A magnificent test pilot is gone
 

2004 February 11


Jan Zurakowski, Avro Arrow pilot

Janusz Zurakowski, 89

Jan Zurakowski, first test pilot of Avro Arrow aircraft, dies at age 89

For those on the other side of the pond that do not know what the magnificent AVRO ARROW was (if there is somebody that do not know) I am posting a link to a page full of Avro Arrow links.

CF 105 - AVRO ARROW

Jan was of a similar age and in the mould of John Cunningham and Roland Beamont and others who plied their trade in days when it was all a lot harder as designers knew so much less.

Be nice to think they have met up again.

Zura was well known over here before he emigrated to Canada, according to my Dad, who was at Farnborough during the late 40s/early 50s. He was famous as a test pilot in an era when TPs were household names and national heroes. But he was also known for his display flying and perhaps best known for his amazing 'cartwheel manoeuvre' - which he demonstrated in Gloster's private venture 'Reaper' (a kind of fighter bomber Meteor 8) and a variety of other aircraft. He may have done it first in a Hornet.

He was also a true gent and a great bloke, I'm told.

The Arrow cancellation seemed to have an even bigger impact on the Canadians than the TSR2 cancellation did on us. I visited the Winnipeg Air Museum last summer - small but interesting - and there was a most illuminating section devoted to this very advanced aircraft. Perhaps what gets our goats so much is the way the governments responsible for such cancellations insist that the test aircraft, the jigs, the plans and everything connected with the projects is destroyed. No trace must remain! I suppose we should be grateful that at least the personnel were spared!

One (possibly apocryphal) tale concerning the famous 'cartwheel' was when another Meteor pilot, who hadn't been able to complete the manoeuvre, asked JZ why. The reply was, apparently, "I have an ejection seat" (Not all the original Meteors were so fitted) Another great loss. :(

If I remember correctly, there was a whole section in AP129 (? I think - the precurser to AP3456, only in 2 vols not lots) to the 'Zurakowski Roll', explaining how it was done - and why it could only be done in the Meatbox. I also remember being shown how (not) to do it in one a long time ago - and discovered why it was nearly so useful to have a bang seat.

I thought I had read the name somewhere and it bugged me for ages. Eventually I remembered that Roy Braybrook wrote about him in a article in "Air International" sometime in the 80's - the maddening thing was that I remember the story had something to do with a firepower demonstration given to visiting Soviet officials in the late 40's but I can't recall the details! I did a bit of research on him after reading the story and he impressed me a great deal.

Anyone have any idea what happened as I cannot find the magazine anywhere - when you move house 6 times in 10 years you lose a lot of stuff.

I was saddened to read about his death, another giant of the golden years of the jet age has passed away. I give my condolences to the family.

I seem to recall that the Zura cartwheel could only be done in the PV Meteor 8, with at least a dummy load of outboard stores (rockets, bombs, etc.). When I saw him perform, he used to take the old Meteor up vertically and start to do a stall turn. After the rudder went in and the aircraft started to turn he would chop the inside engine and keep the other at full chat. The weight and position of the outboard stores used to provide a couple which added to the rudder and asymmetric thrust and caused the old girl to carry on round another 360 dgrees in the stall turn.

We used to try and emulate it in the NF Meteor without a prayer of succeeding, but we were young and stupid and you really couldn't come to any harm. Just let go of everything and she just came out pointing down. I think that was the sequence he used. No doubt Flatus or one of the other oldies will put me right. What a guy Zura was, and what an aeroplane. Provided you didn't fly low and slow near the ground on asymmetric power you could do anything with it. Ahh well.