Spitfire lands in Kent field

[Basil]

In The Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/aviation/11848575/Spitfire-crash-lands-into-Kent-field.html)

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03431/spitfire_3431561b.jpg

Looks like a good effort.

[DirtyProp]

Glad to know the pilot is fine.
Let's hope the old glory gets fixed soon.

[Luther Sebastian]

Oh come on! 70 years ago or so, this would hardly have been news.

[ETOPS]

Ooops! second wheels up landing for this particular Spit..

Eschbach: Grosseinsatz: Oldtimer-Flugzeug muss in Bremgarten notlanden - badische-zeitung.de (http://www.badische-zeitung.de/eschbach/oldtimer-flugzeug-muss-in-bremgarten-notlanden--59051562.html)

[Basil]

70 years ago or so, this would hardly have been news.
Yes, occurred to me when I posted and, regrettably, not all with the relatively agreeable outcome.

[RAT 5]

But whose is it? I'm due at Goodwood soon to fly in Boutilee's 2 seater.

I saw the video of the wheels up at Sibson (spitfire % replica). Was it under power for the landing? The prop was turning, slowly. I don't know the engine, no doubt modern and perhaps CRU. I wonder at a stationary feathered position to avoid shock loading the engine as the prop coughs a furrow. I n this case the blades snapped of PDQ.

[DaveReidUK]

But whose is it? I'm due at Goodwood soon to fly in Boutilee's 2 seater.

No, not Boultbee's, Hangar 10's:

https://www.classicdriver.com/de/article/flugzeuge/einmal-im-leben-der-spitfire-fliegen

Though it was reportedly on its way to Goodwood.

[ca7erham]

For sale here;


Platinum Fighter Sales | Warbird and Classic Aircraft For Sale (http://www.platinumfighters.com/#!spitfire-mj772/cuwc)

[Landflap]

Luther : Exactly. 70 years ago was when the coin was phrased.................."If you can walk away from it , it was a good'n" !

[pattern_is_full]

Frankly, in stubble like that with a taildragger, I'd have landed wheels up intentionally (as I'm sure this pilot did). The odds of going tip over arse and racking up both the plane and myself (faceful of instruments) would be really high with the weight distribution and gear location.

http://www.spitfire.dk/Grafik/415.jpg

[treadigraph]

It was wheels up - actually its third such denouement I believe. A very safe pair of hands dealing with an engine failure as I hear it.

First one was during filming of Battle of Britain with Connie Edwards in the driving seat.

[PAXboy]

So are we going to go on with near misses and repairs until the machine is lot altogether? Then future generations will not be able to see at first hand how delicate they are.

Eventually, they all have to come to ground and I suggest that it's better they do so in a controlled fashion at the end of a natural span - as XH558 will have to.

[DaveReidUK]

Then future generations will not be able to see at first hand how delicate they are.There is an almost inexhaustible supply of potentially airworthy Spitfires, given that airworthiness authorities like the CAA will let you "rebuild" one from little more than the manufacturer's data plate.

[Machinbird]

There is an almost inexhaustible supply of potentially airworthy Spitfires, given that airworthiness authorities like the CAA will let you "rebuild" one from little more than the manufacturer's data plate. One of my hobbies is WWI aircraft. With sufficient technical information, you can build the airframe, but obtaining and supporting an original engine is very difficult. When the supplies of engines and spares are used up-as they will be-the WWII and cold war aircraft will be grounded. Then it will truly be a rich man's game.

[the_flying_cop]

There is photo somewhere showing the other aspect. The wing is off and the props are about 6 inch stubs.

One thinks it won't buff out so easily, but I'm glad to hear the driver is ok.

[Peter-RB]

Would'nt Plastic type blades be better, they would just bend out of shape on impact,.. and possible stop shock loads , then a nifty bit of heat would straighten em out again to be ready for next flight..?:D

[GQ2]

PAXboy;- I think you are on the wrong website. I suggest you try inhabiting this one;- Home | Daily Mail Online (http://www.dailymail.co.uk) :suspect:

[aox]

Would'nt Plastic type blades be better, they would just bend out of shape on impact,.. and possible stop shock loads , then a nifty bit of heat would straighten em out again to be ready for next flight..?

Yeah, and a bit of duct tape to bodge the severed wing back on, dont worry about the spar, should be flying again by next weekend.

[PAXboy]

GQ2
I think I'm interested in seeing the aircraft in real life. We've just lost a Hunter and tell me how many airworthy - original - Mosquitos, Beaufighters etc. that we have left?

[surely not]

There are no Airworthy Beaufighters anywhere, but that is because there haven't been any since they were retired from the Air Forces they flew for so they do not illustrate the point you want to make.

The airworthy Mosquito is extinct in UK but I think I'm correct in saying there is one in USA, Canada and New Zealand. The UK example had given many millions of spectators the chance to see and hear it in all its glory for 30 ish years before its accident. We can still see static examples in museums, but I am glad that I got the chance to see the Mosquito flying in formation with the DH88 Comet at Shuttleworth before it did crash. A memorable experience.

Should veteran cars be confined to a garage or museum?

[India Four Two]

surely not,

A small correction. The one in the USA, an FB26 KA114 at the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach is the one that was re-built in NZ at Ardmore. The Canadian one in Victoria BC is a Mk. 35 VR796

So there are only two airworthy at the moment, but I did see another fuselage in the back of the hangar at Ardmore. I didn't see KA114 fly before it left NZ, but I was lucky enough to be allowed to sit in the cockpit. Magical! :ok:

I am firmly in the camp of continuing to fly old aircraft for as long a possible. I think it is tragic that there is a Spitfire XVI with 638 hours in its log, marooned forever on an upper floor in the Auckland War Memorial Museum.

and the props are about 6 inch stubs.
The props are wood (or mostly wood). My understanding is that because they break so easily in a forced landing, there is no engine shock load.

[Peter-RB]

Hey Surely,

Vet Cars don't have a problem if the donk stops, ya just rope em up and pull home, the others we all seem to like hearing and seeing zooming about do tend every now and then to have a hard time when their Donks start to misbehave, with some having the problem of coming down pretty hard,.....

my own thoughts are that people are using them more as a commercial undertaking, and thus putting far to much stress + hours onto the old Warbirds, after all when used for real 70+ years ago parts cost next to nothing and engineers climbed all over them as they landed courtesy of the huge military movements they were part of..:)

[taildragger123]

Possibly the 5th time!
Once durring WW2
Also Little Straughton 9 July 1968
and Amarillo Texas 1982
and Germany 3 May 2012
and Sept 2015 Kent
I think this is the worst damage it has suffered http://flyinginireland.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/151_Kent2.png