I

N THE GLOOM OF AVALON'S Hangar 5, less than

an hour before he is due to

perform death-defying aerobatics at the 1997 Avalon Airshow, Jim Franklin is asleep in
the back of his rented car.
His 18-year-old son, Kyle is
checking over his highly modified 1940 WACO UPF- 7
biplane.
Roused to talk about safety
considerations in his act,
"Jacko" doesn't seem too fussed
about looping, slow rolling, stall
turning and spinning with
stuntman, Lee Oman, walking
the wings.
Jacko offers a basic observation: "A lot of aerobatics looks
a lot more dangerous than it
actually is.
"Even so, safety is the primary goal - the entertainment
value comes next."
He says the key is to determine your limits and stay
within them. Know yourself
and your aircraft.
Jim Franklin grew up with
aircraft. He remembers flying
when he was just eight years
old. Before then he sat in his
father's lap while they crop
dusted and dropped feed at
the family ranch at Lovington,
New Mexico.
He recalls sneaking out and
doing his first solo when he
was 12 years old.
After watching Harold Krier
and Charles Hiller perform,
the young Jim Franklin decided to become an aerobatic
pilot. He got his first aerobatic

job in 1967, using his newly

purchased WACO.
The WACO was originally
used to train civilians as pilots
before the US entered World
War II. Its original 220hp
engine has been replaced with
a Pratt & Whitney 450hp
engine. Forty-five cm has been

"He popped his

chute just in
time."
added to the landing gear to
accommodate a new 3-blade
Hartzel propeller, extra cabin
struts have been added, and
the cockpit has been moved
back 75cm.

600ft loops
The power available to this
small aircraft means he can fly
loops in 600ft.
Jim Franklin's bottom-line
safety rule is simple: "Don't hit
the ground.
"Too many aerobatic people
want to go too close to the
ground - they don't leave
themselves a back door, and
ICDIF

A is more spectacular and

safer than B.

you cannot afford a mistake.

"Always leave a back door."
It was a near-death experience when he was 20 years old
that impressed this rule on him.
In the middle of an aerobatic
performance, one of the wing
struts broke and knocked him
out cold. He came to as the aircraft began to veer towards the
ground.
His reaction was instinctive.
He managed to scramble out
of the cockpit and jump out.
He was falling back first, but
managed to right himself and
pop his chute just in time.
If he hadn't done a lot of
jump work, he reckons he
might not have made it. The
situation required an automatic response that can be
gained only after a lot of practice. It was his 34th jump.
Franklin maintains that anyone who does aerobatics
should be a skilled parachutist.
Jim Franklin has never
missed a performance in the
30 years in the business. His
advice: "Get to know your
body. It's the same as your aircraft - things have got to be in
good shape, and well maintained, or things can go
wrong."
Jim's son Kyle first went solo
on his 16th birthday. Will he
follow his father into aerobatics? "No way. It's just too tough
a way to make a living."
- Mark Wolff

FLIGHT SAFETY AUSTRALIA AUTUMN 1997 9