RNHF Firefly

Yeah yeah I know, but you know what I mean, there are just so many X’s and V’s and I’s a guy could get confused.

But we digress……..

Originally posted by Manonthefence
Paul

and the PR.XIX by Rolls Royce were both involved in fatal accidents.

I hope not! I walked past the PR.XIX not an hour ago & although the U/C is off for inspection it is still on jacks!:)
Cheers……………

My thoughts are with you Paul,and i tend to agree any rebuild would be wrong,But i do want to see some form of tribute to them and all over pilots who perish flying these wonderful old aircraft.

Trumper, I think (and this is just my opinion) that the views of the families should be the prime consideration for rebuilds of display aircraft. Paul’s stated his viewpoint, I think we should respect that…

Paul, your ‘side note’ is one of the most moving paragraphs I’ve ever read on this forum.

Originally posted by Manonthefence
You are of course correct

LOL,smart arse is always correct arent you Eddie :D.
I would like to make an observation if i may regarding the re- building of the Firefly at any point in the future.
Any historic plane is rebuilt to be a memorial to all those that operated them and to exhibit them to a far audience.
Would it not be in that spirit of things that the crew members would want the work to go ahead at some point in the future when the emotional side of things have settled down a bit.
It would be a fitting Memorial to the crew members as well.
Once again best wishes to all

You are of course correct

Think you mean Mk.XIV there, MotF

Paul

With regards to any restoration of the Firefly, I do believe that a precident has been set in this country. The Two seat Spitfire being restored by ARCo and the PR.XIX by Rolls Royce were both involved in fatal accidents. In both cases IIRC the families of the deceased were contacted before restoration commenced and their approval gained.
I sincerely hope that, should any restoration be considered, then similar action is taken.

Once again my sincere condolences.

Paul,
My sincerest regards to you & your family, I hope that the report will be public as there are a few un answered questions regarding the tragedy & I hope that changes will be made in the future.
Again, my thoughts are with you all……..

Thank you for replying,my Condolences to you and both the families involved.If something positive comes of all this it may help you all a bit.
As for the footage shown on the T/V i think there was a outrage against the people that distributed that so soon after the event from members of this forum.
Sincerest regards to you all

I think we are close to hearing an official report. The families of the crew will be informed (at least that is what my family has been told by the RNHF and the Navy). I am sure the report will help, at least the cause will be known. No matter what the cause, it will not bring Neil and Bill back. I have my own suspicions as to what the conclusion will be, but until I see the report it is merely speculation.

It has been suggested that the Firefly could be restored again, to which I would have to say no. I would rather remember it as Neil and Bill’s aircraft. Of course, I would have no say in the matter if the RNHF did decide to rebuild it, but it would be disrespectful in my opinion.

I think there is a lot to be learned from this terrible accident that will hopefully change how things are done. For example the terrible way the media behaved.. there should be laws against how they handled that. My father was informed of the accident by a friend who watched the news (thankfully he didn’t find out by switching on the TV). The Navy informed my mother by sending a duty officer from Yeovilton, but no attempt was made to contact my father by the Navy.. which is pretty disgraceful really.

As a side note (and please indulge me for going off topic a little here), one year ago today I took Neil up for our only flight together. He was over here in Ohio to stay with us. The weather was marginal but, as it was his last day over here we decided to give it a go. We had a great flight over the snow covered countryside, and I even managed a passable landing on the Icy runway. I am very glad we made that flight even though the weather was not perfect. It was the last thing we really did together as that night we had to drive him back to the airport to fly home.

Tempest – the report will be circulated within the Mod. It’s very likely that a copy will come within the public domain. From memory
the Sea Fury TF956 report was published in the media.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by trumper
It WAS in the public domain,i was there with 9 other friends and i think it may help as being a closure for people to help them come to terms with what they saw.

I think this is a very important issue and it has not been given enough emphasis.

I don’t think anyone should hold their breath waiting for the “official” report to be made public. It was an MOD aircraft and they will, if past experience is anything to go by, not publish.

Has the MOD retrieved TF956 and told us all what caused the undercarriage issue, or have we all had to guess what happened. If they haven’t then we may as well discuss the Firefly now and get it out in the open BEFORE the start of this season so that any lessons can be absorbed. I do not think we are being disrespectful to the families in doing so.

Ok chaps calm down

Warbird. I meant no offense. My point was merely that although you may well be perfectly qualified to comment about the why’s and wherefore’s of the accident. The best place to do so is at the inquiry, not on a public forum such as this.

I would hope that if, as a result of the investigation, there is knowledge gained that would be of use to the warbird movement then it would be passed on in the usual manner and that you would recieve it that way (although it being a Military Investigation I’m not sure what the previous form about this is).

I have already been told on a number of occasions that it was pilot error/engine failure/windshear/control restriction and it is this kind of pure guesswork that I find somewhat distasteful. a technical discussion, once the facts are known (which I wouldnt be qualified to take part in as I have little or no knowledge of the subject) would probably a good thing.

We must also bear in mind that the families of the deceased (one of whom is a member of this forum) may well not welcome a discussion of the human aspects of the accident before the report is published. We muct also be concerned for their wishes.

Not wishing to cause an arguement or offense, its just that I dontiikle speculation about accidents such as this before the facts are known. I know that the Military can be quite secretive in these cases, however in this case I would hope that useful knowledge is shared.

I hope the it will be published;
1,It would put an end to all the speculation and rumours
2, It WAS in the public domain,i was there with 9 other friends and i think it may help as being a closure for people to help them come to terms with what they saw.
3,If it affects other aircraft operators and pilots it should been known

Regards 🙂

I remember that photo in one of the Magazines that i buy.

Farewell Firefly

A salute to all RNHF personnel past & present who have striven for more than 30 years to maintain a flying Fleet Air Arm Memorial.

Originally posted by warbirdUK
I don’t really understand that bit of your posting!
Why the hell should I not comment? Life goes on after all, There seems to be a feeling on this forum that anyone enquiring about an incident should not do so until an investigation has been carried out, Why?? Is it not human nature to be inquisitive? especially at the scene of an accident? but on here there seem to be very few folks interested in the technical side of things, I work in the Warbird industry & have to be interested in what goes wrong mechanically as then we can check items or equipment on aircraft we work on BEFORE there is a problem with them.

One of the aircraft I work on also has a Griffon engine therefore I have more than a passing interest in the accident. I’m not interested in apportioning blame on the pilot, after all, IF it was his error he has paid for it with his life & there can be no greater penalty than that.

I am interested to know what happened not out of just curiosity but professional interest to be able to do all in my power to stop it happening again. So, please don’t ever tell me I should not be asking questions when lives can be at risk!
What ever the outcome of the enquiry one life WAS lost unnecessarily!

I am sure everyone has there oppinions of what the possible cause of the accident was myself included,but i can’t see need for questions that lead to rumour and blame,The official report is the only thing that should count after all they have all the evidence possible in front of them to make there judgements WE DON’T,so please spare a thought for the families of the crew it must be hard enough for them already without have more rumours about there loved ones.

Unfortunately some don’t seem to see it that way!
If folks could see how much ‘What If’ goes on during an investigation then that might help. It is only by discussion & debate that conclusions are reached by investigation boards. I have attended Aviation enquiries both in the UK & abroad in the past.
Cheers……………..