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
😎

NTSB: Pilots Weren’t In Formation In OSH Landing Accident

Says Race Aircraft Were Landing Separately
The National Transportation Safety Board released Wednesday its Preliminary Report on last Friday’s tragic landing accident at Wittman Field in Oshkosh, WI during AirVenture 2007.

As ANN reported, pilot Gerard Beck was killed when his P-51A — which he built himself, using North American’s original plans and blueprints — struck the tail of a P-51D that had just touched down on runway 36 at Wittman Field. Both aircraft had participated in a simulated air race demonstration.

The prelim — which follows, unedited but for formatting, below — notes the aircraft were not attempting a formation landing, as many had speculated. Rather, it appears Beck may not have seen the P-51D’s location on the runway, resulting in the landing collision.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.

On July 27, 2007, at 1519 central daylight time, a North American P51-D, Mustang, N151RJ, sustained substantial damage during landing when it was struck in the empennage and fuselage by an amateur-built Beck P-51A, Mustang, N8082U. N151RJ had just landed on runway 36 (8,002 feet by 150 feet, grooved concrete) at the Wittman Regional Airport (OSH), Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and was starting its landing roll when N8082U struck its empennage and fuselage.

The collision with N8082U pushed N151RJ onto its nose, and N151RJ subsequently skidded down the runway and came to rest about 788 feet from the initial impact point. N8082U was still airborne at the time of the collision, and it rolled over to the right of the aft fuselage of N151RJ and impacted the terrain in a wings level, inverted attitude. The pilot in N151RJ was not injured, and the pilot in N8082U received fatal injuries.

Both Mustang airplanes departed from OSH as part of a five-aircraft air race demonstration event at the EAA AirVenture 2007 air show. The demonstration air race was completed and the five aircraft were in the process of landing separately, and not in formation, on runway 36.

Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accid

FMI: http://www.ntsb.gov

We shall see what emerges but on the face of it the pilot of the P51A never saw the close proximity of the P51D until it was far too late to do anything. The view forward in the Mustang is very poor in the landing attitude.

I wonder what the view was like from the OSH tower where the EAA “Air Boss” crew were supervising the airshow activity. During the display period the FAA controllers hand over “control” to the EAA volunteer air boss team.

A real tragedy that might have been avoided so very easily.

Cheers,

Trapper 69
🙁

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:

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
🙂

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……….!!!!

What an excellent idea from “bager1968”

Any investigation AAIB or NTSC takes a long time before publication though the NTSC do release a preliminary report very soon afterwards. The French take more time still and the Spanish seem to take forever.

There is no doubt that some folk feel better for delving into possible causal factors or, on the other hand, others for restating their opposition to aircraft being flown in airshows, either with a gentle touch or more aggressively. Many genuinely feel that little is to be gained from inexpert speculation and that those who have been bereaved should not inadvertently read a comment from a well meaning forum member that might intensify their grief.

Perhaps the mods might mull over the idea and possibly implement it in future?

Cheers,

Trapper 69
:confused:

Sad news indeed.

Trapper 69
🙁
_________________________________-

http://www.thenorthwestern.com/apps/pbcs.d…H/70727175/1987

Quote:

One dead in AirVenture warbird crash when two planes collide; afternoon airshow suspended

One person was killed Friday afternoon when two warbirds collided on the south end of the north-south runway at Wittman Regional Airport.

Witnesses on the AirVenture grounds reported seeing two P-51 Mustangs approach the southern end of Runway 18/36 for what appeared to be a formation landing when the propeller of one Mustang caught the tail of the other, flipping it onto its nose. The aircraft in the rear tried to pull around the crashed aircraft and flipped over in the process, witnesses said.

One plane is covered with a tarp and appears to be upside down in grass east of the runway. The other plane came to a stop with its nose down, about 100 feet north of the other plane.

The pilot of the aircraft that ended up on its nose was able to walk away from the crash, witnesses reported.

The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are both investigating the crash.

The afternoon AirVenture air show has been cancelled, EAA spokesman Dick Knapinski said.

The Northwestern will update this story as it develops.