Posted on 09/20/2005 11:56:10 AM PDT by BenLurkin
YUKON, Okla. - NASA engineer and champion aerobatic pilot Marta Bohn-Meyer was killed Sunday when her plane crashed during practice for next week's National Aerobatic Championships. The crash occurred shortly before noon near Oklahoma City, where she was piloting her home-built Giles G-300 airplane. She had been joined there by her husband and fellow aerobatic pilot, Bob Meyer.
"Flying and doing things with airplanes is my passion," she once said. "Given a choice, I'll go fly airplanes."
According to the International Aerobatic Club, Bohn-Meyer had pulled into a vertical maneuver when the cockpit canopy came off. The airplane then crashed just off airport property. It is believed she was rendered unconscious when the canopy flew off, according to the IAC Web site.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.
Bohn-Meyer, 48, was the only woman to have flown the SR-71 "Blackbird" as a trained crew member, an experience she discussed in her frequent public speaking engagements.
"It's a once-in-a-lifetime dream," she said in an earlier interview. "It made a big difference in my life. I considered myself Jane Average.
"I have the distinction of being one of two people (with NASA pilot Ed Schneider) to fly the last Mach 3 flight in the SR," she said.
The novelty of being the only woman trained to fly the Mach 3 airplane was not the draw for Bohn-Meyer, just the chance to play a role in the cockpit.
"The opportunity to fly in a magnificent airplane was the special thing to me," she said.
At Edwards Air Force Base, employees of NASA's Dryden Flight Test Center remembered Bohn-Meyer as an outstanding pilot.
"She made fantastic contributions not only at Dryden but to women as well," Dryden spokesman Alan Brown said.
Dryden director Kevin Petersen called Bohn-Meyer's death is a loss to the center and to aviation.
"Marta Bohn-Meyer was an extraordinarily talented individual and a most trusted technical expert and manager at NASA Dryden," he said. "She committed her life and career to aviation and the advancement of aeronautics and space in the United States. We at Dryden will miss her tremendously."
Through her experiences in aviation, Bohn-Meyer found herself as a role model for other women entering a traditionally male field, a role she didn't seek out but later found she enjoyed.
She was a frequent participant in local and national events geared toward encouraging children - especially young girls - to study math and science.
"You've got to have trailblazers, you've got to have someone to unclog the pipe," she said. "I am the trailblazer. I'm able to prove that it can be done."
Bohn-Meyer began flying at age 14, after receiving lessons as a Christmas present.
When she graduated from high school in 1975, her first desire was to be a test pilot, a field that wasn't open to women pilots at the time. Instead, she attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., studying aeronautical engineering.
She began working for NASA at Langley Research Center in Virginia while a college student, moving to Dryden Flight Research Center in 1979. She eventually worked her way up to chief engineer.
At Dryden, she met husband, now the associate director for programs. He introduced her to the thrill of aerobatic flying and the two spent much of their free time working on their home-built airplane, practicing the intricate maneuvers and competing.
A former aerobatic national champion herself, Bohn-Meyer was manager for the U.S.A. Unlimited National Aerobatic Team
BUMP!
It wasn't a couple of redneck beer drinking fools with a hammer.
From the Oxford University Press Dictionary:
redneck >noun N. Amer. informal, derogatory a working-class white person from the southern US, especially a politically conservative one.
So, are you taking issue with my use of the term "redneck" or the Oxford University Press Dictionary's definition.
I take issue with the way you used "R******" just as I would had you used the "N" word in place of it. I'm one person but I don't like the use of either word. They both are demeaning.
I shall refrain from using this term in the future.
Thank you. It would be nice if the R word were as politically incorrect as the N word. Or, maybe, only white people could call themselves Rs just as only black people can call themselves Ns. Uphill battle, I know.
She was a fine lady flying a fine airplane.
Nothing wrong with homebuilts.
Have worked on and flown many.
(All the airliners are built by professionals)
I don't get on those
Agreed.
I'll see him Saturday.
"Giles G-300 at Fox Field in September 1997. The Giles G-300 is reported to be a single seat aerobatic aircraft based on the airframe of the two seat G-202 with, of course, a humongous engine. This G-300 belongs to Bob and Marta Meyer."
The huge moving rudder area would seem to indicate an all-out aerobatic design...
OTOH, the canopy appears to be a side-hinged affair. Could it be that, when it came loose in flight, it hit the pilot's head as it blew off? It wouldn't seem that simple canopy loss in a climb would have been non-recoverable -- especially for a pilot with Marta's awesome skills...
See my post #44 for more info on G300.
I've heard many stories of canopies coming off in flight, and know one guy that had it happen to him in a T-33. It makes it impossible to talk on the radios, but doesn't appreciably affect the handling of the aircraft on any airplane I can think of. But then most military jets have canopies that slide forward/backward, versus the side hinges that are apparent on the G-300. So maybe there was some flexing or there were control issues involved as it separated-- we'll have to wait for the accident report.
"Don’t know if anybody bought the farm from it but I recall that there were control issues serious enough that Rutan got right to work redesigning the wing with ailerons incorporated in the new design."
I remember a case in Crash Investigation school where a Canadian didn't have the correct contour on the canard. He took off, gained a little altitude and flipped right over killing him. You HAVE to pay attention.
I rememeber about the fuel selector now. Poor design.
Oh, but what a life she lead!
I had a chance to go up in an F-4 once, about the most fun you can have with your pants on. I can't imagine going Mach3.
LIFE...IS...DANGEROUS.
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