Dalakerman06
08-13-2009, 09:47 PM
Pilot Owes His Life to Fictional Character
A pilot forced to make an emergency landing in the branches of a small tree says he owes his life to a fictional character, according to the DailyMail.co.uk. Vince Hagedorn, 63, realized he was running out of fuel and had to land somewhere quickly. That's when he remembered a story he read as a child, 'Biggles, Pioneer Air Fighter,' according to the news site. In the book, a World War I pilot named Biggles used the "pancake" technique to fly sideways into a tree to lessen the impact of a crash landing. Hagedorn was able to recreate the pancake technique, crashing into a tree at the Caird Park Golf Course in Dundee City, Scotland. It took fire and rescue staff an hour to free Hagedorn from the tree, but he walked away with just a gash in his forehead and some bruised ribs, and a smile on his face.
A pilot forced to make an emergency landing in the branches of a small tree says he owes his life to a fictional character, according to the DailyMail.co.uk. Vince Hagedorn, 63, realized he was running out of fuel and had to land somewhere quickly. That's when he remembered a story he read as a child, 'Biggles, Pioneer Air Fighter,' according to the news site. In the book, a World War I pilot named Biggles used the "pancake" technique to fly sideways into a tree to lessen the impact of a crash landing. Hagedorn was able to recreate the pancake technique, crashing into a tree at the Caird Park Golf Course in Dundee City, Scotland. It took fire and rescue staff an hour to free Hagedorn from the tree, but he walked away with just a gash in his forehead and some bruised ribs, and a smile on his face.