Tough Day -

[@MikePatey]

Great job on safe return and debrief my friend. I love your respect of others, the work performed, not blaming or hurting others while discussing a difficult situation. list the facts as known to help us all learn, open our minds to ideas and processes to ultimately become better builders and pilots. You are a great ambassador to aviation and a test pilot I respect. Great job bud !!! Cheers 👍🤠 Back To Work 🤠

[@utopiasnow]

Thanks Mike!

[@ChevTecGroup]

I know you test fly all your own planes Mike, but it would be cool to have Wasabi there for scrappy's first!

[@m.s.aviation7065]

Yeah I agree Mike. When you come at a positive view and make the best of a bad experience, the better off you are in the long run. Back to work!

[@nseaman1998]

@@ChevTecGroup the fricken dream team?!? Am I right?

[@Ripper13F1V]

@@ChevTecGroup It would be cool!

[@FlightChops]

Thanks so much for being willing to share this stuff in such great detail. We’re not all test pilots, but we can learn a great deal from your experiences. I know how hard it is to allow yourself to be vulnerable when putting stuff like this out there - so again, thanks for doing what you do. (And great job on this edit - that’s no small task!)

[@utopiasnow]

Thanks man, I appreciate your help with all of this. Just an engineer, taking to people is hard

[@ForFunFlyer]

Totally agree 👍🏻

[@mmichaeldonavon]

@@utopiasnow I was wrong with my comments - I've deleted them. Go for it.

[@stewartgrant9832]

Very informative. That was a classic fault. Like a little time bomb. Not to much damage I hope. Great edit. Hey Flight Chops are we going to see that trip edited up on the Dreadnaught Reno trip?

[@blake.crosby]

@@utopiasnow "Airplanes are cool" - And you're out there making them safer for everyone who thinks the same. 👍🏼

[@charlesincharge6512]

"I was the British guy speaking to you on the radio" If anything that man needs a cup of tea! 10 out of 10 landing Elliott, really good debrief certainly a lot of things I'm going to take on board.

[@utopiasnow]

Thanks man, glad you guys were there. He did a great job.

[@x4457]

@@utopiasnow Gotta find a job for that guy! He's got the right attitude and the fundamental skills to effectively communicate while under indirect stress - hard to find, harder to teach.

[@Acrowat40]

Deffo cup of tea. And more importantly with biscuits. (Tea without biscuits means you are in serious trouble)...

[@charleslacombe359]

Apparently you haven't heard the Air Traffic controllers who talked a non pilot, who was a passenger on a plane in which the pilot had a heart attack and died ! This guy had Never flown a plane, Several controllers actually talked the the guy down for a near perfect landing. At Night ! Unfortunately the pilot didn't survive. I believe it was somewhere in England. I think they even scrambled a Military helicopter to fly beside the guy giving him assistance also. Quite a Story, they had the Whole conversation on tape !

[@spifflespoof6951]

@@charleslacombe359 I remember that - there could've been several cases but here's one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l6Kzp4mura53qJI

[@terrybrockway5376]

Oh My... What a great outcome. As a 10,000-hour plus pilot. One single engine out episode. Luckily made a runway. God was watching after my brother and me. We bought a Beech Baron after that.

[@proonguice8386]

I feel like a new pilot learning to fly in tiny experimental Mustang is the equivalent of giving a kick start, raked Harley with ape hanger handle bars and a suicide shifter to a 16 year old to pass their driving test.

[@guitarTennisCarHomeFixFlying]

Totally agree, learn with the tribe and true assessment at 152 or 172 retracts obviously are sexy and facilitate higher speed but got to love the safety of fixed gear Ala a lot of Cessnas and the Cirrus

[@yadrenmolotok]

More like h2

[@brianhaygood183]

Yeah, I was pretty shocked to hear that was the plan. You can beat on a 30 year old Cessna a little and know it is going to do what it has done for the past 5000 hours. Low volume of manufacture plane, rare engine config, little redundancy, and a new pilot would be a terrible combination. Find a 150 and fly that for a year, minimum. If either of those failures had happened right after the guy got his license, this could very easily have ended badly.

[@melt2992]

Hilarious, thumbs up on your comment. I think the 16 year old stands a better chance of success. Hopefully the owner will realize how many ways this plane can hurt an inexperienced pilot or careless experienced pilot and start in a training airplane.

[@mikeholland1031]

Harleys are horrible. Don't give one to anybody to ride

[@scottwatson5767]

The most important thing of all this is that you walked away unharmed! Nice to see someone actually paying attention to someone else flying and was able to communicate the gear failure the way he did. All in all you walked away and was able to return home to your family, great job! Keep the videos coming, very interesting!

[@utopiasnow]

Boy you said it, I was very impressed by Brett. A great addition to the day for sure!!

[@arturvolpi]

This plane sounds like a handful. I really appreciate the guts required to be a test pilot.

[@GrogHambone]

He shit the bed as a test pilot. He was on the ground.... suffered a HUGE issue with the aircraft, so what does he do? Power back on and take off again..... with that HUGE problem to deal with. He caused this incident. 100%

[@Aerogamer158]

I’ve been flying for so far 20 years mixed between civ, flight instructor, check airmen, defense and commercial 121 ops. And I saw no problems with your decisions at any point. Hardest thing to do is find that low key point with no engine and you did well. One can always backseat drive, doubt the process they chose after the fact, but and I stress this, none can change the past, and the decisions were the best you could have made in the stressful moment of multiple failures. I had a piston decide to explore the outside world n a pa28r on my commercial single engine land checkride back in the day. 500 ft AGL after takeoff. My decision to make a turn and land on a crossing runway saved the aircraft and us inside from landing in a residential area, and luckily my gear locked down so all that I had was a stuck aircraft blocking a runway in the end. No matter what others say they were not in that seat, controlling that aircraft. You’re decisions were the best in the moment. Wouldn’t have a problem having you sit in my aircraft next to me or solo, amazing job.

[@kevinvoges3447]

Good stuff, Elliot. I'm an engineer and own a steel technology company who flies a STOL Skywagon. Your KZbin videos are fantastic and I have a tremendous respect for what you do. I find that your words are measured and you just present the facts of your process while still being considerate of others. Keep up the great work! May God continue to keep you safe.

[@utopiasnow]

Thanks Kevin!!

[@dwarfinger]

I'm an "Industrial Safety" guy,. with little aircraft experience, and this is a wonderfully explicit "Accident Investigation"! Thank you, for your example!

[@txkflier]

I couldn’t stop watching, so I watched all the way to the end. I reckon you did a good job on the video. It was interesting from start to finish. Thanks for bringing us along..

[@utopiasnow]

Thanks for coming along, I appreciate the support!!

[@bendeleted9155]

Yes, very condensed and well-edited on top of everything else good about it.

[@noneshere]

Yes sir the plane flies great, come watch me crash it 😳.

[@jmace5964]

Always along for the journey. Airplanes are cool even if they let you down

[@utopiasnow]

Thanks 🙏 man

[@walnut_trail_farm]

Great work Elliot. My most poignant takeaway from this video is that you, an incredibly experienced/knowledgeable/effective aviator, are still learning new things about how you respond and react under cockpit stress (e.g. “too much customer service”). Your personal human performance debrief is not only fascinating but also encouraging. Excellent job and thanks for the transparency.

[@utopiasnow]

Thanks for the observation. I see the trap that builds you up in your own mind, conveniently forgetting mistakes that are hard to think about. As soon as you start bringing cameras along on test flights you realize how error prone you are, and the best thing you can do is bury yourself in the lessons and try to get smarter and better. I have been lucky to have the experiences I have had and it would be cruel to squander the lessons that came with them. Thanks for the comment and the support.

[@eCitizen1]

Thanks. This video does an excellent job of highlighting the myriad things about aircraft that I know absolutely nothing about. I'm very glad there are experts like you who do know a little something about these majestic beasts.

[@ronmac1832]

Makes me appreciate the dual magneto systems even more. Lose all the electrical you want and the engine keeps running (and still has a backup).

[@haroldbaker48]

That is a false sense of security my friend. There have been many times a dual magneto failure has brought a plane down. Have had both coils fail myself. Fortunately was able to limp back to base.

[@ronmac1832]

@@haroldbaker48Has dual electronic ignition proven more reliable than dual mags yet?

[@lukebelvin4900]

@@haroldbaker48 what an idiotic thing to say. Shows how little you know about piston flying.

[@MotoVloggedOUT]

RIP Ethan Gadis. I’m a good friend of his father.

[@HamBown]

Man those snippets of carnage during the story really brought things back into perspective. Despite the less than desirable outcome of the program I am glad to see that everybody walks away at the end of the day and I wish you safe travels into the future. Thanks for the excellent debrief and for being an awesome dude!

[@ces188charles6]

Yep, airplanes are cool. My dad put in a couple of planes in his flying career, and his advice (etched in my brain)" fly it until the banging and clanging stop!" Good job!

[@utopiasnow]

Thanks for the comment and for coming along.

[@ces188charles6]

@@utopiasnow I like your vids, very informative and you give your mindset as to what's going on as it's happening. I imagine it good for you, to help hash thru it and it gives everyone else an idea what goes on when things go bad. Your a calm cool pilot, my dad would have been proud to know you.......

[@utopiasnow]

I appreciate that

[@cyanoacry]

Amazing work, and thanks for publishing such a detailed debrief! I'm an electrical engineer who flies experimentals, and this is a _really good_ example of how a little bit of electrical budgeting gone wrong can make a real mess, definite food for thought. Really glad you made it through unharmed, and congrats on the smooth landing-to-spinout despite the circumstances. Best of luck on your future programs!

[@donbarnett-tt4rc]

As a pilot who had an engine out on base to final, it’s amazing how fast stuff happens, watching you reinforces “fly the plane”. You knew it wasn’t worth trouble shooting and flew the airplane! Best advice I ever got pounded into my head!

[@kirkkenton807]

First, so glad you are safe. Second, amazing work and professionalism which in my opinion is a testament to why you are safe. Thanks so much for sharing so everyone can learn.

[@WillOstrick]

Very well put together Elliot, I truly think this debrief will help pilots out there if they ever find them selfs in a similar gear situation. Great work 👍

[@utopiasnow]

Thanks 🙏 man

[@brentheilman8910]

Man once again i am incredibly impressed at your piloting skills. I hope to see this plane fixed and back in the air better than before. 👍😎✈Airplanes are cool. 👍

[@utopiasnow]

Thanks Brent, good to have you along

[@400_billion_suns]

Honestly I hope to see this plane straight-up mothballed until significant redesign makes it much safer! Just my useless two cents :)

[@FougaFlyer]

Good job, any landing you can walk away from is a good one.👍 Great tech depiction on that project.

[@gary412222]

Wow . Owner is lucky have u as a pilot. Well done. No apologies required from you .

[@kevchilton908]

That was totally amazing, Elliot! I was engrossed from minute one right until the end and I'm so glad you made it down safely. Your honestly and attention to detail is so refreshing, and the main reason I follow your channel. I probably learned more from watching you deal with the gear problem and then the engine-out in this vid than I've ever done practising them myself! Your patreon link didn't work the last time I tried it, it did this time though and I feel honoured to help. Stay safe! Airplanes are cool! 👌

[@j.muckafignotti4226]

Very interesting. My thoughts are about three critical flight systems serviced by a single breaker. Landing gear hydraulics, fuel pumps, and engine ignition with no PMG, should all have been on individually serviced hot battery bus tie ins so as not to lose the whole kaboodle if one of these overwhelmed the circuit breaker. I also found it odd that anyone would forgo installing an idiot light that gives you an incredible amount of information, the gear UNSAFE (amber) light. That idiot light tells you many, many things. On the ground a flickering UNSAFE light tells you three things, your gear are not down and locked, your down lock switch is failing or out of rig, you have a lose or improperly fastened gear down lock strut. During transition from gear down to gear up, your UNSAFE or gear in transit light is normally illuminated, AMBER. On reaching the gear up and locked position, the making of the up lock switch removes power from the UNSAFE light, and then allows illumination of three gear up red lights, or whatever the aircraft gear requirements are. The gear up in the hole should also remove power to a dedicated hydraulic pump, depending on the installation architecture of the system. An AMBER on light instead of three reds tells you your gear are not retracted fully, uplock switch not made, power still on UNSAFE light, no power through uplock switch indicating gear stowed or three reds. So this AMBER light is again giving you lots of information, situation not normal for selected gear position. Has the hydraulic pump failed, does gauge still show pressure, yes, misrigged uplock switch or failure of uplock switch. Does gauge show pressure, no, failed hydraulic pump, set gear lever to down position and expect three green gear down lights. Idiot lights are just that, light for us idiots to make good choices in times of financial insecurity, because I guarantee, the gear not staying down and locked is going to be expensive!

[@400_billion_suns]

Totally agree on the single breaker. That seems insane on a plane like this which already lacks redundancy elsewhere. Oh, your fuel pumps tripped the breaker? Well, congrats, now you've got no gear or motor too! This video demonstrated just one of numerous ways that shortcoming can make a dangerous situation a deadly situation!

[@terry12327]

A lot of knowledge systems can be aids to the pilot and added into some lights, or dials that may show potential problems. as you point out!. sometimes a few more "what-ifs" should have been added to the cockpit for the pilot!

[@jackt6112]

"My thoughts are about three critical flight systems serviced by a single breaker. " No kidding! That is unimaginable to me and violates even the most basic logic. There is something we can learn from buying a homebuilt. First, A&Ps work in an environment where there is an expectation of basic logic being employed in the design and implementation. He has ADs that are the results of experience with aviation-designed components refined over thousands of hours of use. With an automotive engine power plant and a custom gear system, there was plenty he was in no position to critique. Second, you cannot expect even a highly skilled test pilot to have more than a high-level understanding of the aircraft's systems. Third, this means the owner of a homebuilt is responsible to have or acquire the skills to critique the design and implementation of the aircraft systems. In this case, the A&P could be of little more use than to check for corrosion and the health of the manual flight control system. For anything else, he was an unqualified second opinion, since most of the critical systems are not from the General Aviation industry. They needed to add a mechanical engineer and special machine builder experience for the gear, and the conversion manufacturer or a well-trained auto mechanic that could talk intelligently with them for the engine, gearbox, and prop. Unlike an aircraft engine, you need expensive instrumentation and the knowledge to use it to evaluate the health of something as sophisticated as a car engine.

[@edwinhsingmaster9135]

I once worked on a "kit car" Porsche speedster, only one! The Ts got dots, and the Is got a cross bar.

[@gyrogearloose1345]

@@edwinhsingmaster9135 What? Can you make your comment clear please?

[@toanthai]

I am not a pilot but video like this is fascinating. Glad you were able to make it back to the airport.

[@georgerockwell-z3c]

I didn't think I was going to spend an hour watching a plane crash video but here we are. That was a cool story. Glad nobody was hurt!

[@utopiasnow]

Thanks for coming along.

[@MrJovifly]

I am glad you walked away. Great cockpit management. Thank you for the teaching moments.

[@gmonnig]

Airplanes are cool! I was going to pull the plane out today. After watching a gear collapse AND engine failure on the same flight, I think I’ll just get a coat of wax on the Comanche. Happy Father’s Day Elliot!

[@adamschwartzberg5238]

Thanks for sharing, Elliot. Your videos have been really helpful in my development of a new mindset at work. The lessons in walk throughs, preparation, and just talking through things has been super helpful even in the cyber security world, especially the debriefs. This video is a prime example of how preparation can make a really crappy day less terrible than it can/should be. (airplanes are cool)

[@utopiasnow]

Thanks man

[@nseaman1998]

Elliot… it’s so impressive that you were able to muster up the courage to share this for the greater well being of the aviation community. It really is pilots like you on here that are able to grow and foster a stronger and safer group of pilots. I can’t even begin to imagine what it must feel like being in this situation even after seeing this video, so amazing work to say the least. Cannot wait to see what you get into next!!

[@America2gether]

Worrying about customer service while handling a emergency is mind boggling to me. Engine stumble, gear problem = belly landing, get emerg services deployed. Great detail, lessons, and channel.

[@CWLemoine]

Great video. I've seen a couple of comments about condensing 3 hours of stuff into a 1 hour video. My humble advice FWIW: KZbin space is free and your audience is pretty devoted. There's no reason not to break it up into smaller videos, especially since this covered multiple flights. If you had three hours of stuff, you could've made an entire playlist/series releasing videos once or twice per week. That helps with audience engagement, channel activity, and all the other stuff the algorithm likes to help your channel grow. Just technique only. I'm glad FlightChops introduced me to your channel and am looking forward to more videos.

[@tre420gaming4]

even Mover is up in this piece?!? Yo, you still playing DCS? have you started your own server yet? I'd LOVE to fly with ya/against ya sometime! I love your channel.

[@bobbyguns100]

Hi CW, I am one of your subscribers, awesome to catch you outside your channel lol

[@krotchlickmeugh627]

Be realistic. Anyone thats going to be interested in even half of the nitty gritty were never going to stay anyways. I have nothing but time and im not the only one. 3 hours is a daily listen through the headphones as i 🔧. I wouldnt change a thing.

[@t44e6]

My advice is to also use and crosslink other video hosting sites such as Bitchute, Odysee, Rumble, and Dailymotion. KZbin is engaging in some seriously dangerous behavior and is increasingly a platform for corporate content.

[@Boeing_hitsquad]

Aren't you supposed to be learning helo? .. wtf you doing watching these long ass videos? 😋

[@xrae21]

Glad you're ok. Plane's can be replaced father's can not. Happy Father's Day E

[@shoop4040]

Elliot this is exactly why you are a test pilot and a Dam good Test Pilot. You are well prepared and if a crash landing needs to occur then you also know how to handle the aspect of it. I am certain your family is thankful for your professional and capable ways. May Ethan rest peacefully sad to hear.

[@TurboJenkins]

I was in shock you had the reaction time to catch the gear collapse then the engine quitting slapped me in the face as well. Good video !

[@craigwright5585]

Your ability to dissect the situation as it was unfolding is impressive. Well done!!!

[@utopiasnow]

I’m doing my best, I can assure you I used both hands. Thanks for the comment!

[@richard75013U]

Wow, as a spectator, very interesting, as an A&P, super interesting RCA! Thanks for sharing!

[@donmoore7785]

This is an excellent recap of the project, and accident. The only thing I would have suggested adding is one or two still shots of the dashboard, with a highlighted location of a critical control/gauge/indicator. Most notably, the offending circuit breaker. Also the gear lock, which I didn't see. I find the two failures very troubling. As an electrical engineer, the incorrect sizing of the circuit breaker I find an unacceptable oversight in an aircraft with little to no redundancy. Your approach to checking out this aircraft is laudable, and the comments you made about how it made it through X hours with the marginally sized breaker show that such an approach is warranted. The right gear failure is something they need to get to the bottom of. Hopefully the investigation will determine the cause. Great work on this video!

[@crono331]

or even better the hydraulic pump should have had its own breaker of fuse. i am not a big fan of breakers. i have seen bad breakers (very high voltage drop when under load) do really funny (and hard to troubleshoot) things to electrics i know many people look in horror at the automotive fuses i used on my airplane, but millions of cars reliably use those since decades. properly sized and wired, i consider them quite safe (and cheap and light)

[@EnniodBleu]

@@crono331 How do you troubleshoot and fix a blown fuse in an urgent situation quickly though? Breakers give you a visual clue to the problem straight away. And an option to attempt a reset, rather than fiddling around for a new fuse. A fuse may protect your wiring well but it's doing less than a breaker to keep you safely in the air.

[@crono331]

@@EnniodBleu if properly dimensioned fuses blow there must be a reason. I wouldn't put any breaker or fuse on fuel and ignition systems. A breaker popping on takeoff and shutting down engine will kill you.

[@Daschickenify]

@@crono331 With no breaker or fuse the wire will heat up instead, burning out completely and catching on fire. It will give you a little more time, but a lot more trouble when it does go.

[@crono331]

@@Daschickenify you might change idea the moment the fuse or breaker pops right after take off. if you have the time.

[@flymachine]

"Thanks for staying for the whole video"?? Man I was hoping for much more! I love the long format of your videos. Such amazing professionalism and sincere introspection and consideration for others is what sets you miles apart in this industry in my opinion.

[@utopiasnow]

Thank you Darren, tell your friends. Did I mention we offer a referral bounty?

[@flymachine]

@@utopiasnow Maybe one day you can put my concept Carbon Kite through the signature Seguin refinement in South Africa

[@robertn2813]

@@utopiasnow 😮 like Chick Fil-A coupons ????? weeeeeeee !!

[@ctpctp]

That owner was VERY VERY lucky to have you testing out his plane.

[@utopiasnow]

It could have been worse. Thanks for the note!!

[@twizz420]

I'm wondering what makes someone who isn't a pilot buy an experimental kit plane?

[@Pantdino]

@@twizz420 I love warbirds and Mustangs in particular. Makes much more sense to pay a competent pilot to take off and land for me than get a license and just enough skill to kill myself.

[@squarefour1]

I watched the entire video. Normally I would not have, but your explanation of events was very interesting. Great job!! That is all anyone can say. Great Job!!!

[@utopiasnow]

Thanks for saying that!!

[@chagoflyer1]

Incredibly thorough debrief and analysis of the incident, thanks for sharing and glad there were no major repercussions.

[@P51]

thank you, Elliot. this is VERY much a teaching/learning exercise for most of us. it BOGGLES my mind how the engine electrics are not isolated/redundant from the rest of the electrical system. also interesting to me the "feather" position on the propeller doesn't look very feathered. your methodical approach to risk mitigation is exceptional.

[@Pantdino]

Owner here- The Whirlwind Aviation prop cannot be fully feathered like a turbine prop can. We had the minimum pitch detent set for pretty aggressive pitch so in the event of governor failure we wouldn't lose thrust, but there is a maximum pitch limit also.

[@crono331]

@@Pantdino hello Sir, hope you can repair this very good looking aircraft. Separate buses for engine and for everything else would have been a good practice. Not meant to be a criticism but electrics in airplanes can be a source of bad surprises with their complex and sometimes obscure failure modes. I would also fit the internal backup battery to the dynon.

[@ashsmitty2244]

I’m only 40 something seconds in and I had to pause and comment. WOW!! Is not even close the words I’m after.

[@utopiasnow]

It was something

[@awol2019]

Thank you so much sir. The aviation community can study and learn from this for decades to come . You truly are a great Test Pilot . Cool under incredible pressure .

[@utopiasnow]

Thanks man

[@russ1046]

That was spectacularly interesting. Thanks for putting this out there. I have spent 24 years working around the RAF but had no intention of watching an airplane video today - I'm pleased that I did.

[@utopiasnow]

Thanks for saying that. RAF...Rutan Aircraft Factory or Royal Air Force?

[@russ1046]

@@utopiasnow the Royal Air Force - I'd not previously been aware of the Rutan Aircraft Factory. Every day's a school day 😁

[@williamridge6160]

Well done! Well done! Well done! Your analysis and details are excellent. As a 1000+ hour Navy Flight Instructor in the T-28B & C back in the day, Carrier Pilot and Vietnam Vet, I will fly with you anytime!!!

[@AviadorRPrado]

Congratulations for the management of the whole situation during this emergency! 👏👏👏

[@utopiasnow]

Thanks Rafael!

[@aerialadventureskewasiuk9478]

"Airplanes are cool" and Elliot, you kept your cool, much respect sir!!!! I image you are giving your wife lots of grey hair ;-)

[@utopiasnow]

Thanks for the comment and the support. Glad to have you along.

[@rotten007pig]

Absolutely in love with your channel. I had my first dead stick landing a few months back and it has definitely opened my eyes up to how we can mitigate risk. Luckily I had great flight instruction and was able to 180 spot with no problems. We talk about it in flight training all the time but you're doing it real world and I enjoy hearing your process when things gets weird.

[@utopiasnow]

Thanks man, “things get weird” I like that

[@burtthebeast4239]

This is ONE AWESOME PLAY BY PLAY video. I'm not a Pilot but I learn so much from these videos, Thank you for sharing. And im really glad everything ended with nobody hurt. Great Great Job.....

[@larryegilman1]

We miss your videos and expertise that have contributed immeasurably to aviation safety!

[@thanatos767]

Hey excellent editing, great journey, absolutely love the debrief side of this. Can you share next steps for Jim and or this bird?

[@savethedeveloper]

49:25 no way for pilot to know pump running? Yikes. I would have expected to at least see that on ammeter, had plane been built that way

[@wiedehopf9068]

Having the fuel and hydraulic pump on the same breaker seems ridiculous considering this setup. But maybe i don't know enough about how these systems are typically set up on aircraft.

[@Spaniardface98]

I've always been interested in planes and particularly warbirds in a very superficial way, but this was my first exposure to the reality of aviation and it was incredible. Your editing, your step-by-step logic of events and your sheer technical knowledge are commendable. I suddenly find myself incredibly interested in the technology and knowledge involved in planes and aviation, and I feel that it is in large part due to the passion you shared with us. Thank you for this video!!

[@tjjohnson4185]

Fantastic job of handling a bad situation. Well done Elliot.

[@jlol4951]

Great video. Not too long at all. Well done in every respect.

[@SkyviewArts]

Well done landing the plane, and getting out safely.

[@jonathanpainter4452]

Elliot, Really glad you were able to bring these emergencies to the ground safely. Have been waiting for the back story since the thumbnail weeks ago. Agreed, you are the right man, and by extension Justin and your company, to represent flight test to the world. Nothing cowboy about this. You created a build up plan, worked the plan, and had the experience to get this done when the plan took the less desirable path in the mental flowchart. Solid debrief. I would've watched 3 hours of this debrief (twice). Thanks for putting in the work to let us all along! Fly safe

[@utopiasnow]

Thanks for saying that! Great to hear from you and to have you along!!

[@deansiracusa3966]

Well done all around! As someone who’s declared emergencies and had engine failures before, I can attest to the feeling of exhaustion after it’s all over and you’re out of the plane! I really appreciated the extensive and detailed explanation of the entire course of events. There’s so much to learn from all of it!

[@davedonnora3266]

Great job with the testing and minimizing the damage. Excellent job of explaining the details of the whole program start to finish.

[@utopiasnow]

Thanks

[@jefftuckercfii]

Found your video by accident while surfing KZbin today. As a CFI/CFII Rotorcraft Helicopter I've seen many training accidents reported verbally and on paper, but never one with accompanying video and this level of debrief detail. I have no fixed wing ratings and about five hours in a C-152 28 years ago, but I've always like the Mustang replicas. You did what looked like a very thorough job with the owner all the way through this, starting long before the incident flight. This has given me a whole new appreciation why aviation systems are redundant and designed the way they are. Automotive systems are fine for cars, but you can't just pull over to the side of the road if the engine quits in your aircraft. I used to think it was so silly to have an engine run by magnetos and such while everything on the road was running with computerized ECUs and all kinds of other high tech electronics. Aviation systems technologies in type certified aircraft are mature and proven, unlike the "proven" replica's tech. The LS is a fine motor...for cars. And that electrical design that ran those three quite critical systems through a single breaker? Who thought that one up? I don't know if the plan was for you to train the owner in his aircraft if the series of test flights had been successfully completed, but I imagine he would have had his hands full learning to fly in that ship. Great job on your emergency landing and congratulations on being uninjured. Thank you for sharing all this information with us. Would love to hear how this all wraps up and the final disposition of the aircraft. Just subscribed, too. And before I forget, a shout out to Brett for supporting you from the ground during a very trying time.

[@GunganWorks]

Wow. I learned so much from this video. And shoutout to Brett for coordinating your ground resources. What a legend!

[@utopiasnow]

Thanks for the kind words and support, great to have you along.

[@Warekiwi]

As a retired 737 pilot I appreciated your analysis. In over 16,000hrs of flying I never experienced a multiple failure like that! Excellent and honest report!

[@ForFunFlyer]

Thanks for sharing this. I can't imagine how you must've felt, directly after the crash landing. I'm no expert at all, but it looks like you handled everything well 👍🏻 And great job making such a detailed video about all the events 👌🏻

[@utopiasnow]

Thanks for saying that. Great to have you along.

[@tilmanfrers7206]

Holy smokes, talk about a common failure point. Crazy design. I've been in airline operations for 10 years, where safety standards are different, but this is surprising. I have an LS engine too, but its installed in my pickup! If that quits, I just pull over! Hats off to your risk management and pre planning. It clearly works.

[@cw2gtc]

Well… if nothing else, mate, you make it look SO easy!

[@monsenrm]

Man there are a lot of bugs to work out with that engine combination. What about putting lead in the tail and get the CG within range? However with no confidence in the gear box I would be hesitant to think about that system until these issues are settled.

[@nealm6962]

Needs bigger tail feathers on a longer boom, or don't put a corvette engine in where O-360 would work better.

[@stevegiboney4493]

@@nealm6962 vette engine is 40-50 lbs heavier.

[@jiyushugi1085]

Great job! Congratulations. Your thoroughness and professionalism are admirable. Perhaps I misheard, but if the owner is not a pilot and is planning to learn to fly in that airplane and then fly around in it himself.....that is deeply worrying.

[@utopiasnow]

Thank you for the comment, great to have you here. Yeah I think Jim knows the goals are lofty, but to be honest I kind of dig his approach. I started in a Cessna 150 because I didn’t have another option. If he wants to start in a T-38 that’s between him and his accountant 😎🚀⚡️⚡️ thanks again

[@400_billion_suns]

I agree. It's his right to make that choice... but man. This plane is a handful even for a very experienced pilot. It lacks the safety provisions, proven flight heritage, precedence of emergency procedures and lessons-learned, and many other things that typical trainer aircraft have, and on top of that it's a taildragger with exceptionally bad visibility even for a taildragger. If a less experienced pilot had been in this situation from the video, the outcome could have been a *lot* different.

[@CreeperOnYourHouse]

In summary, if I'm understanding this right; 1. Hydraulic landing gear didn't lock for some reason, unclear why. 2. The hydraulic pump switches were set to turn off when the landing gear locks, but it didn't lock, so it didn't turn off. 3. The sustained power taken by the hydraulic pump combined with the power required for all engine support systems (ECU, injectors, fuel pump, etc) drew more than the 30A the main breaker is rated for. 4. The main breaker flipped after some time and caused complete power loss. Main lesson; have engine control systems be on a different breaker from the rest of the systems, just like cars.

[@andyandrews788]

Well done! Your decisions saved your life. Never second guess yourself when you know what YOU need to do to survive.

[@julianmetcalfe1070]

WOW super job done there on landing.man all those houses around that tiny airport as well good job the engine didn't cut just after take off, nice to see you walk out safely well done

[@Tglass]

Glad to see you're safe and unharmed. Good, no great walk through of the events. A follow-up when you have more information on the cause will be anticipated. I have no doubt you'll do that one day. Cool Airplane Video, but sorry for the loss too.

[@yamkaw346]

Sounds like NTSB has completed their investigation so look there if you wanna know who’s to blame. I doubt he will make a video about it

[@itsverygreen532]

Nice job, you handled that well. That electrical system needs a rework! In any situation where the engine depends on battery power for operation, you want a primary feed direct from the main battery, call it the "engine bus" if you will ... nothing, NOTHING should be able to take out the engine bus other than an engine systems fault, and even then, engine monitoring etc should be on the aux bus. There should also be a method to route the auxiliary power (if there is any) to the engine bus and dump everything else. Personally, I would have made a PAN PAN call, maybe got the fire crew all ready to go earlier (we chewed on this one before), I would not have called the owner, he can't help, he can't offer any useful advice, just distraction. I'd also probably have crashed short of the airport into a Walmart or crapped myself long before we go there, so don't listen too much to my opinions :) Either way, you got it down with minimal damage and walked away, good job, well done.

[@jcheck6]

Well stated Robin. Also it was stated that the a/c was nose heavy and ran out of up elevator. Was there any consideration to adding weight to the rear seat area to move the cg aft? I do that when I fly solo in my RV-8.

[@jc11250f45]

Agreed, the electric distribution was wrong and the load analysis showed that it was a matter of time, the engine power loss was going to be a sure thing at some point. Hard to understand how the potential overload was missed… wrong CB location…. No back up electrical batter/source for the engine and no direct connect to the battery. These fundamental errors were not known to Ed and the amount of previous flight time generated a certain amount of confidence in the systems… You did a great job Ed. Jim Cook 10,000 hours and several similar situations so I know that you have second guessed yourself… no one could have done betterl - well done

[@MonostripeZebra]

thank you for making the video. I wonder, did you ever suspect a relation between the engine quiting and the gear incident while you where still in the aircraft? Rest in peace, Ethan.

[@utopiasnow]

🙏

[@johnadams9711]

Hi Elliot. Thanks for the show. I'm glad you were in a condition to walk, talk, and chew gum afterward; and that your head was not too banged up to interpret. I missed the cause of the engine failure. Thanks and good luck.

[@markg4459]

Very professional & great video recap. The owner was fortunate to have you at the controls. Reaffirms my thinking that using auto engines without duplicate systems--especially on an experimental--is not on my bucket list. Glad you were safe & able to get home to the family.

[@donbuethorn1618]

When you mentioned that the right gear was visibly out of alignment on visual inspection I was amazed that that did not cancel the whole project, combined with some of the other "squawks" that indicated questionable workmanship or maintenance . There also seem to be serious design issues which have been made more critical with the heavy engine installation. The electrical and hydraulic systems seem makeshift and not protected from cascading failure ... I think your crashing this junker might have saved Jim"s life. I hope he gets a Cessna ...

[@brunodavidferreira5781]

Why to use car engine...without aeronaticalization of the fuel injection module? Salute from Brazil🇧🇷👍🏼

[@utopiasnow]

Great question, thank you.

[@montreysmitherman7466]

Well the ground loop monster caught me today, in my defense a flat tire that wasn't flat when I took off was a contributing factor, but 10 years of AG flying and my first ground loop,

[@billallen4793]

Ooof glad you're OK! Stay safe....from Wyoming USA 🇺🇸🤠

[@plumbs7199]

Well handled and one wrong decision and it could have ended very differently! Thankfully the motor didn’t quit while powering up on the go around !! All those houses !! Very lucky! Well done bringing the plane down as safe as possible !

[@utopiasnow]

Thanks for saying that, it certainly could have been worse.

[@VictorLopez-cu6qn]

Silly question, how is ARFF supposed to open the canopy if the pilot is unconscious?

[@ecc1944]

having been a rescuer, (volunteer fire dept, Capt.) We just break what we cant open. No one has complained!!

[@kennyhepner7803]

I knew there were more hidden issues when I saw the turnbuckle canopy latches. No self-respecting aircraft builder would deem that safe. Glad you were able to walk away from that, sad it is your license and reputation that take the hit. A very complex airplane for which your risk analysis could not account for the shortcuts in engineering. Fly safe!

[@barnesandrewj]

At least you were ok bro! 🙌🏼 Airplanes can be fixed…

[@utopiasnow]

Thanks Andrew.

[@randall1959]

Any landing you walk away from is a good one.

[@lancelot1953]

Hi Elliot, excellent presentation - your debriefs are keeping me humble and honest about maintaining proficiency and continuously learning from other pilot's experiences - some information which have saved my life in my younger Naval Aviation days. I really appreciate how you describe the events and especially your honesty (self-critique) on what you could have done different. Some of your "lessons learned" have brought to my mind the possibility that the "impossible" may happen to me one day! Thank you again for helping me be a better/safer pilot. Peace be with you, Ciao, L

[@utopiasnow]

Thanks man. I hope it helps, it’s not easy to rewatch yourself fly a flight like that the 50 times it takes to edit something like this, but hopefully it helps make me and other better. Who knows. Thanks again.

[@lancelot1953]

@@utopiasnow Hi Elliot, I am alive today because guys like you had the professionalism and the humility to share their "lessons learned" or "experiences" with their fellow pilots. In the Navy, we published our "wisdom" through "Approach Magazine" which was a Naval Safety Center publication of how some of my mentors dealt with emergencies, mistakes, assumptions, etc... and were kind enough to share their experience hoping to help if not save people like me. I must confess that after 28 years "flying Navy jets", I have learned a lot following your narratives. Thank you again, Peace be with you, Ciao, L

[@markim5087]

Ok I will say before I even watch this video, the fact that you pulled up and remanded it, it simply says a lot about ya, and a huge thumbs up and I’m glad your ok..

[@markborg9595]

That was a really close call, how does it make you feel about getting back in that same type of aircraft?

[@utopiasnow]

Yeah, good question. I havent had the opportunity to get in another one since this flight, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Thanks

[@theangrybeaverpilot3973]

Elliot, amazing job getting back in one piece. I’m curious, have you flown a sailplane and/or gotten the rating?

[@BVRDesign]

I was looking forward to meeting Ethan at OSH this year, he seemed like a cool guy. Life's short, do what you love if you can. ⚡ That said, again, amazingly edifying video. Thanks for sharing!

[@utopiasnow]

Great to have you!!

[@turkey0165]

It was a great landing, you got up exited the cockpit and walked away Physically undamaged! And that’s the most important part! Super video thank you!

[@timtyner3969]

Fantastic video, as a car guy your explanation of the failure because of the amp draw is something we see all the time. Car people make the same mistake all the time and we just pull over on the side of the road, you sir didn’t have that luxury, my hat is off to you and your skills. Also I’m happy that the owner never got the chance to fly it in that condition, he mite have made it being a novice pilot.

[@erictaylor5462]

38:00 To be honest, when dealing with an in flight emergency like this the last thing I would be thinking about would be the aircraft owner. Let the insurance deal with the aftermath of the crash, instead work on minimizing the aftermath for your body. Get the plane on the ground and make a "good landing" that is, one you can walk away from.

[@utopiasnow]

Yes Eric, thank you for these comments your perspective is valuable. As mentioned on your other comment I have consistently struggled on this channel communicating the customer side things. If we get 100 leads less than ten turn into flight time. Besides technical issues there is always a 250 hour ppl or an ex fighter jock willing to sit in the seat without complaining or asking for system tweaks. So a major portion of the last ~15 years in this business is learning how to keep the customer involved and understanding what going on. Because of moment like these where things break. Typically when expensive stuff gets broken so does the relationship with the owner. That silk scarf thing where a guy shows up, breaks your airplane and leaves is a real thing. And try as you might if you break the airplane you are doing that at some level, even if you told them the test was high risk and this could happen. Therefore getting the owner to weigh in while maybe not technically valuable can do a lot for not creating an enemy in the community. And at the end of the customers are what makes this wheel go round. Thanks again for the honest feedback. I hope you stick around for the next episode.

[@Mammux]

I understand that it feels like a failure when the plane ends up being dragged to the hangar, but I would think that actually this is exactly why people hire you to fly their airplanes. Imagine if the owner, with a fresh PPL certificate, was the one discovering this problem, maybe even with a family member as a passenger. The outcome would most likely have been much worse.

[@Jack-ne8vm]

Maybe the owner will now get PPL in a Cessna 140...

[@glenwoodriverresidentsgrou136]

Hear hear.

[@erikjacobson3721]

@@Jack-ne8vm no kidding

[@deSloleye]

That's an intense watch! It looked a bit of a tough story to tell, really, and even though I saw it in the opening, it was stressful seeing the final landing a second time. I don't know which bits of that crash made you feel better but seeing the left gear pop and set you down flat seemed a relief: you were safe the right way up. I dunno how much more you want to talk about this one, feel free to opt out of discussing this. I was curious about the layout of the plane and how that affected the engine failure and your preparation for landing. You mentioned a circuit breaker for the gear (or was it gear and engine?) wasn't with the other breakers. Had you noticed its state? If you knew about that bit could you have even saved the engine and given yourself more time to plan for your landing, or did the hydraulic pump just flat out nuke the bus that ran the fuel, injection and ignition? The other thing I kept thinking about was that suitcase latch. Did you unlock it for the landing? The only other P-51 belly landing I've seen was a real one and he was keen on getting the canopy open well before touchdown. It slammed shut when he hit a hidden fence post (landed in a wheat field in England, I think) but his procedure was to get his escape hatch open before he touched down. Do you have a crash checklist for these jobs? I remember you having some thoughts about the Hakan Lancair latches. Usually you have talked to an owner about the possibility of crashing. Was the owner being "in the cockpit" a hindrance for you this time? The last thing I wonder is what now for this plane? Is it a good candidate for rebuild?

[@deSloleye]

Ahh, checked it again, saw the latch was still on. When Brett congratulated you did that sound weird to you? It's a good achievement to get the thing down safely when so much had gone wrong, but whether you feel that at the time is another thing.

[@57Raz]

The canopy latch is less of an issue if the primary plan is to bail out and let the taxpayers worry about the aircraft a la back in the day of the real mustangs. Many compromises arise from trying to relive those days on a budget and without the excuse of a war to justify the much higher risk of operating a plane in a similar configuration. Ironcially this one ended up like many of its predecessors - for whom this was considered a cost of doing business. So you can definitely say this replica provided an authentic warbird experience albeit a bit more questionable from a cost/benefit standpoint!

[@deSloleye]

@@57Raz I'd disagree vehemently. The real p51 I saw crash was only few years ago as part of a historical flight, and his intention was a forced landing. When he couldn't make it the canopy was wound open and the belly landing made in a field. He had the same height limitation on bailing out as anyone and it simply wasn't an option. No tax payer involvement or enemy action. Just a bad landing and a canopy that's tough to break. My concern here is egress on the ground. Being trapped in the plane because of a cheap catch is bad, especially if there's a risk of fire which there always is in this case. Given the range of aircraft Elliot deals with, that memory item checklist for getting out, and the preparation steps in advance are important and interesting.

[@wak3oarder]

Nice replica my gramps rebuilt one of the last 4 flying capable p-40 tomahawk, growing up in a hanger around him doing frame work and finding the original mounted guns were pretty awesome.

[@utopiasnow]

thats pretty cool. thanks for the comment

[@benkanobe7500]

Congratulations. You did fantastically! I'm 64 year old SoCal Single engine land, Instrument, Aerobatic in the Super D. I have been flying out of Compton, Fallbrook, Torrance, Catalina, Long Beach, Carlsbad, .......... for 30 plus years. You did everything right and I am extremely impressed you are so skilled and have the presents of mind to think when others react. I am now subscribing. I hope to meet you someday.

[@scotthemedic]

Jesus. Listening through you deciphering what happened, it's easy to see in hindsight. Did the plane's manufacturer change any of their designs, and/or push alerts to other pilots of the same design of aircraft to prevent these issues happening to others?

[@utopiasnow]

So far the consensus is that the problems experienced are either well known or the result of "off book" modifications. I just hope that we have shared something that will give better fortunes to other owners. Thanks for the comment.