East Midlands Airport shut by Spitfire undercarriage collapse

BBC News - East Midlands Airport shut by Spitfire undercarriage collapse

Hope it turns out to be not to serious.

 

Reports say the pilot is unharmed and that's the only thing that matters. Aeroplanes can be mended much easier than people.

 

And it's only just come back from a complete rebuild too!

Rolls-Royce have had it rough over the years with their heritage flight Spitfires.

Stu

 

From looking at a Spitfire cockpit layout, it ought to be nigh on impossible to mix up the flap and undercarriage levers...

Stu

 

Please explain?

 

I thought my message had a big enough hint in it, but I now note that there is an eye witness account on one of the airshow forums, from someone who would appear to have been very close to the action (I'm guessing either airport staff or ground crew), which states that the aircraft performed a perfect landing, there was no undercarriage failure on landing, but it subsequently 'bottomed out' during slow speed taxiing, the actual cause not divulged as a courtesy to the pilot.

Before you point out the reliability of internet sources, I will add that I have heard independently from an impeccable source that there is indeed a very embarrassed pilot...

While I'm sure the repairs will still run to a lot of money (not least because the prop impact has serious engine implications), the fact that it dropped to the ground at low speed should have minimised the potential airframe damage.

 

Do you speak as a pilot and more specifically, a Spitfire pilot?

 

Aye, well I'm afraid that lot is not fact, just tittle tattle. And one thing this forum has in abundance is........tittle tattle.
Apologies if that sounds harsh but i remember some time ago there were calls for a steam loco.drivers head on a spike for doing something he shouldn't have, and when the facts came out, he was blameless.

 

Nope (because I suspect a few hours flying experience in Chipmunks and Huskies in the 80s doesn't really count), but neither was I speculating. Take it as you will. I'm not in a position to expand on it.

I'm not going to argue, given the irony of my own statement about sources above, so we'll just have to wait for the CAA/AAIB report to see won't we. I also acknowledge I'm not a regular poster and thus have no track record, so it's perfectly reasonable for others to regard anything I might post with a degree of scepticism.

Ho hum...perhaps I'm only cut out to be a lurker...I'll get me coat

 

Not saying you're speculating as I'm on some aviation forums and have read the various posts. It was the remark that it ought to be nigh on impossible to confuse the two levers. Unless you've done it for real, it's never wise in my book to comment on the fallibility of others.

 

Point taken - it was a clumsy statement and I could undoubtedly have phrased it better and still made my point.

I think the rest of my reply made it clear I accepted that was the case. We will have to wait for the report. I was trying to avoid the "I know something you don't know" type trap, but with hindsight it's probably impossible in this scenario, and so I still fell right in to it.

I withdraw suitably chastened and will keep my mouth shut in future.

 

Nonsense big.stu, join in and welcome, we've all done this type of post and later decided that it could have been better put (I'm one of the worst offenders :madgrin
For example look at my post on the York triangle thread, ..............no wires from Neville Hill to the new turntable. :redface: :behindsofa:

 

Thank you for the encouragement Victor - I have to admit perhaps I should reintroduce myself and try and be more pro-active, but not actually being active in preservation I prefer to only jump in where I think I can genuinely add something (and yes, I still view my original post in that vein, even if I won't substantiate it at this time).

Stu

P.S. I am indeed familiar with some of your efforts I may be 'new' in terms of postings, but I've been reading NP for a few years now...but enough of that, straying well off topic now.

 

Keep posting. Most people, myself included, have made posts that could have been worded better.

 

Perhaps I will Then again one of these days I might manage to organise my life enough to nip up the A1 to Wansford and come and see that machine of yours. You might even persuade me to wield a spanner...

Stu

 

All offers of help will be received with enthusiasm. Without giving too much away, what neck of the woods do you call home?

 

Between Cambridge and Duxford.

 

Handily placed for the centre of Warbird excellence that is Duxford. Means I'm around 20 miles from you.