The Aerobat is one tough little plane. One arrived at the field when I was doing my PPL. I asked James 'Ginger' Lacey (dcd), my instructor, if he could show me some aeros in it. He started by half-rolling for a pull through at 5000' and around 100+ knots!! It went down like a brick built s... house. Through tunnel vision I saw VNE left for dead. We levelled out at about 300'. He must really have kept his cool during that dive but he never did any more aeros. We never discussed the episode.
Barry Smith, like Pete Clark, was a natural pilot from the day he first sat in a cockpit. Didn't know he was still active.
PS Them_thar - never flown a Bucker. Is there one in Yorkshire?
Last edited by meditek; 19th Jul 2006 at 17:11.