15-Oct-2006, 01:08 AM
Actually, David, the flight was quite legal. Small planes can fly there as long as the keep below a certain altitude (1000 ft above ground I think), stay directly over the river and don't stray into the La Guardia airport control zone. They don't even need to be talking to any of the Air Traffic centers in the area. I have a feeling that's all going to change real soon!
The "expert" consensus shown on TV so far is that a strong cross wind at the point where the pilot had to make a 180 degree turn to head away from La Guardia and back along the river may have blown the airplane's turning flight path into the condo block. Things may have been complicated by some form of malfunction that was occupying the attention of both pilots.
That particular airplane type is supposed to be a very good performer and should have been able to bank steeply enough to make that turn without a major problem. It is a bit unusual in having "side-stick" controllers instead of a more typical control wheel, and Cory Lidle might not have been fully at home with it if he'd trained on a control-wheel airplane. His airplane was a fairly recent purchase.
FYI, William, Lidle was a qualified pilot (single-engine landplanes in visual flight conditions only). He had been flying for about a year. Story is that he'd invited his flight instructor to the Yankee play-off game and they were going to fly the plane together, back to California, as Lidle was a bit leery of doing a trans-contiental flight on his own.
Frank
The "expert" consensus shown on TV so far is that a strong cross wind at the point where the pilot had to make a 180 degree turn to head away from La Guardia and back along the river may have blown the airplane's turning flight path into the condo block. Things may have been complicated by some form of malfunction that was occupying the attention of both pilots.
That particular airplane type is supposed to be a very good performer and should have been able to bank steeply enough to make that turn without a major problem. It is a bit unusual in having "side-stick" controllers instead of a more typical control wheel, and Cory Lidle might not have been fully at home with it if he'd trained on a control-wheel airplane. His airplane was a fairly recent purchase.
FYI, William, Lidle was a qualified pilot (single-engine landplanes in visual flight conditions only). He had been flying for about a year. Story is that he'd invited his flight instructor to the Yankee play-off game and they were going to fly the plane together, back to California, as Lidle was a bit leery of doing a trans-contiental flight on his own.
Frank
Frank Damp (wife Eileen, nee Nixon)
Leyland resident 1941-1965, emigrated to the US in 1968,
retired to Anacortes, Washington State, USA in 1999.
Leyland resident 1941-1965, emigrated to the US in 1968,
retired to Anacortes, Washington State, USA in 1999.