RIP MARTY TIBBITTS!

[FLYBOYJ]

A former client and friend was killed July 20th while departing Sheboygan County Memorial Airport. Marty Tibbitts was flying a de Havilland Venom. My heart is heavy, RIP Marty, blue skies and tailwinds forever.

UPDATE: Pilot who died in Sheboygan Falls crash identified

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Damn. RIP

Blue skies and tailwinds...

 

[MIflyer]

I am very sorry to hear that. Unfortunately jet warbird/exhibition flying seems to have a very high probability of loss. I recall one year a little while back where we lost a guy in a L-39 at Titusville, a guy flying a Magister at Kissimmee, one of the Blue Angels, a Canadian Snowbird, and two jet racers at Reno.

 

[Shortround6]

It is hard to hear of these incidents in general. When you actually know the person involved it must be much harder. My condolences to his family and friends.

 

[GrauGeist]

This is sad news and a terrible loss, not only for Marty's friends and family, but for the aviation community in general.

 

[fubar57]

Sorry to hear about the loss of your friend Joe. Condolences to the family

 

[FLYBOYJ]

I am very sorry to hear that. Unfortunately jet warbird/exhibition flying seems to have a very high probability of loss. I recall one year a little while back where we lost a guy in a L-39 at Titusville, a guy flying a Magister at Kissimmee, one of the Blue Angels, a Canadian Snowbird, and two jet racers at Reno.

One Jet at Reno - Brad Morehouse, 2007. I was supposed to work on his crew during the money heats, instead helped salvage pieces of his aircraft. Since 2008 I've lost 9 close friends or acquaintances who were flying jet warbirds to include my kids grandfather who was a wonderful man and my flight instructor. Every time this happens a piece of my heart is torn away.

 

[MIflyer]

That's terrible loss. What do you think usually goes wrong? That Magister at Kissimmee went up for a local flight of just a few minutes and then dove into the ground while approaching the airport. The jet at the Titusville airshow was doing a loop and came out of the clouds straight down into the ground.

 

[mikewint]

As with all above my sincere condolences to his family. At only 50 it is very tragic. No real knowledge but could it be simply the age of these aircraft? I know that there is a strict maintenance schedule but I would suspect that it is impossible to check everything

 

[Gnomey]

Terrible to hear. RIP.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

That's terrible loss. What do you think usually goes wrong? That Magister at Kissimmee went up for a local flight of just a few minutes and then dove into the ground while approaching the airport. The jet at the Titusville airshow was doing a loop and came out of the clouds straight down into the ground.

The Fouga crash occurred during a routine post maintenance FCF, IIRC there was something going on with the speed brakes and both pilots were "not flying the jet" while trying to troubleshoot in the air. One of the people killed, Carl Vernon was a talented mechanic, pilot and good friend. A minute of inattention with fatal results.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

As with all above my sincere condolences to his family. At only 50 it is very tragic. No real knowledge but could it be simply the age of these aircraft? I know that there is a strict maintenance schedule but I would suspect that it is impossible to check everything

Hard to say - I have my suspicions but I won't speculate at this time

 

[parsifal]

sad news. I always think of the families when I hear this sort of news.

 

[at6]

My condolences to you and his family.

 

[XBe02Drvr]

Since 2008 I've lost 9 close friends or acquaintances who were flying jet warbirds to include my kids grandfather who was a wonderful man and my flight instructor.

My condolences, Joe. That's hard to take. In three years of sending F-4 crews into combat we didn't lose that many. Fly safe, brother!
RIP Marty.
Wes

 

[FLYBOYJ]

My condolences, Joe. That's hard to take. In three years of sending F-4 crews into combat we didn't lose that many. Fly safe, brother!
RIP Marty.
Wes

Thanks Wes

 

[MIflyer]

I guess the thing is with jets is that they are not inherently more unreliable - they probably are inherently more reliable than prop warbirds, but things happen FAST and get out of hand much quicker.

I recall a T-33A mishap that occurred just before I left the airplane world to go into the space business in 1978. Radar data showed they stalled the airplane at high altitude and spun it down over 20,000 ft into a creek. Here locally we had a Cessna 152 disappear one day; radar and forensic data showed they spun it in from 1000 ft or less, probably while circling over a scenic lake; a brother and sister died. Stalling a jet at 20,000 ft is like stalling a Cessna at 1000 ft..

 

[XBe02Drvr]

Thanks Wes

BTW, I believe that Venom was a former neighbor of mine. I think it was one of several imported by Warbirds International in the late 80s/early 90s and was civilianized in their shop next door to the hangar where my Beech 99 freighter lived. Dean Martin (the infamous, not the famous one!) AKA Warbirds International, had a relatively short but colorful career on the "slippery" side of the warbird import business, involving aircraft parts of dubious origin and eventual disposition, contracts to fly his MiGs at Topgun and Nellis, and the unauthorized posession of a J-35 Draken assembled from parts without a valid SAAB dataplate.
The government tried repeatedly and unsuccessfully to shut him down, but eventually they got him on negligent homicide as result of a really stupid boating accident that killed a couple kids, and nailed him with the maximum sentence. Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy...NOT!
Cheers,
Wes

 

[Torch]

Sorry to read all this, my condolences Joe.

 

[XBe02Drvr]

I guess the thing is with jets is that they are not inherently more unreliable - they probably are inherently more reliable than prop warbirds, but things happen FAST and get out of hand much quicker.

I recall a T-33A mishap that occurred just before I left the airplane world to go into the space business in 1978. Radar data showed they stalled the airplane at high altitude and spun it down over 20,000 ft into a creek. Here locally we had a Cessna 152 disappear one day; radar and forensic data showed they spun it in from 1000 ft or less, probably while circling over a scenic lake; a brother and sister died. Stalling a jet at 20,000 ft is like stalling a Cessna at 1000 ft..

A T-33 with full tiptanks has got to be a bear to get out of a spin, especially if you're slow on the recovery and it gets a chance to wind up and flatten out. Their primitive ejection seats aren't good for much with a high sink rate, so if you're not "stepping out" going through ten thousand, your goose is probably cooked.
On the other hand, a Cessna 152 stalling and spinning at 1000 ft is not a death sentence. I used to do spin training with my students, and recoveries within 500-600 ft were the norm. Cessnas, especially, don't LIKE to spin, and given the slightest opportunity will degenerate into a spiral dive, and that's where the danger lies, as without a prompt recovery, that leads to HUGE altitude loss, an overspeed, and an overstressed airframe. Dimes to dollars that's what happened to those kids in the 152. Betcha if that pilot had spin training they'd be alive today.
Cheers,
Wes