Badwater Bill has left the earth to soar with the eagles!

[BobR]

Since I don't frequent the ANN site unless someone brings up a special
story there I didn't see this but Bruce Frank just send me an E-Mail
with the story which I am including here. Many participants in this
newgroup including myself knew Badwater Bill (aka: Bill Phillips) and
either loved him, hated him, or a experienced a combination of both
emotions. What is certain is that we will never forget him. There is
a poster on my office wall that probably is the essence of Badwater
Bill and his life......

Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well-
preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out,
shouting "HOLY ****.....WHAT A RIDE!"

http://www.angelfire.com/nv/rvpilot/

Somehow, I can hear him shouting just that as he went down. God Speed
my friend and may you soar with the eagles from now on. Please
include Janice (aka: Boom-Boom) in your prayers for a swift and
complete recovery.

Bob



>Pilot Lost In Lancair Downing Near Southern UT Airport
>
>Wife Survives, Severely Injured In Saturday Accident
>
>The pilot of a Lancair Legacy was killed, and his passenger
>critically injured, when the aircraft crashed for unknown reasons
>Saturday afternoon in southern Utah.
>
>The Salt Lake Tribune reports William Phillips and his wife, Janice,
>took off from Parowan Airport (IL9) bound for Las Vegas, NV. Initial
>reports state the aircraft experienced mechanical trouble soon thereafter.
>
>Iron County Sheriff Mark Gower said the aircraft crashed about one
>mile north of the runway, at around 1:45 pm local time Saturday.
>Gower said it appears the pilot was attempting to return to the
>airport when the aircraft (shown below) crashed.
>
>"It looks like it came in nose first," Gower said. "At this point,
>it is speculated that the crash was caused by mechanical failure."
>
>Investigator Tony Gower told the St. George Daily Spectrum the
>aircraft largely disintegrated on impact. "It didn't burn, but the
>plane hit the ground at a high rate of speed," he said.
>
>Local reports state Bill Phillips survived the initial crash, but
>later died at the scene. His wife was airlifted to a hospital in
>Murray, UT with broken bones and internal injuries. She is presently
>listed in critical condition.
>
>The FAA and NTSB were on the scene Sunday to conduct parallel
>investigations into the accident.
>
>IDENTIFICATION
> Regis#: 151HT Make/Model: EXP Description: LANCAIR LEGACY
> Date: 10/18/2008 Time: 1903
>
> Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: Fatal Mid Air: N Missing: N
> Damage: Destroyed
>
>LOCATION
> City: PAROWAN State: UT Country: US
>
>DESCRIPTION
> AIRCRAFT CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, THERE WERE TWO PERSONS ON
> BOARD, ONE WAS FATALLY INJURED, AND ONE SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES,
> PAROWAN, UT
>
>INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 1
> # Crew: 1 Fat: 1 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
> # Pass: 1 Fat: 0 Ser: 1 Min: 0 Unk:
> # Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
>
>WEATHER: CDC 181953Z METAR AUTO 17010G21KT 10SM CLR 23/M07 A3021
>
>OTHER DATA
> Activity: Unknown Phase: Unknown Operation: OTHER
>
>FAA FSDO: SALT LAKE CITY, UT (NM07) Entry date: 10/20/2008
>
>E-I-C Note: I hate this.One of the tragedies of aviation is that the
>boundless joys of flight are occasionally tempered by tragedies of
>incalculable measure.
>
>The Bill Phillips involved in this story is my friend, "Badwater
>Bill." An accomplished aviator and a person with more opinions than
>any ten people I know, losing Bill at the "tender" age of 59 is a
>huge low... and leaves me looking for the right thing to say... and
>not finding it.
>
>Bill and I started our friendship in the worst possible way (NOT as
>friends) and through a ponderous series of events, came to value the
>common bond that ties flyers together... as well as the amazing
>discourses we ventured upon at various times. Over time, we became
>really good buddies and got involved in some truly wild shenanigans.
>Bill was possibly the most unique personality I have ever met, an
>amazing mind and an irascible old coot who once made me promise that
>if I ever had to write his obit, that I had to be sure to tell
>everyone what a 'rat bast*rd' he was.
>
>I can't do it.
>
>Aviation is an amazing community, for all manner of reasons... but
>it is the variety of personalities that flock to it that are
>potentially its greatest resource... and Bill was easily one of the
>most remarkable souls I've ever met.
>
>I'll miss him like hell... and the one thing I can promise is that
>I'll never forget him. We offer his wife, Janice, our sincere wishes
>for a full and speedy recovery and our prayers that the days ahead
>are somewhat softened by the fact there were a lot of people who
>liked/loved Bill, or were amused by Bill and/or couldn't forget Bill
>if they tried (and yeah, I think he'd like that description).
>
>Fair winds, Bill... it was a privilege to know ya... -- Jim
>Campbell, ANN E-I-C.

[BobR]

Just a short addition for those who may never have seen this poem
written by Badwater BIll almost 30 years ago. It seems the right time
to reprint it.

================================================== =============

A Tourist of the Earth
by William Phillips


There are few who have known the things I have seen
While dancing the skies enacting my dream.
Above the Earth with grace and poise,
A ballet of flight with my flying toys.

Often in a glance I have perceived the wing
As a naked sculpture, a most beautiful thing.
Sliding through air with simplistic splendour,
An artistic grace with feminine gender.

When high above the Earth aloft all alone,
I think of the wing evolving from stone.
From earth, to metal, to pure design,
Powerful in shape, dynamic in line.

At peace with it, along for the ride,
Is my soul and life, with that wing by my side.
Through clouds and rainbows, over all sorts of turf,
At home in the sky.


Source :
posting on rec.aviation.homebuilt on Sun, 11 May 1997, by Badwater
Bill.

Notes :
Written in 1980 by William Phillips.

[Steve Foley]

"BobR" > wrote in message
...

> Somehow, I can hear him shouting just that as he went down. God Speed
> my friend and may you soar with the eagles from now on. Please
> include Janice (aka: Boom-Boom) in your prayers for a swift and
> complete recovery.

That really sucks.

[[email protected]]

Now there's a real loss.

[Peter Dohm]

"BobR" > wrote in message
...
> Since I don't frequent the ANN site unless someone brings up a special
> story there I didn't see this but Bruce Frank just send me an E-Mail
> with the story which I am including here. Many participants in this
> newgroup including myself knew Badwater Bill (aka: Bill Phillips) and
> either loved him, hated him, or a experienced a combination of both
> emotions. What is certain is that we will never forget him. There is
> a poster on my office wall that probably is the essence of Badwater
> Bill and his life......
>
> Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well-
> preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out,
> shouting "HOLY ****.....WHAT A RIDE!"
>
> http://www.angelfire.com/nv/rvpilot/
>
> Somehow, I can hear him shouting just that as he went down. God Speed
> my friend and may you soar with the eagles from now on. Please
> include Janice (aka: Boom-Boom) in your prayers for a swift and
> complete recovery.
>
> Bob
>
>
It's been a while since Bill poster here, but I remember him well and
I am truly sorry to read of this.

Perhaps there is a pilot's heaven "where the engines always roar..."

Peter

[[email protected]]

On Oct 23, 8:17*pm, "Veeber" > wrote:
> How could he do this?
>
I just read the NTSB's preliminary report. Witnesses saw stuff coming
out of or off the a/c prior to the turn and personal effects were
found in that general area. I don't know how the canopy was designed,
so could he have been fighting an open or failed canopy and simply
been out of the known flight envelope and reached a point of not being
able to control the a/c?

[Ron Wanttaja]

On Sun, 26 Oct 2008 20:40:22 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

> On Oct 23, 8:17*pm, "Veeber" > wrote:
> > How could he do this?
> >
> I just read the NTSB's preliminary report. Witnesses saw stuff coming
> out of or off the a/c prior to the turn and personal effects were
> found in that general area. I don't know how the canopy was designed,
> so could he have been fighting an open or failed canopy and simply
> been out of the known flight envelope and reached a point of not being
> able to control the a/c?

According to Lancair and the report of at least one other Legacy owner, an open
canopy does not significantly affect the handling of the aircraft. You can see
opinions expressed either way at:

http://www.highrf.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=296

This discussion stemmed from the Lancair accident at SnF that also involved an
open canopy.

From Phillips' web page, it appears the aircraft had a stock canopy (e.g.,
hinges in front, opening in back).

http://www.geocities.com/bwbpilot/


Ron Wanttaja

[RST Engineering]

The entire matter should be settled when the NTSB determines whether or not
the engine was producing rated power on impact.

Jim

--
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought
without accepting it."
--Aristotle


> wrote in message
...
On Oct 23, 8:17 pm, "Veeber" > wrote:
> How could he do this?
>
I just read the NTSB's preliminary report. Witnesses saw stuff coming
out of or off the a/c prior to the turn and personal effects were
found in that general area. I don't know how the canopy was designed,
so could he have been fighting an open or failed canopy and simply
been out of the known flight envelope and reached a point of not being
able to control the a/c?

[cavelamb himself[_4_]]

RST Engineering wrote:

> The entire matter should be settled when the NTSB determines whether or not
> the engine was producing rated power on impact.
>
> Jim
>

Isn't that reading an awful lot from a single tea leaf?



--

Richard

(remove the X to email)

[RST Engineering]

Not if you follow my logic if and when NTSB makes a determination.

Jim

--
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought
without accepting it."
--Aristotle


"cavelamb himself" > wrote in message
m...
> RST Engineering wrote:
>
>> The entire matter should be settled when the NTSB determines whether or
>> not the engine was producing rated power on impact.
>>
>> Jim
>>
>
> Isn't that reading an awful lot from a single tea leaf?
>
>
>
> --
>
> Richard
>
> (remove the X to email)

[cavelamb himself[_4_]]

RST Engineering wrote:

> Not if you follow my logic if and when NTSB makes a determination.
>
> Jim
>

I dunno, Jim.

If I saw that I was going in, I think I'd pull the power...


--

Richard

(remove the X to email)

[John Ammeter]

My guess, with admittedly, little actual information to back it up is
that the canopy opened and Bill and Janice's clothes which were loose in
back of the seats began to fly out of the airplane. As the articles
flew about the cockpit and out of the plane something flew over Bill's
head and covered his eyes... with no vision, Bill was unable to maintain
level flight.

The airplane entered a left low wing turn to the ground. With no
visual references, Bill didn't know what was happening until the
airplane contacted the ground.

With Bill's level of flight experience I know it had to be something
completely unavoidable and impossible to correct.

Why the canopy opened I have no idea... nor any inclination to
speculate... We lost a wonderful individual... someone that was a
person that contributed to life and to the world.

Bill didn't hesitate to state his opinion nor his thoughts on life or
people. He alienated a lot of people because of that but, in my
opinion, he was right about just about everyone he exposed... I could
name several folks that thought they were more than they really were and
Bill exposed them for the frauds they were... Bill could afford to pay
for pretty much anything but he had no use for anyone that expected him
to cover their expenses, too.... If he wanted to, well then that was
ok, but for someone to simply expect Bill would pay for them, too...
well, that wasn't going to happen...

I first heard about Bill's passing a week ago. I was in shock... Bill,
to me, was immortal... I thought I'd be able to call him up on the phone
next year or 10 years from now to simply talk about what he was doing,
what I was doing, and to ask his advice (and ignore it if it didn't
sound that good...). I'm still unwilling to believe Badwater Bill is no
more..

I've read over and over again some of Bill's emails and posts and it's
hard to understand that Bill's gone.. It was like when Tony died.. It
was a couple years before I could remove Tony's email address from my
email address file.

When my Dad died about 20 years ago this was in the handout at the
memorial service... I offer it as a tribute to Badwater Bill Phillips...
a man that made many friends, a few enemies and made a difference to the
world....

> Do not stand at my grave and weep
> I am not there; I do not sleep.
> I am a thousand winds that blow,
> I am the diamond glints on snow,
> I am the sun on ripened grain,
> I am the gentle autumn rain.
> When you awaken in the morning's hush
> I am the swift uplifting rush
> Of quiet birds in circling flight.
> I am the soft starlight at night.
> Do not stand at my grave and cry,
> I am not there; I did not die.
>

John



cavelamb himself wrote:
> RST Engineering wrote:
>
>> Not if you follow my logic if and when NTSB makes a determination.
>>
>> Jim
>>
>
> I dunno, Jim.
>
> If I saw that I was going in, I think I'd pull the power...
>
>

[BobR]

On Oct 27, 11:09*pm, John Ammeter >
wrote:
> My guess, with admittedly, little actual information to back it up is
> that the canopy opened and Bill and Janice's clothes which were loose in
> back of the seats began to fly out of the airplane. *As the articles
> flew about the cockpit and out of the plane something flew over Bill's
> head and covered his eyes... with no vision, Bill was unable to maintain
> level flight.
>
> * The airplane entered a left low wing turn to the ground. With no
> visual *references, Bill didn't know what was happening until the
> airplane contacted the ground.
>
> With Bill's level of flight experience I know it had to be something
> completely unavoidable and impossible to correct.
>
> Why the canopy opened I have no idea... *nor any inclination to
> speculate... *We lost a wonderful individual... someone that was a
> person that contributed to life and to the world.
>
> Bill didn't hesitate to state his opinion nor his thoughts on life or
> people. *He alienated a lot of people because of that but, in my
> opinion, he was right about just about everyone he exposed... I could
> name several folks that thought they were more than they really were and
> Bill exposed them for the frauds they were... *Bill could afford to pay
> for pretty much anything but he had no use for anyone that expected him
> to cover their expenses, too.... *If he wanted to, well then that was
> ok, but for someone to simply expect Bill would pay for them, too...
> well, that wasn't going to happen...
>
> I first heard about Bill's passing a week ago. *I was in shock... Bill,
> to me, was immortal... I thought I'd be able to call him up on the phone
> next year or 10 years from now to simply talk about what he was doing,
> what I was doing, and to ask his advice (and ignore it if it didn't
> sound that good...). *I'm still unwilling to believe Badwater Bill is no
> more..
>
> I've read over and over again some of Bill's emails and posts and it's
> hard to understand that Bill's gone.. It was like when Tony died.. It
> was a couple years before I could remove Tony's email address from my
> email address file.
>
> When my Dad died about 20 years ago this was in the handout at the
> memorial service... I offer it as a tribute to Badwater Bill Phillips...
> a man that made many friends, a few enemies and made a difference to the
> world....
>
> > Do not stand at my grave and weep
> > I am not there; I do not sleep.
> > I am a thousand winds that blow,
> > I am the diamond glints on snow,
> > I am the sun on ripened grain,
> > I am the gentle autumn rain.
> > When you awaken in the morning's hush
> > I am the swift uplifting rush
> > Of quiet birds in circling flight.
> > I am the soft starlight at night.
> > Do not stand at my grave and cry,
> > I am not there; I did not die.
>
> John
>
>
>
> cavelamb himself wrote:
> > RST Engineering wrote:
>
> >> Not if you follow my logic if and when NTSB makes a determination.
>
> >> Jim
>
> > I dunno, Jim.
>
> > If I saw that I was going in, I think I'd pull the power...- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

John,

Yes, there is very little information available to draw any conclusion
as to the cause but I think you are probably on the right track. We
had one of the KIS builders who destroyed his plane several years back
when the pilots door opened in flight. He was also in the takeoff
phase and shifted around in his seat in an attempt to reach and close
the door. In the process, he shifted the bottom seat cushion and
wedged it against the stick pushing it forward. He impacted the
ground before he could recover and regain control. It that case, he
was lucky and he was not killed but was seriously injured. It only
takes a momentary distraction at low altitude and/or slow flight to
cause such an accident.

This was not the first off field forced landing for Bill and I have to
believe that if he had been in control, he would have brought the
plane down with only light damage.

[Scott[_7_]]

BobR wrote:

We
> had one of the KIS builders who destroyed his plane several years back
> when the pilots door opened in flight. He was also in the takeoff
> phase and shifted around in his seat in an attempt to reach and close
> the door. In the process, he shifted the bottom seat cushion and
> wedged it against the stick pushing it forward. He impacted the
> ground before he could recover and regain control.


It only
> takes a momentary distraction at low altitude and/or slow flight to
> cause such an accident.
>


Isn't that why instructors teach us to "FLY THE PLANE" first? An open
door should never cause a crash unless maybe they are suicide doors like
on the old Fords...fortunately, I can't ever recall seeing a plane with
that style door.

Scott

[Ron Wanttaja]

On Mon, 27 Oct 2008 21:09:28 -0700, John Ammeter >
wrote:

> My guess, with admittedly, little actual information to back it up is
> that the canopy opened and Bill and Janice's clothes which were loose in
> back of the seats began to fly out of the airplane. As the articles
> flew about the cockpit and out of the plane something flew over Bill's
> head and covered his eyes... with no vision, Bill was unable to maintain
> level flight.

Depends on how the airflow's going in the cabin. The canopy hinges aren't flush
with the forward cowl; as the canopy rises, a gap appears under the front edge.
Seems like the airflow from up front would block something in the aft storage
from moving far enough forward to wrap itself around the pilot's head. Though
if a chart or something had been on the glare shield, that could have come aft
and blocked his vision.

Note, too, that the witnesses said the plane remained at a low altitude. I
think a pilot's natural reaction when reacting to an emergency would be to gain
some height. He didn't, which might indicate that he thought it would be
necessary to bring the plane around and land it to fix the canopy problem.

The other possibility, of course, is a John Denver sort of accident; that he
became so focused on the canopy problem that he lost situational awareness.
There is at least one indication that he was rushed that day...note that he took
off with a 10-20 knot gusting tailwind. Did he rush the checklist and fail to
lock the canopy? When it opened, did he put too much attention to trying to
close it and avoid wasting time returning to the airport? Bill *did* have a bit
of a temper.

Mulling it over, though, I'm starting to doubt the "lost clothing indicates
canopy open" theory. Remember, not only would it take suction to raise clothing
lying lose in the baggage bay, it takes a source of air behind the items to
"push" towards the gap. Put your mouth over a pop bottle and suck, and nothing
will come up. Use a straw, and air flows in to push the liquid up the straw.
Where was the source of air pushing the items from the baggage bay?

Also, if you open the sunroof of a car at highway speeds, you get a lot of noise
but your hat remains firmly on your head...seems odd that the suction in the
Lancair would have been so bad that items lying loose in the baggage bay were
physically lifted several feet.

Finally, for that matter...who piles loose clothing in a baggage bay? I'm
presuming they'd stayed at the cabin and had driven down to the airport. Seems
unlikely that they'd just piled clothes loose in the car, then transferred the
pile to the airplane. Could have been just whatever coats they'd worn that
morning, of course.

I'm starting to wonder if we're looking at a more serious failure, here. My
guess would focus more on a baggage door failure...except I don't think the
plane *had* a baggage door.

Fortunately, his wife survived and will hopefully be able to describe the
sequence of events.

Ron Wanttaja

[BobR]

On Oct 29, 9:58*am, Ron Wanttaja > wrote:
> On Mon, 27 Oct 2008 21:09:28 -0700, John Ammeter >
> wrote:
>
> > My guess, with admittedly, little actual information to back it up is
> > that the canopy opened and Bill and Janice's clothes which were loose in
> > back of the seats began to fly out of the airplane. *As the articles
> > flew about the cockpit and out of the plane something flew over Bill's
> > head and covered his eyes... with no vision, Bill was unable to maintain
> > level flight.
>
> Depends on how the airflow's going in the cabin. *The canopy hinges aren't flush
> with the forward cowl; as the canopy rises, a gap appears under the front edge.
> Seems like the airflow from up front would block something in the aft storage
> from moving far enough forward to wrap itself around the pilot's head. *Though
> if a chart or something had been on the glare shield, that could have come aft
> and blocked his vision. *
>
> Note, too, that the witnesses said the plane remained at a low altitude. *I
> think a pilot's natural reaction when reacting to an emergency would be to gain
> some height. *He didn't, which might indicate that he thought it would be
> necessary to bring the plane around and land it to fix the canopy problem..
>
> The other possibility, of course, is a John Denver sort of accident; that he
> became so focused on the canopy problem that he lost situational awareness.
> There is at least one indication that he was rushed that day...note that he took
> off with a 10-20 knot gusting tailwind. *Did he rush the checklist and fail to
> lock the canopy? *When it opened, did he put too much attention to trying to
> close it and avoid wasting time returning to the airport? *Bill *did* have a bit
> of a temper.
>
> Mulling it over, though, I'm starting to doubt the "lost clothing indicates
> canopy open" theory. *Remember, not only would it take suction to raise clothing
> lying lose in the baggage bay, it takes a source of air behind the items to
> "push" towards the gap. *Put your mouth over a pop bottle and suck, and nothing
> will come up. *Use a straw, and air flows in to push the liquid up the straw.
> Where was the source of air pushing the items from the baggage bay?
>
> Also, if you open the sunroof of a car at highway speeds, you get a lot of noise
> but your hat remains firmly on your head...seems odd that the suction in the
> Lancair would have been so bad that items lying loose in the baggage bay were
> physically lifted several feet.
>
> Finally, for that matter...who piles loose clothing in a baggage bay? *I'm
> presuming they'd stayed at the cabin and had driven down to the airport. *Seems
> unlikely that they'd just piled clothes loose in the car, then transferred the
> pile to the airplane. *Could have been just whatever coats they'd worn that
> morning, of course.
>
> I'm starting to wonder if we're looking at a more serious failure, here. *My
> guess would focus more on a baggage door failure...except I don't think the
> plane *had* a baggage door. *
>
> Fortunately, his wife survived and will hopefully be able to describe the
> sequence of events.
>
> Ron Wanttaja

If you look at the photos of the plane it is clear that there was no
baggage door and that the canopy opened from the rear and hinged at
the front. That configuration whould seem to actually hold the canopy
closed when in flight. I agree with you that it would be unusual to
develop enough vacuum to pull loose garments from behind the seats.
Just doesn't add up but hopefully Janice will recover and be able to
fill in the blanks.

[RST Engineering]

OK, so long as we are wild ass guessing, consider this scenario...

Engine fails for whatever reason shortly after takeoff. Knowing the landing
is about to become rather bumpy, and having survived a few forced landings,
Bill opens the canopy on purpose so that it doesn't become jammed due to
impact. (Yes, that is instinctive when an engine fails. Trust me.)

Canopy open and pressure air at the forward end ruffles up some clothes in
the baggage bin. Vacuum from open canopy does the rest.

In his fixation with the canopy, airspeed diminishes along with enough lift
to keep the mother flying. THe rest is quite explainable.

Jim

--
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought
without accepting it."
--Aristotle

[Ron Wanttaja]

RST Engineering wrote:
> OK, so long as we are wild ass guessing, consider this scenario...
>
> Engine fails for whatever reason shortly after takeoff. Knowing the landing
> is about to become rather bumpy, and having survived a few forced landings,
> Bill opens the canopy on purpose so that it doesn't become jammed due to
> impact. (Yes, that is instinctive when an engine fails. Trust me.)
>
> Canopy open and pressure air at the forward end ruffles up some clothes in
> the baggage bin. Vacuum from open canopy does the rest.
>
> In his fixation with the canopy, airspeed diminishes along with enough lift
> to keep the mother flying. THe rest is quite explainable.

A couple of other points catch my eye in the NTSB preliminary. First,
one propeller blade separated from the hub. The blade was within the
debris field, so it's no more than 200 feet from the hub. Probably got
separated on impact and thrown the distance. But if something *had*
happened to the prop, the shaking would not only probably have popped
the canopy open but might have even made the plane uncontrollable.

Second, the left wingtip hit the ground first. So why does the first
point of impact feature *green* lens fragments?

Ron Wanttaja

[[email protected]]

On Tue, 28 Oct 2008 21:22:04 +0000, Scott >
wrote:

>BobR wrote:
>
> We
>> had one of the KIS builders who destroyed his plane several years back
>> when the pilots door opened in flight. He was also in the takeoff
>> phase and shifted around in his seat in an attempt to reach and close
>> the door. In the process, he shifted the bottom seat cushion and
>> wedged it against the stick pushing it forward. He impacted the
>> ground before he could recover and regain control.
>
>
> It only
>> takes a momentary distraction at low altitude and/or slow flight to
>> cause such an accident.
>>
>
>
>Isn't that why instructors teach us to "FLY THE PLANE" first? An open
>door should never cause a crash unless maybe they are suicide doors like
>on the old Fords...fortunately, I can't ever recall seeing a plane with
>that style door.

GP-4 for one. One of the first builders had his come open, took off
the vertical stab and that was the rest of the story.

Roger (K8RI)
>
>Scott

[[email protected]]

When the canopy comes open I think you'll find a gap all along the
sides and at the front. I'd guess it pops up a couple inches, but I'm
not at all familiar with the plane in the air.

I do know that in a Bonanza with the door open about 3" it does one
Hell of a job cleaning the carpets.

Roger (K8RI)

[Victor Bravo]

On Oct 29, 3:11*pm, "RST Engineering" > wrote:
> OK, so long as we are wild ass guessing, consider this scenario...
>
> Engine fails for whatever reason shortly after takeoff. *Knowing the landing
> is about to become rather bumpy, and having survived a few forced landings,
> Bill opens the canopy on purpose so that it doesn't become jammed due to
> impact. *(Yes, that is instinctive when an engine fails. *Trust me.)

If distant student-pilot memory serves, it was even printed in the
Cessna 150 pilot manual to open the doors before a forced landing. On
an airplane like a Lancair, it would seem that this would be an even
more important thing to remember. It is completely believable to me
that opening or at least un-latching the canopy was high on Bill's
priority list if there was a serious problem.

The NTSB investigation, bless their hearts, is all well and good, but
for better or worse there is an eyewitness who will probably be able
to fill in a lot of blanks when she recovers.

My initial Google search on this brought up a discussion thread on
this or some other forum, where some poster by the screen name of
"ladypilot" posted a very inappropriate slur about Bill at a time
like this. Now Bill was no stranger to mudslinging, and at most times
enjoyed the challenge very thoroughly. But I'm fairly sure Bill would
have had the class to simply stay quiet if someone he disliked or
disagreed with had crashed and died. On behalf of the "old" RAH crowd
Foxtrot Yankee, "lady-pilot". You ain't neither.

Bill Berle

[Morgans[_2_]]

"Victor Bravo" > wrote

My initial Google search on this brought up a discussion thread on
this or some other forum, where some poster by the screen name of
"ladypilot" posted a very inappropriate slur about Bill at a time
like this. Now Bill was no stranger to mudslinging, and at most times
enjoyed the challenge very thoroughly. But I'm fairly sure Bill would
have had the class to simply stay quiet if someone he disliked or
disagreed with had crashed and died. On behalf of the "old" RAH crowd
Foxtrot Yankee, "lady-pilot". You ain't neither.

<End of Victor Bravo's post>
****************************

Bill, I recall that after that post, there was a denial by lady-pilot, about
her not making that post.

I can't recall if there was any header proof to back that denial up, but I
think there was.

This did not sound like the act of the lady-pilot that used to be active
back when Bill posted frequently. I think they were even friends.

I could be wrong, but don't be too quick to jump on her, before you do some
investigating.

Slander through posting as someone else on the internet is a common, and
growing, thing. I personally think it is lower than low.
--
Jim in NC

[John Corliss[_2_]]

On Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:06:56 -0500, Morgans wrote:

> "Victor Bravo" > wrote
>
> My initial Google search on this brought up a discussion thread on
> this or some other forum, where some poster by the screen name of
> "ladypilot" posted a very inappropriate slur about Bill at a time
> like this. Now Bill was no stranger to mudslinging, and at most times
> enjoyed the challenge very thoroughly. But I'm fairly sure Bill would
> have had the class to simply stay quiet if someone he disliked or
> disagreed with had crashed and died. On behalf of the "old" RAH crowd
> Foxtrot Yankee, "lady-pilot". You ain't neither.
>
> <End of Victor Bravo's post>
> ****************************
>
> Bill, I recall that after that post, there was a denial by lady-pilot, about
> her not making that post.
>
> I can't recall if there was any header proof to back that denial up, but I
> think there was.
>
> This did not sound like the act of the lady-pilot that used to be active
> back when Bill posted frequently. I think they were even friends.
>
> I could be wrong, but don't be too quick to jump on her, before you do some
> investigating.
>
> Slander through posting as someone else on the internet is a common, and
> growing, thing. I personally think it is lower than low.

With all seriousness, I just want you to know that anybody who does
something like that to me would be in line for retribution with extreme
prejudice and without the slightest hesitation. I don't stop until I get
what I want when I'm motivated to be on the trail of anybody who stalks
me.
You see- I have, in reserve, my own tactics for getting back at people,
and many connections with people who will do things for me (and I for
them.)