For the aviation buffs

[ratcatcher55]

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=nKU0uQki5Dc

Nicely done!

I did like the formation with the Lighting, Mustang, Sabre and Warthog.

[billt]

Very good! I like to watch Svetlana Kapanina perform in her Sukhoi 31. At around 2:38 into the video, she hangs it on the prop vertically, completely motionless. Bill T.


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

[Solus]

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=nKU0uQki5Dc

Nicely done!

I did like the formation with the Lighting, Mustang, Sabre and Warthog.

Love the Lightning and Mustang in any formation.   Did I see a Hustler in there too?

[Solus]

Very good! I like to watch Svetlana Kapanina perform in her Sukhoi 31. At around 2:38 into the video, she hangs it on the prop vertically, completely motionless. Bill T.


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

WOW...an amazing woman.  I can't help but be impressed by capable women.....I guess that is why M 'ette is so popular around here...we all know she is capable of about anything 

[billt]

WOW...an amazing woman.  I can't help but be impressed by capable women.....I guess that is why M 'ette is so popular around here...we all know she is capable of about anything 

She's 40 years old, married with 2 kids, and is a licensed Pharmacist, and can still fly like that. In Russia she's a national hero.  Bill T.

[Sponsor]

[tombogan03884]

She's 40 years old, married with 2 kids, and is a licensed Pharmacist, and can still fly like that. In Russia she's a national hero.  Bill T.

She deserves to be.

[Solus]

A few years ago I heard someone talking about a woman aerobatic pilot here in the States who was turning heads with  her flying.

I don't remember a name, but I seem to recall that she may have been in her teens and that she did amazing things with her aircraft....things not done before.  While that seemed unlikely to me, I wonder if anyone has heard of her and is there video of her skill?

[billt]

I don't know of any very young American aerobatic pilots, but I'm sure they're out there. From a competition standpoint the best female American right now is Patty Wagstaff. She flies an Extra 300 which is a German aerobatic monoplane. She is very good, but Svetlana Kapanina has beaten her on an almost regular basis in world competition. Kapanina is famous for her over the top, completely out of airspeed, maneuvers while maintaining total, perfect control. About the only other pilot on the airshow circuit that can do a low altitude prop hang besides Kapanina is Sean D. Tucker. His highly modified bi plane is all but specially constructed for it.

It's one thing to be able to simply do these maneuvers, let alone do them at low altitude. At the low altitude she and others perform at there is zero margin for error.  Bill T.

[Solus]

I noticed Kapanina's daring.

Perhaps it was Kapanina or Wagstaff they were talking about.  It was probably around 10 years ago,  Will check Wagstaff.

[billt]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkKZnXAiTQQ&feature=related

This is another video of Kapanina performing in competition, (no smoke), and in freestyle. In competition they have to perform a preselected set of maneuvers inside an imaginary 3 dimensional "box" in a specified amount of time. If she leaves the "box" at any time during her performance she will be penalized. Also if she doesn't complete them in a specified time frame, and remains in the "box" too long, she will have points deducted as well.

In this video she flies a Sukhoi 26. It has shorter wings, and is a lot more skittish to fly. These aircraft are built with inherent instability so as to be extremely maneuverable. The Sukhoi 26 has a very powerful engine as well. Look at the pitch on the non adjustable prop and you can imagine how much power it takes to turn it. Another thing is she has to memorize her entire performance. All she has to go on is the small sketch she has on the instrument panel.  Bill T.