Rough Day at the Airshow

[Marauder]

   While I was in NJ at the "drive-in", an incident happened at the New Garden Air Show. I was taxiing back after the TFR was lifted and saw this Corsair parked near my hangar with what I thought was a unique prop on it. Upon closer inspection, it was not so. At least no one got hurt.

 

From secondhand information, the pilot reported a brake lockage. The plane went up on it's nose but not over...

 

 

 

 

 

[201er]

Now that's gonna be an expensive fix! Glad nobody was hurt.

[N33GG]

Look on the bright side... if you can afford a Corsair, you are probably OK!

Sorry... in all seriosness, that really is painful.

[320KPH]

That'll hammer out...

[Greg]

Probably be fixed but do they have to do a tear down inspection of the engine?  Would cost more than fixing the prop.  Uff Da

[fantom]

May not be the case here, but rich old men playing fighter pilot in irreplaceable WW-II planes, wrecking them, endangering lives, and sometimes killing themselves is a crying shame. Jack Roush is a prime example.

[Marauder]

May not be the case here, but rich old men playing fighter pilot in irreplaceable WW-II planes, wrecking them, endangering lives, and sometimes killing themselves is a crying shame. Jack Roush is a prime example.

Hmmm... I was told that the plane is owned by the Reading PA Aircraft Museum. I see no listing of it on their website.

 

I walked the runway and it looks like his brakes were on solid and then there were intermittent tire skid marks evenly spread out followed by a solid set of tire skids leading up to the prop strike area. Be interesting to see what the final determination of cause is. He is just lucky he didn't flip it.

[N33GG]

May not be the case here, but rich old men playing fighter pilot in irreplaceable WW-II planes, wrecking them, endangering lives, and sometimes killing themselves is a crying shame. Jack Roush is a prime example.

May or may not be the case here with this Corsair, but I could make a very long list of examples right off the top of my head. I agree completely Fantom.

[sreid]

 

May not be the case here, but rich old men playing fighter pilot in irreplaceable WW-II planes, wrecking them, endangering lives, and sometimes killing themselves is a crying shame. Jack Roush is a prime example.

 

 

It's a shame when someone wrecks a plane, especially if someone(s) get hurt. But what's the alternative? The rich guys take their money elsewhere, the warbirds sit and rust away, and no one enjoys them at all? You can say the same thing regarding people crashing their Mooney's, but I think we're better off to have as many of them flying as possible. The wrecks keep the factory open and producing parts, and the mechanics in business!

 

My guess is that even counting the warbird crashes, there are more warbirds in flying status because of rich guys. Look at the lengths they go to restore some of the old derelicts. I doubt most rich old guys would spend the money it takes to rebuild these things if they couldn't go fly them as they please.

Steve

[fantom]

I read a few years ago that the number of airworthy P-51s is steadily increasing, which I found interesting. 

 

 

We're dealing in such small numbers. Maybe it might be a short term uptick, but I hate to see thes planes bastardized for races, used as toys, and banged up by rich wanna-bes. I strongly believe these national treasures should be on display, in a protected environment, for the viewing information and pleasure of generations yet to come. Once they are gone, it's forever.

 

YMMV.

[fugari]

 

May not be the case here, but rich old men playing fighter pilot in irreplaceable WW-II planes, wrecking them, endangering lives, and sometimes killing themselves is a crying shame. Jack Roush is a prime example.

 

What??  That's a pretty presumptuous statement there.  Has for Jack Rousch....he's never had an accident in a warbird of any kind.  In fact he is upgrading and building new Merlin/components and has done amazing things in the warbird movement.  A previously poster was correct in that the number of flyable warbirds is increasing.  In large part due to recoveries, technology and process allowing what was once only good for scrap to fly again.  I've been around and involved with warbird my whole life and can tell you has a fact that 99.9% of the people involved are not doing what you accuse them of.

[fantom]

What??  That's a pretty presumptuous statement there. 

 

Talk about presumptuous statements, not based on facts. Great first post! Are you related or you you work for Jack? While I'm sure many warbird people are nice, I'm not accusing anyone of anything. Jack, however has had two crashes that couldn't be glossed over.

 

On April 19, 2002, Roush was involved in a plane crash on his 60th birthday. His airplane, an experimental P-51crashed into a lake. Larry Hicks, a retired Marine Sergeant Major, saved Roush’s life by pulling him from the airplane.

 

Roush was injured in a second plane crash on Tuesday July 27, 2010 while trying to land his Hawker Beechcraft Premier jet at Wittman Air Field in OshKosh, Wis. Roush was on his way to attend the Experimental Aircraft Association's annual AirVenture show. He went on to make a full recovery. The NTSB found him at fault.

 

However I do stand corrected about the experimental plane being a P-51 as the press first reported. Turns out it was not a P-51, as reported, but an experimental light weight two engine plane, so there are no formal reports of Jack destroying warbirds...thankfully.

[KSMooniac]

I read a few years ago that the number of airworthy P-51s is steadily increasing, which I found interesting. 

 

I just wish that I was one of those rich old men who could afford one . . . 

 

I'd rather be a rich YOUNG man that could afford one and enjoy it for many decades to come...  

 

I'm glad they're still flying.  I don't like seeing them modified to race, but keep in mind many of the fastest racers today were cut up and modified many years ago (or decades) when they were cheap and common.  I'm glad many of those are still flying/racing.  I thought by now we would have many different scratch-built unlimiteds racing (like the Pond Racer) but unfortunately that hasn't come to pass yet.  

[aviatoreb]

Well - safety of the public is everyone's problem.  So that P51 crash at Reno last year was a major disaster.

 

But other than that, big big otherwise, I have no problem with rich old dudes buying and enjoying WWII airplanes even if they do get banged up.  I mean if rich old dudes, the rich aviation buffs, don't buy these things, and pour the substantial money into them to keep them in great flying shape, then who will?  Its not an option to say that young, poor but capable and dashing Navy test pilot types will fly these old Corsairs instead. No I think the alternative is that no one flies them and they sit in some hangar somewhere and rot.  So hurrah for the rich old dudes who fly airplanes themselves.

 

This message has been brought to you by a middle aged dude who is not rich enough to fly his own Corsair but who will be happy to fly one for any rich old dudes ask - I will provide my own transition training.

[Parker_Woodruff]

I do like seeing them raced as stock. I think Sparky Air Racing (Jelly Belly P-51) races a stock Mustang.

[RJBrown]

If it weren't for rich guys there would be fewer WW11 planes flying. The only flying veteran of Pearl Harbor is a Grumman Duck restored by some Rich guy. In 1955 it crashed in the Bahamas. It was recovered from a lake in 1992. This and most of the WW11 iron still flying is BECAUSE Rich Guys like their toys. Hell If I had been the one to win that $500 Million Lotto I sure would have found a F8F Bearcat to do up just like the ones on the USS Leyte my Dad served on in 45.

 The stories about current restorations often include not much of a plane to start with and several million later a flying example. The Wildcats found in lake Michigan restored by some Rich Guy follow this pattern. The government gets in the way and if they restore one it never flies.

[Bennett]

As much as I enjoy visiting war bird aircraft museums in the US, Europe, and Brazil (really great aircraft museum outside of Rio), nothing can compare with the sight and sounds of P-51s, Spitfires, and most WW II fighters. Airplanes are designed to be flown, and if I were a rich guy, I would buy a Mustang, or Hellcat, etc., and restore her to flyable condition, and then take her on tour of the airshows so that a new generation can experience the sight of these aircraft pulling Gs, and hear the incredible sounds of these magnificent machines. The only changes I would want from the original configurations, would be modern avionics. When I got to old to fly my war bird, I would donate her to one of the remaining fighter museums.  I can't imagine the total costs to own and operate a first rate war bird, but I am glad that there are some folks out there who can.  A few years ago, a friend and I got up early in the morning, and photographed a group of Mustangs and Spits from an observation tower at Oshkosh. We shot high grain black and white film, and with the mists rising, we could imagine ourselves in England during WW II. While we were finishing our photoshoot, two of the Mustangs fired up their engines, and that experience was magical.

 

Sure we want to preserve war birds for future generations, but it is wonderful to see and hear them flying for as long as possible. Preserving them on video is not as satisfying as standing out in the open and seeing the performance these airplanes are capable of.   Now all I have to do is become a rich old guy by winning the lottery. I'm already old.

[fugari]

I don't work for Jack Rousch don't know him and can't stand NASCAR!

But, with that being said he has done great things for warbirds in particular and aviation in general.

He has a never crashed a warbird.  His AL lake crash was in a Aircam which (you'll agree) is quite a ways off

from a P-51D. http://www.aircam.com/  .  His other crash was the Premier Jet at Oshkosh.

[Mcstealth]

Me too. Can't stand NASCAR.

[Alan Fox]

You guys should do a little research before you shoot your mouths off , The plane and about 7 other pristine examples of ww2 aircraft are owned by Thomas Duffy who by the way flys them all , A hard landing or stuck brake in our Mooneys results in a bounce or taking out a taxi light .... Try it in a P47 , or a P51 , TBM , Widgeon , Spitfire , B25 , of any other of Toms aircraft......