“Colin McRae did not have a valid flying licence when the helicopter he was piloting crashed”
“Most of the flight was captured on video and it is clearly evident that unnecessary risks were taken and that the accident was completely avoidable.”
I was luckily enough to meet the man on a number of occasions, during my 5 year spell at Fords research centre at Dunton in Essex McRae was signed by Ford WRC and this is where he made his �entrance� debut for the team at Dunton.
I was working on the mechanical design for their ETL (Environmental Test Laboratory) and to mark his arrival Fords had arranged to have a number of their historic rally cars lined up for him on the test track.
He arrived on the helipad and made his way to the assembled cars and media.
The site I was working on was adjacent to the assembled cars and helipad so without fuss I made my way over to look at the cars and maybe catch a glimpse of the man.
I was gazing in awe at the actual 1970 Mexico Rally Escort that had been driven by Hannu Mikkola � a car that I had dreamt about as a boy and has always had a special place in my heart as �that unattainable car�.
I looked up and standing beside me all on his lonesome was Mr McRae, I was gobsmacked, he introduced me to himself and asked me what I did �mechanical engineer� I said, he said he was an average rally driver who had some good breaks.
We chatted about the car (what else could I talk about) and my deams as a boy. Without further ado he asked permission if he could take me in the Escort up to the helipad and back down to waiting area.
He did � twice, not very fast, but quick enough, he asked if I wanted his autograph but all I had on me was an A0 size mechanical drawing of the cooling plant for the ETL, he signed across the title block.
I now have that part of the drawing, accompanied by a press photo of himself and me of one of the most memorable days of my life framed on my office wall at home.
Through this very lucky encounter I got to know some of the WRC media team and during the next couple of years and with my connection to Fords I was lucky enough to be invited along to a number of WRC Rally stages taking full advantage of their VIP treatment across Europe.
I met him on a number of occasions to say hello and to remind him of my day as his passenger, I last shook his hand at Goodwood FoS in 2006.
To me, the man was a hero.
Wonderful stuff, Pete.
Touching mate, I don’t think I’ve read a better post…ever.
In his early career he drove a Cossy Sierra sponsored by the company my better half had just joined after leaving college - (Presspart in Blackburn). Even then he was both a gentleman and a seriously quick driver… A few months earlier another Presspart driver and local hero Cyril Bolton (who was no slouch) had left me speechless after a pax ride at the old Leyland proving ground, in his 6R4. Rumour had it that a certain young McRae had paid Mr Bolton back in the same fashion not long after
As a coincidence Colin’s Radical is about to be auctioned off 5 minutes walk from my office
http://auction.simoncharles-auctioneers.co.uk/race_car_auction/other_cars.asp
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“Colin McRae did not have a valid flying licence when the helicopter he was piloting crashed”
“Most of the flight was captured on video and it is clearly evident that unnecessary risks were taken and that the accident was completely avoidable.”
Sounds pretty damning but getting into a helicopter with him must be similar to getting into a car with him. The experience is going to be on the edge, surely. I’m sure he had not forgotten how to fly because he hadn’t renewed his licence…
It’s a shame though because that was the sort of man he was and no doubt the lawyers will have a field day and make lots of money at the expense of his estate. Great shame
Following on from Pete’s great tale, I had a Mk1 Mexico. It was, is, and always will be one of my favourite cars. It was a Boreham recce car, crashed on the Circuit of Ireland recce in 1975 and rebuilt.
Incidentally, how many of us on here now have invalid driving licences because we haven’t updated our photo?
10 years isn’t it, same as a passport…?
Don’t know - never had a photo driving licence. My old stylee paper one expires in 2021, so I’m buggered if I’m going to contribute anymore than needed to the load of hypocritical tosspots, who “govern” this country more for their own benefit, than the peeps who elect/pay them.
Incidentally, how many of us on here now have invalid driving licences because we haven’t updated our photo?
Does not having a photo licence invalidate your insurance?
From a pilot that knew Colin
It appears poor Colin was flying very low and at a speed close to Vne (Velocity never exceed) he was having fun flying about 20/30 feet above trees and then pulled some quite high G turns before diving into a small valley where the trees were quite close to the blade tips, following another high G turn and dive it appears Colin tried to pull up but clipped a Pine tree and took over half a metre off a main rotor blade this caused the whole rotor and main rotor gearbox to separate from the aircraft and what was left of the fuselage impacted the ground at high speed, tragic!
The AAIB cannot rule out that in Colin’s extreme manoeuvre he may have encountered Servo Transparency.
This is a very brief explanation:
The factors that affect Servo Transparency are high airspeed, high collective pitch, high gross weight, high “G”-loads, and high-density altitude. The maximum force that the servo actuators can produce is constant and is a function of hydraulic pressure and of the servo characteristics. The system is designed to exceed the requirements of the flight limitations in the approved flight manual. With excessive manoeuvring and under a combination of the above listed factors, the aerodynamic forces can increase beyond the opposing hydraulic servo forces and Servo Transparency can occur. An improperly serviced/maintained hydraulic system can also effect the onset of Servo Transparency. Servo Transparency begins when the aerodynamic forces exceed the hydraulic forces and is then transmitted back to the pilot�s cyclic and collective controls. On clockwise turning main rotor systems, the right servo receives the highest load when manoeuvring, so Servo Transparency results in uncommanded right and aft cyclic motion accompanied by down collective movement. The pilot control force to counter this aerodynamically-induced phenomena are relatively high and could give an unaware pilot the impression that the controls are jammed. If the pilot does not reduce the manoeuvre, the aircraft will roll right and pitch-up. The amplitude of the induced control feedback loads is proportional to the severity of the manoeuvre, but the phenomenon normally lasts less than 2 seconds.
Not a pleasant experience for a pilot, however you need to be flying pretty harsh manoeuvres to get into this problem and Colin appears to have been doing this at low level and had no margin for error. Plus, sadly, Colin had not renewed his helicopter licence which expired in 2005!
Does not having a photo licence invalidate your insurance?
Why should it, as long as the Driving Licence (either old style or photo) is valid?
Pete you have a few interesting stories…
I thought the one you told at the Chinese in Adenau about Britt Ekland (sic) one was a good
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Does not having a photo licence invalidate your insurance?
No, but if you do have a photo licence you must have a currently valid photo or that MAY invalidate your insurance. The photos on the new photo licences have a life of 10 years and the first issues of these are now ‘running out’. Apparently over 44,000 people have not reneweed their photos on their photocard driving licence which can attract a fine of up to �1,000. See TIMES ON LINE for the full story.
Why should it, as long as the Driving Licence (either old style or photo) is valid?
I agree with you, it was Mike’s comment about “How many of us have invalid licences”… which I took as likening McRae’s “error” (which it wasn’t) to things we do may wrong.
McRae’s licence had expired meaning his insurance was invalid, and indeed even when licence valid, he wasn’t qualified to fly that particular helicopter… so I was pondering the relevance of Mike’s statement.
The CAA. has been in turmoil for years imho.
There are so many different license… types/ratings/aircraft classes/weight classes/certification classes/speed classes etc. etc. etc.
It’s hardly surprising that the press has found a discrepancy in Colins rating/type conversion…
You really need to be a proffessor to ensure legality in sport aviation. Even then you can fall foul to the lawyers…
(passenger liability is capped at 850k in the PPL,D category)
So take my friends scenario after a crash in which his passenger could no longer do his occupation…
All legal and insured … the pilot did all he could do to be covered to take a passenger and cover all eventualities…
The lawyers had a field day… They calculated that the passenger had around 25 years of earning capacity remaining at 50 k per year … (well over a million)…
The pilot lost his house !
From the people I know from the flying fraternity I would stick my neck out and say roughly 50 per cent are not legal in the eyes of the CAA.
I have not took a passenger up now for the last 3 years.
Similar lawsuits occur in the gliding world with guides and instructors being sued for leading pilots into danger…
I stopped guiding 8 years ago and it is so sad that lawyers
can influence the future of flying in this way…
Was I qualified to guide?.. Truth is in our class of gliding there is no formal qualification required or recognised by our CAA.(to fly or teach)
That said I attained 3 UK records one of which still stands unbeaten today…
Aviation is unforgiving of mistakes…
JK
So take my friends scenario after a crash in which his passenger could no longer do his occupation…
All legal and insured … JK
If he was completely legal and completely insured, why didn’t the insurance pay out?
I’m not being disrespectful, just genuinely interested. Was there something he had forgotten to renew that meant his insurance was invalid?
Im guessing cos the payout was over the 850k limit mentioned?
Gav
Spot on Gav…
it was over the insurable limit
[quote… so I was pondering the relevance of Mike’s statement. [/quote]
I was merely wondering whether the fact that McRae’s licence had expired was an oversight, such as might apply to photocard driving licences, or blatant disregard for the rules. Also I hope I was highlighting a potential problem for those with photo licences.
I was merely wondering whether the fact that McRae’s licence had expired was an oversight, such as might apply to photocard driving licences, or blatant disregard for the rules. Also I hope I was highlighting a potential problem for those with photo licences.
TThe AAIB said that when Mr McRae had flown from Scotland to London in March 2006 he would have known his type rating had expired since the purpose of the flight was to meet with an examiner to renew it.