An 80's Brit Aircraft I cannot remember help...

[TSR2]

Garry, were there not two crashes... or at least a second near crash.... or maybe my memory is going. :think:

[Garry Russell]

Maybe Ben

Or at least another incident..............what I recall was it was or seemed to be going so well and then................

Shame because the production would have been a specailised product built in relatively low volume over a very long period, just the sort of thing that the British industry needed as a base to build from.

Whatever the problems it seems a shame that it was all thrown away :-(

Garry

[tonymadge]

The Optica was seen in the early days of Police Air Support as an ideal machine as it was less costly to run than a helicopter, could have the ability to fly slow and have great visibility. The crash stopped all that and also brought in the different rules to the USA, in that Police Officers watch and pilots fly, the pilots are NOT police officers in the UK it was best decided to keep the two roles seperate to avoid conflicts of interest, it is a natural reaction once fixated on something on the ground to actually descend as you orbit, that is believed to be the reason behind the Optica crash and the reason why it was decided not to employ police officers as pilots. However I have flown with numerous pilots who have the great ability to fly and see things on thr ground that the observer misses. But thankfully the primary role of flight safety and their great professionalism means that we never have repated the Optica incident.

[Garry Russell]

Thnaks Tony

That's probably why the crash was never fully explained as such as that is a different one to actually prove even though it is known to have been a cause or even the cause.

It all makes sense now and it is clearly a risk that just can't be taken.

Garry

[hobby]

The loss of the Optica production still seems great loss to me and I have never been fully satisfied over that aircraft's almost silent disappearance from the planet. The factory was destoyed by fire at just the wrong time and the whole thing just seemed to diappear 'into thin air.' I am sure that we do not yet have the whole story.