Warbird Information Exchange

Wheel up landing or collapse upon landing. Some reports suggest an engine problem and a gear collapse upon emergency return.

http://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/news/11 ... e_Air_Day/

High def video of the incident here, RH gear clearly not locked on touchdown:

http://forces.tv/95144845

Glad to hear the pilot is ok. That's the most important thing. The plane can be rebuilt.

AMEN!

The rest is just money and metal!
R\H gear collapsed followed by the left.
Really nice job of flying 'til the bitter end.

Andy Scott

Wow, just saw her fly at Legends not even three weeks ago.


Good Article Here for Pictures

Glad pilot is OK and hopes she's back in the air soon

Here is a youtube link that shows some more of the routine.

http://youtu.be/x_sf9OK8P6k

Not trying to be a Monday morning warbird pilot but, any thoughts on why flaps so soon and gear so late?

Andy

Easy answer. He left the gear until he could make the runway. Flaps needed either way..

might have left the gear up until he knew he had the runway made.
Tom Bowers

In the U.S. with the american style of teaching the proper method is to keep the aircraft in the clean configuration until making the landing point is assured. This gives your best L/D. at the point of being too high, then drop the gear. DOn't use hydraulic pressure on flaps or other items or there may not be enough pressure to lower the gear. Gear down "Are you still going to make your landing spot?" Check airspeed and wait until again you think you are going to overshoot, then lower flaps and point the nose down. Last, open the canopy for more drag and quick egress after touchdown.
I have had 3 deadstick landings in single engine aircraft and one propellor failure and each time, by following the above principles, and the grace of God, I made it back to the runway.
Last tip, When the engine quits, point the aircraft straight towards the runway. You will probably come up short on airspeed and altitude so don't do the textbook downwind, base etc. Straight to the landing zone and if you have the luxury of too much airspeed or altitude, then you can slip, drop flaps, etc.
Kudos to this pilot for getting the aircraft down and easily repairable. Also, one reason why you might have to throw in the flaps early is if you have a stiff crosswind or headwind turning into a tailwind, you may not be able to make the radius of turn and airspeed required to have a successful outcome. Throwing in flaps is your last option to tighten that radius of turn and avoid a stall/ spin. Many folks have been killed from a couple hundred feet AGL stomping on a rudder trying to make the base to final and then it spinning on them.

Well done to the pilot here.

_________________
Taylor Stevenson

The eye may be deceiving but in this earlier video the pilot appears to have popped the gear in the turn on to finals.

http://www.itv.com/news/westcountry/upd ... -culdrose/

There is a small gap not covered by the two videos where it appears the pilot has retracted the gear, possibly to extend the glide.

Not speculating...just observing.

PeterA

.

Watching the Youtube above....he made it look easy like it was part of the show. Good job by the announcer not freaking out and keeping a steady tone.

Your observation of the gear being out is right on.

One of the new cast video posted here said that a hyd. Failure may have occurred. And in the videos of the landing, you can see neither mains are locked down as they both moved within their swing motion on touchdown, but since the right collapsed first, it prevent the left from collapsing until a yaw force was applied.

_________________
Tyler Pinkerton
Active Member of Air Heritage Inc. of Beaver Falls, PA.
Aircraft: C47B, C-123K, Fairchild F-24, Funk Model B, L-21B, T-28B, T-34B
Static: F-4C Phantom II, F-15A, T-3 Provost

Not familiar with that plane's L/G system. Does it have a hydro-mechanical up lock/down lock system? Wondering if once the L/G is down, there is a mechanical lock to keep in place until hydraulically released to retract back up??