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Re: Yak 3 Crash at Wanaka

Originally Posted by kiwiracefan

Were you in the briefing? It has been quoted in the media from a PILOT who WAS in the briefing that all pilots were clearly told that ALL of the grass area was available for use. I have also been told by a person who WAS in the briefing that it is correct, pilots were told that the WHOLE of the grass was available to use.
Oh here is the media coverage defending the pilot... https://www.odt.co.nz/regions/wanaka...-show-defended

No, I was not at the briefing, that's why I mentioned, "from what I've read".
Yes, it's very easy to Monday morning quarterback and accident, for all I know, this could have been an emergency landing with no other choice of a landing area, other then the one used.
However, with all that said, if it was a normal landing, under typical conditions, it's still up to the pilot in command to clear the landing area.
As far as having limited forward visibility, I have several thousand hours instructing from the back seat of tail draggers with limited or not forward visibility in the three point attitude.........and haven't hit anything, and hopefully I'll continue to clear the area while airborne prior to each landing.
I'm just glad the pilot wasn't injured, or anyone else for that matter. It's to bad the plane was damaged, that will be expensive to fix, I couldn't tell, but I wouldn't be surprise there's some damage done to the fuselage as well...........luckily airplanes can be repaired. Hope to see the plane back in the air soon.

Re: Yak 3 Crash at Wanaka

Originally Posted by kiwiracefan

The F-16s were not going to be using the cherry pickers at all, they were there for the LSA/STOL airplanes, they were all fitted with paintball guns, and were meant to be shooting at targets strung between the cherry pickers on each side of the runway.

The point I was making was that the F-16 was not expected to land, so the cherry pickers would not be a problem for it. When the show was changed to the Yak-3 , they were still in position , even though a runway was required.