TV reporter gets hit by aeroplane...

[Rocky_53 1,566]

In my previous life I worked in TV and on a particular day back sometime in the early eighties a colleague of mine was filming for a news item with one of our news reporters. The idea was for the cameraman to pan with the aeroplane and end up on the reporter while he delivered a piece to camera. Needless to say the reporter (Richard Wyatt) never finished his news item. But I am happy to report that he made a full recovery...

 

[avgaskoolaid 292]

I remember seeing this video on youtube a few months ago. Scary stuff. Its good to hear that he is OK. Its amazing how anyone could survive getting hit in the head like that.

[Rocky_53 1,566]

Sure I know, I think the plane was a Piper Cub. He was told that if it had been any other plane he would likely have been killed. It was only because of the wooden leading edge and stretched canvas that helped save his life...

[CoolP 283]

Yikes! Must have hurt a lot. Glad he was only temporarily down. Just out of (weird) interest, how did the plane look like? You mention the wooden structure which surely helped.

[Rations 102]

Glad he recovered fully! Facing away from the aircraft seems to have been a very unlucky position to be in. It is very painful for me even to imagine getting hit in either the back (broken spine—death or paralysis) or head (almost certainly death) by such a blunt object at such a high speed. It is amazing what we can catch on film, though some things are probably less painful not filmed. . . .

[Jim Robinson 122]

It was only because of the wooden leading edge and stretched canvas that helped save his life...

 

I hereby propose a ban on any aircraft with leading edges made from materials other than wood! We cannot continue to let these evil creations endanger the lives of our children and loved ones! In fact I think we should take it yet a step further and outlaw all flying machines with the possible exception of hot air baloons, and that should be limited to only those fueled by firewood due to the potential danger of flamable gasses under pressure! Consider the potential dangers of a rotorcraft - a veritible full-auto "high-capacity magazine" of non-wooden leading edges! This is serious folks, bottom line is aircraft kill people and they must be stopped!

 

(BTW, that had to hurt, I'm glad to hear that he made a full recovery. He must have been one tough SOB!)

[Rocky_53 1,566]

Yikes! Must have hurt a lot. Glad he was only temporarily down. Just out of (weird) interest, how did the plane look like? You mention the wooden structure which surely helped.

Hi CoolP, unsure the state of the aircraft, although I'm pretty sure it came off better in the incident!

(BTW, that had to hurt, I'm glad to hear that he made a full recovery. He must have been one tough SOB!)

I think someone said that it was taking things to the extreme to try and knock some sense into him :lol:

[bratwurstdimsum 0]

What is that white stuff falling off the wing as its banking?

[FLEX1978 373]

What are the three objects that the pilot throws at him? It looks like the pilot did the whole thing on purpose!

[vololiberista 205]

This seems like yet another fake video.

1. The pilot deliberately dips his wing "in order to hit" the bystander.

2. The scene of the ambulance shows them picking "the mannequin" up from the ground in the opposite direction to which it fell.

[BMG50 9]

I hereby propose a ban on any aircraft with leading edges made from materials other than wood! We cannot continue to let these evil creations endanger the lives of our children and loved ones! In fact I think we should take it yet a step further and outlaw all flying machines with the possible exception of hot air baloons, and that should be limited to only those fueled by firewood due to the potential danger of flamable gasses under pressure! Consider the potential dangers of a rotorcraft - a veritible full-auto "high-capacity magazine" of non-wooden leading edges! This is serious folks, bottom line is aircraft kill people and they must be stopped!

 

(BTW, that had to hurt, I'm glad to hear that he made a full recovery. He must have been one tough SOB!)

LOL..(yet a serious subject)...Jim,I like it!!...2nd all the way for me...

[HiFlyer 9,343]

I nominate Nerf as the probable builder of that aircraft.

[Rocky_53 1,566]

This seems like yet another fake video.

 

Woooow.. hold on partner... did you not read my OP? I can promise you, it is not a fake video... in fact I will call my mate, the cameraman and ask him what the white powder was...

[Richbro 3]

Was that guy deaf? You mean to say he didn't hearing it coming ?

Sorry, but being hit on the back of the head like..............?

Beggars belief.

[Rocky_53 1,566]

OK, so I've just got off the phone with Mike the cameraman and this is what he said happened. It was 1976 and the news crew were doing a news item at Weston Super Mare air day in the UK. At the time, all the reporters were trying to outdo each other with more interesting and innovative pieces-to-camera. The reporter, Richard, was going to start a PTC holding an umbrella and say something like :" I suppose you're wondering why I'm standing here holding an umbrella during one the the hottest summer's on record.." when the plane was to fly over the top of him and drop a bag of flour. Unfortunately, the pilot could never get close enough and so the reporter said he'd do it again but this time without an umbrella. On the fatal fly by, the pilot reached so far out of the cockpit that he shifted the CofG and hence the wings tilted over and hit poor old matey off his feet! So the white powder was in fact flour!