Originally Posted by No Fly Zone
I am sad that this happened and more hurt that some spectators attend these events, secretly hoping to witness this kind of drama. No one would ever admit that desire, be we know that it exists.
Goodness Gracious! You might want to have the depression checked out by a professional.
We know that there are some sick individuals in our society. That is not a reason to not attend an airshows or to say that they have no value.
Each time we fly, we open ourselves up to the risk of hitting the ground. That risk is generally considered acceptable assuming we fly in a "virtuous" manner and avoid stupidity. When we practice maneuvering our aircraft and become attuned to its characteristics, that is a reward in itself. The basis behind airshows is a demonstration or sharing of the mastering of an aircraft. Airshow displays are examples of what can be accomplished by a highly skilled pilot.
Andrew Wright's videos of some of his airshow routines are a legacy to other aviators. The controlled violence, and precision of his maneuvers was impressive. I actually learned something regarding his technique that I may be able to use.
The man was a professional pilot, earning his livelihood on the airshow circuit. The proximate cause of his death was not a piloting failure. He went out on the top of his game.
The lessons learned from his passing will be in regard to maintenance of carbon fiber structures and perhaps greater adoption of risk mitigation strategies such as the BRS system.