Barth owners seem to often have a connection with aviation. Not sure, but it might be more than just a coincidence that has to do with an appreciation for the Barth method of construction and its primary aluminum construction (as opposed to 'stick & glue').

Aviator or not, you might enjoy the following video. Even those of us who have a direct connection to aviation are amazed at what this pilot was able to accomplish:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRCbkBfdBrQ

Enjoy.

Two Videos...

1) Plane landing on an RV at around 28 seconds, listen for the announcer to tell you who is driving the RV.

2) RC Model landing with missing wing

Too cool. Even a maul would have trouble takin off on that short a runway though. He must beat that poor little C half to death!

Holy smokes!..I neglected to watch the first clip first! That has got to be the most amazing landing ever! Who is that good? Thanks Lou!

This seems to be really going around the internet now. Most agree that this can not be accomplished and is probably a good job of video editing. The controls of the aircraft are not in the correct position for the aircraft situation.

Using stop video techniques, I can see many splices and areas of discontinuity.

I can assure you all if this actually had been done, it would have been headline news all over the aviation community, and probably all over the world.

Lou's YouTube post is a very well produced and elaborate fake....Watch it with a critical eye:

1.Engine noises are out of sync.

2.Why would the wing fall off on a routine snap roll?

3.Watch the shadows disappear and reappear on the ground during the "landing."

4.Why doesn't anything bend or break in a landing that would turn just about any airplane into ball of aluminum?

Had this really happened, the aircraft and a bust of the pilot would already being on display at the National Air & Space Museum

Regardless, it's fun to watch........

Not wanting to be outdone by Bill_NY and his public flogging, I felt it was my turn to step up to the plate. Lee and Ed, thanks for uncovering this one. I should have known that the very last segment, which featured some 'knife-edge' flight parallel to the runway, would have to have had some serious left rudder to maintain integrity.

Some of you may have seen aerobat pilot Ray Luttrel (Chicago) do that at airshows in the late 70's and early 80's. He performed (by-the-way with his Pitts Special, Bill Towerguy) at Allegan, MI twice; flew the entire length of the runway each time. He would switch on the Nitrous Oxide to develop about 800HP temporarily to get the power he needed. Breathtaking it was; Oshkosh wouldn't let him do it there because it was simply too radical.

I should have known better. Move over, Bill_NY.

Speaking as a pilot, it doesn't look like the maneuver involved sufficient stress to cause a wing to detach itself.

As a pilot I believe that would be almost impossible to do without a Federal bailout of luck.

As a mechanic, the planes I am familiar with would not have control of the remaining aileron with a conventional cable-operated system. Even if the plane had pushrod activated ailerons, it would take, in addition to luck, superb piloting skills and unrealistic aileron response at such a low airspeed to pull that off.

Snopes.com deemed it "undetermined", but raised some interesting points.

I agree with the stress - a vertical roll isn't at a very high airspeed, so there's very little stress. An aerobatic airplane has a lot of control authority, so the recovery might be possible.

Anyway, the first plane is obviously a model - look at (and listen to) the exhaust; there's also this debunking

Here is another one. I had a commerical multi engine ticket and flew for 35 years and had a flight instructor certificate for 15 years and do not think that would be possible to do with out a lot of "pal" (pure a** luck) and the good lord looking after a dumbbell flying an aircraft that would even be capable of that happening. If this had of actually happened and been recorded as such, it would have been all over the national news media.


wing seperation

sky

Apropos a real "greatest race pilot ever," in 1968 or '69 I attended some air races in Frederick, MD. Steve Wittman, already America's "grand old man" of home-built designs, & air racing, was there in the "Bonzo" he built & had been racing since 1948.

As he screamed past the grandstand something shiny flashed into the air. He pitched up, half-rolled right & split "S"ed down to land dead-stick on a different runway, smooth & slick as you please, as though he did it every day. Took about as long to do it as it took you to read the last sentence.

His self-designed, home-built scimitar-shaped prop had thrown a blade. As I recall, he changed the stick, cranked her up, & raced the next day. He had to be about 65 at the time.

He was the man who first convinced the EAA to come to Oshkosh, & they've been coming there ever since. Steve flew his first air race in 1926, & continued racing until 1989, when he was 85 years old. He died in a crash in 1995, at age 91.

Don't tell me there are no "old-bold" pilots.

Olroy, about 10 years ago, I had a friend and his brother in law was flying in IFR in the clouds here in the mountns of Western NC and about eight inches of one end of the propellor seperated from the aircraft. The resulting vibration was so severe, it shook the radios from the instrument panel, so he had to shut down the engine completely, so that it would not be torn from the mounts. He shut down and kept the plane straight and level, went down through the clouds and broke out next tp a pasture and landed. Neither occupant was hurt, insurance company repaired aircraft and he is still flying it.
sky

Here is something for you aircraft enthusiasts. I saw a biplane kit in a crate at a local thrift (Inverness, FL) store. It appeared to be prebuilt components, wings, fuselage and other parts, all uncovered. The landing gear supports the crate at one end so that it can be moved around like a trailer. There also seems to be a roll of fabric packed with it. I did not see an engine nor did I notice an instrument panel. A sticker tied to the crate was marked $3,000.00. There was some other information there including the mfgr. and model. Anyone interested let me know and I'll try to get you more info.Dick D.

quote:

He was the man who first convinced the EAA to come to Oshkosh, & they've been coming there ever since. Steve flew his first air race in 1926, & continued racing until 1989, when he was 85 years old. He died in a crash in 1995, at age 91.

Olroy: If I remember right they named the Oshkosh airport Wittman Field. Quite a guy.

Hey Rusty...

Were you able to see the Nasa launch tonight?