Rapid Travel Ver 2.0 Update

[Thomas Giboney]

We have posted an update on Rapid Travel Racing's web page http://www.rapidtravelracing.com. There are some high res photos taken by Jeffery Howard (posted with permission) of the crash and there is a link to a you tube video taken by the in-cockpit camera of the last 1 minute and 40 seconds of the flight. It includes a stop action sequence of the last 5 seconds, wherein some interesting things can be seen. The mysterious loss of George's glasses were revealed (at 4:39 to 4:41 in the video) and from the pilot's perspective just how close the engine came to him during the crash. It is also interesting to note how the video camera when faced with 10 g's plus still survived, but with some major distortion in output.

[BuckyD]

Re: Rapid Travel Ver 2.0 Update

Thanks very much, Thomas, George, & crew for the link & posting that absolutely incredible in-cockpit video footage, photos, etc.

George had some major league luck going on that day, thankfully - it certainly doesn't get any closer than that hairy & knarly mayday landing episode! (Thank God the fuel didn't ignite!).

Best wishes to George, family & everyone associated w/your crew. #75 Rapid Travel was an awesome SS racer if there ever was & this team's a total first-class act! Thanks for the great racing, guys!

DBD

[flyingjibus]

Re: Rapid Travel Ver 2.0 Update

HOLY SH#T.

I dont think I can say anything else.

maybe a smiley

[BKB]

Re: Rapid Travel Ver 2.0 Update

Scary,scary,ride!

The clarity of the video even after several severe impacts is amazing.
I had to watch it sereval times forward,rewind,forward,rewind to see the glasses flying through the air.
The still pics are pretty amazing too. Pertty heavy impact with the nose into the ground.Can see pilot hyperextended forward and the wing seperating from the fuselage also going forward.
Saw the crash from the stands.It did not look good.Still pretty unbelievable that he walked away.

[Ken from PG]

Re: Rapid Travel Ver 2.0 Update

I was out on Pylon 4 when this happened. I hear that George stood on what was left of the wing and waved that he was okay. Does anyone have a picture of that? With all the pictures that have been posted all over the internet of this incident, I think that one would be the most important.

WHEW!!!

[flyingjibus]

Re: Rapid Travel Ver 2.0 Update

We had a pretty clear view of the whole thing from section 3. Most of us were all prepared for the worst, but the guy behind me was adament that you were going to be fine based on the fact that rapid travel stayed shiney side up the whole time. I had my binocs on the wreckage most of the time and I did not see you get out or stand on the wreck.

I am glad that guy was right. You know this whole incident is pretty good press for the Thunder Mustang product. It did a great job of keeping you safe.

I am glad you are able to post info and talk about this with such candor and good spirits George. Hope to see you leading the pack again someday.

[DWYER]

Re: Rapid Travel Ver 2.0 Update

I was out on Pylon 4 when this happened. I hear that George stood on what was left of the wing and waved that he was okay. Does anyone have a picture of that? With all the pictures that have been posted all over the internet of this incident, I think that one would be the most important.

WHEW!!!

I am surprised we haven't seen one of these either...

I wasn't there this year, the family just listened intently on the internet stream. I about had a heart attack from what I could hear over the audio. I can't tell you how relieved we were when we heard he was okay.

[Gary Osif]

Re: Rapid Travel Ver 2.0 Update

Thanks for posting and very glad GG is fit to race.
Hope we see a new RT out there soon!

[JET1]

Re: Rapid Travel Ver 2.0 Update

FYI---actually he stayed in the cockpit until CFR checked him then they pulled him out and he waved as he was on the way to the ambulance.

I was out on Pylon 4 when this happened. I hear that George stood on what was left of the wing and waved that he was okay. Does anyone have a picture of that? With all the pictures that have been posted all over the internet of this incident, I think that one would be the most important.

WHEW!!!

[Danno]

Re: Rapid Travel Ver 2.0 Update

I got some pretty good shots of the 'landing' from section 2, (posted in another thread) and could see things pretty good, but when the trucks all got there, they blocked our view of the wreckage, so we couldn't see anything at that point.

That could be why there aren't pictures of George after the incident.

Danno

[Lockheed Bob]

Re: Rapid Travel Ver 2.0 Update

I guess that is why the book "God Is My Co-Pilot" was written.There were a lot of strikes against you & I'm glad you are still with us. I couldn't believe it when you walked up on the stage at the awards banquet & said you were OK. Take care & the best to you & family.

[bflynt]

Re: Rapid Travel Ver 2.0 Update

I was at the far east end of the grand stands and had a pretty good view of the whole incident. At the very instant the announcers made the claim that he was standing on top of the aircraft waiving to the crowd, he certainly was not. At that very instant, he was walking with arms over the shoulders of two rescue personnel near the ambulance. It could be possible he waived when he first got extracted but if he did the group of people I was with never saw it. Until I see a picture, I'm of the opinion this is just another case of the announcers making things up.

Bryan

[Thomas Giboney]

Re: Rapid Travel Ver 2.0 Update

Thank you to everyone for your well wishes and comments. I want to try to put this into perspective from a brother and crew members' point-of-view. All of the Rapid Travel's crew members were near the pits at the west end of runway 26 when George made the turn onto final...as he approached the runway he went completely out of sight due to the curvature of the runway. We did not see the crash, we could not hear the announcers from our location and we were essentially in the dark over what had just happened. Jim Adams was standing in the bed of his truck and saw the left wing-tip for an instant and the cloud of dust that resulted. By rule, the crew is not allowed to go out onto the runway or taxi-ways, even in the case of an accident like this, and Air Race staff and safety personnel have the responsibility to be the first responders (as it should be). You can't imagine how we felt at that time, not knowing the extent of what had just happened and not being in a position to physically respond! Once we heard what had happened, our concern shifted to George's condition and to Patsy, George's wife. To give you some insight into George's state of mind immediately after the crash, one of the first things he did after being helped out of the wreckage, was to call Patsy on his cell phone to tell her that he was OK!!! We learned later that he had waved to the crowd.

[Pete]

Re: Rapid Travel Ver 2.0 Update

scariest thing in that video are the last few frames with all the gasoline pouring into the grass...

[Ken from PG]

Re: Rapid Travel Ver 2.0 Update

So there is some truth about the wave and the cell phone call. What an amazing story!