Jump to content

P-51 Wheels Up Landing - Crew OK - Australia


West-Front
 Share

Recommended Posts

This was on the news last night....ouch is all I can say, think of the cost of those prop blades.....

 

Cam

 

 

 

 

Joy flight ends safely after landing gear problem

 

A plane has landed safely at Point Cook Air Base, west of Melbourne, after getting into difficulty this morning.The privately owned P-51 Mustang, which is used for joy flights, had trouble with its landing gear, and had to burn off fuel before landing.Pilot John Dorward says he and the passenger had a lucky escape.

 

"Both of us got out, thankfully," he said.

 

"The aeroplane, although it's a bit tired and looking sorry for itself, it [is] in reasonably good condition, following such an event."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

The propeller is going to be the least of the expenses. An engine major overhaul is generally mandated after a prop strike.

 

No idea on the cost for that engine, but a 200 HP Lycoming costs around $25000 to $30000 for an overhaul.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Steindaddie

It's enough to make a grown man cry like a baby. The going rate for an overhaul of a Rolls Royce Merlin engine is around $50,000. This doesn't include the bent prop or any sheet metal damage from the wheels-up landing. But despite the costs, I wouldn't mind having one of those money pits myself.

 

Will

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Steindaddie

50K would be low end for sure. I based my estimate on a friend who owns an old unlimited hydroplane with a Merlin V-12. I know he paid $50,000 last overhaul but then, his engine was not rebuilt to FAA specs. I would think that someone like Vintage V-12's in California must be charging 65-75K these days. A Merlin engine is not a poor man's toy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Belly flops usually destroy the gear box in front of the engine on the '51 requiring a complete engine block replacement. Also the radiator gets ripped out. Those two parts are the most expensive and hard to come by pieces for the '51. It usually takes years and $$$ to get a privately owned '51 back airworthy after a belly landing. The owner/pilot should be thankful that they are still here to worry about that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not an expert on War-Birds but, I still love watching them fly. I live near Oshkosh, Wisconsin where the EAA Fly-In goes on each year and these beautiful planes still dazzle me. To watch this beautiful gem shooting dollar signs off of it as it slid across that field was sad to see. Some masterful flying on the pilot's part! The good news, no one is hurt and the plane is repairable!

 

Here's a link to a successful War-Bird emergency landing on State Highway 41 last year at the EAA. The video was shot from a squad car dash cam. The squad was there to hurriedly block traffic for the troubled plane. You'll see that the officer was not completely successful in stopping traffic and a passing car almost turned it into a tragedy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=es5nkQjQNeA

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...