Mon Jun 18, 2012 12:42 pm
#1075948
Display in the Blood
Nick Barnard introduces us to a pilot who loved the surge of raw power, yet was eager to avoid mishaps…
Pilot X was a fast learner, and good at detail, which is not a bad combination when it comes to a Yak-52. He soon understood that this is the ultimate gotcha machine for the unwary and the cavalier, and he was eager to understand how to avoid mishaps. And they’re certainly waiting for you.
Pilot X loved all the challenges, and more. The Yak is a military trainer, and he revelled in the heritage behind the design, and the demands it placed on his management skill and ability.
As for the flying, Pilot X was a safe pair of hands. He soon learnt to master the general handling and he also relished the added thrill every time he flew with a military pilot, as they always surprised and delighted him with an impromptu display. His training included spinning… and even inverted flat spinning, which gave him a manly dose of bloodshot eyeballs. But this training was, of course, from a safe height, at over 6,000ft and he always practised with an experienced pilot.
Little by little, Pilot X grew into his flying suit. He mastered the eccentricities of this powerful Russian beauty, and looked forward to each new challenge, beginning to feel a gentle surge of confidence every time he pushed his boundaries and survived.
He wanted more thrills, and the Yak delivered. Guided enthusiastically by his group, Pilot X explored basic aerobatics, and he never forgot a teasing introduction into the art of formation flying. Waiting his turn to fly, Pilot X sat and watched his military friends practise aerobatics in the overhead, drawing an excited crowd of spectators who gasped as the Yak looped and rolled, roared vertically upwards, hesitated, swung about on its axis and dived earthwards, whistling and throbbing with power and energy.
Pilot X worked hard to expand his aerobatic repertoire over the airfield, excited by the prospect of being the centre of attention.
Taking up passengers compounded his resolve. Pilot X loved their shrieks and screams as he tore through the air, rolling and looping over their homes, or over the sea, and best of all, over the airfield.
Sometimes, the Yak snatched a bit when he pulled too hard in a loop − and when he was a bit low and slow and needed 100% power, he was surprised at the change in the character of the Yak – he was overwhelmed by the increased torque, and couldn’t quite keep up with machine, so he stayed away from practising this more extreme flying. At other times his stall turns were rather uncomfortable, but at more than 3,000ft above the ground, he was confident that he could recover from a mishap.
Exclusive club
Pilot X found himself drawn closer and closer to the ground, failing to realise that at 2,000ft you’re only one-third of a mile up. But boy, was it thrilling!
Each flight, or sortie, he embellished his show with a selection of crowd-pleasing touches. He realised that what he really wanted was to be a display pilot, and when one of his pilot friends – a military-trained display pilot of course – commented on the spectators’ excited reaction to his antics in the overhead, he knew he was not far off joining this most exclusive of clubs.
Not long after, there came a classic early summer, peachy day, with unlimited visibility and a scattering of small and docile puffy clouds. Pilot X felt good – he was off to the coast to fly over a seaside caravan park, where some camping friends were expecting some aerial entertainment. As he filled the wing tanks, a group of visiting pilots were admiring the Yak, full of questions. Still chatting, Pilot X secured the tank covers with his little screwdriver and then leapt up onto the wing and stepped into the cockpit.
Loving the surge of raw power, Pilot X pushed the throttle wide open and, quick as an ace, he was airborne, retracting the wheels, urging the heavy 52 to accelerate, keeping the nose down as low as he dared. Approaching the boundary, he pulled back sharply, and the crowd “ooooed” as he soared skywards at a crazy angle.
Slowing quickly, Pilot X pushed forward a touch and rolled left, but out of balance, and as he pulled smartly out from his shallow wingover, the airframe gave a little shudder. He zoomed low across the edge of the airfield, past the café, and then departed for the coast nearby, waggling his wings as he went.
It was a perfect display venue, sloping down to the sea, with a 150ft cliff edge, and no trees or obstructions. The visibility seawards was not ideal, as the horizon and the ocean merged indistinctly in a layer of morning mist.
At about 1,750ft he started his dive towards the ocean and then, at 200ft, pulled up and climbed vertically.
From the caravan park the witnesses noticed that he was not quite vertical and that the engine seemed louder than usual. It was also evident that he was left-wing-low and even a touch negative (on his back).
To Pilot X it was becoming a little confusing. The Yak wasn’t doing what he expected. Nevertheless, as it slowed he applied full rudder, but rather than pivoting nose down in a stall turn, the aeroplane shook, seemed to pause, almost fluttering in the sky and, in an instant, was on its back, and rotating, fast.
Moments later, without showing any signs of recovery, the Yak span into the sea.
Questions
1 Apart from disorientation and loss of control, what were the other possible main factors contributing to the accident?
2 What particular challenges did Pilot X face by starting his display over the sea?
3 What possible reasons were there for why the aircraft showed no signs of recovery?
4 What could Pilot X have done when things started to go wrong?
Nick Barnard introduces us to a pilot who loved the surge of raw power, yet was eager to avoid mishaps…
Pilot X was a fast learner, and good at detail, which is not a bad combination when it comes to a Yak-52. He soon understood that this is the ultimate gotcha machine for the unwary and the cavalier, and he was eager to understand how to avoid mishaps. And they’re certainly waiting for you.
Pilot X loved all the challenges, and more. The Yak is a military trainer, and he revelled in the heritage behind the design, and the demands it placed on his management skill and ability.
As for the flying, Pilot X was a safe pair of hands. He soon learnt to master the general handling and he also relished the added thrill every time he flew with a military pilot, as they always surprised and delighted him with an impromptu display. His training included spinning… and even inverted flat spinning, which gave him a manly dose of bloodshot eyeballs. But this training was, of course, from a safe height, at over 6,000ft and he always practised with an experienced pilot.
Little by little, Pilot X grew into his flying suit. He mastered the eccentricities of this powerful Russian beauty, and looked forward to each new challenge, beginning to feel a gentle surge of confidence every time he pushed his boundaries and survived.
He wanted more thrills, and the Yak delivered. Guided enthusiastically by his group, Pilot X explored basic aerobatics, and he never forgot a teasing introduction into the art of formation flying. Waiting his turn to fly, Pilot X sat and watched his military friends practise aerobatics in the overhead, drawing an excited crowd of spectators who gasped as the Yak looped and rolled, roared vertically upwards, hesitated, swung about on its axis and dived earthwards, whistling and throbbing with power and energy.
Pilot X worked hard to expand his aerobatic repertoire over the airfield, excited by the prospect of being the centre of attention.
Taking up passengers compounded his resolve. Pilot X loved their shrieks and screams as he tore through the air, rolling and looping over their homes, or over the sea, and best of all, over the airfield.
Sometimes, the Yak snatched a bit when he pulled too hard in a loop − and when he was a bit low and slow and needed 100% power, he was surprised at the change in the character of the Yak – he was overwhelmed by the increased torque, and couldn’t quite keep up with machine, so he stayed away from practising this more extreme flying. At other times his stall turns were rather uncomfortable, but at more than 3,000ft above the ground, he was confident that he could recover from a mishap.
Exclusive club
Pilot X found himself drawn closer and closer to the ground, failing to realise that at 2,000ft you’re only one-third of a mile up. But boy, was it thrilling!
Each flight, or sortie, he embellished his show with a selection of crowd-pleasing touches. He realised that what he really wanted was to be a display pilot, and when one of his pilot friends – a military-trained display pilot of course – commented on the spectators’ excited reaction to his antics in the overhead, he knew he was not far off joining this most exclusive of clubs.
Not long after, there came a classic early summer, peachy day, with unlimited visibility and a scattering of small and docile puffy clouds. Pilot X felt good – he was off to the coast to fly over a seaside caravan park, where some camping friends were expecting some aerial entertainment. As he filled the wing tanks, a group of visiting pilots were admiring the Yak, full of questions. Still chatting, Pilot X secured the tank covers with his little screwdriver and then leapt up onto the wing and stepped into the cockpit.
Loving the surge of raw power, Pilot X pushed the throttle wide open and, quick as an ace, he was airborne, retracting the wheels, urging the heavy 52 to accelerate, keeping the nose down as low as he dared. Approaching the boundary, he pulled back sharply, and the crowd “ooooed” as he soared skywards at a crazy angle.
Slowing quickly, Pilot X pushed forward a touch and rolled left, but out of balance, and as he pulled smartly out from his shallow wingover, the airframe gave a little shudder. He zoomed low across the edge of the airfield, past the café, and then departed for the coast nearby, waggling his wings as he went.
It was a perfect display venue, sloping down to the sea, with a 150ft cliff edge, and no trees or obstructions. The visibility seawards was not ideal, as the horizon and the ocean merged indistinctly in a layer of morning mist.
At about 1,750ft he started his dive towards the ocean and then, at 200ft, pulled up and climbed vertically.
From the caravan park the witnesses noticed that he was not quite vertical and that the engine seemed louder than usual. It was also evident that he was left-wing-low and even a touch negative (on his back).
To Pilot X it was becoming a little confusing. The Yak wasn’t doing what he expected. Nevertheless, as it slowed he applied full rudder, but rather than pivoting nose down in a stall turn, the aeroplane shook, seemed to pause, almost fluttering in the sky and, in an instant, was on its back, and rotating, fast.
Moments later, without showing any signs of recovery, the Yak span into the sea.
Questions
1 Apart from disorientation and loss of control, what were the other possible main factors contributing to the accident?
2 What particular challenges did Pilot X face by starting his display over the sea?
3 What possible reasons were there for why the aircraft showed no signs of recovery?
4 What could Pilot X have done when things started to go wrong?