White Waltham Pitts crash
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That is so incredibly sad. Emily was at the top of her game, a great instructor and a lovely person. Yep, I know we push the edge of the envelope doing what we do but, of course, it'll never happen to us. Heartfelt sympathy, Mike, and blue skies all the way now, Emms. Sorry, it hasn't sunk in yet............
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I knew Emily through work, where she will be sadly missed by many.
Whatever is said now will never be enough at this time, but my sincerest sympathy goes to Mike, her family and all her friends at WW.
G-APDK
Whatever is said now will never be enough at this time, but my sincerest sympathy goes to Mike, her family and all her friends at WW.
G-APDK
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Sad news.
Why does the media insist on "stunts" instead of aerobatics or a similar more accurate word? Does anyone ever "roll the roll," or "spin the spin?" Or, do people just "loop the loop?" "Hammerhead the hammerhead?" Would it be "turn the stall turn" or "stall the stall turn?"
Any loss in flying is sad. When it's a well known/well liked person at a well know field, so much the worse. Aerobatic flying requires great precision and practice. It's not statistically dangerous. Calling it "stunt" flying is inaccurate and unfair.
Why does the media insist on "stunts" instead of aerobatics or a similar more accurate word? Does anyone ever "roll the roll," or "spin the spin?" Or, do people just "loop the loop?" "Hammerhead the hammerhead?" Would it be "turn the stall turn" or "stall the stall turn?"
Any loss in flying is sad. When it's a well known/well liked person at a well know field, so much the worse. Aerobatic flying requires great precision and practice. It's not statistically dangerous. Calling it "stunt" flying is inaccurate and unfair.
Agree all the way, Terry. We all get sick of "expert" journos and their dramatic misreporting. Qualifying it by saying it's what the public want to hear is just self-seeking BS. Aerobatic flying has risk; we accept that. But demeaning the performance of experienced and highly qualified pilots is unacceptable. 
Sad news.
Why does the media insist on "stunts" instead of aerobatics or a similar more accurate word? Does anyone ever "roll the roll," or "spin the spin?" Or, do people just "loop the loop?" "Hammerhead the hammerhead?" Would it be "turn the stall turn" or "stall the stall turn?"
Any loss in flying is sad. When it's a well known/well liked person at a well know field, so much the worse. Aerobatic flying requires great precision and practice. It's not statistically dangerous. Calling it "stunt" flying is inaccurate and unfair.
Why does the media insist on "stunts" instead of aerobatics or a similar more accurate word? Does anyone ever "roll the roll," or "spin the spin?" Or, do people just "loop the loop?" "Hammerhead the hammerhead?" Would it be "turn the stall turn" or "stall the stall turn?"
Any loss in flying is sad. When it's a well known/well liked person at a well know field, so much the worse. Aerobatic flying requires great precision and practice. It's not statistically dangerous. Calling it "stunt" flying is inaccurate and unfair.
Stunt flying as a generic term may include barnstorming (see below), crazy flying (the performance of comedic aerial routines), or any spectacular or unusual flying feat performed for film or television cameras or for any kind of public display or entertainment. Stunt flying may be performed by one or more pilots at the same time and with almost any kind of flying craft (including parachutes and gliders, as well as the more usual powered airplanes). While in the early days the term was given to the extreme combat maneuvers performed by aircraft in World Wars I and II and to aerobatic flying (before the latter developed into a sport), these usages have fallen away.
Press reporting is often blamed by a few whenever we read of a tragic accident.
Most of the newspaper reports will have originated from a press agency who turn out hundreds of stories every day.
The average person in the street has no idea of what aerobatics involves hence the preference for the word stunt.
Plummeting and plunging are also words that seem to upset some of the aviation community. However they correctly describe a rapid fall and are often used in quotes by eye witnesses.
Black box is an often used generic term for a flight recorder which we all know is orange.
Newspapers are aimed at the general public and not readers of specialist magazines.
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Just saw the news story yesterday, such a strange and sad mix of feelings.
I met Emily at an event a few months ago called "Get into Aeros" that she was a key part of, she was a very passionate pilot who loved the sport and is a big loss to the community.
I met Emily at an event a few months ago called "Get into Aeros" that she was a key part of, she was a very passionate pilot who loved the sport and is a big loss to the community.
Any info on possible causes?
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Inverted spin?
I had a very good friend (who is sadly no longer with us) who had Pitts which he flew in his spare time. He used to fly in aerobatic competitions. He went into how he could get out of his aircraft "in extremis" quickly if he ever had to in great detail. He saught good advice from the jumping beans about how they would get out of his Pitts and got his parachute packed regularly by the same professionals.
So, one day he was practicing and his beloved Pitts would not recover from an inverted spin. Over the side he went at his critical height. He landed in a farmer's field and his beloved Pitts entered the ground into a copse nearby. Having apologised to the farmer, he got a taxi home, had four hours kip, and then came to work.
Jimbo believed (like me) that the principle of the 6Ps is always a good starting point.
I had a very good friend (who is sadly no longer with us) who had Pitts which he flew in his spare time. He used to fly in aerobatic competitions. He went into how he could get out of his aircraft "in extremis" quickly if he ever had to in great detail. He saught good advice from the jumping beans about how they would get out of his Pitts and got his parachute packed regularly by the same professionals.
So, one day he was practicing and his beloved Pitts would not recover from an inverted spin. Over the side he went at his critical height. He landed in a farmer's field and his beloved Pitts entered the ground into a copse nearby. Having apologised to the farmer, he got a taxi home, had four hours kip, and then came to work.
Jimbo believed (like me) that the principle of the 6Ps is always a good starting point.
Gnome de PPRuNe
JW411, I believe Rob Davies regularly practiced abandoning his Mustang and possibly also briefed others on the subject at displays - one of our fellow PPRuNers may be able to confirm that; well worth it as his successful low level exit at Duxford demonstrated all too clearly.
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Inverted spin?
I had a very good friend (who is sadly no longer with us) who had Pitts which he flew in his spare time. He used to fly in aerobatic competitions. He went into how he could get out of his aircraft "in extremis" quickly if he ever had to in great detail. He saught good advice from the jumping beans about how they would get out of his Pitts and got his parachute packed regularly by the same professionals.
So, one day he was practicing and his beloved Pitts would not recover from an inverted spin. Over the side he went at his critical height. He landed in a farmer's field and his beloved Pitts entered the ground into a copse nearby. Having apologised to the farmer, he got a taxi home, had four hours kip, and then came to work.
Jimbo believed (like me) that the principle of the 6Ps is always a good starting point.
I had a very good friend (who is sadly no longer with us) who had Pitts which he flew in his spare time. He used to fly in aerobatic competitions. He went into how he could get out of his aircraft "in extremis" quickly if he ever had to in great detail. He saught good advice from the jumping beans about how they would get out of his Pitts and got his parachute packed regularly by the same professionals.
So, one day he was practicing and his beloved Pitts would not recover from an inverted spin. Over the side he went at his critical height. He landed in a farmer's field and his beloved Pitts entered the ground into a copse nearby. Having apologised to the farmer, he got a taxi home, had four hours kip, and then came to work.
Jimbo believed (like me) that the principle of the 6Ps is always a good starting point.
I spoke yesterday to a friend who witnessed the final moments of the flight. ( Retired Pilot)
He said it appeared to be a vertical descent with no apparent rotation.
Last edited by cessnapete; 6th Sep 2019 at 09:25.
The one place things get confusing is if the back seat pilot is looking over the top wing, the rotation appears to be the opposite, since the point of rotation of a fully developed spin is behind the wing to the back seater. So if they was looking in the wrong place, it would be easy to apply in-spin rudder, just making things worse. If you hold in-spin rudder, just relieving stick pressure will not stop the spin (Really big rudder), you have to push (or pull in an inverted spin) pretty hard
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We will have to wait and see how the report comes back.... but it could have been a very late recovery from a spin or mechanical failure of the elevator from what your friend saw
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