Love tap at Reno Air Race

Also damage to vertical fin and left elevator leading edge. Did not see any plane to plane impact in that area. Must have been from the wing tip departing.
 
I saw two racers "touch" at Dulles in 1972; one fatality. It was opposite where we were standng, and didn't look that dramatic from across the airport. . . The air show was a blood bath - a towed hang glider pilot was killed, and the Thunderbirds lost a pilot, as well. I was a teenager, and just took it in stride, figured that it was all part of aviation.
 
41677646_2352156264826812_2046031916263538688_o.jpg
 
So he just proved he could take 2' off the wing and still fly. I look forward to him being faster next year with 4' less wing.
 
I was at the June 1971 Race at Cape May NJ. 5 T-6 Texans went down in the blink of an eye. All fatal. Horrifying to watch.
 
If you look closely at the 8:00 minute mark, it appears that he lost the right aileron.


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Lead, follow or get outa da way!
 
I was looking at the results and saw the blue plane was assessed a time penalty. I'm not familiar with the rules...does anyone know what he is considered to have done wrong? To my eye it looks like the overtaking plane is passing him quite quickly and too closely so that when he rolls for the next turn he lifts the wingtip into him. Based on the penalty, I'm wondering if there's some rule about how one rolls into things. Or maybe there was a radio call so he should have known the plane was coming from behind? I was more expecting any penalty to be on the overtaking plane...

Results: http://reports.airrace.org/2018/2018.Jet.Heat2B.Results.Report.html
 
Nochmal said:
I was looking at the results and saw the blue plane was assessed a time penalty. I'm not familiar with the rules...does anyone know what he is considered to have done wrong? To my eye it looks like the overtaking plane is passing him quite quickly and too closely so that when he rolls for the next turn he lifts the wingtip into him. Based on the penalty, I'm wondering if there's some rule about how one rolls into things. Or maybe there was a radio call so he should have known the plane was coming from behind? I was more expecting any penalty to be on the overtaking plane...

Results: http://reports.airrace.org/2018/2018.Jet.Heat2B.Results.Report.html
Click to expand...

91.15 Dropping objects.
No pilot in command of a civil aircraft may allow any object to be dropped from that aircraft in flight that creates a hazard to personsor property. ;)
 
What made me gasp wasn't the first contact, it was the abrupt pull up by the one that had been in the lead. Looked like he damned near smashed right into the other one.

There's a post over on Beechtalk that both jets are totaled.


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I doubt it was so much a pull up as it was the airplane reacting to the contact. Fine job by the pilot to land with only one aileron and such severe damage to the horizontal. He almost landed short or the runway. Curious if that was on purpose due to a higher landing speed to maintain control and allow ample stopping distance or if he had trouble maintaining control as the speed bled off.
 
Nochmal said:
I was looking at the results and saw the blue plane was assessed a time penalty. I'm not familiar with the rules...does anyone know what he is considered to have done wrong? To my eye it looks like the overtaking plane is passing him quite quickly and too closely so that when he rolls for the next turn he lifts the wingtip into him. Based on the penalty, I'm wondering if there's some rule about how one rolls into things. Or maybe there was a radio call so he should have known the plane was coming from behind? I was more expecting any penalty to be on the overtaking plane...

Results: http://reports.airrace.org/2018/2018.Jet.Heat2B.Results.Report.html
Click to expand...

The penalty may have been from a pylon cut. Moot point since he DNF’d.

At Reno, the overtaking plane has to pass high and to the outside of the plane being overtaken. Obviously didn’t happen here. They are both lucky. Contact like that has caused wings to fold and pilots to die in previous races. Testament to the strength of that L-39.

Here are the official rules

https://airrace.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Rules-of-Competition-Final-Sep.-5_-2018.pdf
 
stsflyer said:
The penalty may have been from a pylon cut. Moot point since he DNF’d.

At Reno, the overtaking plane has to pass high and to the outside of the plane being overtaken. Obviously didn’t happen here. They are both lucky. Contact like that has caused wings to fold and pilots to die in previous races. Testament to the strength of that L-39.

Here are the official rules

https://airrace.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Rules-of-Competition-Final-Sep.-5_-2018.pdf
Click to expand...

Almost looks to me like lead jet slowed excessively and didn't turn in as fast as the overtaking guy expected. You can see the overtaking jet start his bank much sooner than the leading one. Also curious why he slowed so much.
 
stsflyer said:
The penalty may have been from a pylon cut. Moot point since he DNF’d.

At Reno, the overtaking plane has to pass high and to the outside of the plane being overtaken. Obviously didn’t happen here. They are both lucky. Contact like that has caused wings to fold and pilots to die in previous races. Testament to the strength of that L-39.

Here are the official rules

https://airrace.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Rules-of-Competition-Final-Sep.-5_-2018.pdf
Click to expand...

12 seconds and it was a 6 lap race, so does look like a pylon cut penalty. Thanks!
 
Grum.Man said:
Almost looks to me like lead jet slowed excessively and didn't turn in as fast as the overtaking guy expected. You can see the overtaking jet start his bank much sooner than the leading one. Also curious why he slowed so much.
Click to expand...

Which is why the overtaking plane has to be high and to the outside. I’ve seen a few midairs at Reno and they usually don’t end well. These guys are lucky. I’ve seen at least four fatal crashes there caused by wake turbulence causing loss of control or mechanical failure. It’s a very unforgiving sport.
 
Eric Gleason said:
What made me gasp wasn't the first contact, it was the abrupt pull up by the one that had been in the lead. Looked like he damned near smashed right into the other one.
Click to expand...

Same here. I saw a shot from a different angle and it did not look nearly as close. Still close, but room to spare.

Any see any pictures of the damage on the other plane.??
 
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