Just out of curiosity - Airplane Guys

Some yrs back, D-M had an Open house week end and the CAF was there with their airplanes including the B-29 "Fifi". Late Sunday afternoon the people and airplanes start leaving. I live blocks from the base and planes from base and the local airport fly over the house every day. Well this Sunday there was a unusual airplane sound/roar or piston airplanes. I look up and its Fifi surrounded by all the other CAF planes. Flew right over the house at maybe 2k feet? Quite the event for this plane nut!

WOW - in addition to the 12-month riding weather, you really do live in paradise Rudi!

Pete
 
Many years ago I worked at a service station in Capitol Heights, MD, not too far from Andrews AFB. I'm working on some car when the ground starts shaking. Almost thought it was an earthquake! Ran outside to see the Blue Angels come over at maybe 200 feet. You could read the stuff on the side of the planes! Amazing!

That was in the 80s or early 90s, so it would have been the F/A-18, I think.

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WOW - in addition to the 12-month riding weather, you really do live in paradise Rudi!

Pete
I don't now about 12 month riding weather. Between 115*F weeks and Monsoon rains It's not worth putting on the riding gear. Now the last WE in Feb is the annual Heritage Flight Training Weekend. R-3350's in the A-1E and V-1710's (AKA Alison engines) in the P-38's and V-1640's (AKA RR Merlin) in 4 P-51D and E flying with A-10C, F-15's, F-16's, F-22's and F-35's and whatever else shows up. I wait all year for this event.
 
A show that I have got into watching lately is "Air Disasters". Not for the gruesome aspect of the people who lost their lives but the methodology of how they figure out what went wrong. Pretty much the same as troubleshooting a failure of an engine or such.

One just yesterday was sad as one of the main causes of the crash was determined to be pilot pulling breaker on the system that warned him when plane got too close to ground. Seems that due to inaccuracies in the software it was giving too many false alarms like telling pilot to pull up while he was about to land on the runway. Another problem was the charts showing the height of mountains near the small airport were off by a few hundred feet. Airport was a small one in a valley and chart said highest mountain was something like 7,400 feet and weather report said cloud cover was above 8,000 so he assumed he would come out of the clouds before he was close to the mountain top! Did not happen!
 
I've probably told this story before too, but hey, I'm old, I get a pass on repeating myself myself...

Went to an antique truck and tractor show at the Owls Head Transportation Museum just South of Rockport on the Maine coast.

The museum is also an airstrip and has several original and reproduction biplanes and the like. So, anyway I'm wandering around looking at the trucks and tractors when I hear the unmistakable sound of a BIG radial rumbling through the air. Initially, I thought it was the Museum's Stearman, but no, this sounds MUCH bigger.

Looked around and saw a F4U Corsair approaching. As he came over the strip he did the same as the P51 mentioned previously: Rolled it up on a wing and roared down the fenceline sideways. All the blood drained from my head, ifyaknowwhatimean. THEN he put the boots to that beautiful beast climbed out, came around again and landed. Even better, he taxied up and parked about 50 feet from me across the fence.

I needed a cigarette...

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...and a glass of scotch...
 
I was reminded in another post about an accident my father caught on film...........this isn't the film but a u tube vid and pics.............Vucan Bomber near crash and how the pilot probably saved many lives that day

Dad was a 16mm film fanatic. used a light meter whenever he used the movie camera..........In those days there was always a groan when he would make us get dressed and pose for a movie when ever there was a significant event in our lives growing up..........these days i can look back and watch, 5 min movies of the families first days at school, holidays, first ride of a bike, first steps as a baby and as he was an airshow fanatic also some unique footage of some of the old airshows in NZ...........

One in particular was the opening of Wellington airport. It was the first time The Vulcan bomber was flown, (around 60-62), in NZ. Wellingtom airport has a short runway and has a lot of cross winds.....the Vulcan did a couple of passes where the pilot would touch down then gun it and take off. When he actually tried to land, the pilot hit hard and the wheel strut got driven up into the fuselage. the pilot gunned the engine and took off again to land somewhere safe .........almost all caught on camera, coming in to land, but to many heads in the way for the actual touchdown but could see the as it lifted of and the trail of fuel behind, with the wheel still down at an odd angle............the pilot saved a major crash and the possibility of deaths by managing to get the plane back into the air and not committing to the landing.

just done a search, it was 59 and here is an article about it
https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/8420667/Retired-wing-commander-remembers-near-miss
Utube video
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Some pics
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landed at Ohakea, air-force base north of wellington
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WOW - that is a remarkable film and set of photos! Thanks for sharing Doug.

That pilot boobed on the landing but he should still get a medal. He probably learned to fly on a DH-Tigermoth.

P
 
Welling airport has a very short runway. miscalculated, sure but as it was the first time the Vulcan landed there and i think it had to use it all to be able to land.........no run off on the other end either. ...........
 
Pilot friend of mine, flies 737s as his day job but builds and flies light aircraft as his hobby, always tells me 'Any landing you can walk away from is a good landing.'
Never thought the word 'good' was very apt for that statement. Mebbe one day I'll tell the tale of my "good landing".... :redface:

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Never thought the word 'good' was very apt for that statement. Mebbe one day I'll tell the tale of my "good landing"

Well, I suppose a landing you can walk away from is preferable to one you can't . . . I think pilots mean fatal?

But, pray tell your story of how you bent Tango Tango.
 
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