Sad week for aeronautics

[Limited]

What a shit week for the air industry. 3 separate incidents that ended fatally. I'm starting to wonder if airshows are worth what they provide, yeah I love seeing spitfires flying in formation and bi-planes, but do we really need stunt pilots and people trying trickery in the sky?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2028435/Kansas-City-Air-Show-plane-crash-Stunt-pilot-Bryan-Jensen-killed.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2028640/Daredevil-Todd-Green-loses-grip-falls-200ft-death-Michigan-air-show.html (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2028435/Kansas-City-Air-Show-plane-crash-Stunt-pilot-Bryan-Jensen-killed.html)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2028661/Red-Arrow-crash-Jon-Egging-pictured-fan-day-died.html

(http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2028661/Red-Arrow-crash-Jon-Egging-pictured-fan-day-died.html)
For those who don't know Red Arrows is the British version of the Blue Angels. They are military personal who are the best of the best. The guy that died performed with the Red Arrows in my hometown just 3 days before his crash - its looking like a bird flew into the engine and caused the malfunction.

I get the feeling we are just surrounded by meaningless death. It saddens me to see the amount of lifes taken away at such a young age.

[Warsaw]

Do we need people doing the stunts? No, but the pilots doing them are doing them because A.) they love to, B.) it's good publicity for their branch of the armed forces, and C.) if nobody does it, what's the point of maintaining planes like this?

They died, and that is tragic. Just know that they died doing something that they enjoy. I've never seen or met a Blue Angel's pilot that didn't love his job.

[Limited]

Do we need people doing the stunts? No, but the pilots doing them are doing them because A.) they love to, B.) it's good publicity for their branch of the armed forces, and C.) if nobody does it, what's the point of maintaining planes like this?

They died, and that is tragic. Just know that they died doing something that they enjoy. I've never seen or met a Blue Angel's pilot that didn't love his job.Although I do agree with you on every aspect, its not just the pilots lives at risk. They could have easily crashed into crowds. The Red Arrows pilot that died has been hailed a hero for flying away from a town/collection of houses, which no doubt would have made a much much worse situation.

[Warsaw]

True. But again, people go to air shows knowing full well that this sort of thing can happen. I see it in the same light: people are doing something they enjoy. I know in the States we have laws that prohibit stunts directly over crowds to try and minimize this, but sometimes the aircraft loses control and dives in from a distance, crashing into people. It just happens. It's no reason to get scared away of something innocently awesome.

Now, what really makes me angry is when we have young men and women in a country that doesn't want them there, with half the world hating them for being there, getting blown up at random because somebody thinks that everybody not part of his religion is evil and must be killed. What makes me angry is when a passenger liner breaks apart mid-flight because the company that designed it cut corners or because the airline cut costs by skimping on maintenance checks. That shit is unnecessary.

[Zeph]

Do we need people doing the stunts? No, but the pilots doing them are doing them because A.) they love to, B.) it's good publicity for their branch of the armed forces, and C.) if nobody does it, what's the point of maintaining planes like this?


Cheaper than an ad campaign and has much more reach. You'd be surprised how much awe the navy gets at a NASCAR race when the f-18s go over.

[nuttyyayap]

but do we really need stunt pilots and people trying trickery in the sky?
Do we really need sport? Do we need television? xbox? modacity forums? :realsmug:

[TeeKup]

Humans need distractions from the mundane day-to-day affairs, lest we go insane and kill ourselves.

[sleepy1212]

I think we should capture slaves and have them dogfight the Blue Angels...to the death :hist101:

[Bodzilla]

Although I do agree with you on every aspect, its not just the pilots lives at risk. They could have easily crashed into crowds. The Red Arrows pilot that died has been hailed a hero for flying away from a town/collection of houses, which no doubt would have made a much much worse situation.
Somebody PLEASE think of the children!

[TVTyrant]

Somebody PLEASE think of the children!
They are! Thats why they had the goddam air show in the first place! lol

[Arteen]

I don't get the appeal of reckless, dangerous stunts like these.

[king_nothing_]

It's things like this that make me thankful I have a fear of heights.

[Warsaw]

I don't get the appeal of reckless, dangerous stunts like these.

Same reasons people like roller coasters or watching UFC: adrenaline rush and machismo.

[Limited]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2038452/Reno-Nevada-air-race-crash-3-killed-50-injured-WW2-fighter-plane.html

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/09/17/article-2038452-0DEFD27800000578-997_634x424.jpg

Clearly the pilot was close to the crowd, there needs to be an evaluation of airshow safety policy. This cannot continue.

[Patrickssj6]

It's amazing how many accidents happen at those flight shows.