Reqiem for a warbird

Darren is right. I have seen the result of aircraft setting on the ground too long. When you start the engines, you are starting a leak looking for a place to happen. Routine engine runs on the ground doesn't help. An aircraft has to fly, get in its own element, and exercise its wings.

Aircraft that spent time in long term storage and then put back into flying status had more stress related cracks in the wing spar than aircraft that had been flying. A wing is designed to flex, twist, and take G forces. If it just sits idle for a long period of time the metal looses its tension. You have just decreased its fatigue life.

It is a shame that old war birds have to be destroyed in crashes. At the airshow this year at the air base here in town, an aircraft crashed killing its pilot. He was to race a jet powered truck down the runway but their timing was off. The plane started a loop and was half way into it when the truck started down the runway. The aircraft did a half turn from the loop, but was too low to completed the pull out. He slammed into the ground in front of 30,000 people. The Thunderbirds canceled their performance because of the accident. It would have been better if the pilot just let the stunt go bad, but with the attitude of air shows today, he wouldn't do it. Please the crowd, forget safety, the show must go on. As long as we have that type of attitude at air shows, accidents will continue to happen.

Aircraft are definitely meant to fly! The worst thing you can do to a plane is put it in storage. Our flight school has several Piper Warriors that are 20 years old that have 13,000 hours+ on them. They fly a 100 hours a month each. Every other year they have new "0" time engines installed. Every six or seven years they get new paint and interiors. We perform a lot of preventative maintenance to keep from running into big problems. At this rate, these planes will fly forever...almost.

Yet, other planes that fly 20 hours a year are constantly having problems. When they sit they start to corrode. Corrosion is the biggest enemy that we in aviation fight. Flying keeps water from seeping in too much. It also keeps everything lubricated and moving freely. Planes, like people, need regular exercise to stay healthy.

The nice thing about an airplane is, that you can rebuild it completely as many times as you want. If something breaks you fix it and keep on going.

I suspect you will see classic aircraft and warbirds flying a lot longer than you expect, thanks to the dedication of many volunteers.

Darren

It is a tragedy in many ways. There is a dwindling number of airworthy warbirds out there, and many are truly priceless. There may come a point when most are grounded due to old age, or danger to the pilots and crews, etc. It's a truly sad thing to think of, because if you've ever seen (and heard!) a B-17 or P-51 roaring down a runway, it's unforgettable. They were meant to fly, of course, but for how long? Something to think about. . .

All i can add to this is my condolences to the families and friends of the two crew members who perished. whilst it is sad that such a historic piece of machinery is lost it should be remembered that it is just a machine and although the aircraft is not replacable the human life is the most tragic loss. I have seen this particular aircraft displayad many times and have always admired the shear profesionalism of its pilots and have never thought that it was flown beyond its capabilities ...Greg

For me, I hate to see any aircraft crash or be damaged. First of all because I work in aviation maintenance. Also because I have survived an airplane crash. It is a lonely place inside of an airplane that has departed controlled flight and is heading towards the ground. Metal impacting the ground at high speed is a sound that I hope most people will never have to hear. Every airplane that crashes just fuels peoples irrational fears. Which leads to airport closings and ridiculous "security measures" that we in the aviation field have to live with.

I can think of many more reasons which I will not list. Your point is well stated though. Once these priceless treasures are lost, they only remain in our memories. I hate too think of the day that the Yak will no longer buzz my house as it departs RNWY 32.

Darren

The accident that destroyed the Firefly is one of the reasons that I now nolonger attend airshows. The excitement sometimes takes over and an accident is the result. I was at SBAC show when John Derry, his Observer and many on the ground were killed. Not Derrys fault, the DH110 just disintergrated!!. So no shows for me.
Dai.

Well said Upnorth. I also cannot understand why we have to lose historic aircraft and more importantly those who fly them in accidents that are totally avoidable. If i'm not mistaken, the Firefly was trying to perform a loop and apparently something went wrong or he didn't have enough altitude. Low level aerobatics should not be done by aircraft that are both old and not designed for inverted flight. I know at the classic airshows I've been to, I was happy just to see a P-38 or a Zero in the air, not because it was doing loops.