gibbons
En-Route
I received this e-mail this morning. I had never met Marta or her husband. Let's all be very careful out there.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The US Unlimited Team and friends are saddened to announce the passing of Marta Meyer today in Yukon, OK.
Marta was an Unlimited Team member for two years and the Team Manager this year in Spain where she was awarded the "Most Valuable Volunteer" award for being the last minute warm-up pilot for the competition. She has been a fixture in the aerobatic community for over 20 years. She and her husband Bob built and flew the Giles 300 in many Unlimited competitions. She worked for NASA and was one of two women ever to fly in the SR-71 Blackbird.
Marta was practicing for the upcoming US Nationals. After about 5 minutes of practice, including several vertical maneuvers, Marta pulled vertical to do a hammerhead and the canopy departed the aircraft. No further control inputs were noted and the Giles crashed just off the airport property. Speculation is that Marta was rendered unconscious at the canopy departure. Bob has located the canopy and it was found locked, with the pins also in the locked position. He and friends will attempt to determine the cause of the failure tomorrow.
There will certainly be a memorial service for Marta, however no details are available at this time. I, or someone will post them here as soon as they are made available.
There are few women in this sport and to lose one as special as Marta is a loss to us all. She was one of the happiest people I have ever met, and brought this joy to everything she did. She was an outstanding Team Manager and a good friend. She will be missed by all of us on the Unlimited Team and many, many friends in the aerobatic and aviation community.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The US Unlimited Team and friends are saddened to announce the passing of Marta Meyer today in Yukon, OK.
Marta was an Unlimited Team member for two years and the Team Manager this year in Spain where she was awarded the "Most Valuable Volunteer" award for being the last minute warm-up pilot for the competition. She has been a fixture in the aerobatic community for over 20 years. She and her husband Bob built and flew the Giles 300 in many Unlimited competitions. She worked for NASA and was one of two women ever to fly in the SR-71 Blackbird.
Marta was practicing for the upcoming US Nationals. After about 5 minutes of practice, including several vertical maneuvers, Marta pulled vertical to do a hammerhead and the canopy departed the aircraft. No further control inputs were noted and the Giles crashed just off the airport property. Speculation is that Marta was rendered unconscious at the canopy departure. Bob has located the canopy and it was found locked, with the pins also in the locked position. He and friends will attempt to determine the cause of the failure tomorrow.
There will certainly be a memorial service for Marta, however no details are available at this time. I, or someone will post them here as soon as they are made available.
There are few women in this sport and to lose one as special as Marta is a loss to us all. She was one of the happiest people I have ever met, and brought this joy to everything she did. She was an outstanding Team Manager and a good friend. She will be missed by all of us on the Unlimited Team and many, many friends in the aerobatic and aviation community.