[grenberger]

Quote

...and the cause of the afternoon crash was not known, officials said.

The plane was an experimental ultralight aircraft with a small, gasoline-powered engine and wings wrapped in fabric similar to heavy-duty sail cloth, officials said.

I think the cause is pretty self explanatory isn't it? - like going for a yacht in an experimental craft made from cheese!

[Hike, Bitches!]

Yup...my Dad owns an ultra-light, and I am pretty sure his wings are mylar film...much heavier than anything used for sails with yarn in them, but maybe similar to some of the windsurfing sails we are seeing out there. His is painted, so it looks solid, but it is aluminum with mylar.

I built a model (flying) airplane when I was a kid, that had a film similar to tissue paper as the wing, over a balsa frame. It was cured with stuff called "dope", which I kinda remember being similar to a finger-nail polish. It was beautiful until my sister's cat thought it was a play toy....The cat had a few trips practicing flying herself off the 2nd floor balcony after that little stunt. ;)

[dickie greenleaf]

Sad news when anyone loses their life due to an aircraft malfunction.

I've thought about buying a plane at some point, and was always worried about crashing the thing.

I'm always surprised to see guys hitting the sky without one of these:

Ballistic Parachute

They've saved tons of lives, and can't hurt.... I was shocked that the Walton guy didn't have one on his ultralight, since it certainly wasn't the monetary issue that kept him from having one....

I've learned through my many years of boating, that you NEVER, NEVER, NEVER try to save money by buying the less in terms of the quantity and quality of the safety equipment for your boat. Why any pilot would think any differently, is beyond my comprehension.

DG

[grenberger]

Maryland_Sailor, on Jun 28 2005, 04:34 AM, said:

This crash may have nothing to do with the construction method of the aircraft. BTW, it is kind of funny seeing pilots get all excited overr the new carbon-fiber/epoxy airplanes. I always tell my flying buddies that is old tech for sailors!
Joe - conmmercial pilot.

Weren't early WWII spitfire wings made of doped canvas over wood construction?

Anyway, I still maintain that experimental aviation doesn't sound like the safest of hobbies..!

[Great Red Shark]

and treading water for a few minutes until your buddies get over to you doesn't work so well.

Several WW2 vintage aircraft were still wood, glue & fabric, notably the very fast DeHaviland Mosquito that used plywood since light alloys were in such demand. I've seen one operate - you don't forget the noise of 2 unmuffled Merlin v-12s - even better than the wasp double-radials in the Corsair F-4U.

While I appreciate his aviation for recreation vs. for transportation, it's a sad loss nonetheless. At least he was alone & doing something of his own choosing, rather than sitting in a meeting in the World Trade Center and taking a 737 to the forehead.

[pitdoctor]

dickie greenleaf, on Jun 28 2005, 06:27 AM, said:

Sad news when anyone loses their life due to an aircraft malfunction.

I've thought about buying a plane at some point, and was always worried about crashing the thing.

I'm always surprised to see guys hitting the sky without one of these:

Ballistic Parachute

They've saved tons of lives, and can't hurt.... I was shocked that the Walton guy didn't have one on his ultralight, since it certainly wasn't the monetary issue that kept him from having one....

I've learned through my many years of boating, that you NEVER, NEVER, NEVER try to save money by buying the less in terms of the quantity and quality of the safety equipment for your boat. Why any pilot would think any differently, is beyond my comprehension.

DG

He probably wasn't high enough yet to be helped by the parachute system. From the report I heard, he crashed shortly after takeoff. He probably hadn't gotten enough alititude yet for it to work anyways. Plus I would think on an ultralight you wouldn't want the extra weight on board that the parachute system would entail.

[dickie greenleaf]

pitdoctor, on Jun 29 2005, 02:47 AM, said:

Plus I would think on an ultralight you wouldn't want the extra weight on board that the parachute system would entail.

If it was shortly following takeoff, and only at 250 feet, that certainly would be an issue.

But you are wrong about the weight issue of the units. They come in a variety of different sizes, and weight is not an issue. They were originally designed with ultralights in mind, and they only weigh 15 to 25 lbs. You could take a big shit and discharge that much weight if you wanted to.

Weight is certainly not an issue for these things.

If I had any type of plane, I'd have one aboard - without question. Worth every cent.

DG

[DDW]

dickie greenleaf, on Jun 28 2005, 06:27 AM, said:

Sad news when anyone loses their life due to an aircraft malfunction.

Do we know it was an "aircraft malfunction"? It is sad when a pilot loses his life, but 9 times out of 10 it is pilot error, not aircraft malfunction, that is the cause. And flying a low powered ultralight out of a high altitude airport is a made-for pilot error scenario.