B.E.2 replica down at sywell

[plexus]

A member of an aircraft re-enactment display team has escaped with just cuts and bruises after a dramatic air crash at Sywell Aerodrome.Matthew Boddington was piloting his Biggles Biplane BE2 replica alongside five other vintage planes, practising for a show taking place at Duxford later this month.

An eyewitness saw the replica of a 1914 BE-2c observation biplane spiral to the ground and disappear from view in a field.

Gordon Brander, leader of The Bremont Great War Display Team, told this newspaper that Mr Boddington was the pilot.

"Matthew's OK. He's been taken to hospital but there's nothing life-threatening, nothing serious. He's got a few bad cuts on his head," he said.



cant post links even after all these years , story and pic is on northants telegraph website.. Looking at the angle he appears to have been very lucky. Best wishes for speedy recovery

[treadigraph]

https://www.northantstelegraph.co.uk/news/miraculous-escape-sywell-air-crash-pilot-left-just-cuts-and-bruises-2959689

You need to have 10 posts before you can do links I think.

Blimey, Matthew Boddington was very lucky; the pic is very reminiscent of the famous one of Lewis Benjamin's prang in a Tiger at Sywell in '63! The BE-2 replica is based on a Tiger Moth I think.

[treadigraph]

Item on the BBC website which includes a video - seems to have been a well developed spin from several hundred feet.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-54002200

[megan]

Looks the real deal to me treaders, difficult to see any Tiger in there. Photo Replica RAF BE2c 347 (G-AWYI)


https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/2000x1333/replica_raf_be2c_347_28g_awyi_29_286722260331_29_b7cfbc3e7c8 499587cb7640374e70a2e676401f8.jpg

[sablatnic]

Looks the real deal to me treaders, difficult to see any Tiger in there. Photo Replica RAF BE2c 347 (G-AWYI)


https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/2000x1333/replica_raf_be2c_347_28g_awyi_29_286722260331_29_b7cfbc3e7c8 499587cb7640374e70a2e676401f8.jpg
It isn't, it is quite a bit smaller, has a four cylinder engine and a two bladed prop.
It was "recently" restored after a crash 30 - 40 years ago.

[treadigraph]

There's certainly Tiger Moth DNA in it, probably the fuselage structure, not sure about the wings. The engine is a Gipsy Major.

In the early 60s, John Crewdson modified three Tigers into very convincing Rumplers and a Fokker D.VIII.

[treadigraph]

Posting on Flyer; Steve Slater reported as saying that apart from nasty facial cuts, Matthew also has some broken ribs and vertebra but should make a full recovery - fingers crossed that it's rapid.

[Sleeve Wing]

So sad to hear this. He was one of the best and most experienced pilots of light aircraft around.
Looked bad but he appears to be not too badly hurt. Lucky lad........
Best wishes for a full recovery, Matt.

[ShyTorque]

Sounds like he was unlucky then a few seconds later - very lucky! :eek:

It occurred to me that paradoxically, in a heavier, more "substantially" built aircraft things might well have been far more serious.

[plexus]

Sounds like he was unlucky then a few seconds later - very lucky! :eek:

It occurred to me that paradoxically, in a heavier, more "substantially" built aircraft things might well have been far more serious.

Indeed, the build and light weight no doubt was a huge factor given the angle he went in.

Matthew also has some broken ribs and vertebra but should make a full recovery

sad to hear injuries were worse than reported but hopefully recovery will be quick.

You need to have 10 posts before you can do links
Indeed, im just one of those not-very-often posters.

[biscuit74]

Wow. Very glad Mr Boddington is going to be OK. Just imagine what must have been going through his mind at the moment of that photograph. Old biplanes - lots of structure to help take the impacts. One photograph shows a surprisingly intact rear cockpit area.

I expect - and hope - it will be rebuilt. It might Mr B some time to be prepared to fly her again though!

[EDMJ]

The aircraft is based on a Tiger Moth, was built by the pilot‘s father many, many years ago, retrieved from the USA and rebuilt by the pilot. I wish the pilot a speedy recovery, I so enjoyed reading about the project on the FlyPast forum and in Aeroplane.

[megan]

Thanks Treaders and sablatnic, I didn't quite appreciate the scale, having had a look at the New Zealand B.E. 2 rebuild I now appreciate the difference. Still looks the real deal though, which was the aim I guess.

[DaveReidUK]

There's certainly Tiger Moth DNA in it, probably the fuselage structure, not sure about the wings. The engine is a Gipsy Major.

The wings are reportedly from a Jackaroo.

[Maoraigh1]

Jackeroo wings were Tiger Moth wings.
That was what I was told when getting my PPL at Thruxton on Jackeroos..

[Sleeve Wing]

Not in touch personally. Any news on Matt's recovery ?

[BirdmanBerry]

Last I heard he was going in for an op on his hand/wrist. This was around 12th September.

[PDR1]

The engine is a Gipsy Major.

Is it? Surely a Gipsy Major would be inverted - it might be a Gypsy.

PDR

[treadigraph]

It's registered with a Gipsy Major 10. I believe a Gipsy was originally modified by Frank Halford to run inverted by simply mounting the carburettor upside down; this was developed into the Gipsy Major.

[PDR1]

No modifications to the oil system?

PDR

[DaveReidUK]

Is it? Surely a Gipsy Major would be inverted - it might be a Gypsy.

No, it's a relatively rare instance of an upright Gipsy Major.

See August 2011 GAPAN News P27-28 (https://www.airpilots.org/file/493/guild-news-august-2011.pdf).

[treadigraph]

As far as I can make out, development of the initial inverted Gipsy into the Gipsy Major included better piston rings to reduce oil loss as well as increase in power to 130hp. Known to some as the Dripsy Major though, presumably not without reason.

[treadigraph]

Accident report published by the AAIB.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/aaib-report-g-awyi-loss-of-control-in-the-air-at-sywell-aerodrome-northamptonshire