Re: Shoreham Plane Crash

Plus before your time I believe this plane type was a common sight along the South Coast beaches, Neville Duke always breaking the sound barrier and the windows at the time I lived there.
Duke was acknowledged as one of the world's foremost test pilots. In 1953, he became holder of the world air speed record when he flew a Hawker Hunter at 727.63 mph along the South Coast.

Re: Shoreham Plane Crash

When visiting this air show your thoughts are always that it would not matter where you are should a plane come down, be it beach side (always packed) or road side (always packed) . It's very location is a setting for potential disaster as it has now proved.

I had only accepted an invitation to watch because of it being the Vulcans last season of flights. Like many you wonder can this Airshow be allowed to continue.

Re: Shoreham Plane Crash

Though I found the photos extremely upsetting and disturbing I felt drawn to looking at them yesterday online.

One in particular had me lying in bed thinking. It was the one showing the aircraft almost on the 'packed' road (whoever took that photo?!) and in the background was a group of people standing outside the pub. And it had me wondering, at what point did they all start to think 'I need to get out of here! But which way to run?'

But then again, at the speed of the aircraft, no-one had any time to react, did they?

I was in tears reading the article.

Re: Shoreham Plane Crash

Perhaps the most potential disaster was the Vickers Valliant that came down on Southwick in 1956 a couple of miles east .
Still have my memories of the Vulcan while standing on Lancing Clump many years back, so low you could see the nuts and rust marks. The noise was deafening .
What for the cash strapped airport now, having just made a few bob last month from their "Weekend Rave". Day trips to France etc also gone I believe, shame.

Sussex seems to be having a bad year.

Re: Shoreham Plane Crash

That pub The Sussex Pad is now owned by Lancing college and used for parents when visiting their children that board there. Thank goodness for Term holiday.

We all knew that it was a serious crash and the silence that fell showed each thinking of all the variant What ifs. The College, Shoreham itself, the main road, the flyover,the populated beach area. The TV photos don't give you the perspective of this location and what having an airfield in such a built up small coastal area entails.

I doubt anyone would know where to run in an accident like this especially as there was a break up with flying debris and on a packed road. Where would have been safe at that time to avoid that and cars trying to get away.

Re: Shoreham Plane Crash

I have been on that road many times, and was with Mum approaching Shoreham in 2007 (returning from our Isle of Wight holiday) immediately after that plane went down. We saw the plume of smoke and people running to the fields.

Her cousin still lives in Worthing, and there is one in Lancing also.

Re: Shoreham Plane Crash

It was a Cold War era Hawker Hunter, not a Vulcan.

In one report by an eye witness there was an observation of the aircraft breaking up before crashing.

Considering the age of this aircraft and the fact that an aircraft of that age is not routinely x-rayed or undergoes testing on its bulkheads and main spars on a regular basis, I suspect metal fatigue.

Seen the same thing on loads of old aircraft and there was an investigation on Sea Hunters by the Royal Navy some time ago if memory serves me correctly.

The Hunter was good in its day but this aircraft was very old.

Sorry but the pilot was probably not expecting the thing to break up in my opinion. stevmk2

Re: Shoreham Plane Crash

It was the Hawker Hunter that we were watching that crashed. The Vulcan was already on it's way to Shoreham when the crash happened and instead of flying its demonstration slot, it flew silently past and on.

Many of us had gone to see one of the last demo flights of the Vulcan but not sadly under these circumstances.

Re: Shoreham Plane Crash

Guess I may be the odd poster out when I look at that scene as this was the place of my childhood. Yes of course the weekend events sadden me , then the image saddens me, how many have been killed on the rat-run that is now the A27, dozens I expect. The A27 did not exist and replaced the old road, then a single lane country tree lined road. Traffic went over the rickety old single lane Toll Bridge, 6d for a car and 2d for a bike. Even then things went over the side of the bridge, in one week alone a lorry and a double decker bus, good fortune at low tide. The airport was fun, the bottom less blue pool where a bomb dropped and collecting watercress in the crystal clear stream. All gone, even access to the river where I dropped my boat in, fenced off to the public. I pushed biked to work at Steyning turning off at the Sussex pad. Strange as only this week my wife and I both agreed that we were glad we lived our time in a better age than this one.
Not trying to be disrespectful here, just mourning also a time I loved gone in a short time.

Re: Shoreham Plane Crash

Do people REALLY have to see this planes flying? Can't they use their imagination and just view them?