What happens if the engine fails in the middle of an airshow routine? If you’re veteran pilot and warbird performer Phil Unicomb you roll with it, or more accurately, convert your loop into a hammerhead, try an air start, and then set up for a dead-stick landing. Although it looks like one of those faulty aircraft routines that are so popular with airshow crowds, Unicomb’s Tiger Moth really did have the prop stop during his routine at the Warbirds Over Scone show in New South Wales in Australia last weekend. It actually became a pretty impressive part of the show. Watch until the end for a nice flourish.
Create an account
Welcome! Register for an account
A password will be e-mailed to you.
Password recovery
Recover your password
A password will be e-mailed to you.
Phil knows his kinetic energy to the last dram…
Indeed. When a normal pilot has an engine out he hopes and does his best just to make a survivable landing. If he succeeds, congratulations are in order. Keeping just enough energy to smoothly roll out on the taxiway at walking speed is the cherry on top we don’t even want to think about lest we distract ourselves.
Reminded me of the Bob Hoover display in the Aero Commander, dead stick aerobatics, followed by the landing and taxi to his spot on the ramp (up a slope at the version I saw at Lanseria (South Africa) back in the 70’s)