Mitch
15-01-2008, 03:12 PM
It is with greatest sorrow and pain but I must inform the gang that Vytautas Lapenas died in an ELA autogyro crash yesterday in Lithuania.
Vytas was known by anyone who ever flew aerobatic planes: he was UUSR and Europe champion in aerobatics. In 1989 he crashed in Yak-55, fired, lost one leg and part of his hand. His colleagues all over the Ball helped him to build special Su-26 aerobatic airplane which was adopted to be flown manually.
Last years Vytas trained Spanish aerobatic team and saw ELA gyros which were based nearby.
He soloed gyro last fall.
I still have no details, will phone there a couple hours later.
It's a pain.
__________________
Alex Lameko
Moscow
www.rotorcraft.ru (http://www.rotorcraft.ru/)
Vytas was known by anyone who ever flew aerobatic planes: he was UUSR and Europe champion in aerobatics. In 1989 he crashed in Yak-55, fired, lost one leg and part of his hand. His colleagues all over the Ball helped him to build special Su-26 aerobatic airplane which was adopted to be flown manually.
Last years Vytas trained Spanish aerobatic team and saw ELA gyros which were based nearby.
He soloed gyro last fall.
I still have no details, will phone there a couple hours later.
It's a pain.
__________________
Alex Lameko
Moscow
www.rotorcraft.ru (http://www.rotorcraft.ru/)