Aluminum Overcast

[RAD2LTR]

I found Aluminum Overcast at the Napa airport last week. I also found a Grumman Albatross that flew around the world. I don't know anything about it.

Enjoy,
Will

[speeddemon]

Re: Aluminum Overcast

The story of that Grumman Albatross...


The Albatross.... garnered a measure of global fame in 1997 when she circled the world accompanying Texas aviator Linda Finch on her re-creation of 1930s aviator Amelia Earhart's last flight.

Ms. Finch's journey was filmed from Reid Dennis' two-engine Albatross plane, which also escorted Ms. Finch in case she needed help.

After the flight's conclusion, Mr. Dennis used footage from the journey to produce a documentary, entitled "The Final Hours: Amelia Earhart's Last Flight," which has aired on local PBS stations.

The airplane is usually hangared at either Livermore or Hayward Airport.

Used to be impressed by Ms. Finch...up until the aftermath of the Doctor/Pardue mind-meld @ Oshkosh several years ago. Lost quite a bit o' respect after that.

[speeddemon]

Re: Aluminum Overcast

Pictures - or it never happened.

29 July: A Chance-Vought F4U Corsair collided with a Grumman F8F Bearcat on the runway at the AirVenture airshow in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, USA, destroying the Corsair and seriously injuring its pilot, Laird "Lad" Doctor. The Corsair had begun its takeoff roll while the Bearcat sat idling on the runway ahead. The pilot of the Bearcat, Howard Pardue, was only slightly injured. A second Corsair narrowly avoided the collision.


Linda is/was Mr. Doctor's significant other or whatever. And even though Doctor was the one at fault, she sued Howard for something fierce and blamed him for Doctor's f*#k-up. Hmmmm...if Doctor was as good a pilot as she claimed him to be, you'd think he would have waited for the guy in front of him to take off...and for clearance for the flight to be given...which it never was, and which is why the Bearcats were HOLDING SHORT as directed.

I know the FAA/NTSB 'shared blame' for the incident...but if you're the element lead, which Doctor was...its your responsibility to wait for clearance and check the runway ahead of you.

[Stevo]

Re: Aluminum Overcast

http://www.aero-news.net/news/sport....40FA&Dynamic=1

[speeddemon]

Re: Aluminum Overcast

WHAT?

I never heard that before.

YIKES!

Okay... you win.

Carry on.

That was 1999. There was a guy taking home video footage that caught the whole thing. It was ugly, but it showed who was 'moving' and who 'wasn't'. Doctor's 'Corsair' element sliced right through Howard's Bearcat...sheered off the wing, as I remember. Doctor's Corsair cartwheeled off into the ditch, and the accident paralyzed him from the neck down for life.

A shame that someone got hurt...but as I said, in the aftermath, the political games that Ms. Finch played to part out the blame for the accident and get 'someone else to pay' really soured me on her.

[jarrodeu]

Re: Aluminum Overcast

https://www.aafo.com/racing/news/99/07-31-99.htm

Jarrod

[AirDOGGe]

Re: Aluminum Overcast

I remember seeing that very unfortunate incident on one of those "extreme home videos" television programs. I had no idea that Howard was granted partial blame for the collision. Our wonderful legal system at work....


A video clip of the incident can be downloaded via the following link
(RIGHT-CLICK and select SAVE TARGET AS...Left-clicks do not appear to work):

http://s.freissinet.free.fr/videos/Corsair_col.wmv

Note that he nearly clipped the other bearcat sitting on the right side of the runway as well. Mr. Pardue's Bear was on the left side.

Mr. Doctor was extremely lucky, relatively speaking of course. Slo-mo footage shows how the plane basically absorbed most of the destructive energy by tearing itself apart around him, somewhat similar to the way Steve Hinton survived the Red Baron's horrible demise.


.

[speeddemon]

Re: Aluminum Overcast

I remember seeing that very unfortunate incident on one of those "extreme home videos" television programs. I had no idea that Howard was granted partial blame for the collision. Our wonderful legal system at work....


A video clip of the incident can be downloaded via the following link
(RIGHT-CLICK and select SAVE TARGET AS...Left-clicks do not appear to work):

http://s.freissinet.free.fr/videos/Corsair_col.wmv

Note that he nearly clipped the other bearcat sitting on the right side of the runway as well. Mr. Pardue's Bear was on the left side.

Mr. Doctor was extremely lucky, relatively speaking of course. Slo-mo footage shows how the plane basically absorbed most of the destructive energy by tearing itself apart around him, somewhat similar to the way Steve Hinton survived the Red Baron's horrible demise.


.

Howard DID have some of the blame...in that the Bearcat element had taxied down the runway (as I recall, to give the following aircraft a chance to take the runway and form up behind them for the takeoff). But Doctor, as the second--of four--element lead, instead of taxiing up behind the Bearcats, just applied power and went to take off.

Was it a massive failure to communicate? Yes. Between the elements and the air boss, someone should have been talking the whole time as to who was doing what.

The big key in the lawsuit was that, according to Texas laws, if Doctor had been found by the jury to be 51% or more at fault, he was not eligible to receive ANY money. But the jury found him 'only' 50% at fault, and therefore Howard and the FAA were liable for about 1.5 mil in compensation.

Don't they have a stupidity waiver for pilots at airshows that they are required to sign?

[ssgfx]

Re: Aluminum Overcast

"Don't they have a stupidity waiver for pilots at airshows that they are required to sign?"

I'm thinking that was unecessary, and easy to say from your earthbound easy chair. I'm going to say something here, and it sounds as if no one here is going to like it much.

Doc was the chief pilot at the Cavanaugh Flight Museum here in Dallas (Addision, actually). He had flown that Corsair for as long as I can remember...at least as long as it had been in the CFM collection. I didn't know Doc on a personal basis, even though I practically live at the CFM, but I'd seen him fly and heard him speak on many an occasion, and this is NOT a man who deserves to be spoken down on by anyone, particularly for one mistake. A mistake that he made, yes, and paid for through not ever being able to walk again, nor barely able to take care of himself. He had the ability to get out of the Corsair, and get into the collection's P-40, P-51, AT-6, Stearman, or whatever, and make the thing sing.

I was THERE at AirVenture '99 and witnessed the accident first hand. It was gruesome, fiery and downright scary. I instantly knew it was Doc, even through all the fire and twisted metal, and thought we had lost him. The fact that he survived at all is a miracle in itself. I believe that he did all he could to avoid Howard's Bearcat when he realized what was happening, and in that, he saved lives. He is a straightforward professional, and I have the utmost respect for him.

I do not know Ms. Finch, I can only speak in support of Doc.

[speeddemon]

Re: Aluminum Overcast

"Don't they have a stupidity waiver for pilots at airshows that they are required to sign?"

I'm thinking that was unecessary, and easy to say from your earthbound easy chair. I'm going to say something here, and it sounds as if no one here is going to like it much.

My apologies.

[AirDOGGe]

Re: Aluminum Overcast

"Don't they have a stupidity waiver for pilots at airshows that they are required to sign?"

I'm thinking that was unecessary

I have to agree. There's a big difference between being stupid and making a mistake, even if it was a big one that nearly cost lives.


But I can't agree on Howard being made 25% responsible simply for doing what he was suppose to do. The reports say the Air Boss gave clearance to the group, but I don't think there was any communucations between the formation aircraft to begin take-off as there should have been.

Doc heard the Air Boss' call, and apparently assumed that was the signal to get rolling (as did the other Corsair pilot, who was fortunate enough to miss the other Bear and cause a twin-collision, 4-plane accident).

I can only give my view based on what was reported. I wasn't there at the trial, so I don't all of the evidence that was presented, but going by the given information, I believe Howard wasn't responsible at all (and he appears to feel the same way).


P.S....Apologies for the drifting of topic..that seems to happen here a lot. LOVED the Aluminum Overcast photos...

[speeddemon]

Re: Aluminum Overcast

I have to agree. There's a big difference between being stupid and making a mistake, even if it was a big one that nearly cost lives.

And that's why I apologized. It was an unnecessary inconsiderate comment...especially when my beef is for the legal politics that came afterwards. I shouldn't have said what I did.

[AirDOGGe]

Re: Aluminum Overcast

And you did the right thing by apologizing after reading ssgfx's reply, rather than try to argue the remark like some people might do just for the sake of saving face.

Shows that you just mis-spoke rather than meant what you said. Good form!

We've all made what might be labeled as a "stupid" mistake at some point in our lives, but that doesn't make us stupid. It just means we're human, and so, imperfect.

[fenceliner01]

Re: Aluminum Overcast

How in the hell did a jury find Howard Pardue in any way responsible for this accident? Even if it was determined that he fell under the protective umbrella of the EAA as a "volunteer", and ultimately may not have had to assume any financial responsibility, I wouldn't want a blight like this to stand in my records.

Did they import the jury members from the Simpson trial for this one?

[speeddemon]

Re: Aluminum Overcast

How in the hell did a jury find Howard Pardue in any way responsible for this accident? Even if it was determined that he fell under the protective umbrella of the EAA as a "volunteer", and ultimately may not have had to assume any financial responsibility, I wouldn't want a blight like this to stand in my records.

Did they import the jury members from the Simpson trial for this one?

The only way that Mr. Doctor could get ANY kind of payment (for medical bills) was if the jury found him 50% or LESS responsible for the cause of the accident. 51% and he got nothing...which the jury didn't want to punish him twice for the accident and leave him with no way to pay the huge medical bill--which is why Linda Finch filed the lawsuit in the first place. So they split the remaining 50% evenly amongst the EAA (Air Boss) for losing situational awareness and not having positive control of the planes, and Howard for being the lead plane of the lead element, and not voicing that he was pulling forward to give the others room to form up before takeoff.