P-51 G-SHWN 'The Shark' 'Mishap' At Le Touquet

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Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 3,183

Thanks Stan, at least someone with experience telling it how it is,
I hate seeing pilots being criticised when the person doing the criticism has no skills other than tapping a computer keyboard.

Which is precisely why I made it clear that I had no practical experience and hoped to get information from those who had (eg Stan) - I want to learn from them.

There is, unfortunately, no way that anyone can prevent images like this from turning into CLICkBAIT HORROR!! headlines.

Adrian

Member for

20 years

Posts: 1,628

Looking at the Facebook pictures in the first post, it looks as though he was doing a "wing low in to the crosswind" approach judging by the windsock in a later picture. It only takes a strong gust to lift the low wing and things can rapidly get tricky. I had exactly the same problem going in to our farm strip last week but I was high enough to "go around", albeit not down the runway centreline. Could be entirely wrong though..

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24 years 2 months

Posts: 10,168

Gentlemen, lets act like adults.. If you want to bicker and argue then do it by PM....

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 1,537

We'll, this kind of things happens from time to time, whatever aircraft you are flying, despite your overall experience, and time on type!

Here's the late Spencer Flack's P-51 'Sunny VII' displaying at Cosford in 1991 in the hands of Rod Dean I believe: -

(Fwd to 1:08 or so if you want the 'exciting' bit!)

I've read/heard that the P-51 is quite prone to this happening when a sudden gust catches you by surprise, and seeing that this is the second P-51, and the third time I've seen evidence of it happening, it appears to be true!

Cheers

Paul

Member for

7 years 3 months

Posts: 216

Looking at the photos the theory I have and seen myself is that it is a normal landing and then a gust of wind comes along and picks up the wing. I have seen many large aircraft land like this too where I live in Perth.

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 3,183

Presumably as the P-51 was built as a fighter aircraft, things like crosswind handling weren't high on the list of priorities when they were designed?* I know the Mustang had some *interesting* habits such as torque rolling round the prop if you opened the throttle too fast at low speed - at least one did this on approach at Debden, as a prop blade is on display in the antiques centre there - that must have been considered as acceptable risks.

Assuming that Brenden's theory is a good one, I guess that would be unavoidable without knowing that the gust was coming? And Bardburger's observation supports this.

Adrian

*This is assuming you can design such things in, of course, can you?

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14 years 6 months

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Lanc was prone to leave the runway rather dramatically when they used to three point land her.
Mildenhall one year iirc was particularly interesting.

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16 years 5 months

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Indeed hampden but I thought that was brake related rather than crosswind?!

Member for

17 years 10 months

Posts: 3,778

Wheeling it on in gusty conditions is best foot forward come in faster gives you a bit of a chance over the 3 pointer

Member for

10 years 8 months

Posts: 68

Lanc was prone to leave the runway rather dramatically when they used to three point land her.
Mildenhall one year iirc was particularly interesting.

I'd forgotten all about that but now you've reminded me , yes, that was an interesting landing!

Member for

11 years 11 months

Posts: 149

I thank everybody who is flying taildraggers, will know what happened to him! And nobody of us will say, that can ´t happen to me.....