Nearly Breaking my Neck Pulling +6 and -3 G’s: Pitts S2B - Competitive Aerobatics - Flight VLOG
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- Опубліковано 9 вер 2024
- I need to be in better shape to pull G’s like a competitive aerobatic pilot!!
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FLIGHT CHOPS DISCLAIMER:
I am a "weekend warrior" private pilot, I fly for fun with no intentions of going commercial. I have had my PPL for over 15 years, but still consider each flight a learning experience - I generally take detailed notes after each flight to remind myself what went well or what I could do to improve.... Having the GoPro cameras to record flights like this is invaluable. I find these self analysis videos very helpful in my constant quest to improve, and am happy to share. Feedback is invited; however, please keep it positive.
Nice work FlightChops! This is probably the most realistic and down-to-Earth presentation of real aerobatics that I've ever seen online. Very few pilots fly to even intermediate competition level (I certainly can't!) so this material stands out. Just documenting what it is like to ride along like this gives a really good appreciation of how hard it is to finesse the figures and because you didn't hold back on how tough the G is without being too sensationalist about it, non-flyers will get a good idea too. Great work!
+Matthew Law - Right on thanks! The goal was to make this as immersive as possible! Thanks for letting me know you thought we succeeded!
"So I'm gonna get rid of the music..."
Your sir are a gentleman and a scholar.
It's rare you find someone that doesn't play music over everything important.
haha - thanks! Glad you appreciated that :)
Don't worry, Gs are much easier when you're the one actually flying so you know when they're coming
Agreed - it was WAY easier to handle when I was in control - mind you I didn't pull them as hard or as fast as he did :P
The key is to set your neck and never try to move your head under G, that's when you'll get a rather sore neck.
Mark Jensen I would have let it move my neck naturally down
Why FlightChops is awesome: at 2:46 "I'm going to get rid of the music..." Thank you!
Also at 7:02 - very red face! Props to the Chops for not spewing all over everywhere.
:)
Luke Penner is not only a good instructor but a formidable competitor. Truly enjoyed getting to know him during the 2016 Competiton season. Good instructor for your video! :)
Totally - it was a pleasure to train with him!
Disagree. No good instructor would’ve cranked 6 G’s without warning. That’s ridiculous. Way to hang in there, Steve.
"Because I was inverted" Maverick Topgun
Someone had to say it :P
Awesome video. The way that guy was working the stick was amazing. Respect.
Looking forward to the video with Osama! Love his plane!
Yes, he is a wealth of knowledge! I;m glad to share the experience of flying with him.
You are amazing man! A definite inspiration. As soon as I get some money, I'm starting flight school. Cheers from Montreal!
Thanks!
Awesome! Harv's is where I learned to fly, 30 years ago. Great place to learn and fly. I haven't flown in over 15 years because life got in the way. But now I have more time, and money, and will do my refreshers with them soon. Glad you had such a great time while visiting my province.
I got a chance to ride and fly a S2B awhile back and after pulling a near vertical rotation from the airstrip he handed me the controls. After these years of playing simulations I knew how to handle a plane. Made a slow and smooth bank to the right and impressed my instructor during the entire flight! 45 minutes of aerobatics kicked my ass though, most tiring feeling after i stepped out haha.
That kind of flying nearly brings me to tears I love it so much.
Fantastic! I was fortunate enough to get a 20 min full aerobatic ride in a Pitts S2A a few years ago. It was totally unplanned, free, and just after Taco Bell. Loved every minute and will never forget.
Excellent edit...really clear video of a complex topic !!! Thanks a million.
Happy to share - glad you enjoyed it!
I got my PPL na CPL at Harv's with Luke as my CPL flight test examiner, great experience, great school, great people. I think it's so cool that you took the opportunity to do a couple episodes on it
my favourite FC video to date! aerobatics in a Pitts is one dream I'll never experience it seems. Got my PPL a couple years ago but can't see it happening for various reasons (geography and health). So I fly a model Pitts with FPV goggles on for my fix. And really enjoy seeing you do it for real too!
Thanks!
Wow, what a huge amount of cool planes and aviation that's going to be in this series. Keep kicking ass FlightChops, fellow Canuck, my favorite YT channel right now, hands down. I'm a rec pilot and former IFR controller at Winnipeg ACC back when it was Transport Canada not Nav Canada. The aviation information and entertainment provided by Chops here is the best I've found online.
+SerHaHa - I really appreciate this friendly feedback!
Always loved the Pitts. They're just cool looking and performing.
Ouch I could feel your pain. It is right when you know what's coming you can prepare for it.
It will be fun to watch the coming videos.
Wow, thought you herniated your entire cervical spine on that 6G pull up. That almost made my neck hurt just watching. It caught you off guard. Great video, great experience for you.
+pixamite1 - yes, I worried about having injured something initially... But have since had it checked out and I am ok. Dodged a bit of a bullet there. It is my fault for failing to brace on that one.
That's great news. Glad things checked out ok for you. I enjoy and learn a lot from your videos. Keep up the great job that you and the other people involved do. Safe flying to you all.
0:25 I am a horrible person, because even though you said "that hurt" it was still funny as hell.
Flightchops episodes on back to back weeks, life now complete😁😁😁
+Anthony Bellotti - we're so close to being able to publish weekly.., so close. Not sure how long we can keep it up but for the next month or so I think we'll have 3-4 new episodes per month.
Steve! That was BRUTAL! You're doing it right man and I'm proud of you! Excellent editing and beautiful video packed full of educational fun! Keep 'em coming!👍
Thanks! The rest of the series will come later this summer - it is a lot of material to get through and edit down from the 3 days of constant flying!
FlightChops
Out of curiosity, when was this actually recorded? Last summer/fall?
This was actually a rare case where I turned around an episode with in less than 2 weeks - the flight was May 1st, and the episode published on May 12th. But the rest of the more detailed training series with me in the back seat was comprised of 4 flights, each with a pre and post flight briefing that was filmed, so that will take a while to get through the post production pipeline.
FlightChops
Well done! I can't imagine how busy these videos must keep you, but just know that we all appreciate them like crazy.
Dude i was legit worried about you on that pull @ :20
Me too! I felt my neck crack in 3 places like a chiropractic adjustment - like I thought I actually HEARD it crack - which is impossible in the plane with the prop full fine.. but that is how it felt.
ha! glad your ok, props for sharing that also!
nobody likes a know it all, but: It is actually possible to hear your bones crack, even in extremely loud environment: it's called bone conduction
Wow... your first Pitts training was back seat?! Man... you ARE good! Thanks for lighting my fire to keep my promise to Budd Davisson and get my old butt down to Scottsdale AZ to get more Pitts training with him...
Haha - yeah well, it is mostly that Luke is THAT good. He was confident to have a relative newbie back there trying not to ground loop. But it actually did go fairly well, so I was pretty happy about it. Rounding out and flaring too high was the main issue initially, and Luke knew that would be the case so he never let me screw it up too badly.
7:01
Look at his face turning red XDD
Been there done that! Doesn't it ROCK!? I went 30 mins and wanted more! And we maxed the G's both positive and negative!
This is a great video showing competitive aerobatics! Glad you had fun and got your daily dose of Vitamin G! I hope you enjoyed the Pitts. That plane holds a special place in my heart.
The pitts is so much fun, I have some hours in an S2B. One thing I have learnt.. just when you think you nailed the 'spirited' landing.. it will turn and bite you. Also flying a competition sequence as a passenger really is not pleasant unless the pilot flying is very on-the-ball with his squeeze/breathe instructions.
Such a great video! Thank you. I was so 'in the seat'.. that 6G hurt me too! Well done. I so enjoy your channel. Thank you for all the hard work you put in!
+Ant Partridge - thanks for letting me know you felt immersed!
Very cool indeed, I did and intro to aerobatics flight in a super decathlon last year which was awesome, that was only about 4g in the loop but that felt a lot! An aerobatic rating is on the to do list!
I gotta be honest, you almost breaking your neck looked pretty funny haha. Great video's man. You're living the dream! Flying that is, not almost breaking your neck. ;)
+SgtGo - agreed. On both counts. :)
excellent video. id say that first figure really hurt. cant wait for your videos onnthe training you did
You did great! Competition aerobatics is very tough. First time I looped an S-2B I pulled my headset off in the same way your headset came off there. Haha!
Jesus that was brutal! Atleast it was only for 3 seconds. Awesome video as always chops!
Interesting to see the wing wag upon entering the box, i was taught, its easier to rock wings LEFT, then RIGHT, then LEFT again, make it a smoother manoeuver, and takes a little less time. the left/left/left, or right/right/right just feels weird. had me cringing when he did it on the video, Loved the 6G part... great video.
Looking forward to your next video's! I recentelijk got my PPL and next summer I'd like to get my aerobatics rating. (And they do have a Pitts there. :) ) Some years ago I pulled (only) 4G's with a former F16 pilot. After my first solo.. best flight of my life. :)
I think the most I've experienced was 4 G's in a friend's RV4. That was enough for me! Fun to watch though. Thanks
Intense! Amazing to see what goes on in the cockpit while flying acrobatics. Looking forward to the rest of the series, you're getting to do some amazing flying!
Can you make a video about your logbook entries and show us how your flying started as well as show off what all type of aircraft have you flown.
Steve, great work keeping the contents of your stomach from coming out! This video was put together perfectly. The stick view during the maneuvers is greatly appreciated. I had no idea the control inputs were so abrupt and staccato. Every time the PIC slammed the stick I thought "there goes the control surface"! Really looking forward to the breakdown!!
Thanks for sharing. A few sessions at the chiropractor should fix the back. Too bad it'll take a years worth of UA-cam money to cover it!
Fly safe!
That pull was nuts! Thanks for putting it up for us all to enjoy your agony ;)
Ha, the time it takes for your face to go bright red at 7:00 ! Great video :)
0:22 make a t-shirt with caption "bug on a windshield"
Wow! Simply wow! So tell us, were the cameras fastened any differently for this particular episode considering the excessive G forces anticipated?
Yes, additional "creativity" was required to be sure everything was mounted securely. We still had one camera end up tilting down 90 degrees during a pull out of a dive, and getting a shot of nothing but the bottom wing for the second half of the fist flight :P
But we tweaked that and had no other issues for the other 4 flights.
Hey I've seen that Pitts in the hangar! I'm training at Harv's Air and it was really cool to see you flying with Luke Penner! It looks like you were flying out of the St.Andrews campus. Loved watching this video
Wow Steve....that looked like it was so much fun.....well except for that one part. lol
+Keith Burr - I know, right? :P
"That fixed my back issue!" 🤣
The -3 was even more impressive than the +6, your face got dark red in an instant, that must be so uncomfortable .
Can confirm :)
Amazing episode, thank you!
Looks like after that 6+g stunt Steven had to check with his hands if his head is still there. LOL
Dang that was some sick flying! I love the Pitts! Cant wait to see your training!
Lol Steve, I feel bad for you because you got hurt, but seriously, that was hilarious watching you look like one of those cartoon turtles, sucking your head back in your shell. I hope the pain went away soon and no whiplash from it though. lmao.
Great video bud! Nice to see Osama as well. That TBM video with him in control, inspired me. I want to get a turboprop now... found out insurance for private ownership of a turboprop is virtually impossible however. I don't know how Osama managed it, but I'll be looking into it deeper. I can't afford a plane like he has right now, but always a used KingAir, or several other single and twin turboprops on the market I've seen, have been somewhat affordable. Cheers man! Great vid!
+Poppa Bear - thanks! And yeah, Osama is a special case... He has like 2000 hours turboprop time now
Great job Beats reading the IFR training manual. . I'd be jealous, but with all the neat stuff you get to do... who's got that kind of time? :)
Heh.. yeah... But I am still gonna get the Ir done - just a matter of time to fit it in :)
The book is the painful part. Least the Jeppeson one I'm using (first few chapters). Take something interesting and dull it down. Then pound it in.
Way to shake it off! Those are some serious g’s!!!
Amazing! glad your neck is OK now though!
I laughed so hard watching you grab your head like it would actually do anything to help! Haha, that was brutal. You handled it like a boss though. Props.
Great vid once again!
0:28 his face says it all :)
Looking forward for that TBM video!!!!
g
Great video as always
I just got endorsed for twin and I have a scena II. But this is crazy stuff man. I feel like throwing up just watching you.
Sydney, Australia
absolutely fantastic!
Remember pulling about 3.5 not sure how but it was sustained . My head was on my chin, & I had real trouble lifting it. This would scare the hell out of me at first & give me a buzz after, Also like him would need to strengthen neck muscles.
Haha man you are so lucky, thanks for sharing I can't get enough of your content.
Happy to share - glad you're liking it!
You really need some merch Flightchops!
There are fight suit patches... but yeah - maybe shirts and hats some day - it is just tough to manage that sort of stuff on top of trying to run the productions... If you check out the Patreon campaign you can see the patches - I think they came together pretty well.
I can attest, the patches are great!
Nice !
That is cRAzy!! You can actually observe how quickly and severely the G's hit. I seriously felt bad for him
Awesome! Love the content.
WOW!
LOVE the videos!
thats insane
Very nice. Thank you.
I have a bad neck to begin with and I felt your pain there. Ouch!
Wow amazing flight skills there.
Man, I'm so ready for this stuff :P I will definitely go after acrobatics training for gliders as soon as I gain some experience. Powered aircrafts will follow as soon as I'm allowed too...
great explanation of the aresti card and how to fly it
Anybody else sit back and watch a new Flight Chops video?
I feel like as an instructor, he should've pre-empted you just before he did the vertical climb at 6G to perhaps get ready in position for a high G impact. That could've lessened that feeling of a hurt neck.
+fahmi9 - honestly, he did. He even counted down to the pull. I was just over stimulated from the spin I guess, and I failed to properly brace for that one. I was ok for the rest, it was just that one time I dropped the ball and let my mind wander for a second at the wrong time.
what a great flight trainer...... osama.......
Good video...be nice to see what those moves look like from outside too
You need to get working on those neck muscles. I honestly can't tell if that looks like fun or not.
Joell Mabe having already flown an mdm-1 fox i can tell you it definately takes some neck muscles but it sure is a lot of fun!
Love the negative G chiropractic adjustment! :D
Ow! Did you measure your height before and after the flight? Looks like you lost a few inches.
It sure felt like I was shorter after landing!
Need some F1 style neck training!!
right?!
What up flight chops
That was awesome!
Oh man I felt your pain. Great job getting back your composure though ha ha!! I'm so curious to see how this would feel. Maybe one day I can convince Zan to take me up for aerobatics.
Hey! it's harvs that's where I learned to fly.
I love flying more than anything else in life, but you will NEVER see me in an acrobatic aircraft. I got sick just from watching😲
haha - yuh... it was a wild ride.
Ouch! 4 consecutive double practice spins were more than enough for me
Man... I thought we were going to see blood when your head went back. Great editing btw. Sometimes I think we forget about that part.
I love great !!! i want again
Ouch! I've got shitty posture and that hurt my neck just watching!
Wow I never realised just how much G you'd be able to pull in a Pitts. That looked painful!
Harv is a mad-man.. lol
I'm 250 pounds... 6x that would be a little over half ton... I would be dead lol. Great video man!
Awesome video
Dude you need to describe how that pull felt. Looks like your neck compressed so far downward that it did some damage. Are you in pain still?
+Bailey Jones - it felt how it looks :P. If I had braced properly I would have been ok, but I was unfocused after the spin I guess... And despite Luke counting down for the pull, I was not ready for it... And yeah, my neck cracked in like 3 places as if I was getting a chiropractic adjustment! I definitely worried at the time that I had broken something... But short of being stiff for a week or two I think I dodged a bullet there... Regardless, I am having it looked at to be sure (the flight was 2 weeks ago as of writing this comment today)
One of the many advantages of being an R/C pilot; I don't have to endure the stresses of high g maneuvers. Although I still fly as though my butt's in the seat! Pull those straps as tight as you can! And maybe grab a helmet. Cheers!
Why is the Pitts better flown form the back seat? Won't the front seat provide more visibility?