Stresses Affecting the Pilot During Post Stall Maneuvers in High Performance Aircraft (1954)

Duration: 0:03:36

Year Published: 1954

Format: 16mm

Sound: silent

Description: Part of a series of tests performed on the Vought F7U line of fighter planes, this footage records the effects of variable post-stall conditions on a Chance Vought’s chief test pilot, John McGuyrt. The final clip records his harrowing experience when the plane goes into a spin from which he cannot recover. With just seconds remaining before the plane crashed into the ground, McGuyrt was able to bail out, parachuting to safety. The aircraft was destroyed, but the camera, still intact, was found among the wreckage. Chance Vought Aircraft circulated the film to scientists and engineers in the promotion of flight safety.