…

The article that ran in the proper press mentioned another reason for the accident, but that should not distract from a great story.

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9804E0DD123DEF3ABC4051DFB767838D609EDE