The picture (mine) shows a very damp 1940 Waco biplane after its 82 year-old pilot (an ex-airline captain) tried to set it down on the beach. He collided with a Stearman biplane of similar vintage; the impact was minor enough that the pilot of the Stearman, as previously mentioned, managed to land it at a local airport.
When the Waco hit the sand, its wheels caught and it flipped. The LAFD got it upright in a hurry, trying to minimize fuel and oil spillage...
I suspect the dude flying the Waco is a pretty good stick; I've seen him around here before. But I think screwing around in ways that bring two aircraft close enough to collide, especially in an area where the landing choices are either wet or heavily populated, is not particularly smart.
3 comments:
I had to back-track to read the whole story on this one. I find it hillarious for some reason... And impressed by your photos! How far is this from your home?
Are you able to sell & publish your photos & story on this?
Hugs and Aloooha!
KF -- the beach where the plane "landed" is something over a quarter-mile from where I was standing. That's why the blown-up images are a bit fuzzy. It's a 45-second walk from my place to where I took the photos.
I would have had to do a lot more investigation (and have a better camera) to have been able to sell this story. And by the time I could have done it, the TV people were there....
that day was not a good day for vintage airplanes!! I just posted my entry about the SeaBee (at JS)
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