Another Tiger Moth Fly-by-Wire Story
by Ted Henderson

MSC had two tiger moth tow planes in the early 1960s at Hawkesbury, CF-CIT and CF-EXE.  Old-timers upon reading Gordon Hick’s account of CIT’s encounter with telephone wires will also remember EXE’s misadventure with them.

Since I was the pilot involved, maybe the time has come for me to record my recollections of the event before folklore takes over.

It was April 21st, 1962—first flying day of the season—a fresh spring day with a gusting wind from the southwest—sixth glider tow of the day.  Because of the wind strength all Tiger Moth landings were power on, tail up, “wheel” landings rather than the usual three point, stall type.  At the end of the landing roll, just as the tail was settling on to the ground, an unusually large gust from the left forward direction lifted EXE well clear of the ground.  Full throttle and stick forward to level off, regain flying speed and land again further down the field.  But the wind lifting the left wing was beginning to roll EXE to the right in spite of full aileron.  Only by allowing a slow turn to the right could I prevent EXE from slipping to the right into the ground.

It has been suggested that counter torque from the accelerating engine caused the roll to the right.  That may have been a minor contributor, but had not been a problem previously, and I believe wind was the main culprit.  As I was turning rightward, leveling off, and trying to gain enough air speed to climb away, my direction changed to perpendicular to the highway.  Acquiring air speed and altitude was painfully slow. My forced turn meant that I was climbing through a large component of a downwind wind gradient. Even so, as I continued towards the highway not wanting to turn further downwind, I expected to clear the cross arms of telephone wires on the poles along the south (near) side of the road.  Then I remembered that I was still dragging the tow rope—a very serious oversight—which I released, but too late.  Had I done so earlier I likely would have cleared the wires.

Realizing at the last moment that EXE’s wheels were going to catch the wires, I dove under them where there was just enough room between the wires and the fence to fly through.  However…there were two telephone wires strung half ways up the poles!  They broke but slowed me enough that EXE after flying across the road in front of an oncoming truck stalled and pancaked onto the fence along the north (far) side of the road.

Damage report:  one very startled Bill Roach who emerged from the club outhouse at the moment the Tiger Moth was heading towards it (we passed to the downwind side of it), several broken fence posts, one Tiger Moth lower wing (fence post poked through it), a broken propeller (hit a fence post), and a somewhat shaken and very humbled pilot.  Both plane and pilot lived to tow again—and Bill to use the outhouse again.

PS:

This incident nearly had a tragic ending in that the pregnant wife of a club member happened to be walking along the side of the road at the time.  One of the broken telephone wires snagged her ankle causing her to trip but otherwise not injuring her.


Ted Henderson ( MSC )