Display pilot's incredible escape from World War Two fighter as he bails out

Daily Mail ^

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Display pilot's incredible escape from World War Two fighter as he bails out after mid-air collision at airshow

A pilot had a miracle escape yesterday when he bailed out of his Second World War plane after a mid-air collision at an airshow.

Thousands of people watched as the P-51 Mustang plane clipped wings at the annual display show and plummeted to the ground south-west of the former World War Two RAF Duxford base in Cambridgeshire, yesterday.

Pilot Rob Davies parachuted to safety following the mid-air accident at the Flying Legends show which happened after three planes had formed a triangle in the sky.

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video of the collision -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qME7VefLxFw&feature=player_embedded

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pong

[Da Coyote]

D*mn, loss of P-51s is a tragedy.

Now, were it Nancy P’s personal jet......

[Little Ray]

Goes to show how tough the AD-1 was (is).
Too bad about the P-51s. I’m glad the pilot is okay. That was a heck of response, getting out of the P-51 that fast!

[Army Air Corps]

Egad! I am glad that the pilot is safe.

[bmwcyle]

Video

[MinuteGal]

This video really doesn't show anything. Is there a different video I should be looking at?

Leni

[Charles Martel]

Now, were it Nancy P’s personal jet......

Hey, I'd still hope that the pilot managed to bail-out.

[beebuster2000]

intersting factoid about the mustang:

The other feature was a new radiator design that exploited the "Meredith Effect", in which heated air exited the radiator as a form of jet thrust.

[bmwcyle]

At the end you can see the Mustang in the middle having problems if you look close.

[wolficatZ]

longer vids http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Royston/Video-Dramatic-moment-planes-collided-at-Duxford-show-11072011.htm

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Interesting comment on the YouTube link... "The P51 did exactly the same as everyone else did yesterday afternoon. He broke into the landing circuit at a 45deg angle of bank. The Skyraider pilot did something different - he rolled to 90deg (I was standing well to the west of this video and had a tail-on view of the actual collision) and pulled very aggressively. Basically the Skyraider cut the corner. There was nothing wrong with the Mustang prior to being belted by a Skyraider's wing."

[Charles Martel]

The P-51 in the still shots appears intact, but I suppose the impact might’ve jammed one of its control surfaces. It definitely looks like the Skyraider pilot banked too tightly and lost sight of the Mustang ahead of him.

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Thanks

[bmwcyle]

The 51 hit the Skyradier.

[Charles Martel]

Yes, it looks like the leading edge of the horizontal stab contacted the Skyraider’s wingtip.

[MinuteGal]

Now I saw it, thank you very much. I didn't look closely enough the first time.

Leni

[wolficatZ]

Since the crashed P-51 didn’t explode and burn, I bet is rebuilt within several years.

Flyable aircraft have been rebuilt from total wrecks, like Joe Tobul’s F4U-4 Corsair “Korean War Hero” which fatally crashed here in Columbia, SC back in Nov. 2002, and has since been restored to fully flight ready by his brother Jim.

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There are 2 videos at the link in post#12 you can check out.