OT: Yak 3 Crash Video

[Footslogger]

This airshow was in Australia. I wonder if anyone here went to it?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gz07Q5Etyjc

[adarbrauner]

What a wonderful airplane, sucha pity.....

[Reg]

By the way, Wanaka is in New Zealand. [;)]

[Yaab]

- Tis but a flesh wound!

[Korvar]

Two items of note:

1. I haven't seen any explanation why the pilot is attempting a landing parallel with the runway - is he trying to demonstrate landing capability on unimproved strips?

2. Who in their right mind parks heavy equipment that close to a runway; unless it is fire equipment rolled out in anticipation of an emergency, it has no business being there while the runway is active. I would say the Yak was about 1-1/2 wingspans from far wingtip to edge of runway... not that much at all relative to the speed of aircraft. An aircraft attempting a "normal" landing on the runway could easily hit that equipment with nothing more than a wind gust at just the wrong moment.

[crsutton]

Well, fortunately it is not totaled and they should be able to fix it. I love the way the pilot can give a thumbs up after smashing a million dollar aircraft. Cheeky bastard...[;)]

[adarbrauner]

ORIGINAL: crsutton

Well, fortunately it is not totaled and they should be able to fix it. I love the way the pilot can give a thumbs up after smashing a million dollar aircraft. Cheeky bastard...[;)]

[:D]

[Zorch]

ORIGINAL: adarbrauner

ORIGINAL: crsutton

Well, fortunately it is not totaled and they should be able to fix it. I love the way the pilot can give a thumbs up after smashing a million dollar aircraft. Cheeky bastard...[;)]

[:D]

Any landing you can walk away from is a good one. Or so they say. [:D]

[Jaroen]

What do you all think of that pilot's skills?

The reason I'm asking is another video showing that same Yak at the same airshow doing take-offand landing.
On the regular runway and field. This is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLv_GUJcDTU

I find that take-off rather shaky. And so is the landing in that other video.
I'm way to early with conclusions but in my mind that pilot should not have flown that plane.

However, there's always the need to wait for the official reports.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Jaroen

What do you all think of that pilot's skills?

The reason I'm asking is another video showing that same Yak at the same airshow doing take-offand landing.
On the regular runway and field. This is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLv_GUJcDTU

I find that take-off rather shaky. And so is the landing in that other video.
I'm way to early with conclusions but in my mind that pilot should not have flown that plane.

However, there's always the need to wait for the official reports.

You do know that WWII era Russian fighters did not have any power assist on the controls? It is all done by brute strength and very little finesse ...

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: Korvar

Two items of note:

1. I haven't seen any explanation why the pilot is attempting a landing parallel with the runway - is he trying to demonstrate landing capability on unimproved strips?

2. Who in their right mind parks heavy equipment that close to a runway; unless it is fire equipment rolled out in anticipation of an emergency, it has no business being there while the runway is active. I would say the Yak was about 1-1/2 wingspans from far wingtip to edge of runway... not that much at all relative to the speed of aircraft. An aircraft attempting a "normal" landing on the runway could easily hit that equipment with nothing more than a wind gust at just the wrong moment.

I saw that too and wondered the same thing. Who puts heavy equipment anywhere near a runway during a vintage warbirds airshow? Also: who in their right mind acquiesces and flies his multi-million dollar aircraft if the runway or surrounds are unfit? There's plenty of culpability to go around.

[Jaroen]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

ORIGINAL: Jaroen

What do you all think of that pilot's skills?

The reason I'm asking is another video showing that same Yak at the same airshow doing take-offand landing.
On the regular runway and field. This is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLv_GUJcDTU

I find that take-off rather shaky. And so is the landing in that other video.
I'm way to early with conclusions but in my mind that pilot should not have flown that plane.

However, there's always the need to wait for the official reports.

You do know that WWII era Russian fighters did not have any power assist on the controls? It is all done by brute strength and very little finesse ...

I believe this was true for almost all wartime aircraft. Only a few, some heavy ones, had some servo support but otherwise it was only cable and design tricks. Or am I missing something???

[Treetop64]

ORIGINAL: Jaroen

What do you all think of that pilot's skills?

The reason I'm asking is another video showing that same Yak at the same airshow doing take-offand landing.
On the regular runway and field. This is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLv_GUJcDTU

I find that take-off rather shaky. And so is the landing in that other video.
I'm way to early with conclusions but in my mind that pilot should not have flown that plane.

However, there's always the need to wait for the official reports.

It's too easy to cherry-pick and otherwise scrutinize someone else's flying while viewing as a spectator from the sidelines, without being in the machine and handling it yourself.

It's never an easy task landing (or taking off, for that matter) a high-powered, high wing-load taildragger.

[Itdepends]

Towards the end of the second video you can see the Yak make a successful grass strip landing on the same side of the runway that the later crash occurred.
Theres no sign of the EWP that he later crashes into. It must have been moved close to the runway later on and the pilot wasn’t aware of its proximity when repeating his landing on the same strip.

[Korvar]

ORIGINAL: Treetop64

It's too easy to cherry-pick...

Ba-dum-tish

[Jaroen]

ORIGINAL: Treetop64

ORIGINAL: Jaroen

What do you all think of that pilot's skills?

The reason I'm asking is another video showing that same Yak at the same airshow doing take-offand landing.
On the regular runway and field. This is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLv_GUJcDTU

I find that take-off rather shaky. And so is the landing in that other video.
I'm way to early with conclusions but in my mind that pilot should not have flown that plane.

However, there's always the need to wait for the official reports.

It's too easy to cherry-pick and otherwise scrutinize someone else's flying while viewing as a spectator from the sidelines, without being in the machine and handling it yourself.

It's never an easy task landing (or taking off, for that matter) a high-powered, high wing-load taildragger.

I believe I was being quite cautious in formulating my thoughts about the pilot's flying skills. Even going so far to acquire more 'evidence' of the Yak demonstration and having that extra video. In addition this piece of news also helps a bit:
https://www.odt.co.nz/regions/wanaka/ya ... oomed-land
That pilot was not exactly the youngest any longer and doing his last flight. As some a badge of honour.
He was coming in fast and on the wrong piece of land. Pilots were instructed on the landing strips but he apparently missed it.

Having seen that crash and those other demonstrations of the Yak flying it occurred to me the pilot's flying was uncertain and lacking confidence. Which is somewhat supported with your mention of it never being easy. Which I fully agree with. And this being the same (somewhat) for all pilots of these planes it's quite fair to compare this Yak flight with all these other flights we've seen and heard about. Compared to all those other flights these Yak flights were poor in my opinion. If a pilot cannot take-off and land his plane with confidence I think the pilot should be protected and not put on such a demonstration.

That's a little more than cherry picking in my mind. I also think it's only after final inquiry there's some good basis for discussion so my 'opinion' is just that, an opinion.

Cheers.

[Treetop64]

ORIGINAL: Korvar

ORIGINAL: Treetop64

It's too easy to cherry-pick...

Ba-dum-tish

Ha! I hadn't even noticed that!
Nice catch.