A pilot’s incredible escape from a jet crash in Canada has been captured on film and in a series of dramatic photographs. Captain Brian Bews ejected from the plane moments before it crashed to the ground and burst into flames before an airshow. Cpt Bews – who was pictured sailing metres above the stricken aircraft in a partially opened parachute – was taken to hospital with injuries.
There goes a cool $32M (USD), up in smoke.
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Might be a $32M financial loss, but the firebomb was worth it. Although the pilot getting hurt is not so good. The dedication and training of these pilots is incredible. To be aware enough to pull the ejection lever, I would have gone down with the plane. Hope the pilot recovers.
Canada kicks off the summers best airshow crashes with a strong candidate for best wipeout of the year. But It’s still early in the season.
Let’s not forget that we (Canada) is in the middle of a big procurement of new F-35s… Who can work a conspiracy angle on this?
#3 Only if the RCAF carried insurance.
Looks like an engine blew on him. If I were this guy when I got out the hospital I’d be tempted to get a monkey wrench and go look up the guys in charge of maintaining this baby.
Of course by the time he can walk he will have most likely calmed down a lot.
Incredible Dedication and Training?
Imagine getting PAID to fly airplanes? sounds like the OPPOSITE of dedication to me. Training? Yea, a few days out of 18 months. They could practically give NO training and most would make it out. “When you are about to die, grab your socks and pull the handle.”
Course, the real dedication and training would be to have avoided the crash to begin with? High angle of attack compressor stall?
So, this waste of money is good for what?
#6. I guess it makes some people feel better when they pay and pay and pay and pay more taxes. And of course, it’s great for suckering in more cannon fodder.
Gotta love that.
It will really make me feel better when the pilot is healthy again. Pilots of military aircraft are a different breed especially, the fighter pilots. I’ve ridden a few times and the ability to maintain situational awareness, at high speed, low deck maneuvers IS part of the incredible training these guys do.
They are going through the maintenance books with a microscope right now.
Believe me, nothing is as sweet as hearing them overhead and knowing they are your guys, and they can put maximum weight on your enemy.
It never ceases to amaze me how the potential loss of life and the loss of millions of dollars worth of equipment, is justified as PR for recruiting purposes. And your basic public saber rattling, to impress the competition. How many of these planes fly to pieces, per number of air shows? Are the risks to all REALLY worth promoting the various countries’ military budgets? We had an F117 fly apart and crash, some miles from where I live. It wasn’t even supposed to be part of the exhibition, that day. But it got diverted, to fly over and give the public a thrill. Well they sure got it. And some guy’s house got destroyed. And all the papers said about it, was how the pilot waited until the last minute to eject. Steering it clear of folks on the ground. What udder bullsh*t! That thing lost a wing. The pilot had his hands full, just keeping it upright, so he could safely eject. I seriously doubt he was sight-seeing who was below him. Pretty good PR cover up though, Eh? You can bet some Pentagon office dictated the news copy.
And so even while a very expensive war is on-going. The US never has too few jet planes to spare, or too few experienced pilots to risk. That they can’t find an air show to send them too. Because PR is everything to the survival of the Military Industrial Complex. Without the public promotions, and glamorization of the service. The public might just begin to think it can do without spending a 100 billion or two, to try and solve the world’s problems by military actions.
This is why people go to those stupid “air” shows.
I can still remember when “air shows” were just about a few civilian acrobatic pilots, usually flying biplanes. And the dang military was nowhere to be seen. Then the draft ended, and the shows got jet fueled. So it wasn’t just a means of raising money for some local airport. Or part of a county fair. I was the defense industry’s show now. And nobody seemed to notice the take-over. Especially the news people. Who were only too happy to promote the events.
Another news report claimed this was as dangerous to the pilot as could be possible. Seems to me there was a nearly identical crash 3-4 years ago and the pilot came down right into the ball of flame that the crash created. I think he survived with major burns.
Much like the 500MM fine against whoever it was and the commenter had to correct the bobble head with the fact that a $650MM fine had been issued during the dot comm failure. Seems that puffing a piece is just good bottom line grab the folks journalism. ((I googled but there are so many “largest fines ever” that it would take some time to find the right match.))
The Almighty Lawn Dart!
“There goes a cool $32M (USD), up in smoke.”
Didn’t he have insurance? 😉
Video of the crash:
http://calgaryherald.com/Exclusive+Video+crash/3315870/story.html
The low-speed, “riding on the exhaust” move is pretty standard these days, and judging by the flap usage, is what this guy was doing. Probably had an unfortunate tailwind gust which totally stalled the right wing, causing it to drop into an unrecoverable (at that low altitude) spin.
Is it the angle? In the still photograph it looks like the port vertical stabilizer is missing?
And I gotta love the copyrighter:
“…ejected from the plane moments before it crashed…”
“mements?” As is more then 120 seconds? I count barely 2 seconds.
#17, nah, the vertical stabilizer is there – it’s just edge-on in that picture. Verified in #15’s video link. By the way, they aren’t straight up/down (like the older F-14) because angling them significantly reduces its radar cross-section.
A little ironic that the song playing during the crash/ejection was “Stayin’ Alive.”
#16 – in addition, notice the ‘feathers’ on the two engines are in different positions leading to the idea that one of the two engines flamed out. Not good at low altitude and low speed.
The ‘Feathers’ are the metal blades at the extreme rear end of the engine, they open and close depending on the thrust requirements.
How does the pilot with parachute separate from the ejection seat? I thought the pilot stayed with the ejection seat.
Hope he lives but this will go on his permanent record…
How many planes did McBain crash?