Simviation Forums

Here are some shots of the beautiful shapes created by aerobatic flight. I can't identify planes or pilots, except for the last one...

formation hammerhead and starburst:

lomchevak (?) and inverted flat spin:


This last is special to me... it's the only in-flight  shot I have of Daniel Heligoin and Montaine Mallet, who for 26 years flew a husband-and-wife aerial ballet as "the French Connection" in a pair of Mudry CAP-10s. To say they were superb would be an understatement. Their signature maneuver was this canopy-to-canopy 360-degree circle, and believe it or not, they often got much, much closer than this (there are better shots online- check 'em out).  I will freely admit that I cried when I heard    these two lovebirds had been killed in 2000 during a practice session...  something went wrong, and they collided with no room to recover or bail out.
But we should all be so lucky as to live- and die- as beautifully as they did: sharing a creative passion with the one you love, and many spellbound fans.
Adieu, mes amis, et merci!

Nice series of shots old chap. Reading the story behind the last one brought a lump to my throat. Tragic but at least they went out together doing something they obviously loved.

the two biplanes are Pitts specials...i used to service them, they are based at N07 LincolnPark, usually they fly by 4's, or they did when i worked there...they went u every sunday afternoon....

great pix!

the two biplanes are Pitts specials...i used to service them, they are based at N07 LincolnPark, usually they fly by 4's, or they did when i worked there...they went u every sunday afternoon....

great pix!

How weird that I never saw them there; I learned to fly mostly at N07, back in the mid-90s.

Yes, nice photos, but is a tragical moment I'm sorry for your friends. I hope that an least they are doing something that they enjoy, its the important!

BYE!!

[quote]

I didn't mean to suggest that D. Heligoin and M. Mallet were my personal friends; I never met them, just saw them perform a few times. I know I said "mes amis", but that was just an expression, I guess. Does that make any sense?  :-[  Anyway, I agree: considering their profession and their relationship, it was a fitting if sad way to go...  bittersweet.

How weird that I never saw them there; I learned to fly mostly at N07, back in the mid-90s.

u know thos little private hangers on the side of the runway? (the side facing Beaverbrook Rd) standing at wagner airways looking towards the town of lincoln park...sorry i lost my bearings with the place, i havent been there for over 3 years now..but anyway, they used to fit 2 pitts by hanger, and there were 4 of them, they were kept in the last 2 hangers away from eevryone and everything. kinda near the old polished cessna 170.... the guys werent very nice to visitors, but theysure knew what they were doing in the air... hahaha ill try to scan some pix i have of those guys...

Huh. Never saw them there. But there used to be some other cool planes there: a Mentor, a Tiger Moth, a beautiful C195... please do post some more pics of those Pittseses (?), i'd like to see them.

Great shots, always nice seeing airshow pics:)

Glad to hear that; I just remembered today that I still have an old VHS tape from the '94 Sussex show (official copy). Gonna post some (poor quality)  caps from that very soon...