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Old 21st Aug 2011, 18:16
  #87 (permalink)  
stickstirrer
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Yorkshire
Posts: 37
Received 13 Likes on 4 Posts
Fuel at the end of a display: 180-250 kgs approx depending upon the diversion being used.
Condolences to family, friends and team mates, terribly terribly sad for all.
Guessing at the causes of an accident is speculation, which is happening in every crewroom in the Air Force and it's what aircrew do....but 'naming' of a victim in a public forum, even by formation position, before the MOD statement (allowing time for kin inform) always has been wrong. Full stop.
Repeating unofficial sources on here about possible victim(s), formation position or callsigns is gossip and not professional.....wrong. Full stop.
I have been closely involved in 3 similar situations and had the unfortunate job of meeting and informing a wife of a similar tragedy. Luckily the Stn Cdr and myself were the first people to meet her as she arrived to pick up her husband and give her the very sad news, ( notwithstanding that someone had tipped off the local radio with a name within minutes of the crash) ...In another fatal, formation display incident people did not to banter names around thank goodness, which was extremely important since the groundcrew servicing and flying in the two aircraft involved had swapped their postions and were not in their traditional seats..It could have resulted in a similar position to the midair cock up referred to earlier, which I remember well. If you have ever been close to families who have lost a member you would understand the need for discipline and discretion in these circumstance. I fully support the suggestion that the moderator adopts a cautious approach in similar future circumstances, as an earlier contributor so rightly said, 'Professional' should be our approach to all air matters.
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