My video of the incident that led to loss of the P-51 ‘Big Beautiful Doll’ and Rob Davies’ fantastic bail out has been getting amazing viewings, currently 107,000 on Vimeo and 61,000 on YouTube.
What gets it noticed is when another ‘big’ website picks it up of course. Initially it was the EAA site in the US that ran it immediately after I’d posted it and lots of others linked to it, either via this site of mine or directly on Vimeo.
A local TV station here in the UK pirated it off YouTube and the news editor stated ‘you can do that off YouTube can’t you’!, before seeking legal advice and admitting I had copyright after all.

Another big swell in viewings was when ‘Wired’ magazine linked to it and they like others also linked to the local news report that had included it.

http://www.wired.com/autopia/2011/07/video-incredible-piloting-skills-after-midair-collision/

Strong Parachutes, the manufacturer of Rob’s chute have been proudly running it ‘on a continuous loop’ at their stand at OshKosh and that’s received lots of interest for them. Apparently not all warbird pilots have appreciated the need for emergency chutes!

By the way, I’ve had lots from people trying to put a name to the French Skyraider pilot, but the best comment was from Mark Albery “If Jean-Baptiste Salis was flying the Skyraider, it’s no wonder there was an accident! Salis was a 1st World War pilot who died in 1967.”
The plane is owned by the company ‘Amicale Jean-Baptiste Salis’ who still run the airshow at La Ferte.

A side effect of course is the enormous number of people that now know of my FlyingFilm website and that has help Russell Carpenter introduce his Lightning T5 to a new audience, thanks to the video I made about the aircraft.

Both those video’s are still here of course, just ‘back track’ down the postings.

Seeing that beautiful Red Bull P-38 prompted me to upload this WW2 training film called ‘P-38 Flight Characteristics’. Apart from some details on the general flying, It deals with bailing out, which must have been a concern with that twin boom tail. There’s coping with undercarriage and flap problems, landing with the tricycle undercarriage and a lot on single engine flight. So a good look at what concerns a pilot in WW2 would have in coming to this ‘strange plane’.

The Red Bull P-38 Lightning comes to Duxford for Flying legends 2011.

Since uploading this, I’ve heard from the pilot Raimund Riedmann…..to whom I must thank for such a spirited flying display that really showed off this great plane so well.

The end sequence to Flying Legends is always ‘The Balbo’, this year comprising 27 planes.
Alas one P-51 is lost at the end, as Rob Davies takes to his chute after the collision with a Skyraider.
I’ve already uploaded that and it’s certainly been seen by most of you.

As you may know I add the r/t as I believe that it adds considerably to the understanding of how the UK CAA and the pilots control such an amazing spectacle as ‘Legends’ between them.
There isn’t any heavy handedness by the Airshow Director, by it is definately firm control to achieve the great safety to record to date.
Any calls to warn pilots are ommitted as I think it’s not fair to ‘air them in public’ however.
Well done to Ed Shipley for his aid given to the fire trucks at the end.

Here’s my close-up clip of P-51 ‘Big Beautiful Doll’, piloted by former owner Rob Davies as it’s caught by the wingtip of the Skyraider owned by Amicale Jean Baptiste Salis.
After quickly regaining control Rob bails out at a pretty low altitude and the French pilot does a great job in getting back with a few feet missing from his wingtip.

Hopefully lessons will be learnt and Flying legends will continue to be the superb event that thousands enjoy every year.

For over a year I’ve been dropping along to Cranfield whenever Russell Carpenter and his team have their two-seat Lightning XS458 ‘out for a run’.
Ex-lightning pilot Dennis Brooks (2000 hours on the type!) has been kind enough to let me plonk my mini-cameras in the cockpit, so here’s the first attempt to portray the experience of a ‘Thunder Run’ in this fantastic machine.

Do watch in full-screen HD if you can.

Returning to the Coventry circuit, John Dodd does a ‘Canadian Break’ over the end of runway 23.

Thanks again to John and all at The Classic Flight Club, Coventry.
Do join and help keep these fantastic 50′s and 60′s aircraft ‘alive’!

Despite ATC at Coventry refusing to let us formate with Classic Flight’s pair of Venoms, my pilot John Dodd wanted to give the crowd at the Coventry Open Day something to see….so we do a fast run and I then get a couple of ‘rolls’ over the nearby reservoir.

John then gives them a ‘Canadian Break’ in Part Three!

I filmed this back in September and I’ve broken the 28min film down into 3 parts.

Part One: Start up and the long taxy to the threshold.
We get airborne in Part Two, but the starting procedures on a jet like this is certainly interesting enough and as I usually do, I let you listen in to the ATC chatter.
Many, many thanks to my pilot John Dodd….he features a lot with that little camera pointed at him the whole time!

The continuation of Clark Gable’s documentary covering the 351st Bomb Group in action over Germany.