Mustang down...

ELTEE

ELTEE

Vice Admiral
It was a sad weekend for vintage aviation enthusiasts. I was deeply saddened by the tragedy that occurred at the Reno Air Races in Nevada. For those that may not know, it is one of the last venues where owners of souped up vintage fighter aircraft can race wingtip to wingtip as it was done throughout the dawn of aviation. Speeds are in excess of 500 mph with hp numbers north of 3000. The stars of the show are famous throughout the pages of history books; Mustangs, Bearcats, Typhoons, Tempests, Tigercats - they're all there.

This past Saturday, a heavily modified P-51 lost control and crashed into the VIP section of the audience. Most accounts agree that the pilot was a hero in directing the aircraft away from the larger and more densely populated main audience, despite the few, precious seconds available between loss of control and impact. Initial fault seems to lie with a failed elevator trim tab, but the investigation will doubtless span many months if not years.

I was supposed to be in attendance of this year's races as it has always been on my 'bucket list,' but circumstances with the military prevented me from attending. There is no sugarcoating the main event - I think there have been around 40 fatalities here in the past 20 or so years. Tragically, this is the first to involve the spectators. I can only hope that the event will continue - losing the Reno races would be closing a storied chapter not just in the history of aviation, but rather in the entirety of the competitive human spirit with the drive to win at all costs. This spirit serves as such an inspiration for so many of the characters that make up the WC universe.

RIP Jimmy Leeward, you will be missed. Thanks for keeping history alive. Below are two pictures of "Galloping Ghost" just prior to impact.

EDIT - I can't seem to include the photos I wanted to. I don't have a URL for them (they're on my drive) and I cant seem to post them in the thread either as copy paste. Any suggestions?

Anyway, a good article on the overall races and the events of this weekend can be found here. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4456906...ash-had-radical-changes-compete/#.TndePtQ_824

There are pictures there as well...
 
Nothing tears me up like hearing about a vintage airplane accident. This one was especially tragic because of the people involved, of course, but... the plane hurts, too. I basically grew up going to the Air and Space Museum's Garber Facility in Silver Hill every chance I could get, watching them lovingly restore aircraft piece by piece over years and years. I can only imagine how much love and dedication went into keeping this Mustang flying. (I'm blown away whenever I see the Aichi floatplane on display at Udvar-Hazy... I watched that thing come back together starting from a pile of sun-faded parts over more than ten years.)

(If you want to feel bad, Google the B-17 that was destroyed in a fire recently. The crew escaped, but seeing the photos just hits you in the gut.)

I honestly haven't figured out the new board yet, but if you e-mail me the pictures at loaf@wcnews.com, I can put them online for you.
 
Bandit LOAF said:
Nothing tears me up like hearing about a vintage airplane accident.
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I couldn't agree more. The B-17 was terrible as well, my father gave me the heads up on that accident while I was away. Thank you for the offer with the pictures - I'm sending an email shortly...

EDIT: sent sir, thank you.
 
I just heard about this on the news here in the UK it really is bad news just wondering aswell how many P51's are still air worthy today? cant be very many id guess?
 
Youngblood said:
I just heard about this on the news here in the UK it really is bad news just wondering aswell how many P51's are still air worthy today? cant be very many id guess?
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The good news here is that there are actually quite a few P-51's that are airworthy. I usually quote 150 or so as a conservative number, but you can find some sites and lists of aircraft by the 'numbers' that list more. There are usually a few P-51's in various stages of restoration as well, so the number could grow...

These higher numbers relative to its piers are really the result of how popular, successful and numerous the aircraft was for the States. Plus, it was harder to get rid of them at the end of the war. Those photos of the navy just pushing their beautiful fighters right into the sea.... <sigh>

EDIT - Thanks to LOAF, we have some photos now!

Galloping_Ghost1.jpg

Galloping_Ghost2.jpg

Galloping_Ghost3.jpg
 
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Just one word stunning (apart from the last pic) being in the RAF ive had the chance to work on the Battle of Britain Memorial flight here in the UK I'll try to dig up some photos
 
Bandit LOAF said:
Nothing tears me up like hearing about a vintage airplane accident. This one was especially tragic because of the people involved, of course, but... the plane hurts, too. I basically grew up going to the Air and Space Museum's Garber Facility in Silver Hill every chance I could get, watching them lovingly restore aircraft piece by piece over years and years. I can only imagine how much love and dedication went into keeping this Mustang flying. (I'm blown away whenever I see the Aichi floatplane on display at Udvar-Hazy... I watched that thing come back together starting from a pile of sun-faded parts over more than ten years.)
Click to expand...

I undertand exactly how you feel - a few months ago there was an Air Show here in Michigan, there's a B-17 located nearby at the Yankee Air Museum. I was on my home from work when it flew overhead to reach the air port the show was at, the sun was setting...and it was a totally moving moment watching it fly across the sky.

I've always been into aviation and visited several great aviation museums around the country, and the loss of this part of our history is a tragedy. Sadly it will probably be used by the politicians to further regulate small airports and antique aircraft in our great nation, taking the pride and joy of seeing them fly out of the next generation of Americans.
 
I fully agree.
This year I was at the "Hahnweide" vintage airplane meeting in southern Germany near the place I live and a Bücker Jungmann crashed into a corn field. I almost cried, although the crew managed to survive almost unharmed. The plane is heavily damaged though, and it seems they can't repair it anymore

In Germany they banned almost all components of jet air acrobatic after the Ramstein accident, and there are also a lot of air maneuvers that aren't allowed at air shows regardless of the plane type.
After the four or five accidents at air shows this year (two in the USA, one in britain IIRC and two at the Hahnweide although one was a minor one) some people in Germany talk about banning airs hows completely here, their major points being:
- too noisy
- bad for the environment
- dangerous for pilots and visitors

I don't agree with that of course, but apart from "But I love it!" you can hardly argue with those people. It is a sad thing.
...and again I quote the American bluegrass musician Ralph Stanley "All the good times are past and gone".
 
Aginor said:
"All the good times are past and gone".
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Wow, this really struck a chord with me. I've started feeling this way about multiple facets of society.

In addition to your point about trying to argue with the nay sayers, I've realized it can often be even more futile than you explain it. How do you relate to someone the emotional impact of hearing/smelling/seeing these treasures airborne? If they don't feel that connection and the sites and sounds fail to stir their souls, how would they ever understand?

It's happening all over auto racing as well. Hell, the pursuit of absolute speed has really been banned and controlled since the '80's. I'm all for preserving life and preserving the environment, but at what point does it become too much? Eh, I'm just rambling at this point.
 
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