Actor ‘swap planes’ failed in Arizona when plane lost control
Aviation history will have to wait but disaster has been avoided.
Two cousins, Luke Aikins and Andy Farrington, were unsuccessful in complete the first “plane swap” Sunday night over Arizona, when a plane spiraled out of control while the two pilots were thousands of feet in the air.
Both pilots were safe and there were no reports of injuries.
The Red Bull-sponsored flight, which took place at an undisclosed location in Arizona, began as the two pilots took to the skies at around 5:45 p.m. local time.
Nearly an hour later, the two jumped out into the air at 12,100 feet with air brakes on both planes. Aikins was able to successfully board the other plane, but Farrington could not.
The plane spiraled out of control as Farrington could be heard in the air saying “the blue plane is losing control.” Farrington then deployed his parachute and landed safely in a remote area. The unmanned aircraft has a parachute that automatically activates when it reaches a certain height, and it is deployed before hitting the ground.
The status and location of the plane were not immediately known.
The 6 mph winds created good conditions for the stunt, the pilots said, as the area had faster winds in the days leading up to the event. But Farrington wasn’t sure what happened.
Farrington said: ‘It just kept going and instead of stopping at that 90-degree dive, it just kept going and going over his back. “It’s just not a chance.”
“You’re just happy when people are here and good and all that, but just frustrated,” he added.
Key to the mission was a custom air brake system, made possible with the help of Paulo Iscold, engineer and professor at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo..
The brakes were developed and tested several times in the air in San Luis Obispo, California, more than 150 miles north of Los Angeles, allowing planes to slow down as they travel at speeds of up to 140 mph.
Aikins notes that they can test everything for stunts but real diving. He said the plane’s loss of center of gravity may have played a role in the dive.
“I think I’ve left Andy a good plane. I’m trying to think of what else I can do to make him better when I leave,” Aikins said. “We do what we can to prepare for this and we hope it never happens. This is really the best outcome of a bad situation.”
As for whether the duo will do stunts again, Aikins said “we’ll go back and figure this out.”
Follow Jordan Mendoza on Twitter: @ jordan_mendoza5.