Originally Posted by
Thoughtful_Flyer
So a fractional difference in the Gnat's trajectory and the result could have been even more tragic than Shoreham?
If I remember correctly (and it is a few years since I read the report) the pilot of the Gnat had the bare minimum number of hours in the preceding 12 months to retain a PPL? Yet it was lawful for him to fly that type of swept wing jet at a large public display!
Compare that with when the RAF still provided a solo Hawk display each season. How many hours practice would a much younger and very current fast jet pilot have in preparation for a display season? Even then, wasn't one of them grounded mid season for repeatedly "pushing the flight boundaries". However, at least in that case the supervision picked up the problem and took some decisive action.
Wasn't there a Hawk 100 flown by a current pilot that flew into the ground at a display abroad one year?