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James Gosling witnesses and blogs Reno airshow crash.

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Re: James Gosling witnesses and blogs Reno airshow crash.

#41

Post by 0x12 »

kennystone wrote: post #40
ktsmith wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We can look at the Reno air races as an example. It's been going on for 49 years and prior to today there were 19 deaths, none involving spectators. I've been going to the races for a lot of years though we decided not to this year, the course isn't that close to the spectators and much of it happens over open desert.

Yes and we can also use common sense to know an 80 year old dude flying a highly modified racing plane right above spectators is spectacularly stupid.

That may be true by itself but there are some eyewitness reports that actually conclude that the pilot acted in ways that greatly reduced the number of casualties. Don't be too quick to judge, it could have simply been a mechanical failure. At speeds and altitudes like that it does not take much.

Re: James Gosling witnesses and blogs Reno airshow crash.

#42

Post by webXL »

kennystone wrote: post #40
ktsmith wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We can look at the Reno air races as an example. It's been going on for 49 years and prior to today there were 19 deaths, none involving spectators. I've been going to the races for a lot of years though we decided not to this year, the course isn't that close to the spectators and much of it happens over open desert.

Yes and we can also use common sense to know an 80 year old dude flying a highly modified racing plane right above spectators is spectacularly stupid.

That was my first thought. I believe he was only 74 though. Probably approaching the realm of spectacularly stupid. They said his medical records were all checked out, but I bet there's a higher level of scrutiny for older pilots going forward.

Re: James Gosling witnesses and blogs Reno airshow crash.

#43

Post by jpdoctor »

cubicle67 wrote: post #18

for those not wishing to see the videos (I'm in that group) here's two photos showing exactly what happened minus the gore immediately prior: http://imgur.com/QuAnm impact: http://imgur.com/CcS91

One amazing thing about the 2nd photo: The self-preservation instinct of the audience still hasn't kicked in. Spectators are craning their necks to see what's happening, and photography dude is just manning the camera.

Re: James Gosling witnesses and blogs Reno airshow crash.

#44

Post by dhughes »

chaz wrote: post #33
prof_hobart wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wouldn't think so. How many people have ever died at airshows compared to how many go to them? It may look dangerous, but (except for very rare exceptions) it's just a fun day out.

Airshows can be deadly to pilots, but up until this tragedy, safe for spectators: "John Cudahy, the president of the International Council of Air Shows, said Friday that no spectators have died at any air show in the country since 1952." http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-air-sho...

1952? No way, I remember one where a jet hit the runway and a fireball engulfed the crowd that occurred probably in the late 1980s.

I think after that crash aircraft were banned from flying towards or over spectators the planes had to fly parallel or away from the crowd.

Re: James Gosling witnesses and blogs Reno airshow crash.

#45

Post by nosequel »

jpdoctor wrote: post #43
cubicle67 wrote: post #18

for those not wishing to see the videos (I'm in that group) here's two photos showing exactly what happened minus the gore immediately prior: http://imgur.com/QuAnm impact: http://imgur.com/CcS91

One amazing thing about the 2nd photo: The self-preservation instinct of the audience still hasn't kicked in. Spectators are craning their necks to see what's happening, and photography dude is just manning the camera.

You have to realize how fast it happened, I'm sure their brains have barely had time to process what happened let alone telling the rest of their body to get the hell out of there. 400-500mph is REALLY fast.

Re: James Gosling witnesses and blogs Reno airshow crash.

#46

Post by ktsmith »

kennystone wrote: post #40
ktsmith wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We can look at the Reno air races as an example. It's been going on for 49 years and prior to today there were 19 deaths, none involving spectators. I've been going to the races for a lot of years though we decided not to this year, the course isn't that close to the spectators and much of it happens over open desert.

Yes and we can also use common sense to know an 80 year old dude flying a highly modified racing plane right above spectators is spectacularly stupid.

You could also look at his FAA records and see that his being 74 likely had nothing to do with it:

http://www.av8rdan.com/2011/09/before-assuming-age-was-the-c...

edit: The course doesn't fly right over spectators, the plane went off course, possibly as part of what is suspected to be mechanical failure.

Re: James Gosling witnesses and blogs Reno airshow crash.

#47

Post by kragen »

As a counterpoint to the various people arguing that we shouldn't see this, that you shouldn't watch the video, etc., I want to argue that the modern US aversion to contemplating death has become pathological. Death is the one unavoidable fact about life, the only thing you are guaranteed to do, and the sooner and more deeply a person understands that, the better. It's difficult, it's unpleasant, but it's necessary.

Ten of the traditional forty subjects of Buddhist meditation are the asubha, the "repulsive subjects", corpses in different states. Meditating on these is intended to help you come to terms with your own mortal nature, and to prevent you from coming to worship things of the body as if they deserved it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamma%E1%B9%AD%E1%B9%ADh%C4%81n...

In many Buddhist areas of the world, you can buy sets of cards with images of all forty, to be used as a meditation aid. (It's easier to hold your attention on a subject when you're looking at a picture of it.) Imagine the righteous indignation of the preserve-your-ignorance squad here if such a thing were to be displayed.

Re: James Gosling witnesses and blogs Reno airshow crash.

#48

Post by ktsmith »

webXL wrote: post #42
kennystone wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes and we can also use common sense to know an 80 year old dude flying a highly modified racing plane right above spectators is spectacularly stupid.

That was my first thought. I believe he was only 74 though. Probably approaching the realm of spectacularly stupid. They said his medical records were all checked out, but I bet there's a higher level of scrutiny for older pilots going forward.

Here's some information about the medical class he passed in March of this year: http://flightphysical.com/part67/Class2/67subc.htm

Re: James Gosling witnesses and blogs Reno airshow crash.

#49

Post by Fluxx »

chaz wrote: post #33
prof_hobart wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wouldn't think so. How many people have ever died at airshows compared to how many go to them? It may look dangerous, but (except for very rare exceptions) it's just a fun day out.

Airshows can be deadly to pilots, but up until this tragedy, safe for spectators: "John Cudahy, the president of the International Council of Air Shows, said Friday that no spectators have died at any air show in the country since 1952." http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-air-sho...

The last 2 years I went to Osh Kosh (2006 and 2008) there were two fatalities - one when a visiting pilot crashed on his way in (a lot of people fly in and camp at the air show) and another when two reno air race plans doing a race demo collided on the way in for landing. The sad part about the later crash is that it was a father and son who collided and the son was the one who died.
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