Remembering Flipper

(click for HUGE image)

I just ran across this photo from a friend's collection.
It's the original published news photo of that fateful day
February 24, 1994, when my instructor pilot decided to do
a checkout on the biplane after a session in the shop.

Everything worked just fine until the very second he touched down.
That's when he noticed, very abruptly, that the brakes were locked.
The biplane flipped over instantly.
It was a total loss.
Although it looks rather fly-able,
there was no un-bent or un-broken piece on it.

Luckily, the pilot was unharmed.
But he sure was surprised!

From that day forward, we called him "Flipper".
Although, not always to his face...

;o)