Next up is Phoenix Squadron by Rowland White.

Curlyboy

I toiled through that, with a growing suspicion that at its heart the fundamental core of the story was too weak to justify such a windy account.

No doubt nostalgic, for anyone actually involved, but I nearly called ‘Abort! about three times, and on conclusion wished I had.

Owl Racer accident report.

http://www.aaib.gov.uk/cms_resources.cfm?file=/5-1974%20G-AYMS.pdf

The only bit not salvaged was the 12 inches of propeller, which was not found.

How many of our intrepid forum members would actually take a Mosquito ride?
I have a hunch a significant number would refuse out of fear…:D

I have concerns about the accident rate of twin-engined historic aircraft.

I would only feel safe to fly in it if they did the flight on one engine.

Quite wonderful- it really looks the part in the new colour scheme.

After a little while , with some oil stains and exhaust residue, it will look even better ! It is always a dilemma, to make it look clean and loved, or worn and authentic.

Had I been there, and had the aeroplane had flaps, I would have used one stage of flap for enhanced lift, and perhaps not deployed them until near rotation ( or in this case, plunge down the hill) to reduce airframe drag whilst gaining speed on T/O.

Sorry to strike a grumpy note, but that the paint job on that Tiger is, what’s the word now… horrible.

I know G-ANMV of old, when it was based at Booker with Tigerfly, and it used to look very authentic, in correct colours. This new paint scheme seems very odd, and the colours in the roundel are more like those seen in WW1.

It was a sad day when she crunched, whilst in the hands of Mark Walden ( not his fault ) The engine stopped in a stall turn just north of Henley on Thames, and the subsequent arrival in a field was rather on the firm side.

On reflection, the colours look quite different in the various photos ( in hangar, outside) , so perhaps the digital colour balance is making it look worse than it is.

Here’s the prelim report.

NOW you can speculate..

”NTSB Identification: WPR11MA454
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Friday, September 16, 2011 in Reno, NV
Aircraft: NORTH AMERICAN/AERO CLASSICS P-51D, registration: N79111
Injuries: 11 Fatal,66 Serious.

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 September 16, 2011, about 1626 Pacific daylight time, an experimental North America P-51D, N79111, impacted terrain following a loss of control while maneuvering at Reno Stead Airport, Reno, Nevada. The airplane was registered to Aero-Trans Corp, Ocala, Florida, and operated by the pilot as Race 177 under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The commercial pilot sustained fatal injuries; the airplane sustained substantial damage. Casualties on the ground included 10 fatalities and 74 injured. As of the time of this preliminary report, eight of the injured remain hospitalized, some in critical condition. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan had been filed for the local air race flight, which departed from Reno Stead Airport about 10 minutes before the accident.

The airplane was participating in the Reno National Championship Air Races in the last event of the day. The airplane had completed several laps and was in a steep left turn towards the home pylon when, according to photographic evidence, the airplane suddenly banked momentarily to the left before banking to the right, turning away from the race course, and pitching to a steep nose-high attitude. Witnesses reported and photographic evidence indicates that a piece of the airframe separated during these maneuvers. After roll and pitch variations, the airplane descended in an extremely nose-low attitude and collided with the ground in the box seat area near the center of the grandstand seating area.

Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration examined the wreckage on site. They documented the debris field and identified various components of the airplane’s control system and control surfaces. The wreckage was removed to a secure storage facility for detailed examination at a later date.

The airplane’s ground crew noted that the airplane had a telemetry system that broadcast data to a ground station as well as recorded it to a box on board the airplane. The crew provided the ground station telemetry data, which includes engine parameters and global positioning satellite system data to the NTSB for analysis. The onboard data box, which sustained crush damage, was sent to the NTSB’s Vehicle Recorder laboratory for examination. Investigators recovered pieces of a camera housing and multiple detached memory cards from the airplane’s onboard camera that were in the debris field. The memory cards and numerous still and video image recordings were also sent to the Vehicle Recorders laboratory for evaluation.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the Reno Air Race Association are parties to the investigation.”