Wed, Mar 14, 2007
Expensive Plane Crashes On Proving Flight
This is the kind of story that breaks our hearts... so we can
only imagine how Simon Steggall feels.
British tabloid The Sun reports Steggall spent all his spare
time over two years building a 16-foot flying replica of a Cold
War-era Vickers Valiant bomber (real thing shown above). By the
time the wooden model was complete, the project cost him
approximately £15,000 ($29,000 US)... and his marriage
(Steggall's second, according to the newspaper.)
Steggall flew the plane successfully three times. Next up was a
proving flight before a safety inspector, who needed to sign off on
the plane before Steggall could fly it during performances at air
shows.
The plane took off from an airfield near Ipswich, Suffolk... but
problems began when one of the engines lost power. Steggall tried
to make an emergency landing, but the model impacted trees and
exploded.
"I’m devastated and can’t believe it’s gone,"
he said. "It looked like a real plane crash. I used my fire
extinguisher to try and douse the flames but then we smelt fuel and
I realized the kerosene in the tanks was about to blow."
"Both of us ran for cover and it exploded, showering hot fuel
everywhere," he added. "It was the only model Valiant in the world
and cost me an absolute fortune to build. I had it insured for more
than £15,000."
Steggall says despite the loss, he's trying to put the whole
experience in a positive light.
"It feels like I’ve lost a member of the family. But
I’m not going to let this setback get to me. Luckily my new
girlfriend loves my hobby."
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