How low can you go?

Of course, these
are the same "pilots who fly gliders" who never leave the local area
and are perfectly happy in some 30 year old POS training glider,
waffling around in 10 degrees of bank - in other words, TARGETS!

In the powered flight community, we call 'em Cessna Warriors.


-John
*You are nothing until you have flown a Douglas, Lockheed, Grumman or North
American*

On 2 Aug 2003 08:57:54 -0700, (Kirk Stant)
wrote:

Funny, we have the same split in the gliding community. Some of us
love to finish off a nice long flight with a redline low pass over the
runway, pulling up to pattern altitude to configure and land,
meanwhile dumping our water all over the crowd on the ground. It's
called a "contest finish", so we are always practicing for a contest.
And without a prop in the way, you can get really low!

One of our test pilots was killed doing this. Not because he got too
low, but because the covering on the elevators delaminated (starting
at the seam on the leading edge) and he suddenly had no pitch control
at all.

That was over twenty years ago, now that I think about it.

Mary

(Kirk Stant) wrote:
Mary Shafer wrote:

One of our test pilots was killed doing this. Not because he got too
low, but because the covering on the elevators delaminated (starting
at the seam on the leading edge) and he suddenly had no pitch control
at all.

Unlucky. However, as you say, low altitude isn't what caused the
elevator to fail. Unless he was wearing a chute, this would have been
fatal anywhere! Which is one reason I always wear a chute in my
glider.

Sure there is some risk, but my approach it to limit my risk (good
equipment, current skill, careful execution) and avoid risk to others
(no overflying people or planes/buildings/cars etc on the ground
during a pass). I can live with that (or maybe not, who knows - c'est
la vie!)

The TV cameraman laying on his back to film me while I flew over
him was a professional, as am I. Normally, I adhere to Part 91
(e.g: the "500 ft. horizontal and/or vertical distance" thing) when
flying.

Sounds like he was flying a Blanik (which had fabric covered
elevators). Nice plane, but not my choice for a low pass (too
draggy).

I fly the Blanik and other sailplanes but have never witnessed
a "contest finish" (e.g: low pass while dumping H2O on the crowd)
yet.

Several years ago a day before Sun 'N Fun (EAA airshow in
Lakeland, FL) opened their gates to the public I was hanging
out at the airport while all was quiet and suddenly heard a
"swooshing" sound overhead.

I looked up and saw a sleek, V-tailed glider flying inverted no more
than 30-50 ft. off the deck. Then the pilot pushed up executing a
perfect half outside loop, rolled inverted again, deployed the tail
chute and landed on the grass strip.

It was Manfred Radius, the famed Canadian glider pilot and
true Skygod practicing his airshow routine in his H-101 Salto
sailplane.

-Mike Marron

I was in the 326FIS at R-G AFB KC MO around 1960. We didn't have an
ILS at RG so we used to take our F102s over to Topeka Municipal, about
50 miles away, to shoot them. I'd made a couple ILS approaches when
the tower asked for a low pass. I replied "How low?" and the FAA type
(!) advised me "There's 1/4 inch pea gravel on the overrun." I wasn't
that low . .
Walt BJ

Did you happen to know a bird colonel named Art Beall? Seems to me he was at
Dickie Goober at about that time....he was a Rescue type.....flew both
conventional and choppers.

George Z.

"Walt BJ" wrote in message
om...
I was in the 326FIS at R-G AFB KC MO around 1960. We didn't have an
ILS at RG so we used to take our F102s over to Topeka Municipal, about
50 miles away, to shoot them. I'd made a couple ILS approaches when
the tower asked for a low pass. I replied "How low?" and the FAA type
(!) advised me "There's 1/4 inch pea gravel on the overrun." I wasn't
that low . .
Walt BJ

"Kirk Stant" wrote...

Is there still a program for test pilots to fly gliders?

AFAIK, Navy TPS still has a glider (or 2?).

In article LNAVa.8361$cF.2474@rwcrnsc53, Lynn Coffelt
writes
Just can't resist telling of watching PBY's from Whidbey NAS flying
down the Guemas Channel during WWII.

Reminds me of the start of that firebombing movie (Always?).

--
John