Oops!

[HeavyCavalrySgt]

I stopped off at the funniest airport in the US - possibly in the world - Lovelock, Nevada (airport identifier: LOL).

 

And found a much abused Strikemaster sitting on its belly in the middle of a taxiway.  It has been there for at least two weeks, so I was a little surprised to see it still there, and now leaking gas.

 

When there is barbed wire tangled in your airplane, it probably indicates some exciting moment in the past.  The dent looked like an imprint from a fence post.

 

 

The leaking gas and the caution tape are both new.

 

 

That's a problem....

 

The whole airframe looks buckled and wrinkled literally nose to tail.  Interesting trim tabs.  Simple and effective, I would guess.  Looks like a good slice of up trim.

 

Also not good.  I think that big dent was made by the left main as it was ripped off.  The airframe damage looks pretty serious to my uneducated eye.

 

The tear through the seems to have been made by a fence t-post.

 

Left main reunited with its aircraft, sort of.  More damage that looks like a fence post.

 

My guess is overrunning the runway, and I have heard people wonder if he had an engine out.

 

The interesting thing is that this is a British light attack airplane, formerly of Kenya or Kuwait, formerly of Botswana in this sad condition on a fairly remote strip in Nevada.  

 

I wonder if it was going to Stead and had a problem -- there are a lot of warbirds at Stead.

[AndyJWest]

Ouch!

 

This website http://www.warbirdalley.com/strike.htm says that 15+ Strikemasters are still airworthy. I think they'd best make that 14+. If it was something rarer, or with more of a history, I'm sure it could be repaired, but somehow I can't imagine that happening.

[MiG21bisFishbedL]

Ouch!

 

This website http://www.warbirdalley.com/strike.htm says that 15+ Strikemasters are still airworthy. I think they'd best make that 14+. If it was something rarer, or with more of a history, I'm sure it could be repaired, but somehow I can't imagine that happening.

Actually, a Strikemaster called "The Dragon" had a hard landing a few years back. Similar result. But, it got sold, fixed up, and is flying once more.

[HeavyCavalrySgt]

Ouch!

 

This website http://www.warbirdalley.com/strike.htm says that 15+ Strikemasters are still airworthy. I think they'd best make that 14+. If it was something rarer, or with more of a history, I'm sure it could be repaired, but somehow I can't imagine that happening.

 

I watched the video on that page - I wonder if it is a really rough runway or if this thing really taxis strangely!

[DD_bongodriver]

Us Brits seemed to have a love affair with trailing link nose gear which are quite bouncy

[HeavyCavalrySgt]

Us Brits seemed to have a love affair with trailing link nose gear which are quite bouncy

 

Ah, is that what does it?  Thank you.

 

The solution pictured about for curing that leaves much to be desired.

[HagarTheHorrible]

My father learn't to fly on a Strikemaster, or at least the training version (Provost), there's a picture of him in the Ladybird book of "The Airman" standing in front of one looking at a map (The good looking one at the front).  I don't think he managed to bend one like that though.

 

[DD_bongodriver]

That's pretty cool to have  a nice painting of your dad and it appearing in such classic publication, what did he fly after graduation?

[FlatSpinMan]

I like Strike master. We used to have them in the RNZAF, well actually, THEY, used to have them. Very snazzy they looked, too, in their RNZAF colours. They appealed to me in the same way that the Y-wing in Star Wars did.

[HeavyCavalrySgt]

My father learn't to fly on a Strikemaster, or at least the training version (Provost), there's a picture of him in the Ladybird book of "The Airman" standing in front of one looking at a map (The good looking one at the front).  I don't think he managed to bend one like that though.

 

 

That is really cool.