The Tucano display for 2009 has been cancelled.

RAF Tucano 2009 - Cancelled

TJ

The pilot of the JP5A XW288 was my best man and there was always a thought that the weather that day was not really suitable for a display practice.:(

Pleased to see that the Tucano pilot is safe and well.

RIP RR

HF

Well I never !!!:\

Pilot is a friend of a youngster I know and for what it is worth I am over the moon that the chap is OK (albeit a little shorter)

Well done young man for surviving and being able to fly another day.:ok:

Probably something that most of the "experts" quoted so far have not and will not experience (air crew / flying types excepted)

Blame is a game played by those who are not holding a dead stick.

Good luck on the recovery and get back in the saddle as soon as possible

Cheers

The 2009 Tucano Display / NOT officially cancelled.
 

It appears that no decision has yet been made on the Tucano display season.

RAF Tucano Display Team - News

Will people please stick to the facts.

:rolleyes:

The Tucano is fitted with either the Martin Baker 8LC or the BR8LC seat.
Can anyone tell me what the differnce between them is?
Thanks in advance!

Is it 'horns' vs 'knives' on top? Can't remember...

It is, and I am sticking to the facts. Once again, check Here

'Light Blue Spy' is the RAF Events Manager, Sqn Ldr Andy Pawsey. :ok:

Who on earth was behind the decision to start responding to 'rumours circulating on other websites'?

I seem to recall it was knives fitted to the front seat and horns on the rear.

Knives on the front to separate the two halves of the perspex once the Linear Cutting Cord had done it's biz. The rear seat has much smaller "horns" as the rear cockpit uses MDC to shatter the transparency.

'Knives' on the front to break the transparency IF the LCC fails. Rear transparency much thinner and can be easily broken so no 'knives' needed.

Really? I thought the seat would always have to force its way up betwwen the two halves of the canopy as the LCC only cut the perspex, it didn't move it out of the way or shatter it as with the MDC'd rear.(E shaped LCC cut in the air Vs D shape on the ground using the emergency canopy shattering handle thingy No matter how long the "knives" though, I wouldn't have fancied barging my way through that thickness of plastic if the LCC failed. Maybe thats why everyone used to stuff so much stuff in their kneeboards!!

No, Talk Reaction is correct, the knives are primarily for use in the event that the LCC fails to operate correctly.

At normal planned ejection speeds, the idea was that the LCC burned the perspex down to something like 1/32" thickness, and the airflow "should" open it up like a pair of doors to let you through. The knives were there to smash your way through if it failed.

The aircrew manual did say something like "there is a significant likelihood of serious injury to the front seat occupant from canopy shards following any ejection." Glad I never tried it!!

I would have thought that the RAF Events Manager could/should have published this information via more official channels, rather than on a rumour network.

The hard work starts long before the display season starts and I just hope that the team were involved in the decision.

I agree that the air show website should be the last place he posts after the RAF website and within that the teams website - doesn't look the most professional.

re whether or not the team were involved in the decision - get real, I'm pretty sure they didn't find out the way the rest of us have. How much influence they had on said decision is a different matter but its not their train set at the end of the day.....

Image of the display Tucano scheme at the following link. Image number 19.

Linton Reds and new Tucano Special Mar 09

TJ

IIRC there were two JP accidents during low level aero display practices, both at Linton. One involved the barrel roll, shown at Post 27, where it was thought a poor horizon led to the pilot not raising the nose enough before he started rolling, with the result that the aircraft descended during the second half of the manoeuvre, leaving insufficient height to recover.

The other accident was again when an aerobatic display practice was flown with a poor horizon, this one involving a stall turn. The pilot pulled up with one wing low and attempted to stall turn towards the high wing. The stall turn was not completed with enough height for the pilot to pull out of the ensuing descent.

After the first accident barrel rolls were banned for a while. After the second stall turns were banned for a while. The real lesson is not to practise low level aeros unless the weather conditions are suitable, for authorising officers to take weather conditions into account and for nobody to put pressure on them to get the job done in marginal conditions.

No, I retired almost 2 years ago and am happily blocking the motorways and byways up in my motorhome as often as possible. I still keep in touch with 72 Sqn as I am still the Sqn Historian as the old boys of the Association are such terrific characters. Don't miss the flying a bit, but I suppose just surviving from age 16 when I started flying gliders in the ATC to age 60 when I gave up is a reasonable record. Like the rest of this thread - good on Martin Baker and no, I don't know what is happening with the Tucano display for 2009.

Now updated on the website

'2009 Display Cancelled

Following a pre-display season training accident, during which the display pilot successfully ejected, the Air Officer Commanding 22 Group has formally cancelled the Tucano Display for the 2009 season which we understand will be disappointing for a great many people. However, the Tucano will not be entirely absent from the display circuit as it will perform a number of static displays that will be announced in due course. The display pilot, Flt Lt Rutland has been released from hospital and continues his recovery at home.'

RAF Tucano Display Team - News