I’m not sure I can wholeheartedly agree with your post. I agree it was an accident. AH never set out to hurt anyone. However, I don’t consider him blameless.
I honestly don’t know what outcome I think would be just in this case. I don’t think I can get upset at people for being angry at AH any more than I can at others for getting upset at the first category of people. If the Defense successfully argued the CI case then well done to them. It clearly hasn’t provided the desired closure for many people though.
My second observation regards the quoted parameters at the top of the loop. Let me state that I have never flown the Hunter and have never been a display pilot. Most people know my background though.
If the 2600’ and 100 knots I have read above are correct, my mind is well and truly boggled. I realise a Hawk and Hunter cannot be compared directly but I find it hard to imagine ANY fast jet can complete a loop from that height and speed. I am happy to be proven wrong.
From what I remember of the fateful day there was no low cloud base to contend with. So why not ease the first half of a loop in order to gain more height and allow for a relaxed second half.
I know that display pilots can be purists at times but in this instance (displaying a legacy aircraft with limited experience on type) the crowd won’t notice or care if the loop is a little larger than the aircraft is capable of. They just want to see the graceful swooping and hear the engine noise.
Just my two penn’th of course.
BV