PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Greatest British (post WW2) miltary pilot
Old 30th Oct 2003, 05:48
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Join Date: Dec 2002
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Like Neil Williams there are a couple of others who recovered when many others would have crashed.

One, a Master Pilot, flying an Anson had a failure of the undercarriage. One method was to use a hand pump and pump it down. For some reason this was not an option. So he feathered one engine and used the starter motor to rotate the two-bladed prop horizontal. He continued with a single engine approach. Just before touchdown he feathered the other. Again he motored the prop and executed a three-point landing on the protruding main wheels and tail wheel. The aircraft was undamaged.

The other was Sqn Ldr John Elias flying a Shackleton AEW in about 1980. As the aircraft got airborne and he pulled back on the control column the aircraft nosed over. He pushed, it climbed.

He then flew a circuit using the controls in the reverse sense and made a perfect landing saving the aircraft and denying the caterpillar club 6 or 7 new members. AFAIK he did not get an award.
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