then lazily rolled upside down and
dived into the ground.
Fortunately it was non-fatal but I
decided on the spot that it was not
something that I enjoyed watching.
I was involved with the extrication
of the injured pilot and after he was
in the ambulance and gone I was
able to survey the blood-soaked
remains of the crumpled cockpit he
had been cut from, and ponder how
close he had been to not surviving.
This was not at an air show with
peer and crowd (and even moreso,
self-imposed) pressure to entertain,
it was just someone going for an
early morning jolly that
went very wrong.
Over the following years,
often as a participant or as a
CASA-approved Air Display
Supervisor, I beheld many acts
of excessive bravado, unbridled
enthusiasm, untrained
spontaneity, sheer stupidity
and–even worse–utter defiance
with regard to procedures and
briefings associated with some
of these events. The one thing
none of them could claim was
lack of knowledge of what they
were actually supposed to be
doing, as I was usually at the
display briefing, sometimes
even giving the briefing. I
even grounded some pilots
for the duration of the event,
withdrew others from the flying
display and stopped displays
in progress for infractions that
compromised safety, the crowds
and their own.
I have unfortunately
witnessed some number of
accidents including several
fatal ones at air displays.
Some, sadly, involved friends.
Also having been involved as a
participant in US air displays I met
a large number of the star-quality
air show performers and socialized
with them on many occasions. One
of the most talented pilots I knew
was Bobby Younkin, and his displaywingmen Jimmy Franklin and Jim
Leroy were not just the Masters
of Disaster, but also highly skilled
display performers. Sadly all three
are now dead in flying accidents. I
was also friends with Eddie Andreini
who was killed attempting an
inverted ribbon cut.
At other shows and displays Ihave witnessed numerous “accidents”
involving aircraft as small as a
lawnmower-powered micro light,
to a prototype military jet and a
corresponding range of pilot skills
and experience.- Low level downwind turns in
low energy aircraft with stall
and spin. Not fatal. - Engine fail on take-off, pilot
overreacted with a major pilot-
induced oscillation and crashed
with 100 metres of runway
remaining. No serious injury, but
needlessly damaged airframe. - Gyrocopter pulled into downwind
turn with low rotor RPM, fell
down, chopped itself up. No
se r iou s i njur y. - Pilot hand started his aircraft with
throttle with no one guarding
the throttle or switches (against
explicit instructions). Aircraft
jumped chocks and ran amok
before crashing into the crowd and
injuring attendees. - Advanced jet trainer left the
runway during rejected take-off
at military air display, wiped all
the gear off and slid to a stop.
No physical injuries, but severe
reduction in rank, I suspect
Clearly it’s not just the air show itself
where hazards lurk: - Hughes H1 replica, the most
beautiful metal-worked aircraft I
have ever seen. I shook Jim’s hand as
he climbed aboard to depart from
Oshkosh; he was dead a few hours
later after an engine failure over
mountains. Pushed on into the late
afternoon with a known–though
he thought minor–propeller issue. - Good friends killed practicing
for air display. Three times this
has happened; twice aeros, once
formation. - Two helicopter pilots killed in
formation collision at military air
display practice - Formation aerobatics pair crashed
on the way to another airshow on
same weekend.
Those are just some of the incidents
I have personal connection with.
One thing that I think of every
time I strap in to participate in any
event, even in a minor capacity,
is to remind myself that this is
not a game, this is real, and the
consequences for a minor mistake
or lapse can be catastrophic.
Spontaneity is an insidious enemy
within the cockpit and improvised
unrehearsed display additions can
have serious consequences far in
excess of any moment of personal
self-gratification.
The days of the impromptu
weekend air show, where every display
is another beat up, lower, faster and
closer to the hangars attempting to
impress hangers-on are over, or they
should be. I have seen enough of them
and the consequences to have the
reverse affect to that intended by the
pilot at the time.
For those who are driven to attend
Avalon, please feel free to drop by
and say “Hi”, or just soak up the
aviation atmosphere, tempered by
sun, sleet, storms, dust and/or mud.
If you are flying in remember that
ramp-checking at AV East has been
a feature of previous events and
this has even included alcohol and
drug testing, although this focussed
mainly on display performers last
event and was usually administered
whilst they were performing pre-flight
inspections or doing their dirt dive.
It’s hard to imagine a worse time to
interrupt a display performer, but I
am sure they will think of something
else for this year. This poorly
thought-out and executed exercise of
strong-arm tactics certainly did not
provide an enhanced safety outcome.
Enhanced safety outcomes originate
in the planning and practices of
all the pilots out there ... pilots
like yourselves. So keep it clean,
carry your paperwork, know your
frequencies and procedures and show
these people who is really in charge
of civil aviation safety.I have seen some who played the cards
of luck against themselves ...australianflying.com.au 81
March – April 2015 AUSTRALIAN FLYINGIt has been said that no-one will live long enough to make every mistake there is to be made, so to
stay safe we have to learn from the mistakes others have made. GippsAero test pilot Dave Wheatland
has spent his career operating aeroplanes on the very edge of their limits and has a swag of yarns
about how flying taught him some hard lessons that we can all learn from.