A Classic Example of Good Airmanship
Originally Posted by By George
Great demonstration of stick skills and hard to believe the same man then killed himself by flying into a mountain north of Madrid in 1977.
Last edited by Clandestino; 11th Jan 2014 at 21:44.
Neil Williams
Report on Neil's accident at 1978 | 1021 | Flight Archive and tributes at 1978 | 0086 | Flight Archive
I met him in the mid-70's, nice guy and extremely skilled but after reading his second book "Airborne" I realised that he had used up all of his nine lives and good airmanship was not one of his qualities.
I met him in the mid-70's, nice guy and extremely skilled but after reading his second book "Airborne" I realised that he had used up all of his nine lives and good airmanship was not one of his qualities.
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Early in this thread Centaurus mentioned the use of bank to overcome extreme uncommanded nose up pitch changes. I vaguely recall an incident in mid NSW some years ago where the pilot of a piston twin (PA31 I think) used this technique to maintain a semblance of control. After wildly swooping around the countryside for some time he managed to get the aircraft on the ground, right side up, on a runway at a conveniently located airport. I have always considered that this was an outstanding example of piloting skill and airmanship. Does any one have the real details of that event to share with us.
I remember reading about that one - it was assymetric flap and,I believe, the first time a chieftain had suffered assymetric flap extension and survived anywhere in the world. 
Thread Starter
The May 1968 issue of USAF Aerospace Safety had this gem of a story. It has nothing to do with the OP subject of good airmanship, but brought back a few memories for me from Mustang days. The story was called “Tips for Tail Draggers” and described flying the Mustang. It starts thus:
“Ground loops later during the landing roll are generally less severe and are usually caused by day-dreaming or by trying to turn off at excessive speed. Think back to when you were taxiing out (in the Mustang). If you had to S, you started the turn with a little rudder or by tapping brake, then almost immediately you had to start coming in with rudder on adding a touch of opposite brake to keep the turn from tightening. You were taxiing pretty slow – a must for tail-draggers – and had little trouble maintaining control. But if you were to increase speed you’d soon have your hands full. So, do as the old timers always cautioned.
Don’t relax until you have the beast on the chocks and shut down, and always make sure you have her slowed to normal taxi speed before you try to bend her off the runway. Like any phase of flying, it’s much easier to stay on top of the situation than to regain control. But if you do lose control on the ground, don’t lose your cool, which reminds me of a story.
An acquaintance was waiting to take the active at Amarillo on winter during the war and the place was a sheet of ice, which isn’t too unusual for Amarillo in the winter-time. As he waited, a WASP - female ferry pilot to you younger types – entered traffic in a Mustang.
She’d no sooner touched down than the bird swapped ends, slid backwards for a few hundred feet, ending well off the shoulder. About all the tower operator could see was the snow she blasted into the air. He radioed, “P51 that just landed, are you all right?”
Without pause a slightly miffed female voice came back, “Hell yes! I land the &%$*## this way all the time!”
“Ground loops later during the landing roll are generally less severe and are usually caused by day-dreaming or by trying to turn off at excessive speed. Think back to when you were taxiing out (in the Mustang). If you had to S, you started the turn with a little rudder or by tapping brake, then almost immediately you had to start coming in with rudder on adding a touch of opposite brake to keep the turn from tightening. You were taxiing pretty slow – a must for tail-draggers – and had little trouble maintaining control. But if you were to increase speed you’d soon have your hands full. So, do as the old timers always cautioned.
Don’t relax until you have the beast on the chocks and shut down, and always make sure you have her slowed to normal taxi speed before you try to bend her off the runway. Like any phase of flying, it’s much easier to stay on top of the situation than to regain control. But if you do lose control on the ground, don’t lose your cool, which reminds me of a story.
An acquaintance was waiting to take the active at Amarillo on winter during the war and the place was a sheet of ice, which isn’t too unusual for Amarillo in the winter-time. As he waited, a WASP - female ferry pilot to you younger types – entered traffic in a Mustang.
She’d no sooner touched down than the bird swapped ends, slid backwards for a few hundred feet, ending well off the shoulder. About all the tower operator could see was the snow she blasted into the air. He radioed, “P51 that just landed, are you all right?”
Without pause a slightly miffed female voice came back, “Hell yes! I land the &%$*## this way all the time!”
Thread Starter
That story of the female ferry pilot ground looping her Mustang after she landed on a slippery runway, I thought was so funny. Which is why I posted it. Her frightening experience reminded me of the time I found myself in a similar situation albeit the runway was dry. In those days with only 220 hours under my belt I didn’t have many clues. Rather like today’s cadets going straight into the RH seat of airliners.
On this occasion at RAAF Williamtown, I was No 2 to a very experienced Mustang pilot called Flight Lieutenant Peter Middleton DFC. Some older readers in Victoria may remember Pete Middlelton as a DCA Examiner of Airmen at Moorabbin in the Seventies. Peter was tall imposing character and an impatient by nature. The Mustang was built for six footers and I was a bit over 5ft 4” give or take a few millimetres and I had real problems taxiing the Mustang. The seat was only adjustable vertically. The rudder pedals not adjustable. Tall pilots had no problems, short pilots did.
I could taxi with the seat full down and get just enough stretch to obtain full rudder pedal movement with the tips of my flying boots just touching the top of the rudder pedals and lucky enough to obtain partial brakes. Or I could lift the seat higher to get a better view over the nose of the Mustang at the expense of rudder and brake control.
Pete Middlelton started his Mustang and waited impatiently for me to start my engine and run through after start checks. He wore a bone dome and used to raise his seat right up to get a better view – so much so, his head was higher than the bullet proof windscreen. With his dark sunglasses, Errol Flynn moustache and blue and white bone-dome, he looked every inch a real fighter pilot - which he was, of course.
We taxied to the duty runway with him leading as the No 1 in the formation and me following behind careful not to chew his tail with my prop. When taxiing the Mustang you had to weave the nose left and right to see what was ahead. This was my first formation trip in a Mustang. Being short meant I couldn’t see much ahead unless I weaved like crazy so I decided to jack up my seat to get a better view at the expense of rudder control.
Now to jack up the seat while taxiing was a bit like a one arm paper hangar in action. I needed one hand to operate the seat raising lever, one hand on the throttle on the left side of the fuselage and the other hand on the control column pushing it forward to give free tail-wheel operation. Pulling the stick back locked the tail-wheel. Three hands needed and I had two. During one of the weaves I was startled to see the No 1 had stopped on the taxiway and I was too close for safety. I hurriedly released the seat lever – the seat bottomed, leaving me with no forward vision because the Gyro gun-sight blocked the view. I hit full rudder which did nothing because I had inadvertently pulled back on the stick and locking the tail-wheel. Tried hard braking on one pedal causing the Mustang to whip through 45 degrees in a flash.
By sheer good luck I missed hitting Pete’s wingtip and stopped almost parallel to his Mustang. Pete nodded approvingly through his canopy as we had stopped in formation which apparently was a Good Thing with fighter pilots in those days. Of course he never knew the truth that I had nearly cleaned him up in the semi-ground loop. Now perhaps you can see why I identified with the female Mustang ferry pilot who 10 years earlier ground-looped her machine on the snow covered runway during the landing run…
On this occasion at RAAF Williamtown, I was No 2 to a very experienced Mustang pilot called Flight Lieutenant Peter Middleton DFC. Some older readers in Victoria may remember Pete Middlelton as a DCA Examiner of Airmen at Moorabbin in the Seventies. Peter was tall imposing character and an impatient by nature. The Mustang was built for six footers and I was a bit over 5ft 4” give or take a few millimetres and I had real problems taxiing the Mustang. The seat was only adjustable vertically. The rudder pedals not adjustable. Tall pilots had no problems, short pilots did.
I could taxi with the seat full down and get just enough stretch to obtain full rudder pedal movement with the tips of my flying boots just touching the top of the rudder pedals and lucky enough to obtain partial brakes. Or I could lift the seat higher to get a better view over the nose of the Mustang at the expense of rudder and brake control.
Pete Middlelton started his Mustang and waited impatiently for me to start my engine and run through after start checks. He wore a bone dome and used to raise his seat right up to get a better view – so much so, his head was higher than the bullet proof windscreen. With his dark sunglasses, Errol Flynn moustache and blue and white bone-dome, he looked every inch a real fighter pilot - which he was, of course.
We taxied to the duty runway with him leading as the No 1 in the formation and me following behind careful not to chew his tail with my prop. When taxiing the Mustang you had to weave the nose left and right to see what was ahead. This was my first formation trip in a Mustang. Being short meant I couldn’t see much ahead unless I weaved like crazy so I decided to jack up my seat to get a better view at the expense of rudder control.
Now to jack up the seat while taxiing was a bit like a one arm paper hangar in action. I needed one hand to operate the seat raising lever, one hand on the throttle on the left side of the fuselage and the other hand on the control column pushing it forward to give free tail-wheel operation. Pulling the stick back locked the tail-wheel. Three hands needed and I had two. During one of the weaves I was startled to see the No 1 had stopped on the taxiway and I was too close for safety. I hurriedly released the seat lever – the seat bottomed, leaving me with no forward vision because the Gyro gun-sight blocked the view. I hit full rudder which did nothing because I had inadvertently pulled back on the stick and locking the tail-wheel. Tried hard braking on one pedal causing the Mustang to whip through 45 degrees in a flash.
By sheer good luck I missed hitting Pete’s wingtip and stopped almost parallel to his Mustang. Pete nodded approvingly through his canopy as we had stopped in formation which apparently was a Good Thing with fighter pilots in those days. Of course he never knew the truth that I had nearly cleaned him up in the semi-ground loop. Now perhaps you can see why I identified with the female Mustang ferry pilot who 10 years earlier ground-looped her machine on the snow covered runway during the landing run…
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Thank you for sharing with us.
The term "good airmanship" is unlikely turn up in an ATSB report. However, I think you'll wending your way through the public service language of the ATSB report of the QF32 engine failure, around page 38 you will find praise of of the crew.
The term "good airmanship" is unlikely turn up in an ATSB report. However, I think you'll wending your way through the public service language of the ATSB report of the QF32 engine failure, around page 38 you will find praise of of the crew.
Thread Starter
Here is another example of good airmanship taken from USAF Aerospace Safety magazine for November 1968. Just imagine yourself being in the following predicament. No QRH or ECAM to tell you what to do.
Quote: On 4 June 1967 Major Spaeth led a flight of two A-1E Skyraiders that had been diverted to provide emergency close air support for a United States Army Special forces team that was surrounded by a large force of North Vietnamese Army Regulars. He led several bomb and napalm passes on enemy gun positions, encountering intense ground fire. Three gun emplacements were destroyed and Major Spaeth's aircraft sustained at least four damaging hits. His wingman informed him that there were two large holes in the belly tank and fuel was streaming overboard.
At this time the wingman's aircraft, which had taken a hit from 37mm ground fire, lurched violently into Major Spaeth's aircraft, went into an inverted spin and crashed. The collision jerked the control stick from Major Spaeth's hand and caused his Skyraider to roll violently to the right and pitch nose down in an inverted attitude. Engine RPM deteriorated rapidly.
Reacting instinctively, Major Spaeth was able to regain control of the aircraft approximately 300 feet above the ground. The wingman's vertical stabiliser had ripped through the right aileron, bending a large portion of the aileron up to a 45 degree angle. The lower portion of the vertical stabiliser became embedded in a napalm tank hung under the right wing, crushing the tank up into the release rack. The impact turned the wingman's aircraft 90 degrees to Major Spaeth's Skyraider and the propeller cut two large gashes, two feet in length, through the leading edge, severing the pitot tubing.
After jettisoning his ordnance, Major Spaeth discovered that the crushed napalm tank would not release. Napalm jelly flowed over the wing, the engine was surging and he had no airspeed indication. At cruise power, engine operation appeared normal, but full left aileron and left rudder were required to maintain control, and the aircraft still flew with a pronounced right yaw. He elected not to attempt a forced landing for fear that the ignitor plug in the crushed napalm tank would activate. Unable to control the aircraft at what appeared to be normal approach speeds, he seriously considered bailout.
However, he decided to attempt a "hot" landing by establishing a long, flat approach at an estimated 15-20 knots above normal. At a point where almost full control pressures were reuired and the right wing began to drop, Major Spaeth touched down on the right gear, straightened the landing roll and stopped the aircraft safely at the far end of the runway. WELL DONE. Unquote.
For Pprune readers the Skyraider was a single engine tail wheel fighter bomber used for both land and aircraft carrier operations. Google it for pictures.
Quote: On 4 June 1967 Major Spaeth led a flight of two A-1E Skyraiders that had been diverted to provide emergency close air support for a United States Army Special forces team that was surrounded by a large force of North Vietnamese Army Regulars. He led several bomb and napalm passes on enemy gun positions, encountering intense ground fire. Three gun emplacements were destroyed and Major Spaeth's aircraft sustained at least four damaging hits. His wingman informed him that there were two large holes in the belly tank and fuel was streaming overboard.
At this time the wingman's aircraft, which had taken a hit from 37mm ground fire, lurched violently into Major Spaeth's aircraft, went into an inverted spin and crashed. The collision jerked the control stick from Major Spaeth's hand and caused his Skyraider to roll violently to the right and pitch nose down in an inverted attitude. Engine RPM deteriorated rapidly.
Reacting instinctively, Major Spaeth was able to regain control of the aircraft approximately 300 feet above the ground. The wingman's vertical stabiliser had ripped through the right aileron, bending a large portion of the aileron up to a 45 degree angle. The lower portion of the vertical stabiliser became embedded in a napalm tank hung under the right wing, crushing the tank up into the release rack. The impact turned the wingman's aircraft 90 degrees to Major Spaeth's Skyraider and the propeller cut two large gashes, two feet in length, through the leading edge, severing the pitot tubing.
After jettisoning his ordnance, Major Spaeth discovered that the crushed napalm tank would not release. Napalm jelly flowed over the wing, the engine was surging and he had no airspeed indication. At cruise power, engine operation appeared normal, but full left aileron and left rudder were required to maintain control, and the aircraft still flew with a pronounced right yaw. He elected not to attempt a forced landing for fear that the ignitor plug in the crushed napalm tank would activate. Unable to control the aircraft at what appeared to be normal approach speeds, he seriously considered bailout.
However, he decided to attempt a "hot" landing by establishing a long, flat approach at an estimated 15-20 knots above normal. At a point where almost full control pressures were reuired and the right wing began to drop, Major Spaeth touched down on the right gear, straightened the landing roll and stopped the aircraft safely at the far end of the runway. WELL DONE. Unquote.
For Pprune readers the Skyraider was a single engine tail wheel fighter bomber used for both land and aircraft carrier operations. Google it for pictures.
Last edited by Centaurus; 5th Feb 2014 at 07:31.
