Who was the best display pilot you ever saw?
Cool Mod
Join Date: Apr 1998
Location: 18nm N of LGW
Posts: 6,185
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
seafuryfan
Have to say that I doubt that is Pete Shepherd in the RNHF Sea Fury, Pete had a large mop of hair which, as I recall, he retained until he retired, though he did have a super beard.
A real gent and a great display pilot. I saw his Sea Vixen display practice at Yeovilton many years ago - it was truly stunning.
We went to the wardroom after that and I didn't make it home that day.
Boy! Could that man drink!
Have to say that I doubt that is Pete Shepherd in the RNHF Sea Fury, Pete had a large mop of hair which, as I recall, he retained until he retired, though he did have a super beard.
A real gent and a great display pilot. I saw his Sea Vixen display practice at Yeovilton many years ago - it was truly stunning.
We went to the wardroom after that and I didn't make it home that day.
Boy! Could that man drink!
I concur that the Sea Fury driver is not the Pete Sheppard that PPrune Pop. BOAC and myself know. SNO and Hawk instructor at Chivenor early eighties. I do recall having met more than one Lt Cdr Sheppard however.
Tarnished
Tarnished
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: EGDN
Posts: 155
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Fixed wing - Brian Lecomber in the Pitts
Rotary Wing - Charlie Zimmermann in the BO105
Both magic, and both doing spectacular displays which were innovative in their day (which was when I was young and impressionable).
Rotary Wing - Charlie Zimmermann in the BO105
Both magic, and both doing spectacular displays which were innovative in their day (which was when I was young and impressionable).
Cool Mod
Join Date: Apr 1998
Location: 18nm N of LGW
Posts: 6,185
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Tarnished.
You mean there is more than ONE Pete Sheppard - nah, there could never be a mould that would produce a clone of him.
If I had spent more years on the 'circuit' with the likes of PS, than I did, I reckon my liver would have been put in a jar!
You mean there is more than ONE Pete Sheppard - nah, there could never be a mould that would produce a clone of him.
If I had spent more years on the 'circuit' with the likes of PS, than I did, I reckon my liver would have been put in a jar!
KEITH HARTLEY
Tightflester's right! Typhoon is far more impressive being thrown around than smoothly put through its performance!
Roly Beamont displayed the Canberra in the sixties like no one else!
Tightflester's right! Typhoon is far more impressive being thrown around than smoothly put through its performance!
Roly Beamont displayed the Canberra in the sixties like no one else!
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: lahr germany
Age: 84
Posts: 27
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
[QUOTE=HectorusRex]It must have been the summer of 1952 that I saw Prince Cantucuzene in his Jungmeister displaying at Baginton Airport.
At the ctaxied off.
I have never seen the likes since.
I was at the same airshow and I remember the good Prince did most of
the display inverted with excuse that he didnt want to get wet, it was
raining ,British summer.
Another unforgetable display was the Reds , on their way to a airshow
at Luftwaffe base Bremgarten they staged out of Canadian air base Lahr
and upon arrival in Lahr did an impromptual practice over the airfield,
no crowd, no restrictions,as you can imagine it was very low and very
spectacular. They were still flying the Gnat so it had to be in the early
70s.Later that summer I saw them again at the German Grand Prix at
the Hockenheim curcuit, the solo pilots flew up the pit straight inverted
with lowered undercarriage well below the level of the surrounding spectator
tribunes.Everyone was on their feet and the apllause was thunderous.
At the ctaxied off.
I have never seen the likes since.
I was at the same airshow and I remember the good Prince did most of
the display inverted with excuse that he didnt want to get wet, it was
raining ,British summer.
Another unforgetable display was the Reds , on their way to a airshow
at Luftwaffe base Bremgarten they staged out of Canadian air base Lahr
and upon arrival in Lahr did an impromptual practice over the airfield,
no crowd, no restrictions,as you can imagine it was very low and very
spectacular. They were still flying the Gnat so it had to be in the early
70s.Later that summer I saw them again at the German Grand Prix at
the Hockenheim curcuit, the solo pilots flew up the pit straight inverted
with lowered undercarriage well below the level of the surrounding spectator
tribunes.Everyone was on their feet and the apllause was thunderous.
Aviator Extraordinaire
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma USA
Age: 76
Posts: 2,394
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I had the privilege to meet Bob Hover many times. I saw him perform in:
F-100
T-28
P-51
Saber 40
And of course the famous Shrike Commander.
(Talk about another guy that could drink!)
KZ8
In case you were unaware, Jimmy Franklin was killed in a mid-air with Bobby Younkin at a airshow in Moose Jaw, Canada on July 10, 2005.
Jimmy was a friend of mine and he will be missed. RIP
(As he use to say, "I'm not doing bad for an old dirt farmer.")
F-100
T-28
P-51
Saber 40
And of course the famous Shrike Commander.
(Talk about another guy that could drink!)
KZ8
In case you were unaware, Jimmy Franklin was killed in a mid-air with Bobby Younkin at a airshow in Moose Jaw, Canada on July 10, 2005.
Jimmy was a friend of mine and he will be missed. RIP
(As he use to say, "I'm not doing bad for an old dirt farmer.")
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: West Sussex
Posts: 1,771
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Display Flying
I will never forget Jim Hawkins' displays in the prototype Hawk 200 at Dunsfold - none of us had ever seen a modern aircraft flown with so much sheer spirit - stall turns, continuous outside turns -4g with wingtip 100'AGL, etc. On a Hawk sales tour in the Middle East, he had ONE round loaded into the Aden, and an oil drum placed on a pole. He got it !
Unfortunately of course, his luck did not last.
I have to agree with a previous respondent, once you've seen John Farley do his trade mark demo' take off, nothing else comes close.
He would hover about 70' up, then pitch up with the nose reaction control, manually adjusting the nozzle angle to match, so the a/c ended up hovering at a say 50 degree nose up attitude.
Then using the last ounce of thrust & water injection, he would power away from there.
There were no aids, this was all seat of the pants - other pilots who tried it found out the hard way.
My Father was criew-chief for him at the Farnborough show one day when the ( Indian SHAR ) seemed to stagger on the way up, but kept going. The water injection turbine had exploded, but John just landed with a grin, " I'd always wondered what it would be like if that happened !"
Unfortunately of course, his luck did not last.
I have to agree with a previous respondent, once you've seen John Farley do his trade mark demo' take off, nothing else comes close.
He would hover about 70' up, then pitch up with the nose reaction control, manually adjusting the nozzle angle to match, so the a/c ended up hovering at a say 50 degree nose up attitude.
Then using the last ounce of thrust & water injection, he would power away from there.
There were no aids, this was all seat of the pants - other pilots who tried it found out the hard way.
My Father was criew-chief for him at the Farnborough show one day when the ( Indian SHAR ) seemed to stagger on the way up, but kept going. The water injection turbine had exploded, but John just landed with a grin, " I'd always wondered what it would be like if that happened !"
Dispaly flying is highly subjective and making a display look good is not just about how many g you pull. Some pilots have a better mounts and have it easy. I've done a bit of display flying and the best advice given to me while training was that "It's a bit like masturbation. It may feel good from your point of view, but others don't necessarily want to watch". The closest I have come to coming a cropper in an aeroplane was during a display and although It was certainly very impressive from my point of view, hardly anyone in the crowd noticed. Only another pilot who asked "What did you do that for?" seem to know what was happening.
Bearing this in mind, my votes:
Solo - Brian Lecomber, probably because he was the best on the display circuit about twenty years ago and in my mind despite there being lots of good pull and grunt merchants around these days, he's still the best.
Team - The Skyhawks, Brendan O'Brian and John Taylor. I used to own an RF4 and still have no idea how they could acheive what they did in that aircraft. Energy management and pure flying skill at it's best.
Big Aircraft - Paul Millikin and Dave Thomas, the last pilots to display the Vulcan. To see a four engine jet doing a wing over at 1000' and 100 knts at 120 degrees angle of bank - unbelieveable! I once had to host a USAF KC135 crew at an airshow who were telling me what they could do with a 135 (yawn!) They were silent for a long while after seeing the Vulcan display.
Bearing this in mind, my votes:
Solo - Brian Lecomber, probably because he was the best on the display circuit about twenty years ago and in my mind despite there being lots of good pull and grunt merchants around these days, he's still the best.
Team - The Skyhawks, Brendan O'Brian and John Taylor. I used to own an RF4 and still have no idea how they could acheive what they did in that aircraft. Energy management and pure flying skill at it's best.
Big Aircraft - Paul Millikin and Dave Thomas, the last pilots to display the Vulcan. To see a four engine jet doing a wing over at 1000' and 100 knts at 120 degrees angle of bank - unbelieveable! I once had to host a USAF KC135 crew at an airshow who were telling me what they could do with a 135 (yawn!) They were silent for a long while after seeing the Vulcan display.
Last edited by Dan Winterland; 24th Mar 2006 at 05:35.
