Report on Kermit Weeks' Sopwith Pups restoration

Wow!
That couldn’t have turned out better if it was planned!

Thankful for the good fortune.

Andy

Yup, 12 seconds from it going pear shaped to wheels on the grass.

Kermit has released the video.What an incredible turn of events.The timing ,location and skills –just WOW ,Well done him https://www.facebook.com/KermitWeeks/videos/1798230096912728/

Hooligan –
“The F-6D Mustang Li’l Margaret which recently arrived in Europe was involved in a take off accident at Woodchurch on Friday. The pilot/owner escaped unharmed but the aircraft is damaged.”

Many thanks for the info. I hadn’t seen anything about that before.

Very bad news, but glad to hear that the pilot is OK.

Ian

He’s posted more pics today, there’s engine damage. On the upside, the prop is already back at Sensenich for repair & the main spar appears to be unharmed.

Almost identical circumstances to the accident which befell David Hollis-Williams in his Sopwith Dove G-EBKY at the Bournemouth Easter Races on Easter Saturday 1927.

It was subsequently repaired by Fairey Aviation (totally rebuilt morelike) and flew again … it is now, of course, owned by the Shuttleworth Collection and flown in Pup configuration.

The F-6D Mustang Li’l Margaret which recently arrived in Europe was involved in a take off accident at Woodchurch on Friday. The pilot/owner escaped unharmed but the aircraft is damaged.

I’ve searched all the usual places for news of a “P51” incident over the weekend, but can’t find anything. Can you enlighten me please?

Thanks.

Been a bad weekend all round. Kermits Pup, the P51, fatal Staggerwing crash in NM & a Huey down in Wa State (Minor injuries, fairly major damage)

Ive seen some Sopwiths with tabs to hold the front cowling on as well as the clamped cable system as added insurance..Cant find any HD pics in my stash of the original system.

Kermit had a buddy on the grass with a camera when it came apart, he’s posting more pics & video tomorrow.

Shuttleworth’s Bristol M.1C also had the cowling come adrift during a display as I recall?

Was this a common occurrence during WW1 or is it an issue only of the preservation era?

Yikes!!
That could have had a much worse outcome.
Very thankful both will live to fly another day.

Andy

I remember this happening to one at Blackbushe in the early 80’s. It was extremely interesting, as I was only a couple feet away at the time.

Yikes! Glad he got down OK. I seem to remember something similar also happened on the Shuttleworth Pup in the 90’s.

Same thing happened to the TVAL replica Sopwith Camel in 2001: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ApowyEXSXM

Pics/report:

https://www.facebook.com/pg/KermitWeeks/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1795674247168313

It threw the cowling off today & the shrapnel shredded the wings etc. Kermit was right over the airport & he’s fine. Pup looks a bit worse for wear.