wow im no ghoul lol but i too was instantly frustrated by the clips that stopped recording, only because i could not see the extent of the damage to BBD.

After watching that last vid with the slow motion I have to say That might have been the most level headed bit of piloting i have seen in a while. :)

Stern or the other heavy iron pilots can correct me if im wrong here as I have no experience in these types of aircraft but looks to me like A second after the collision he jetted his canopy in preparation for what he may have to do (very quick thinking), and then spent several more seconds trying to get the nose up and as far as i could tell it never responded to what ever inputs he was giving it (possibly the control cables were cut as previously discussed) and then made yet another split second decision to get the H. E. double hockey sticks out of there.

It seemed like while she still had a bit of up attitude left in her he was still working the controls trying to get a response but then when she started to go nose down and she still wasn't responding he made the call to bail.

I guess the investigation will show what it shows but that's what my untrained saw in that last video anyway :)

WoW :) i bet his first Beer that night never tasted so good :)

Cheers and thanks for that last video whom ever made it and posted it :)

I will remember your words when I smash my Ferrari in your frontyard when I am 64... I own it, I have logged hundreds of hours and it is ensured... blablabla...

It is pure vanity to not except that you have to step down when the time has come.

Seriously, maybe YOU should think twice before posting a comment.

It is quite normal in the UK for warbird pilots to be older.A lot of them are airline captains with thousands of hours experience.
You don't just jump into a warbird here,it takes years and years before you can do that,even if you own it.

the first thing you want to do is jettison the canopy for two reasons: 1) you might have to jump at some point 2) if you topple the mustang once on the ground there's no way to jettison the canopy, so you can get stuck inside.

Jumping is considered the best option simply because in case of a belly landing you don't have any structure that can protect you in case you topple the plane (the armoured headrest used to work as anti-crush strut too), and it happened with other warbirds that pilots got crushed under the plane. So once again, play it safe, bail out (as long as you have altitude).

The plane had flaps down, that's the typical exit manoeuvre to prepare landing config (drop 10 degrees flaps then you bleed speed down to landing gear safe speed), so the plane probably managed to keep a relatively steady attitude, the pilot then jumped out (you normally kick the stick to get out, and if you still have control authority you'll just be thrown out, the problem is that you might hit the tail fin, as it actually happened). Once again, he did the right thing.

as long as you have a good insurance I won't mind ;)

In order to fly such aeroplanes you need to pass serious medical tests, not like your driver license, and often it's the pilot himself that reckons he's too old to carry on.

For your information, in view of his advancing age, the pilot just sold the plane, he was doing his last performance with it (the P-51 was bound to Germany after Legends), and once again, it wasn't his fault, he acted according to the briefing.

You might have heard of Bob Hoover, Chuck Yeager and Clarence Bud Anderson, they all flew Mustangs well into their 70s and never had a problem.

I'm afraid that your assumptions are completely biased.

I would Trust a 64 year old with 40yrs of flight time over a 25yr old with lighting reflexes anyday.....I would be willing to bet my life on it.......

This was on my local news tonight with the pilot talking about the crash and the fact that he had to fly back home in his own aircraft afterwards!

http://www.itv.com/anglia/pilot-spea...ut-crash48488/

Also on BBC http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLQsJS7zQOM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xctYWSuwoYA

+1

It's not as though they hand out even class II medicals like sweeties.

In any case, you can tell that the man is as fit as a fiddle by the simple fact that he was able to get out of the aeroplane from such low altitude.

It's as easily done as some people probably think!

A younger less experienced pilot may not have had the presence of mind to get out before it was too late.
There's good and bad young and old pilots,some pilots killed in warbirds weren't that old.
Ray Hanna was probably the best warbird display pilot before he died aged 77 of illness.
You have to judge each person on an individual basis,don't forget alot of 60+ year old people are now more like 45 year olds but with all the added experience.