Vicki Cruse
Encyclopedia
Vicki Cruse was an American aerobatic pilot
and administrator. She won the U.S. national unlimited aerobatic title in 2007. She had been president of the International Aerobatic Club
(IAC) since 2005 and was also an Experimental Aircraft Association
(EAA) director and board member.
Cruse was a native of Springfield, Missouri
and was shortlisted as one the all women candidates of the Fossett LSR land speed record bid.
Cruse died on August 22, 2009, when her light plane, a borrowed Zivko Edge 540
, registration N540BW, crashed onto the famous Silverstone Race Circuit
in Britain during a qualifying flight for the World Aerobatic Championships. According to witnesses, having completed a vertical climb, she had pushed the nose over at the top in order to descend vertically. She then performed a one and one-quarter snap roll. The objective was to stop rotation after the aircraft has rolled one and one-quarter times, but rotation in this case only slowed, continuing to the ground. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Vicki Cruse Memorial Scholarship Donation website - http://ennect.com/e808/p5657.aspx
Competition aerobatics
Competition aerobatics is an air sport in which judges rate the skill of pilots performing aerobatic flying. It is practiced in both piston-powered single-engine airplanes and gliders....
and administrator. She won the U.S. national unlimited aerobatic title in 2007. She had been president of the International Aerobatic Club
International Aerobatic Club
The International Aerobatic Club is a division of the Experimental Aircraft Association and the National Aeronautics Association...
(IAC) since 2005 and was also an Experimental Aircraft Association
Experimental Aircraft Association
The Experimental Aircraft Association is an international organization of aviation enthusiasts based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Since its inception it has grown internationally with over 160,000 members and about 1,000 chapters worldwide....
(EAA) director and board member.
Cruse was a native of Springfield, Missouri
Springfield, Missouri
Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. According to the 2010 census data, the population was 159,498, an increase of 5.2% since the 2000 census. The Springfield Metropolitan Area, population 436,712, includes the counties of...
and was shortlisted as one the all women candidates of the Fossett LSR land speed record bid.
Cruse died on August 22, 2009, when her light plane, a borrowed Zivko Edge 540
Zivko Edge 540
The Zivko Edge 540 manufactured by Zivko Aeronautics is a highly aerobatic aircraft. Capable of a 420 degree per second roll rate and a 3,700 foot per minute climb rate, it has been flown to victory on the international Unlimited aerobatics circuit several times since the mid-1990s...
, registration N540BW, crashed onto the famous Silverstone Race Circuit
Silverstone Circuit
Silverstone Circuit is an English motor racing circuit next to the Northamptonshire villages of Silverstone and Whittlebury. The circuit straddles the Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire border, with the current main circuit entry on the Buckinghamshire side...
in Britain during a qualifying flight for the World Aerobatic Championships. According to witnesses, having completed a vertical climb, she had pushed the nose over at the top in order to descend vertically. She then performed a one and one-quarter snap roll. The objective was to stop rotation after the aircraft has rolled one and one-quarter times, but rotation in this case only slowed, continuing to the ground. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
External links
- AOPA Online — Vicki Cruse dies during aerobatic competition
- EAA and IAC Mourn the Loss of Vicki Cruse — Obit at the IAC website
The Vicki Cruse Memorial Scholarship Donation website - http://ennect.com/e808/p5657.aspx