EJECT!

(Dean Wilkinson) wrote in message om...
Thunderbird F-16 cockpit video of ejection at Mountain Home AFB crash.

http://www.razorsedgesoft.com/eject.mpg

I am amazed at how calm the pilot appears throughout the loop. I've
only flown aerobatics once, but my head was on a swivel - constantly
trying to figure out which way was up.

What caused the accident? I would be interested to hear additional
details. Obviously the pilot got too low on the back side of the
loop, but what caused this?
-Inadequate height before starting the loop
-Inadequate pull during the loop
-Stall

-Nathan

On 2003-12-10 07:08:37 -0800, (Nathan Young) said:

I am amazed at how calm the pilot appears throughout the loop.

It probably wasn't the first time he had done it.

I've only flown aerobatics once, but my head was on a swivel - constantly
trying to figure out which way was up.

Moving your head around while pulling a couple of Gs is a sure way to get
yourself messed up.

What caused the accident? I would be interested to hear additional
details.

Being as this as a military thing, I doubt we'll ever hear the whole story unless
the pilot decides to tell it. I'd like to know, too, because looking at other pictures
and video, the airplane was pointed above the horizon and the engine was
producing lots of thrust. Its downward momentum, though may have been too
much for the altitude available to stop it and get it moving the other way. (That's
purely conjecture on my part, of course, based on what I could find.)

It's interesting watching the last two seconds or so of that video when you can see
that the decision has been made. Frame by frame, it looks very deliberate and
methodical. In real time, it happened very quickly!

--
Larry Fransson
Seattle, WA

At least flying acro if you don't look around at the horizons there's no way
of knowing whether the wings are level. The only way to insure this it to
check both wing tips relative to the horizon by looking at each, as well as
over your shoulder on verticals, or straight up on a 45 downline, etc .

Pulling g's during these maneuvers does not "mess you up".

"Nathan Young" wrote What caused the
accident? I would be interested to hear additional
details. Obviously the pilot got too low on the back side of the
loop, but what caused this?
-Inadequate height before starting the loop
-Inadequate pull during the loop
-Stall

-Nathan

One possibility is bird FOD, or other catestrophic engine failure. One
video showed a shower of sparks, as the thrust was brought back up at the
bottom of the loop.

--
Jim in NC