Originally posted by Ant Harrington
I have to agree with RobAnt,I didn’t see anything resembling a Derry in the last moments of the Firefly’s flight. It seemed to me that the pilot was trying to pull the aircraft through a half loop, from which I would guess he intended to roll off level at the top and thus find himself heading back towards the airfield. The rolls and oscillations which the aircraft performed occurred after the stall and departure from controlled flight.I think any notion that the pilot was attempting a Derry manouvre ought to be knocked on the head.
I don’t really like to get involved in the speculation surrounding this acident,but I witnessed the accident first hand and I feel it’s important to get things right and prevent misinformation from spreading.
It didnt resemble a derry turn as he only completed the first half- i.e. he got to inverted and did not pull through the remaining 45 degrees.This is where control was lost – I saw no traits of a stall, indeed the aircraft appeared to be at good speed, but the pull out was initiated inverted. Tempest nut has said that a “dodgy” derry had been completed at the western end – this leads me to believe that a second one was to be attempted. I presume by half loop, you refer to a split S whereby the pilot will pull up to the near vertical ,roll inverted and pull out as if completeing a loop. If this was being attempted and I very much doubt it (never, ever seen the firefly fly vertical aerobatic manouveres- rolls and derrys , yes, but loops, cubans, split s -no) he was way too low and underpowered. The only person who can answer us isnt here any more.
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