Camlobe re the tri pacer.
I went on a camping safari in the Masi Mara with a gentleman - David Drummond, GM - amongst other awards, who had flown the tri pacers.
They would get airborne before dawn and look for the heat haze rising through the early morning mist and call in the Lancs to pattern bomb the MaoMao camp sites...although the camp fires were extinguished the heat was enough to change the fog layer.
One morning he took off without doing an outside check...around 1000ft AGL a wing fell off ..he described to me the effects of the controls before he hit the deck.
I later read his biography ..Bwana Drum...a real boys own hero.
The pou du ciel..flying flea..
My father was offered a flight in one from Nice in the 30s ..he and his mate tossed a coin...he lost, mate went first ...and was killed.
I seem to remember that the crashes were caused by a luffing dive...in a steep dive the forward wing affected (blanked) the airflow of the aft one..
Somewhat akin to the hang glider crashes before luffing lines (or reflex) were added.
Last edited by blind pew; 14th Dec 2013 at 15:31.