On Wednesday, August 5, 2020 at 4:39:42 PM UTC-5, 2G wrote:
On Tuesday, August 4, 2020 at 11:47:29 PM UTC-7, Paul B wrote:
"And of course there are a couple of other points to consider - for
example the fact that the engine finally seized up just when he
started his turn to final. If it had delivered power for another four,
five seconds, he would have made it into the field."

Andreas, you cannot have it both ways, if indeed the engine delivered power for extra four or five seconds AND he turned early, than he would landed without an issue. Instead his plan, up to the time when he straightened to land, was to cross a busy highway twice. Cannot see that as the best decision.

Again, I am not questioning what he did, simply saying that he could have addressed his desire to reach the runway of a normal circuit in the briefing. I am sure that not modifying a circuit as appropriate has killed many..


Cheers

Paul




On Wednesday, 5 August 2020 at 12:51:20 am UTC+10, Andreas Maurer wrote:
On Mon, 3 Aug 2020 22:01:17 -0700 (PDT), Paul B
wrote:
"Conclusion:
This landing is a perfect example of getting one's priorities right"

Yes, but only in the last 5 seconds of the flight. Right before he aborted the left hand turn, he was going to land on the strip. That was his plan.
Indeed. And instead of trying to scratch into the field, he chose the
safe option while he was still high and fast enough.

My point is that he should have turned before he reached the freeway.. Not necessarily when it was all happening, I am aware of the pressure that he was under.
Even if he had started his turn earlier (in the middle of the downwind
leg) he would not have had the engery to complete it and would have
crashed into the fields south of the runway, still heading toward the
crowd - and the row of parked GA aircraft (and their personnel) in the
South of the runway.

Not to mention that the remaining runway length - if he had been able
to reach the airfield - was very close to the landing distance of a
P-51. Overshooting the runway in a tail dragger and risking a
somersault? Hmmm...


Clear case:
He made the best decision, without a doubt.

Cheers
Andreas


p.s.
And of course there are a couple of other points to consider - for
example the fact that the engine finally seized up just when he
started his turn to final. If it had delivered power for another four,
five seconds, he would have made it into the field.

I'm still waiting for anyone to describe just when a P51 has ever been used as a towplane.

Tom

On a totally different note;

turd in the punch bowl
n. A person who spoils a pleasant social situation.

This metaphor is powered by a particularly vivid contrast: the inviting sensory appeal of a festive beverage juxtaposed with the revolting suggestion of feculent contagion. Therefore, labeling someone a turd in the punch bowl is most appropriate when the individual's deleterious influence goes beyond mere faux pas or nuisance behaviors, and rises to the level of deliberate offense for its own sake. Consider that the literal act of depositing or excreting fecal matter into a communal food-service container would be sabotage.

The punch bowl and the feces connote certain additional nuances. The former is a symbol of public community, as such dispensers are frequently encountered at parties where they become a focal point for interaction. Freud famously identified feces with aggression and the possessive instinct. Thus a turd in the punch bowl suggests rage toward, and / or the urge to conquer, a community or society as a whole. Defecating into a punch bowl is a very public act, in contrast with poisoning the well or laying an upper decker, which are generally surreptitious. In particular then, to be a turd in the punch bowl is to be a willful and attention-seeking obstructor to the success of a social community.