DH.88 Comet Landing Accident

[RichB]

Grosvenor House G-ACSS nosed over on landing yesterday at the Shuttleworth "Flying Proms". The pilot was released from hospital after medical checks. Damage is being assessed.

Grosvenor House is the only flying original DH.88. Black Magic G-ASCP, the only other original to survive, is under going a long term restoration to bring it back to flight status.

Cheers,
RichB

 

[paddy]

I dont know the circumstances but the runway if you can call it that provides a roller coaster ride once you are down at Shuttleworth.
Sad to see one of the Druine D.31 Turbulents of the Turbulent team also crashed at another show today. That team has been going since my very first airshows 60 years ago and are always great fun with flour bombing and flying under a limbo bar as well as balloon bursting.

 

[Heavens Eagle]

Sounds like Shuttleworth really needs to do a serious rework of the airstrips surface. I get that it needs to be a grass surface, but ground "moves" around and changes. I feel bad for the pilot. Glad he is OK, but what a way to ruin a day/week/month/year. Might not even have been something he could have done anything about if the landing surface snagged up on one of the main gear.

 

[paddy]

Looks like i was right about the bumps

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[Rhino]

"Boomp-sa Daisy. Makes you want to bloody weep."
What a shame. It looks as if the Comet driver neglected his landing flaps.

 

[RichB]

The DH.88 is a notoriously hard aircraft to land at the best of times. The flap is in the centre wing section between the nacelles. It is very stiff to lower and requires a great deal of effort for the pilot to lower so it isn't always used.

The hot, dry weather in the UK has hardened the grass airfield so it is like landing on a paved runway. For WW1 and interwar aircraft the harder surface doesn't absorb any of the landing shock and can cause the big bounce.

Cheers,
RichB

 

[moon puppy]

Saw this news last night at dinner. The crew were wondering what I was cussing about again. I've asked before, these rare original birds, should they keep flying?

 

[paddy]

Its simple maths Bob
8 shows a year ave of 5000 people per show , average of £45 a show = £1.8m a year Plus all the fees for pitches and merchandise etc i bet they clear £3m just on the shows . I would stick my neck out and say the museum couldn't survive on its entrance fee alone so the whole collection depends on the flying. Apart from that the whole purpose of Shuttleworth is to keep these planes in the air, its was one of its founding mantras. There are no static aircraft in the museum. Grosvenor house has been restored before, it will be restored again. its wood, very little of it is original .Black Magic is also being restored to fly not far away at Derby so the expertise is already there to do the work. The reason people go to places like Duxford and Shuttleworth is to see these things fly, they simply wouldn't exist if they were just static, the cost of restoration would make them unviable, you wouldn't get the feet through the doors to pay for them.

 

[Bugatti Fan]

There are many 'working' museums in the UK. But other live transport museums don't carry the risk like flying museums do. It costs one enormous amount of money to keep those aircraft flying.
Many would argue that the risk is too great as the exhibits are unique in many cases and the museum should go to static display instead. That would be sad as one cannot get a feel for those aircraft unless seen and heard in the air.
Static makes them become just objects. Interesting, but still just objects often crammed together due to space limitations in available hangers.
Preserved live steam railways bring to live what big steam locomotives were like in their day. Almost living, breathing entities compared to diesel or electric trains. No static museum could ever convey the sense of power and the smell from a live steam locomotive. Yes, diesel and electric are vastly more efficient, but have no character whatsoever.

Watching the DH88 Comet crash in the posted video is something no one wishes to see at an air show and thank goodness firstly that the pilot survived and secondly the aircraft was not a write off and looks like it can be repaired.
The Shuttleworth Collection is only about 5 miles from where I live and have seen the DH88 quite a number of times at shows and in one of the larger hangers. Looks like the repair hanger is going to be busy for a while !

 

[paddy]

The flying DH-9 brought back from the Indian elephant stable cost several million to buy ship and restore , it was for sale at £1.5m, it now reduced to £1.2m with no takers. Shuttleworth is its natural home but they cant afford it , if i had the cash i would buy it and donate it. They should try and crowd fund it, i bet there would no problem raising the money to put in the air next the Shuttleworth Bristol fighter.

i liken a static museum to a Zoo where you kill all the animals and have them stuffed to preserve them.

 

[Heavens Eagle]

Speaking of flying aircraft, this is happening this week. For grins and giggles I looked up the prices for flights in FIFI (B-29) and the B-25. FIFI is the $1500 to $2k amounts while the B-25 is $400-$500. I could swing the B-25, and would completely enjoy it I know. It's just that right now I don't want to spend that on a flight.
I am planning on going to take a ton of photos as there are going to be other aircraft there. Maybe even some of our current military stuff.

 

[moon puppy]

Yeah I missed my chance to fly on Sentimental Journey for $300 back in the 90s. Now I spent that much just to bump to first class on a flight to Chicago.

That's for the input guys, yeah they do need to keep'm flying.