What the *beep* is this? Physics be gone!!

[jontykint]

I’ve only an Instagram link sorry for those who don’t have it

https://www.instagram.com/p/B5MzRk_HcYS/?igshid=yb...

Nigel Hopkins Aerobatics

[hammo19]

Wow that’s very impressive

[MikeM6]

Incredible

[bitchstewie]

Wasn't there a 767 that ran out of fuel and did something similar to lose airspeed to land?

[Eric Mc]

It's called a sideslip and is a recognised way of steepening ones approach to land, especially if trying to get into a tight space. An aerobatic aircraft like that has so much surplus power that you can set up the aeroplane for a sideslip type approach but maintain altitude by piling on the power.

[DavieBNL]

Have a look at the rudder postion - that's a big part of the physics of it!

[Mr Pointy]

I'll probably be derided as a boring fker but that looks incredibly dangerous for the people on the ground. He's flying below all sorts of stuff like fences & lights & one slight miscalculation could end up shredding the bystanders.

[Douglas Quaid]

You’re right, but that’s part of the excitement for the audience.

[Tony1963]

Mr Pointy said:

I'll probably be derided as a boring fker but that looks incredibly dangerous for the people on the ground. He's flying below all sorts of stuff like fences & lights & one slight miscalculation could end up shredding the bystanders.

It wouldn’t be allowed in the uk. Ray Hanna famously flew a Spitfire very low and fast down the starting straight at Goodwood years ago (it’s on YouTube) and that never happened again, as far as I know.

[eharding]

Eric Mc said:

It's called a sideslip and is a recognised way of steepening ones approach to land, especially if trying to get into a tight space. An aerobatic aircraft like that has so much surplus power that you can set up the aeroplane for a sideslip type approach but maintain altitude by piling on the power.

In most aerobatic taildraggers you also need to sideslip to see over the nose when landing, particularly in something like that Extra 330SC - although the original Extra 300s had a mid-wing rather than a low wing which meant that the visibility over the wing from the back seat - the primary position - is very poor in the 3 point attitude - actually worse on the ground when taxying because even with swinging the nose side to side there is a huge unsighted area forward of the wing. G-SIII, the 300 I used to punt about in, hit a fuel bowser at Waltham for that exact reason - whilst not as aerodynamically balanced, the modern low-wing Extras are a lot less stressful to manage on the approach and on the ground.

The control inputs for a sideslip vary markedly depending on which rudder you're using due to propwash effects - for some reason a left stick / right rudder slip seems more natural (it did to me at least).

Edited by eharding on Sunday 24th November 11:56

[Eric Mc]

Tony1963 said:

Mr Pointy said:

I'll probably be derided as a boring fker but that looks incredibly dangerous for the people on the ground. He's flying below all sorts of stuff like fences & lights & one slight miscalculation could end up shredding the bystanders.

It wouldn’t be allowed in the uk. Ray Hanna famously flew a Spitfire very low and fast down the starting straight at Goodwood years ago (it’s on YouTube) and that never happened again, as far as I know.

The Good Old Days -

[Fermit and Sexy Sarah]

bhstewie said:

Wasn't there a 767 that ran out of fuel and did something similar to lose airspeed to land?

The Gimli Glider. IIRC he was a glider pilot, and it was a technique he'd learnt in that profession.

[Mr Pointy]

Eric Mc said:

The Good Old Days -

It's unlikley the crowd at Reno, Shoreham or Lviv would agree with you.

[Tony1963]

Eric Mc said:

The Good Old Days -

Yep

https://youtu.be/F1aTokZKCus

[Eric Mc]

Mr Pointy said:

Eric Mc said:

The Good Old Days -

It's unlikley the crowd at Reno, Shoreham or Lviv would agree with you.

The "crowd" at Shoreham were completely untouched. It was the unfortunates outside the perimeter of the display area who suffered the consequences.

Last I heard, neither Reno or Lviv are in the UK.


And just because I referred to "The Good Old Days" does not necessarily mean I thought they really were "good" - but they were certainly more exciting.

[aeropilot]

Mr Pointy said:

Eric Mc said:

The Good Old Days -

It's unlikley the crowd at Reno, Shoreham or Lviv would agree with you.

None of which happened in the 'Good Old Days' either, all took place post 2000, so about 30 years after the 'Good Old Days' to which Eric was referring.

Plus, as already mentioned, only one was in the UK, and different involve the crowd either.

[Dr Jekyll]

And Reno was nothing to do with intentional low flying.

[cherryowen]

bhstewie said:

Wasn't there a 767 that ran out of fuel and did something similar to lose airspeed to land?

Air Canada flight 143 "The Gimli Glider"

[GliderRider]

I would love to know what the Plan B was if the engine stopped, or even spluttered, in the knife edge.

[WyrleyD]

I learned to fly in a Rollason Condor tail dragger and side-slip was the normal method of approach to landing at Blackbushe especially when coming in over the main road or using the main runway in a crosswind. Fun times but that was a long, long time ago now (1970ish).