View Full Version : Spit/Hurri ground collision
Dingo[_4_]
May 1st 08, 10:46 AM
This just came my way from a Canadian contact. "Sunday", I believe, refers 
to last Sunday, the 27th April.
~~
Dingo
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There was a low-speed ground collision between a Spitfire and a Hawker 
Hurricane at the Lone Star Flight Museum's air show today (Sunday).
According to Tom Gregory, a member of the museum and pilot of several museum 
airplanes, a group had just finished a WWII fighter demonstration of 
multiple aircraft: Gregory in the P-47, Ron Fagen's P-38, the museum's F6F, 
Howard Pardue's Bearcat, Bill Greenwood's Spitfire and the museum's 
Hurricane when the mishap occurred.
Gregory says everything had gone exactly as briefed including the recovery 
of the Spitfire and Hurricane, which were the last two to land in calm wind. 
 >From the initial review, the Hurricane was at taxi speed when the brakes 
failed causing a slow ground loop to the left resulting in the Spitfire 
impacting the tail and left wing. The Spitfire ended up on its nose.
Although the Hurricane had recently finished a 16-year restoration, Gregory 
says it had been flawless with no mechanical issues whatsoever. Ray 
Middleton who was responsible for the majority of the restoration was on 
site and was instrumental in recovering both aircraft without causing 
additional damage.
"Even though we brief, execute the brief flawlessly, and do everything we 
can, there are still inherent risks and hazards, but thankfully no one was 
hurt," said Gregory. The Hurricane will be restored to flying status as soon 
as possible.
Alan Erskine[_3_]
May 1st 08, 12:14 PM
"Dingo" ?> wrote in message
...
>
> This just came my way from a Canadian contact. "Sunday", I believe, refers
> to last Sunday, the 27th April.
There are those who like the Spitfire and those who like the Hurrican, but I
didn't know the aircraft took it so personally!
Billy[_4_]
May 3rd 08, 08:54 PM
At last proof the Hurricane is tougher than the Spitfire LOL.
===================================
"Dingo" ?> wrote in message 
...
>
> This just came my way from a Canadian contact. "Sunday", I believe, refers
> to last Sunday, the 27th April.
> ~~
> Dingo
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
> There was a low-speed ground collision between a Spitfire and a Hawker
> Hurricane at the Lone Star Flight Museum's air show today (Sunday).
>
> According to Tom Gregory, a member of the museum and pilot of several 
> museum
> airplanes, a group had just finished a WWII fighter demonstration of
> multiple aircraft: Gregory in the P-47, Ron Fagen's P-38, the museum's 
> F6F,
> Howard Pardue's Bearcat, Bill Greenwood's Spitfire and the museum's
> Hurricane when the mishap occurred.
>
> Gregory says everything had gone exactly as briefed including the recovery
> of the Spitfire and Hurricane, which were the last two to land in calm 
> wind.
> >From the initial review, the Hurricane was at taxi speed when the brakes
> failed causing a slow ground loop to the left resulting in the Spitfire
> impacting the tail and left wing. The Spitfire ended up on its nose.
>
> Although the Hurricane had recently finished a 16-year restoration, 
> Gregory
> says it had been flawless with no mechanical issues whatsoever. Ray
> Middleton who was responsible for the majority of the restoration was on
> site and was instrumental in recovering both aircraft without causing
> additional damage.
>
> "Even though we brief, execute the brief flawlessly, and do everything we
> can, there are still inherent risks and hazards, but thankfully no one was
> hurt," said Gregory. The Hurricane will be restored to flying status as 
> soon
> as possible.
>
ŽiŠardo
May 3rd 08, 09:13 PM
Billy wrote:
> At last proof the Hurricane is tougher than the Spitfire LOL.
> ===================================
> "Dingo" ?> wrote in message 
> ...
>> This just came my way from a Canadian contact. "Sunday", I believe, refers
>> to last Sunday, the 27th April.
>> ~~
>> Dingo
>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>>
>> There was a low-speed ground collision between a Spitfire and a Hawker
>> Hurricane at the Lone Star Flight Museum's air show today (Sunday).
>>
>> According to Tom Gregory, a member of the museum and pilot of several 
>> museum
>> airplanes, a group had just finished a WWII fighter demonstration of
>> multiple aircraft: Gregory in the P-47, Ron Fagen's P-38, the museum's 
>> F6F,
>> Howard Pardue's Bearcat, Bill Greenwood's Spitfire and the museum's
>> Hurricane when the mishap occurred.
>>
>> Gregory says everything had gone exactly as briefed including the recovery
>> of the Spitfire and Hurricane, which were the last two to land in calm 
>> wind.
>> >From the initial review, the Hurricane was at taxi speed when the brakes
>> failed causing a slow ground loop to the left resulting in the Spitfire
>> impacting the tail and left wing. The Spitfire ended up on its nose.
>>
>> Although the Hurricane had recently finished a 16-year restoration, 
>> Gregory
>> says it had been flawless with no mechanical issues whatsoever. Ray
>> Middleton who was responsible for the majority of the restoration was on
>> site and was instrumental in recovering both aircraft without causing
>> additional damage.
>>
>> "Even though we brief, execute the brief flawlessly, and do everything we
>> can, there are still inherent risks and hazards, but thankfully no one was
>> hurt," said Gregory. The Hurricane will be restored to flying status as 
>> soon
>> as possible.
>>
> 
> 
Can you imagine spending sixteen long and arduous years rebuilding that 
Hurricane to flying status and then, in a few seconds, it is back to the 
drawing board.
My sympathies to all involved with the project.
-- 
Moving things in still pictures!
Steven P. McNicoll[_2_]
May 3rd 08, 09:17 PM
Billy wrote:
>
> At last proof the Hurricane is tougher than the Spitfire LOL.
>
Tougher?  Maybe.  More readily repairable?  Absolutely!
Dave Whiley
May 3rd 08, 09:36 PM
"Steven P. McNicoll" > wrote in message 
 m...
> Billy wrote:
>>
>> At last proof the Hurricane is tougher than the Spitfire LOL.
>>
>
> Tougher?  Maybe.  More readily repairable?  Absolutely!
Yes, one of the things I've heard several times from people who were around 
at the time was that fixing a bullet hole pretty much anywhere on a Spitfire 
involved beating a new panel, whereas there were plenty of places a bullet 
(or even a cannon shell) could go through a Hurricane without hitting 
anything vital, and sticking a couple of patches over the holes made it as 
good as new.
-- 
Dave
not-me should be djw401 and there's no need for any wossname
Bob Harrington
May 4th 08, 05:46 AM
ŽiŠardo > wrote in
: 
> Billy wrote:
>> At last proof the Hurricane is tougher than the Spitfire LOL.
>> ===================================
>> "Dingo" ?> wrote in message 
>> ...
>>> This just came my way from a Canadian contact. "Sunday", I believe,
>>> refers to last Sunday, the 27th April.
>>> ~~
>>> Dingo
>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>>> ~ 
>>>
>>> There was a low-speed ground collision between a Spitfire and a
>>> Hawker Hurricane at the Lone Star Flight Museum's air show today
>>> (Sunday). 
>>>
>>> According to Tom Gregory, a member of the museum and pilot of
>>> several museum
>>> airplanes, a group had just finished a WWII fighter demonstration of
>>> multiple aircraft: Gregory in the P-47, Ron Fagen's P-38, the
>>> museum's F6F,
>>> Howard Pardue's Bearcat, Bill Greenwood's Spitfire and the museum's
>>> Hurricane when the mishap occurred.
>>>
>>> Gregory says everything had gone exactly as briefed including the
>>> recovery of the Spitfire and Hurricane, which were the last two to
>>> land in calm wind.
>>> >From the initial review, the Hurricane was at taxi speed when the
>>> >brakes 
>>> failed causing a slow ground loop to the left resulting in the
>>> Spitfire impacting the tail and left wing. The Spitfire ended up on
>>> its nose. 
>>>
>>> Although the Hurricane had recently finished a 16-year restoration, 
>>> Gregory
>>> says it had been flawless with no mechanical issues whatsoever. Ray
>>> Middleton who was responsible for the majority of the restoration
>>> was on site and was instrumental in recovering both aircraft without
>>> causing additional damage.
>>>
>>> "Even though we brief, execute the brief flawlessly, and do
>>> everything we can, there are still inherent risks and hazards, but
>>> thankfully no one was hurt," said Gregory. The Hurricane will be
>>> restored to flying status as soon
>>> as possible.
>>>
>> 
>> 
> 
> Can you imagine spending sixteen long and arduous years rebuilding
> that Hurricane to flying status and then, in a few seconds, it is back
> to the drawing board.
> 
> My sympathies to all involved with the project.
I know some people who are keenly aware of the pain involved in such an 
incident.  Like the incredible volunteers at Boeing, I'm sure the good folks 
at the Lone Star Museum are more than capable of repeating their miracle of 
restoration.
Bob ^,,^
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