Even if a license is suspended or revoked, that in and of itself does not prevent an individual from driving. I can’t even begin to count, let alone estimate, how many folks I dealt with on traffic stops or at collisions who had: never been issued a license; had their drivers license suspended; or had their drivers license revoked, for whatever reason. If an individual decides that they are going to break the law and do something illegal, be it as mundane as driving to work, or becoming a serial killer, they will do so.
But getting back to this Airshow situation, there is a value to keeping these machines flying, as well as their offering passenger rides to paying customers who sign wavers acknowledging the risks of the flight. But some regulation adjustment for multi aircraft flybys needs to be examined to minimize the possibility of another such collision. In a roadway analogy, the P-63 was obviously out of his lane while merging into traffic. Sorry if the show presenters or spectators feel that a show is not exciting enough with only solo flybys, but that may need to be the next step for this sort of performance. Military pilots regularly practice formation join ups and flying in formation, with the same group of aviators- squadron, flight, element, etc. How often do these warbird pilots practice such tasks and with the same group of pilots and aircraft types? If that proficiency cannot be demonstrated and maintained to a similar degree, the probability of something going wrong during such actions increases.
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That seems like a very reasonable and effective suggestion. These pilots are usually well-versed in flying with disparate types (since there aren’t that many of the same type flying, and not usually in the same area), but I’m curious what procedures were in place and whether they were violated/ignored. We’ll have to wait for the NTSB…
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This year, we already lost the AN-225, now the sole F variant of the P-63 and a B-17G. Not a great year for civilian aviation.
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Supposedly the An-225 is being rebuilt currently. I just saw a headline on that a day or three ago, but there was not much other information or photos.
Ahh, they are completing the second airframe that was in storage as it was never finished. The first was destroyed beyond repair as far as I heard.
They already have a 80% completed AN-225 since the 90s. It is not exactly a rebuilt, but an AN-225-2.
What I took into thought and was curious about was the years of how the plane was flown for the last 75 years. Are these planes checked for metal fatigue or are they even able to measure them for that outside of the original factory? honestly asking to know.
When I see banked turns like shown in the Houston show, was the plane designed to do this for 75 years? or for 5 years just to get through the war, have it end, then get scrapped. See the 8:20 second mark. When I see this I think of the next video of the C130 crash. Maybe its just me, I just wonder how these older planes are checked. And I read articles again and again of missed fatigue issues.
So my thoughts are, how do I know how you have been flying this plane between shows? And have you been weakening in throughout the years. Silly me thoughts.
Lastly another article about how the ball was fumbled and how lack of GOVERNMENT checks and balances would have helped. A breakdown of both the C130 crash AND Tank 123. A 1944 WW2 plane crashing the same way from the same company running both firefighter planes.
So again, I will restate, They shouldnt be flying…
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Yeah, will be interesting to see what the preliminary NTSB report says.
I don’t think metal fatigue played a role in this accident, but I’m sure it’s an obvious concern with older airplanes. That said, as discussed earlier, these planes are 90%+ new materials and if they’re so-called “data-plate restorations,” they’re 100% new parts. Plus, they’re torn down nearly every few years and rebuilt. Historically, metal fatigue hasn’t been a huge issue with warbirds since during restoration/rebuild, load-bearing components like wing spars are usually new manufacture, and any vintage parts are a few aluminum skins, or maybe the engine mounts.
Interestingly, it’s newer, heavy-use military and civilian aircraft that tend to have metal fatigue problems. Maybe because they’re usually assumed to be okay because they’re new, and then when they’re not we figure it out the hard way? Then, as you point out with the tanker, you’ll have small cash-strapped outfits flying old 40s era airplanes with minimal maintenance. These guys differ from your “show” warbirds in that they’re not rebuilding the planes and certainly don’t have the money to baby them like the CAF does their P-51 Mustangs, for example. And often, the airplanes have been in continuous service since construction, unlike most airshow warbirds. That certainly poses a problem, as you point out. I think the FAA tends to “go easy” on them because of the value they offer in filling a niche, similar to backcountry/Alaska resupply outfits like you see on TV.
There’s definitely room for improvement there.
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NDI, or Nondestructive inspection, very similar to x-ray, would be used to look for stress cracks, bent airframes, weakening parts, metal fatigue.
Not sure if the CAF does this, but I do remember the F-15’s going through the ringer when over-g’s were encountered back in the mid-80’s. I’m betting the process isn’t cheap for this organization or other non-gov groups. The video above gives a good explanation of the effectiveness of the tests if done early, and often.
Ok, we hear ya.
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I’m pretty sure they’d love to get their hands on the one partially built in the old factory in UKR. I believe that was the location of the factory, I saw a documentary on the old birds, among many, sitting after the collapse of the former Soviet Union in a huge hanger complex. I couldn’t imagine putting that blown bird back together.
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5 years ago, and almost identical result.
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