Re: On the Ramp Right Now!

Oldenginerod Fri Mar 10, 2023 3:24 pm

I agree with you Kim. It's a beautiful aircraft, but there's a sad post-script to this story. Towards the end of the day, for some crazy reason, the pilot of the Rapide decided to take a bunch of kids for a taxi up & down the strip. At one point I witnessed the crazy scene of the plane turning fast circles on the grass strip with one brake locked. It then sped down the strip, lifting the tail, looking like is was going to lift off. It was going way too fast as it approached the end of the strip and went to turn at the end to make his way back to the hangar area. For whatever reason he turned way too early and taxied straight into a cypress tree nose first. The door burst open and half a dozen young kids streamed from the plane, followed by the pilot. He'd managed to shut down both engines quickly and I couldn't see it they had been impacted. I avoided joining the crowd that rushed over for a look, but as they dragged the plane back from the tree I noticed that the nose cone was stoved in, just below the windscreen. I could see no other damage from where I was but someone suggested that a prop may have struck the tree. Sad to see, and from my perspective, a stupid thing to do at a public event. I'm sure there will be an investigation, but at least it will be in the right place to be repaired.

Eric. Being a fly-in and not an air show, only one aircraft did any more that arrive and depart. A third DH.82 was kept busy all day taking up joy flights. At a cool $185 for 15 minutes, with barely a break all day, I'd suggest it was fairly lucrative.

On the Ramp Right Now! - Page 28 20230219

An interesting note was that I struck up a conversation with one of the local officials when he saw my "Holden" hat. Holden was an Aussie GM manufacturer and is a very popular brand in New Zealand. (You got Aussie designed & built rebadged Holdens in the States). He told me that if I were to get the pilot to lift the hood, I'd see that the Gypsy Major engine was bult by Holden at Melbourne's Fisherman's Bend. Fisherman's Bend was not only where the Holden Plant was, but also the home of the "Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation" who manufactured aircraft during WW2. It seems that they pressed their neighbours into service, manufacturing components for the CAC.

Rod.

Kim Fri Mar 10, 2023 7:28 pm

Oldenginerod wrote:I agree with you Kim. It's a beautiful aircraft, but there's a sad post-script to this story. Towards the end of the day, for some crazy reason, the pilot of the Rapide decided to take a bunch of kids for a taxi up & down the strip. At one point I witnessed the crazy scene of the plane turning fast circles on the grass strip with one brake locked. It then sped down the strip, lifting the tail, looking like is was going to lift off. It was going way too fast as it approached the end of the strip and went to turn at the end to make his way back to the hangar area. For whatever reason he turned way too early and taxied straight into a cypress tree nose first. The door burst open and half a dozen young kids streamed from the plane, followed by the pilot. He'd managed to shut down both engines quickly and I couldn't see it they had been impacted. I avoided joining the crowd that rushed over for a look, but as they dragged the plane back from the tree I noticed that the nose cone was stoved in, just below the windscreen. I could see no other damage from where I was but someone suggested that a prop may have struck the tree. Sad to see, and from my perspective, a stupid thing to do at a public event. I'm sure there will be an investigation, but at least it will be in the right place to be repaired.

.

Rod.

OK...that IS crazy. Maybe I'm a bit naive or don't get out much, but I always imagine planes like these being flown with EXTREME care and caution, not to mention never risking the safety of a bunch of kids for an stupid ego trip.

Maybe the Dragon will find its way to a more appreciative owner.

getback Sat Mar 11, 2023 5:58 am

*Eric. Being a fly-in and not an air show, only one aircraft did any more that arrive and depart. A third DH.82 was kept busy all day taking up joy flights. At a cool $185 for 15 minutes, with barely a break all day, I'd suggest it was fairly lucrative.* That's a pretty good clip but not out of the ordinary now days , I didn't understand the difference between the Fly in and air show ,,, Glad no one was hurt with the antics with Kids on board ! I bet it will bee hard to get them back in a plane OR they had an experience they want forget ! Snowman

Oldenginerod Mon Mar 13, 2023 5:06 am

Hey Kim and others. I just found this video taken two years ago at the same airfield where I attended the fly-in. In the video you'll see a large cypress tree to the right behind the shed. That's the very same tree that attacked the Dragon Rapide the other week as I watched on.
https://www.facebook.com/Gore-Model-Aircraft-Club-INC-148975638509561/videos/my-max-bee-at-models-over-mandeville-thanks-ian-for-capturing-this-flight-with-y/930819104354144/

Just doing a little more searching and discovered this.
https://www.facebook.com/100064655681206/videos/929812314694720/?__so__=permalink
It seems that this gathering occurred just two weeks before I visited. That answers some questions regarding the grass mown very short in strange patterns that weren't utilised by the full scale jobs.

The Kiwis are looking typically relaxed and low key.

andrew Mon Apr 10, 2023 3:09 pm

Flew with a friend this morning over to Midwest Aviation in Paducah, KY (PAH) for some radio repair. This beautiful T-34 Mentor had just come out of the paint shop for some touch-up work. The pilot is 80 years old (there's still some hope for a few of us)!

On the Ramp Right Now! - Page 28 T-34_p10

On the Ramp Right Now! - Page 28 T-34_p11

rsv1cox Mon Apr 10, 2023 6:29 pm

Kim wrote:
Oldenginerod wrote:I agree with you Kim. It's a beautiful aircraft, but there's a sad post-script to this story. Towards the end of the day, for some crazy reason, the pilot of the Rapide decided to take a bunch of kids for a taxi up & down the strip. At one point I witnessed the crazy scene of the plane turning fast circles on the grass strip with one brake locked. It then sped down the strip, lifting the tail, looking like is was going to lift off. It was going way too fast as it approached the end of the strip and went to turn at the end to make his way back to the hangar area. For whatever reason he turned way too early and taxied straight into a cypress tree nose first. The door burst open and half a dozen young kids streamed from the plane, followed by the pilot. He'd managed to shut down both engines quickly and I couldn't see it they had been impacted. I avoided joining the crowd that rushed over for a look, but as they dragged the plane back from the tree I noticed that the nose cone was stoved in, just below the windscreen. I could see no other damage from where I was but someone suggested that a prop may have struck the tree. Sad to see, and from my perspective, a stupid thing to do at a public event. I'm sure there will be an investigation, but at least it will be in the right place to be repaired.

.

Rod.

OK...that IS crazy. Maybe I'm a bit naive or don't get out much, but I always imagine planes like these being flown with EXTREME care and caution, not to mention never risking the safety of a bunch of kids for an stupid ego trip.

Maybe the Dragon will find its way to a more appreciative owner.

Such a shame and really dumb on the "pilots" part. You would think more mature.

Air Classics did a piece a few issues ago.

On the Ramp Right Now! - Page 28 Radide10

Kim Mon Apr 10, 2023 7:59 pm

andrew wrote:Flew with a friend this morning over to Midwest Aviation in Paducah, KY (PAH) for some radio repair. This beautiful T-34 Mentor had just come out of the paint shop for some touch-up work. The pilot is 80 years old (there's still some hope for a few of us)!

WOW !!! COOLO ANDREW!!!!!!!!!!!

getback Tue Apr 11, 2023 6:22 am

Sounds like some get out the house Fun ! Nice looking Beechcraft Very Happy

andrew Mon May 01, 2023 12:52 pm

Saturday, we flew out to Newton, KS for a Comanche Flyin --there were a number of single and twin Comanches, but several other interesting planes as well. Here are a few:

A pristine CUB:

On the Ramp Right Now! - Page 28 Ks_cub10

On the Ramp Right Now! - Page 28 Ks_cub11

My favorite, a Flybaby!! This plane was a little worn and was carrying some hanger dust, but it flew in. Notice that the gear is fixed with no spring -- it relies on the fat tires for cushioning. The axle forms part of the structure to support the under wing flying wires -- an interesting design by Pete Bowers.
I don't know any of its history.

On the Ramp Right Now! - Page 28 Ks_fly10

On the Ramp Right Now! - Page 28 Ks_fly11

On the Ramp Right Now! - Page 28 Ks_fly12

On the Ramp Right Now! - Page 28 Ks_fly13

Here is another CUB, equally well restored.

On the Ramp Right Now! - Page 28 Ks_cub13

On the Ramp Right Now! - Page 28 Ks_cub12

A beautiful L-19 Bird Dog. This was parked a couple of planes down from us and I had intended to get some pics when we were ready to leave, however, it was taxing out when I shot this. I have cropped and enlarged the pic, but the quality is not very good.

On the Ramp Right Now! - Page 28 Ks_l-110

This Gyro may have been local -- I did see it do a couple of laps in the pattern. It was clean as a whistle. I don't know what it is, some of you may recognize it. Of interest is the belt drive used to spin up the rotor before takeoff.

On the Ramp Right Now! - Page 28 Ks_gyr10

On the Ramp Right Now! - Page 28 Ks_gyr11

On the Ramp Right Now! - Page 28 Ks_gyr12

Another homebuilt. I think this is a Sonex-B, tri-gear, but help me out if it is something else. When I first looked at it, I though the prop might have been a 6-3, but on second thought, it may be a 7-4. It looks like a toothpick -- hardly enough for a 2 seater. Like the Flybaby, it's a little shopworn.

On the Ramp Right Now! - Page 28 Ks_son13

On the Ramp Right Now! - Page 28 Ks_son14

On the Ramp Right Now! - Page 28 Ks_son15

getback Tue May 02, 2023 10:17 am

WOW some good stuff there , I was leaning on a Cessna 150 ? or so and I really like the Cub wish i would have got to go up in one ! Very interesting planes make for a good day out at the airport ... I should ride over to the old airport i was getting my lessons from ,Been a while . This Site Rocks!

That Flybaby looks scary to me but that's just me I guess . Thanks for the Pics. I Love This Forum!

Kim Tue May 02, 2023 11:18 am

Excellent Photos Andrew!!!! Thumbs Up

NEW222 Thu May 04, 2023 6:18 pm

Great pictures. There is just something about a Cub. Just love them.

GallopingGhostler Thu May 04, 2023 6:59 pm

andrew wrote:Saturday, we flew out to Newton, KS for a Comanche Flyin --there were a number of single and twin Comanches, but several other interesting planes as well. Here are a few: [...] This Gyro may have been local -- I did see it do a couple of laps in the pattern. It was clean as a whistle. I don't know what it is, some of you may recognize it. Of interest is the belt drive used to spin up the rotor before takeoff.

Thanks for sharing, Andrew. That gyrocopter caught my eye, like motorcycling in the air. You're right, it is very clean. There is a young attractive woman in Europe who was videoing herself soloing an enclosed cabin gyrocopter on YouTube. She was using it like a light plane to visit various airport destinations, France, Spain, Gibraltar, etc. That was an extremely clean looking aerodynamic aircraft also, seemed to have very good fuel economy and comfort.

Sponsored content

On the Ramp Right Now!