Sad Wheels Up

[ChrisVJ]

Video on our news last night and tonight of a very pretty Beech Staggerwing doing a wheels up in the grass at Abbotsford, (BC.) after U/c failure.

According to the news it wasn't seriously damaged but I'd guess most of the underside might need some work, and maybe the engine. Maybe they'll give us more in the next segment.

[treadigraph]

In the 1930s somebody well known (can't recall the name) in the US had an airshow act where he'd land the Staggerwing engine off and gear up, having cranked the prop round to horizontal.

[dirkdj]

Tread,

This is correct, the lower wing structure is such that a wheels-up landing will hardly damage anything if you can get the prop out of the way.

Staggerwings should be kept flying and protected as cultural heritage. I had a flight in one as a passenger and it is a very remarkable aircraft, very maneuverable as well.

[ChrisVJ]

Later pictures showed a bent prop, just the outer six inches or so and the aircraft standing on lowered undercarriage. Of course it was TV news so just a flash of underwing shown but not much apparent damage.

According to the presenter, engineers said "Not much damage, we'll have it flying in a year." However from what I know of the news (and newspapers) who get approximately 70% of everything they report wrong, that might be a slight misquote.

[treadigraph]

Video here.

Hope the engine wasn't shock loaded.

[India Four Two]

I remember reading in Air Clues in the 60s, about an RAF pilot getting a commendation for landing an Anson with stuck gear.

He shut down one engine, motored the two-bladed prop horizontal and then on final, shut down the other engine, motored that prop horizontal and made a landing with no damage to the aircraft - the wheels when retracted, stick out far enough to prevent any other part of the aircraft touching.

[ChrisVJ]

I always thought that the protruding wheels (when U/c up) on one of the Yaks I saw was a really good idea

[treadigraph]

DC-3 should fare reasonably well too...

[Tinstaafl]

And Aztecs.

[barit1]

treadigraph

...an airshow act where he'd land the Staggerwing engine off and gear up, having cranked the prop round to horizontal.

I recall (from a magazine) the act. But IIRC he had a pair of skids attached just outboard of the MLG, minimizing any damage.

[dirkdj]

I believe this airshow act was described in a digital scan of the 1930s Beechcraft catalog that I found somewhere on the internet. Quite interesting, they had two products, the model 17 and 18 sold without engines.

[Big Pistons Forever]

Just talked to a fellow familiar with the aircraft. Minimal damage to the bottom of the aircraft, but the flaps are badly damaged. It will need new prop blades and an engine shock load inspection, but with any luck will be flying in a few months.

[treadigraph]

Happened across my copy of Peter Berry's book on the Staggerwing; the deliberate gear up landings were at the instigation of Walter Beech to demonstrate the safety of such an arrival, and were flown by Bill Ong at the 1936 Los Angeles National Air Races and the 1937 Miami Air Show.

As Barit1 says, skids were fitted to prevent damage and also a brake to stop the prop horizontally.

BPF, thanks for the update, hope she is back in the air with a minimum of fuss and expense.