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Brian Grafton
Victoria BC Canada
Posts: 4669
Joined: 2004
Ditching in Florida, 18 April 2021
4/19/2021 10:33:23 PM
Kudos to the pilot of the Avenger who maintained control of his a/c as it lost power during an air show in Florida.

Two things struck me. Nobody on the beach seemed to recognize the a/c’s distress until it hit the water, though you can see the prop windmilling at one point. And there seemed to be little concern about the pilot flying over observers at such a minimal height. There were even people in the water near the point of impact, though the pilot seemed to get a brief burst of power to clear the more crowded area.

The Avenger was a torpedo-bomber – perhaps the most effective of the entire war. Introduced at Midway (where it was badly beaten up), the Avenger became a mainstay of the USN until long after the end of WW2. And IIRC, one George H.W. Bush did his service as an Avenger pilot.

For those who didn’t catch it: [Read More]

Cheers. And stay safe.
Brian G
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"We have met the enemy, and he is us." Walt Kelly. "The Best Things in Life Aren't Things" Bumper sticker.
DT509er
Santa Rosa CA USA
Posts: 1362
Joined: 2005
Ditching in Florida, 18 April 2021
4/19/2021 11:12:04 PM
You are right Brian, big kudos to the pilot as he did make that last little spurt to get past some swimmers/surfers.

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"American parachutists-devils in baggy pants..." German officer, Italy 1944. “If your experiment needs statistics, you ought to have done a better experiment.” Lord Ernest Rutherford
Michigan Dave
Muskegon MI USA
Posts: 7893
Joined: 2006
Ditching in Florida, 18 April 2021
4/21/2021 2:23:53 PM
Hi Brian,

Nice video & post, those witnesses still rushed to the scene, & it could have caused a problem? I've been to Coco Beach, nice lil beach town, with a pier! Some of the Detroit Tigers use it as a surfing site during spring training!?

Regards D
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"The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract."

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