Video of the first flight of what might be the most complex homebuilt project ever conceived or built has been released, a week after the aircraft was involved in a landing mishap in Indiana. Tom Hodgson has been working on a 35 percent scale B-29 replica for years and flew it on Nov. 5. The accompanying video shows a series of low-altitude flights around the pattern at Glenndale Airport in Kokomo. One of those passes may have been a go-around.
The first flight happened on the same day the aircraft collided with a golf cart carrying a woman who was shooting a video. At the time, she was reported to have been knocked unconscious and was subsequently airlifted to a local hospital. There has been no update on her condition. Hodgson, who was flying the plane, was apparently uninjured. It’s not clear if the aircraft, which is powered by four Honda Fit engines with belt drive reductions to power the props, was damaged. AVweb was unable to contact Hodgson, and the Howard County Sheriff’s Department did not immediately return messages left Nov. 14.
This is absolutely fantastic! Looking forward to more videos of her flying!
Russ, Thanks for the update. There seems to be no info out there – even in the comments of the YouTube video about the injured woman or damage to the plane. Please provide a further update if you find one!
Got a call from the local sheriff’s office. Woman is fine and very minor damage to the plane. No charges expected.
AWESOME – Thanks for the update!
Did anyone else get a glimpse of a woman on a golf cart on the opposite edge of the runway? I think I saw someone who made my runway safety alarm go off. On a first flight there is a lot to process, which is why the EAA recommends that the first flight be kept quiet and a ceremonial first flight follow.
Final pass with back toward the approach. This whole thing seems sloppy, let alone the comments on the video which just gives a unnecessary cowboy flying feel vs a NASA test flight at Edwards!
There’s always an armchair critic! 🙂
Couldn’t film the landing?