Of things that make you go 'Uhhhm'
I confess, that mostly due to a massive interest failure, I dismissed the 'Bathurst' video - tricky cross wind, perhaps some shear – at about 10 second mark. CLICK. Seen enough and thought no more about it until P2 posted; then, back to the UP for some background. Pick of the posts there was from Look-Left :-
“No, what I saw was the pilot side slipping to lose height and keep the approach speed manageable. I then saw it touch down with the wings level and very little crosswind at all. The wind was an easterly according to Neil Crompton who is a pilot, so no, the crosswind was not full on. As to the enormous pressure to get the job done, its a statement right up there with"I will just see if I can get underneath this bit of cloud, it should be clear on the other side." or "I'll just go a bit below the minima as I have an important client on board". Bathurst airport is just up the road, there is your Plan B. I thought it was odd that not a word was said about it by those in the commentary box particularly by Neil Crompton, did Repco put a gag order on what happened?”
Neatly put. So – back to the video – but - in slow motion. The short final approach is 'untidy' and there is nothing to indicate a 'tricky' crosswind/ shear; there is little to indicate balanced, controlled flight to touchdown and afterwards during the roll out. The tracking shows some interesting features; was the intention to land on the bitumen? I'd say yes; watch as the touches on the grass and 'steps over' the tarmac intersection (instant wheel removal) then heads for the bitumen again, harsh braking precedes a desperate, high speed semi ground loop before thumping into the wall. The whole show smacks of being a rushed, badly executed attempt to show off, an example of rough handling and, it could (IMO) be construed as outright bloody dangerous.
Consider – the aircraft is 'aerobatic' and 'kit built; robust and tested; been worked hard – then the imminent collision with the wall is nearly avoided, big stress and 'abnormal' tensions within the air frame; then, the tail-plane gets a mighty thump. “No wukka's” says our 'hero' I'll just spin around here and take off over the crowd.
Aye, really solid airmanship and a prime example for those learning the noble art of being a 'sky god'. What if the tail plane decided enough was enough and quit, without notice; the sponsors would just love that. Considering the care they take to protect the crowds from flying motor vehicle debris.
That's it – Toot toot......
I confess, that mostly due to a massive interest failure, I dismissed the 'Bathurst' video - tricky cross wind, perhaps some shear – at about 10 second mark. CLICK. Seen enough and thought no more about it until P2 posted; then, back to the UP for some background. Pick of the posts there was from Look-Left :-
“No, what I saw was the pilot side slipping to lose height and keep the approach speed manageable. I then saw it touch down with the wings level and very little crosswind at all. The wind was an easterly according to Neil Crompton who is a pilot, so no, the crosswind was not full on. As to the enormous pressure to get the job done, its a statement right up there with"I will just see if I can get underneath this bit of cloud, it should be clear on the other side." or "I'll just go a bit below the minima as I have an important client on board". Bathurst airport is just up the road, there is your Plan B. I thought it was odd that not a word was said about it by those in the commentary box particularly by Neil Crompton, did Repco put a gag order on what happened?”
Neatly put. So – back to the video – but - in slow motion. The short final approach is 'untidy' and there is nothing to indicate a 'tricky' crosswind/ shear; there is little to indicate balanced, controlled flight to touchdown and afterwards during the roll out. The tracking shows some interesting features; was the intention to land on the bitumen? I'd say yes; watch as the touches on the grass and 'steps over' the tarmac intersection (instant wheel removal) then heads for the bitumen again, harsh braking precedes a desperate, high speed semi ground loop before thumping into the wall. The whole show smacks of being a rushed, badly executed attempt to show off, an example of rough handling and, it could (IMO) be construed as outright bloody dangerous.
Consider – the aircraft is 'aerobatic' and 'kit built; robust and tested; been worked hard – then the imminent collision with the wall is nearly avoided, big stress and 'abnormal' tensions within the air frame; then, the tail-plane gets a mighty thump. “No wukka's” says our 'hero' I'll just spin around here and take off over the crowd.
Aye, really solid airmanship and a prime example for those learning the noble art of being a 'sky god'. What if the tail plane decided enough was enough and quit, without notice; the sponsors would just love that. Considering the care they take to protect the crowds from flying motor vehicle debris.
That's it – Toot toot......