This has been a bad year on the airshow circuit; a female wing-walker died in May of burns she received when her stunt plane crashed in March. And, more recently, we had a aerobatic pilot die during a show in Kansas City, and another wing-walker died in Michigan while attempting to transfer from an aircraft to a helicopter(a stunt he performed hundreds of time). The same weekend, a member of the RAF Red Arrows died in a crash in England.
Now, with the disaster in Reno, I’ve actually heard politicians call for more regulation of airshows and performers. Please. Aviation is inherently risky; pilots and other airshow performers make daring maneuvers look routine because of long hours of preparation and exacting standards. Inevitably, accidents will happen and people will die. But we don’t need to regulate airshows and air races out of business.
It’s worth remembering that the two worst airshow disasters in history occurred in Europe, where performing aircraft have long been allowed to fly over crowds and conduct maneuvers that would never be authorized in the States. Airshow pilots, performers and air racers understand the risks they face and are willing to accept the odds. The FAA provides a sufficient level of regulation and supervision. Mourn for the dead, learn from the accidents and move on. That’s the way it has always been in aviation and the way it should be.
Well said.
Well said.
Politicians gotta "politic". I swear they're all camera whores. Would be nice to find a few to run this country who know when to let well enough alone.
“That’s the way it has always been in aviation and the way it should be.”
That’s the way it should be with everything.