highway landing

TShort · #1 11-20-2005, 10:13 PM

Anyone know anything about this? (was it an RV?)
Sounds like he did a great job...

http://www.news14charlotte.com/conte...sp?ArID=107291

Thomas
-8 flaps

Radomir · #2 11-20-2005, 10:49 PM

I think it was an RV-4... most likely it was this one (N83FS):

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/362685/L/

rv8ch · #3 11-21-2005, 12:10 AM

Wow - I hope I'm doing dead stick landings like Frank H. Smith when I'm 87! And just think - airline pilots are still required to retire at 60.

RV7Factory · #4 11-21-2005, 12:12 AM

Another great reporting job... Not! I have no issue with them stating in the text that the plane landed near a nuclear plant, but to put a stock picture of the plant in the story, and for it to be the only picture, serves no purpose and is a bit ridiculous IMHO. I guess the story just isn't sexy enough to tell without implying some sort of threat to the plant.

PS - Glad to hear the pilot is safe.

TShort · #5 11-21-2005, 01:06 AM

Yeah - they could at least have put a picture in so we know what kind of plane it was!

I heard that on CNN on the way home from work Sun. AM and that was my thought - hope I can do the same when I'm 87!

Thomas

sonex293 · #6 11-21-2005, 08:11 AM

Yea, Frank Smith is a member of my local EAA chapter (1114) and has his plane based at Sanford Lee County Airport (TTA). Here is a local news channel story with a good video clip link....

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?se...gle&id=3649685

Frank's a great guy, with a very FAST RV-4.

--Michael Crowder
Sonex #293

Jamie · #7 11-21-2005, 08:15 AM

Well, if nothing else this 87 year old has a good 'ticker'. Would have made mine skip a couple of beats.

Glad to see he got it down and undamaged.

Bob Axsom · #8 11-21-2005, 09:14 AM

It would be nice to know the cause of failure to determine if it could be fixed and flown out of there. The trooper obviously has no concept of the impact of removing the wings from an RV. The vulnerability to damage and vandalism would be another major concern for me. At least it is a tail dragger and the wings and main landing gear are not held to the fuselage with the same bolts. Mr. Smith no doubt has seen many things in his life that he has had to work through and I'm sure he will work through this one as well. At 69 years old I still do 100 push-ups and walk 2 miles every day as part of my physical fitness routine, read the labels in stores to avoid saturated fats, and keep my weight under control mainly to keep flying so Mr. Smith and others like him are an inspiration. Well done.

Bob Axsom

Tandem46 · #9 11-21-2005, 10:52 AM

Bob,
Perhaps Mr Smith does not want to fly the plane out of there under the circumstances, and with that information, the trooper then said, well, you'll have to remove the wings if you're going to tow it. It may not be an easy fix or Smith may not even know why it quit, and therefore that may be the best option. There's a video on the internet shot just a couple of weeks ago of a cessna that successfully deadsticked onto a highway in Louisiana after fuel exhaustion. The next day the pilot, with fuel, decided to fly it out, and ended up crashing on takeoff when he clipped an 18 wheeler and fire truck.

Tobin

gmcjetpilot · #10 11-21-2005, 03:18 PM

I know Frank, and all the age comments are funny. You might be decrepit at 60 but Frank (@87) looks and acts like a "young" 60 something. I think you are all jealous.

Genetics is a beotch (if you ain't got good ones). lol G

BTW Frank is not just an around the patch guy; he competes in air races like the Sun-N-Fun 100 often and is competitive. still lol