Air Races Archives - Golf Hotel Whiskey

Video: Spectacular sideways flying in a Sukhoi 31

Back in the 1980s, Lithuanian born pilot Jurgis Kairys apparently set the standard for how competitors on the international grand prix flying circuit are judged for their flying skills, but in this really cool video posted on Facebook (apparently a segment from the official Australian International Airshow 2005 DVD), he makes his Sukhoi 31 fly sideways about half way through the video:

When asked how it was done, Jurgis just smiled and said: “You know maybe it was a mistake!”

A quick look at Jurgis’ website reveals a couple of other really cool flying videos along with a photo gallery showing some of his stunts at various air shows or aerobatic competitions from around the world.

The ultimate British race: A Spitfire vs. a Range Rover

Ahead of this weekend’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, FortyOneSix.com organized this unique race between two British legends – the Supermarine Spitfire and the Range Rover:

The Vickers Supermarine Spitfire (piloted by Matt Jones from the Boultbee Flight Academy) was a 1945-vintage model powered by a 1,750-bhp V12 Merlin engine with a maximum airspeed of 400 mph or 644 kmh while the All-New Range Rover Sport was a 5.0-litre supercharged V8 model with 510 hp driven by Mike Cross, Jaguar Land Rover’s Chief Vehicle Integrity Engineer.

The race took place on a grass airstrip at the Goodwood Aerodrome in Sussex and involved a straight drag run down and back on the runway along with a U-turn. However, grass terrain is considered to be one of the most challenging terrains for a vehicle to gain traction as well as to accelerate or brake on. Nevertheless, Cross still manage to hit speeds of 130 mph or 209 kmh before having to brake for the mid-race turn.

Deteriorated parts (and too many modifications) blamed for the Reno Air Races crash

With the Reno Air Races underway, its worth mentioning that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) had recently determined that the official cause of the September 16, 2011 crash of “The Galloping Ghost” (which killed the pilot along with 10 spectators plus injured more than sixty others) were deteriorated locknut inserts which allowed the trim tab attachment screws to become loose and initiated fatigue cracking in one screw. With the reduced stiffness in the elevator trim system, aerodynamic flutter (at racing speed) broke the trim tab linkages and caused a loss of control.

However, that’s only part of the story as it was also noted that the nearly 70-year-old airplane had undergone numerous and undocumented modifications intended to increase its speed. Some of the (known) modifications included:

Shortening of the wings.
The installation of a boil-off cooling system for the engine.
Increasing the elevator counterweights.
A modification of the pitch trim system.
Changing the incidence of the horizontal and vertical stabilizers.

And while the FAA is required to be notified (in writing) of major changes like the ones mentioned above, only the installation of the boil-off cooling system had been documented with the rest of the modifications being identified by looking at the wreckage examinations, examining photographs of the aircraft and interviewing the ground crewmembers.

Its worth noting that Paul Bertorelli’s lengthy commentary about the crash investigation results that he wrote for AVWeb is well worth a read because he began by writing:

It’s not much of an exaggeration, in my estimation, to assert that before it even took off, Galloping Ghost’s survival in the race was in question. The NTSB found that it was flying at the very edge of its structural and performance envelope, if not well beyond it

Paul added that the accident could have been avoided if the owners had examined the risks critically as well as conducted more flight testing plus (and as the NTSB suggested) the Reno Air Racing Association needs better technical oversight of the aircraft flying in the event (which it has already agreed to).

In addition, there is still some questions about the accident that will always remain a mystery. For example: Paul wrote that in lap two of the accident race, imagery showed deformation in the aircraft’s skin which is indicative of overloading along with a visible crack or gap opened in the canopy that should have been visible to the pilot. Likewise, the exact cause of the flutter will never be known as it could have been triggered by wake turbulence from the proceeding aircraft or simply caused the structure of the aircraft already being on its last legs.

Meanwhile, Organizers of the Reno National Championship Air Races have also established a $77 million fund that will be distributed based on the same system used to compensate 9/11 victims to those who suffered injuries or lost family members as a result of the tragedy. Compensation will be based on categories of injuries, including:

$15,000 for bruises and cuts.
$45,000 for moderate injuries (e.g broken bones, torn tendons etc.).
$75,000 for major injuries (e.g. surgery required, third-degree burns etc.).

Finally, if you want to read the full NTSB statement about the crash, click here (or here for the synopsis).

The Daily Beast: “Reno’s Reckless Air Tragedy”

Richard Collins in Air Facts has pointed out a recent and provocative post on “The Daily Beast” from author Clive Irving that was entitled: “Reno’s Reckless Air Tragedy.” Clive’s post began with the following byline:

The plane crash that killed three (actually nine – Ed.) and injured dozens of spectators at a Reno air race Friday is a reminder of how lax precautions often turn air shows into disasters.

And continued with the following opening paragraph:

What was a 74-year-old pilot doing in a souped-up World War II fighter flying in an air race? The tragedy in Reno is a ghastly reminder that the normal rules of public safety are suspended when air shows are involved.

Naturally, Clive, who is a non-pilot, followed up by mentioning a few other air show tragedies and the tone of his piece was decidedly negative on air shows or air racing in general – leaving no doubt that he probably wants to seem them either banned or more heavily regulated by the government.

Meanwhile, Richard commented that within hours of the post being written, it already had 200 mostly negative comments from readers. Hence, we want to ask you our readers what you think: Is Clive Irving’s take about the Reno Air Races right or is he just trying to be provocative?

The Reno Air Races crash: Who is legally accountable?

Maxwell S. Kennerly, an attorney with Beasley Firm, LLC, a law firm that not only litigates aviation accidents but whose founder flew several World War II vintage planes (including P-51s), has written a very comprehensive and informative post that takes a look at the legal liability aspects of the recent tragedy at the National Championship Air Races in Reno.

To first put things in perspective: Air shows are a big business in the US. In fact, Maxwell pointed out that approximately 17 million people will visit the 400 or so US air shows every year – roughly the same attendance as the NFL receives.

Meanwhile, initial reports about the accident have focused on the trim tab of the Galloping Ghost as photos and videos of the accident unfolding appear to show that the aircraft was missing one of its left side trim tabs entirely. Moreover, the AP has reported that Galloping Ghost bore “little resemblance to its original self” as it was completely rebuilt for speed and had a full 10 feet taken off its wingspan in order to make the aircraft fly faster.

So where does liability fall? Maxwell writes that he will:

…often say that fatal maritime and aviation accidents rarely happen as the result of a single, unlikely event. Usually, they’re caused by a cascade of failure.

Maxwell then wrote extensively about three critical areas where liability or fault could eventually be found for the crash at the Reno Air Races:

Pilot Error. Jimmy Leeward was 74 years old and naturally there has been some chatter that age was a contributing factor in the accident. However, Leeward did have a valid third class medical certification certification dating from March 2010. Nevertheless, there is always the chance that some kind of pilot error did contribute to the accident but in all likelihood, Leeward was unconscious during the final moments of the flight and when the aircraft hit the ground.
Defective Parts, Design Issues or Inadequate Maintenance. A broken trim tab was apparently a factor in the crash but Maxwell wrote that he would be surprised if someone of Leeward’s stature did not have his aircraft frequently inspected. However, he also added that upon an investigation, you “often never know what you find.” Moreover, there is also the possibility that Galloping Ghost had been modified to the point that a broken trim was inevitable – meaning the owner(s), designer(s) and builder(s) are to blame for what occurred.
Flight Planning. Finally, Maxwell pointed out that the National Championship Air Races have already had their share of accidents and it was probably only a matter of time before an aircraft ended up hitting a spectator stand. Hence, the city of Reno, the organizers of the Reno Air Races and the owners of the airport could all be blamed for allowing Galloping Ghost to fly a route that was so close to spectators when there had already been accidents or near misses in the past.

At the end of his post, Maxwell concluded that whatever the NTSB and legal outcome of the investigation is:

…this crash may spell the end of the National Championship Air Races, at least in their current form. Maybe that’s for the best; if they’re not run in a safe manner, they shouldn’t be run at all. Or maybe the solution is something as simple as ensuring planes conform to save designs, mandating the use of proper harnesses, and moving the race a little bit further from the crowd.

Hence and although its to early to draw any definite conclusions, we want to ask you our readers what you think. In other words, where might the legal liability fall regarding the Reno Air Races tragedy? Moreover, what, if anything short of banning air races, can be done to advert another such tragedy?

Inspirational Art of Aerobatics video

Airshowbuzz.com has posted this inspirational Art of Aerobatics video where Red Bull Air Racer Mike Goulian talks about what it is like to be a professional aerobatics pilot and about life in general. In the short video, Mike noted that even professional pilots will spend 99.9%+ of their lives on the ground looking up. In other words, you should try and make the most of that 0.1% of the time you spend up in the air.