Darkhelmet's hat trick

[Big-D]

So we all know all about our flying friends at Panorama with their “bog roll cutting” trick where a roll of baby soft toilet paper is chucked out of the trike in-flight and than very skillfully destroyed by flying through the falling bog roll and pretty much ripping it to shreds.

I thought that this was pretty cool, but little did I know that an even more impressive show of piloting skill was taking place on my very doorstep. Yes friends, Darkhelmet has moved the bar for all trike pilot show-offs with his latest flying display and scored a hat trick in more than one way.

Last Friday our flight started like most other with Darkhelmet doing his preflight checks, smoking his 4 pre-flight Peter Stuyvesant’s and then taking his Microlighters hat and turning it around on his head back to front like Sylvester Stallone in that arm-wrestling movie. Those who have flown with the man would be familiar with this custom of his and would not think funny of it. I saw him turning the hat around transforming him into “pilot mode” - Little did I realize that he had something special planned for the morning flight with a display of his “air shredding” skill unlike anyone has seen up until now. You see, instead of turning the Microlighters cap around on his head and THEN putting the headset on like usual, he put the cap on AFTER his first radio call had been made.

Darkhelmet rolled runway 03 and as AXC got airborne the hat gracefully blew off his head and was ripped to shreds by the warp drive prop with the same precision as the knife of a surgeon. Yes, once again our man has outdone himself as can clearly be seen on the 2st photo.

As can be seen the hat has been cut perfectly down the middle – A wonderful achievement and show of piloting skill. The remains of the hat will now be put on display at the Aviators Paradise clubhouse.

In the 1st photo photo Darkhelmet wears the shredded hat like a crown in celebration of this wonderful achievement. Notice the look of pride on his face….


I must urge you now to not just go out and order 100’s of hats from Thunderboy and think that you will impress your friends with the same trick as easily. No, Darkhelmet like everyone else had to crawl before he could walk, before he could run. You see he started off prop-striking bigger things before moving on to the hat.

His first very memorable prop strike was in fact the Kliprivier Cock – Yes, I wanted to say chicken but it just does not sound the same. Pilots from Klip were all familiar with that Cock and he was a nuisance to all who flew there always running over the runway as you wanted to take off. Darkhelmet was called to intervene and took care of old Kentucky quickly and with a single swift strike of his Warp Drive that cock had crowed for the last time…..

Then there was the time at the J.A.G. airfield fly-inn where pilots and spectators alike were entertained by Darkhelmet’s wonderful aerial display of shredding the Special rules map on short finals. The look of amazement on the children’s faces when seeing this map coming down in thousands of pieces like little flocks of snow is something I will always treasure.

I reckon DH would probably not take all the credit here and would probably want to give some thanks to Mr. De Necker for those great stainless steel leading edge protectors without which the Warp would have broke a long time ago.

Is the name Prop-strike been taken yet?

PROP CLEAR!!!

Big D

[Dre'man]

And you invited me to fly with him Thanks Big D. Not sure what I did in a previous life to you

[DieselFan]

Looks like I need to send my boss with DH...please make it quick

I don't know what forum DH is part of but it looks like the sleasy version of microlighters...

[DarkHelmet]

Errr... Thunderboy can I order another cap? Preferably one with Stainless steel leading edge.. or should I take it in to Pieter de Necker for some TLC first?

[Ballistic]

My personal favorite was when DH put a mutton cloth through his prop, because the pannier bag was open, it wasn’t spectacular but it can sure turn his face white hahahahah

[smallfly]

Any relation to the mad hatter??

[Bennie Vorster]

So glad to see there was no head inside the cap at that time.

[Tailspin]

DH

I suppose a comment about a splitting headache will be a bit misplaced "sop die koppie" is also floating somewhere. Done that with a set of Goggles already.

[ICEMAN]

You need to change your registration from ZU-AXC to ZU-AXE

[John Young]

Dear DARK-AXE

Thanks for the "laffs" - glad all worked out OK.

Regards
John ZU-CIB

[Morph]

(stomach pain)

[afskies scribe]

DH, would it be splitting hairs to suggest you were getting cut up about that tricky turbulence thingie, hehe

[DarkHelmet]

DH, would it be splitting hairs to suggest you were getting cut up about that tricky turbulence thingie, hehe

Not at all Scribbles - the turbulence thingy gives me a splitting head ache!

[ACE]

My personal favorite was when DH put a mutton cloth through his prop, because the pannier bag was open, it wasn’t spectacular but it can sure turn his face white hahahahah

Hey I remember this occasion, we were overhead Midvaal Race Track and DH got a big skrik and did a precautionary at Henley. This was even before the Cock-Prop-Strike at Klipriver.

[Hot Stuff]

Guys, can you imagine the war stories concerning this cap after a couple of drinks. You got to know.