Cri Cri Down in Doylestown

That picture is ugly. Still I laughed at the headline 'Small plane crashes..."
 
There can't be more than one Cricket around E PA. There's only a few in the US.

He had to be really low. I wonder if one or more of his engines quit.
 
TedR3 said:
Hopefully not the guy who brings the Cri Cri by Wings Field from time to time:

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/20130602_Light_plane_crashes_in_Doylestown.html
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I'm hoping it wasn't John Szabo, John is the pilot who brings his cri cri to Wings FlyBQ a lot. Somewhere there is even a photo of Kent holding the tail by a rope while John revs the engines up. IIRC Frank trailers his cri cri but He does fly out of Doylestown (KDYL) So I am unfortunately guessing it was him. I hope not but who ever it is I hope they recover quickly. Not sure what happened yet.
 
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ClimbnSink said:
That picture is ugly. Still I laughed at the headline 'Small plane crashes..."
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For me, it was "only the pilot was on board". Of course they then call it a single engine.

Hope the pilot recovers quickly.
 
AdamZ said:
I'm hoping it wasn't Frank Szabo, Frank is the pilot who brings his cri cri to Wings FlyBQ a lot. Somewhere there is even a photo of Kent holding the tail by a rope while Frank revs the engines up. IIRC Frank trailers his cri cri but He does fly out of Doylestown (KDYL) So I am unfortunately guessing it was him. I hope not but who ever it is I hope they recover quickly. Not sure what happened yet.
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Unfortunately, your guess appears to have been correct (although the article says John Szabo, among other inconsistencies).

http://articles.mcall.com/2013-06-0...ht-plane-20130601_1_the-faa-plane-power-lines

The name Frank Szabo sounds very familiar, by the way... I may know this pilot.

-Rich
 
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AdamZ said:
Rich, I could be wrong on the first name. It probably is John.
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Or Frank could be John's middle name, something like that.

I'm pretty sure I went to high school with a kid named Szabo. I could be wrong, though. It was a long time ago...

Best wishes for a full and speedy recovery to this Mr. Szabo, regardless.

-Rich

EDIT: I also notice that they corrected the errors in the story. When I first read it, they described the aircraft as an ultralight.
 
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RJM62 said:
EDIT: I also notice that they corrected the errors in the story. When I first read it, they described the aircraft as an ultralight.
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in fairness to the journalist, that would be an easy mistake in this case
 
JHW said:
in fairness to the journalist, that would be an easy mistake in this case
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Fair enough. It's possible that FAR 103 isn't high on the list of things taught in journalism programs. :rolleyes:

-Rich
 
You guys beat me to it but I just looked at my pictures from Fly B Que 2007 and noticed the red trim on the white Cri-Cri that we all saw there. :(
 
More sad news. :( I just read a comment stating he had passed away. RIP and best wishes to the family.
 
Yes, Sadly John passed away on Sunday as a result of his injuires. He was a good guy and will be missed. He always supported Angel Flight East's activities and was very open with information about his cri cri and happy to talk to people about it. He was the chieif pilot at Merck and flew helicopters in Vietnam:(

A good man has flown west.
 
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Very sad news..

I had truly enjoyed meeting and speaking with John at a few of the Wings barbecues. He was a very nice guy..
 
Wow, profound sadness and respect for what sounds like an excellent aviator, a great American, and a remarkable individual. Good luck, and God speed!
 
What a blow to his family, friends, coworkers and the aviation community.
 
Sad. :( This is the second pilot I've met personally who has met his demise in an aircraft, the first being the pilot of the Med Flight chopper that flew into a hill near LSE at night.

I remember talking to John and asking him about single-engine performance on the Cri Cri, and as I recall he could still get 500 fpm on one, so I doubt that was the problem.
 
It won't be the last. The most sobering part of reading some of the reports is that you know the pilot was better than you'll ever be in almost every respect. Gulp!

flyingcheesehead said:
Sad. :( This is the second pilot I've met personally who has met his demise in an aircraft, the first being the pilot of the Med Flight chopper that flew into a hill near LSE at night.

I remember talking to John and asking him about single-engine performance on the Cri Cri, and as I recall he could still get 500 fpm on one, so I doubt that was the problem.
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wabower said:
It won't be the last. The most sobering part of reading some of the reports is that you know the pilot was better than you'll ever be in almost every respect. Gulp!
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Very true Wayne. I dunno perhaps its better to be scared than good:dunno:
 
So sorry to hear. Best wishes for the family.
 
Sobering. This brings up a question, in my about-to-be-a-new-student mind. Why do pilots have such a generally lax attitude towards fire protection in planes. My motorcycle and car-racing friends all have very nice protective gear they wear whenever they do those activities. Pilots seem to roll their eyes and make fun of others for wearing anything other than jeans or even shorts and polo shirts.
 
Timmer said:
Sobering. This brings up a question, in my about-to-be-a-new-student mind. Why do pilots have such a generally lax attitude towards fire protection in planes. My motorcycle and car-racing friends all have very nice protective gear they wear whenever they do those activities. Pilots seem to roll their eyes and make fun of others for wearing anything other than jeans or even shorts and polo shirts.
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Airplane racers wear Nomex flight suits. Do you don fireproof clothing in your car? Do you carry a fire extinguisher in your car?

I do wear protective gear on the motorcycle, but that's because I'll need it if I crash, something all too likely on today's roads. The leathers are fire resistant (most leather is) but it's main role is to be pavement resistant.
 
Timmer said:
Sobering. This brings up a question, in my about-to-be-a-new-student mind. Why do pilots have such a generally lax attitude towards fire protection in planes. My motorcycle and car-racing friends all have very nice protective gear they wear whenever they do those activities. Pilots seem to roll their eyes and make fun of others for wearing anything other than jeans or even shorts and polo shirts.
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I used to race motocross. I wore about $1500 worth of gear. But I was a racer, not some guy flying an airplane from point A to point B.

As steingar pointed out airplane racers and aerobatic competitors wear gear... like parachutes and fireproof clothing.

Just FYI aircraft interiors are fire resistant. Materials must be FAA approved. There are emergency procedures for dealing with fire in flight and on the ground, and your instructor will teach them to you. You are also expected to know these for your private pilot's checkride.
 
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And yet, your car has airbag systems, nice firewalls, crash protection, etc. Your plane flies at well over a hundred miles per hour and is built as light as possible with nearly no crash protection.

As I said, pilots seem to take a very relaxed view of fire and other protections despite going faster and with less protection that other sports like motorcycles or car racing, even when not going fast.

My friend that auto-crosses barely gets to high speeds and yet wears crash helmets, gloves, goggles, etc.

And yes, if my car was driving well over 100mph and a mile off the ground, I would definitely think about adding those equipment lists -- but good point, everything is a calculated risk. But then so are seat belts -- don't need them a lot of the time, either.
 
Keep in mind that the way many certificate airplanes are built a bit differently. The fuel tank in a Cri-Cri is directly underneath your legs. If the tank fails during an impact it's going to get nasty.

Cricri_June_2012_06_0.JPG
 
Wow. Yeah, definitely a risk there. At least it has nice seat belts.

I've always wondered why those military-like five-point harnesses aren't mandated. I've read more than one survival story because of those and they're highly used in the car world, too.
 
Timmer said:
My friend that auto-crosses barely gets to high speeds and yet wears crash helmets, gloves, goggles, etc.
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He is also driving at the edge of traction and in the immediate vicinity of other vehicles pushing their limits as well.
 
If you want to stay safe, get a cribbage board. The hobby has risks, and a bunch of us won't get old enough to have our medicals revoked.

That said, I think flying while perched atop an avgas ottoman would weigh on my mind during the runup.

RIP to this dude.
 
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