"Fly yes, land no!"

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I like Harrison Ford, but not everyone is cut out to fly airplanes. It's his second crash...

I love guys with money who think they can fly a plane too...doctors have a horrible accident rate in small airplanes.

One just died, along with passengers, a few miles from here just yesterday...
 
From what I understand he's an experienced pilot and is getting credit for sitting the plane down on the golf course and not killing anyone on the ground and surviving himself. A stretcher is much better than a body bag, I think.
 
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Originally Posted By: Astro14
Yeah, I'm probably being too hard on him...


From what is being reported as of now, it looks like you are being a bit hard on him.

Reports say that the engine sputtered, then died. I suppose he could have missed something in his pre-flight checks (I don't really know what's entailed) or done something to kill the engine?
 
As long as I can remember, he's at least piloted helicopters.

Not sure how this compares to planes though, but he's a "pilot" nonetheless.
 
Nobody puts Han Solo in a corner, even though Princess Leia tried when she saw the Millenium Falcon: "You fly that thing? You are braver than I thought."

A golf course is a pretty safe place to crash a plane. There's always a doctor around!

hotwheels
 
From what I have understood....Harrison Ford owns and flies at least 7 or eight different types of aircraft.

Is he a skilled pilot? I have no idea. But he has piloted multi-engine as well as jet aircraft. I would think (hope) he knows what he's doing.

Maybe age (reflexes, eyesight, coordination, judgement) is catching up with him?

I'm not so sure he saved anybody by crashing into a golf course. It was most likely close by and visible...as well as not really having much choice. He was lucky. But....being that he's a well known actor, he will probably be branded a hero (worth it or not).
 
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Originally Posted By: Astro14
Yeah, I'm probably being too hard on him...


I heard it was a WWII era plane too. No matter how well its kept, Id imagine there are some differences in reliability and redundancy...
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: Astro14
Yeah, I'm probably being too hard on him...


I heard it was a WWII era plane too. No matter how well its kept, Id imagine there are some differences in reliability and redundancy...


And as Indy said, "It's not the age, it's the miles."

hotwheels
 
I would guess that the golf course would be on the "places you should think about putting down in an emergency" list when doing power failure drills out of that airfield. Anywhere with a flat, straight area and clear approach will be fair game.
 
Looking at the crash video, I think that was a Ryan PT-6 basic trainer that was used for training WW2 fighter pilots. Back in the day, it was called the "Yellow Peril". Losing an engine on takeoff is the worst thing that can happen to a pilot, and I think Ford did a good job of setting the thing down without killing anybody on the ground or himself.
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: Astro14
Yeah, I'm probably being too hard on him...


I heard it was a WWII era plane too. No matter how well its kept, Id imagine there are some differences in reliability and redundancy...


Not as many differences as you might imagine. The radial engine in that Ryan is among the most reliable made, and the Ryan itself is a quality machine. Planes today use magnetos and carburetors...just like this plane.

The interesting thing is that Mr. Ford started flying in his 50s, after looking into the cockpit of his GulfStream and thinking that he would like to try it. He owns several airplanes, and helicopters, and has flown quite a bit.

But experience doesn't necessarily mean talent, or skill.

What was he taught? By whom? How did he practice and what discipline did he have? Who certified his ability?
 
One ironic thing is that I was watching "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" on USA while the news networks were reporting the story about his plane crash.
 
Originally Posted By: A_Harman
One ironic thing is that I was watching "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" on USA while the news networks were reporting the story about his plane crash.


That one doesn't count.
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So it was a Ryan?

When I saw the pictures last night, I thought it looked like it might have been a Chipmunk. I didn't see any good pictures of the nose/engine.

I was taught to maintain glide speed and land straight ahead, regardless of obstacles, when you lose power on takeoff. I only know one person that actually had to deal with that worst case scenario, and she did exactly what she was taught - landed straight ahead, and got out and walked away from it. More altitude would, of course, expand your options.

I'd say he did OK. It's not something you really get to practice.
 
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