YouTube Description:
This is the nail-biting moment, reminiscent of the Battle of Britain, when a skilled pilot was forced to carry out an emergency landing of his replica Spitfire - without any WHEELS. The aircraft was flying at Sibson Airfield when the worried pilot radioed airfield bosses to say he couldn't release his landing gear. Skydivers jumping at the airfield in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, were grounded as the brave pilot circled for more than 20 minutes in a bid to frantically burn fuel. Emergency services arrived at the scene just as the stunning one-man plane was carefully flown towards the ground in strong winds by the nervous expert. But amazingly he managed to land the replica fighter plane without ANY landing gear - skillfully skimming the aircraft over the grass on its belly. Relieved onlookers said the propeller fell off when it came to a safe stop, and the relieved pilot was completely unharmed.
(via
LiveLeak)
5 Comments
AeroMechanicalsays...That's a shame. I understand a prop strike usually necessitates at least an engine rebuild, and those Merlins are fairly rare. Very well done landing, though.
oritteropoThe spitfire is a replica, perhaps the engine is too?
That's a shame. I understand a prop strike usually necessitates at least an engine rebuild, and those Merlins are fairly rare. Very well done landing, though.
AeroMechanicalsays...Yeah, you know now that you mention it, though size is hard to judge, it might be one of those 2/3's scale replicas. That being the case, it may just have an old air-cooled VW engine.
The spitfire is a replica, perhaps the engine is too?
antToo bad the pilot isn't an artist to draw wheels like in Amazing Stories' S1E5.
KrazyKat42says...invoke Skill?
Discuss...
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