Leaderboard

The fact that you are even asking this question points to the further pussification of America. Aviation is inherently dangerous. We take risks. Shit happens. We learn from it and move on, but there is no reason to pack it all up and quit just because "one life is too many." Airshows still inspire future generations of aviators, and if it creates a spark in just one kid who will become the next Neil Armstrong and one day set foot on Mars or become the first Ace in World War IV, it's fucking worth it. Death is mandatory. Being a pussy is not.

You are obviously not the real Kenny Powers. The real KP would tell the TSgt "You're F$#%ing OUT!"

I recall my 2nd day in Afghanistan, trying to find the chow hall with several others. We stopped and looked at each other: every one of us in PT uniform, reflective belt, DCU pattern boonie hat, pistol and holster. We all laughed at the ridiculousness of our appearance and then carried on. Noone is upset that they look ridiculous. What does grate is that: A. There are people dumb enough to actually give a shit about minor uniform infractions in a war zone B. There are a disturbing number of these buffoons in positions of actual responsibility

I intentionally break grooming standards everyday when I clip a knife to my flight suit and attach a finger light to my zipper. Maybe I deserve an article 92 for failure to obey a regulation.

No one is making anyone be and airshow pilot, stop bitching

Because PT gear and reflective belts are gay.

Another WTF...the winner of the AF-CGO of the year, "individually dedicating over 1500 volunteer hours and completing a master’s degree." Even if she volunteered EVERY single day of the year, that would still require more than four hours a day. I don't know what kind of job has that much free time, but it must be nice.

Most guys in my squadron don't typically shave in the CAS wheel, so it's a little hard for them to avoid showing stubble after a 14 hour mission. I guess that's intentional though. Finding the right airport and putting the gear down isn't that complicated most of the time either, but it gets unintentionally jacked up occasionally too.

I'll throw one more point into the discussion... The media sensationalizes airshow crashes...especially after Reno (which is not an airshow & doesn't have the same safety measures in place for spectators). There has not been a spectator fatality at a U.S. Airshow in the last 50 years. Some perspective...the Army had 38 suicides in July...by my math that is more than one per day. Why don't we see a headline everyday about a Veteran's suicide? This weekend...1x crash at an airshow = front page news.

LJDRVR, First, I'm not a fan of bringing Bud Holland's name into the same conversation as professional airshow performers. While Bud was an outstanding B-52, he was unable to get the training he needed to take his B-52 flying "to the next level". Why? Because the AF wouldn't allow that. So, he took it upon himself, violated flight discipline, and the rest is history. It was not an "airshow gone bad". It was a pilot who didn't know the limits, was overconfident, and violated the limits imposed on him. Same with the C-17 crash. Professional airshow performers are just that: professional performers. And they have limits imposed on them. The hard-core aerobatic types almost always start out through the competitive aerobatic backgrounds. Very demanding and precise, and flown at much higher altitudes. But they build their chops there (usually). When they move to the "airshow industry", they have to work with someone called an Aerobatic Competency Evaluator (ACE), who is a highly respected and experienced performer that has to validate their performance. New performers start with an 800' deck. I cannot remember how many shows they must perform before they are eligible to move to the next level, which is 500'. Then a bunch more shows, get evaluated and go to 250'... then a bunch more and get certified to the surface. It's not a "I'll go thrash the airplane around the sky" type of setup. The performers enjoy it, and they don't want to see anyone hurt either. They do a great job of self-regulating their industry. The International Council of Air Shows (ICAS) has many resources and seminars that drive the safety point home. Accidents do nothing to help the industry out, and no one wants to see them happen. Even when no one gets hurt, it opens the door for criticism. Neil Armstrong was a professional. What he did (test flying, space program) was far, far more dangerous than what is done in the airshow industry. Irrespective of what "inspired" him. Like the airshow professionals, he 'lived' to do what he did. As was mentioned above,... and I'm sure everyone knows,... no one is forcing airshow performers to do stupid stuff. In the rare event where it does happen intentionally, it's almost always the performer taking what they think is a minimal increase in risk to make a better performance. And I've told performers that. More than once I've said "why bother getting so low? No one behind the first two rows of spectators can see you." I just finished announcing a 2-day show today, and we had a performer who had done this same show 47 times,... and we had a performer in an Extra who was doing his very first airshow ever. And a few in between. Believe me, all of the performers were watching the new guy, and taking notes. They take it serious, and they want to do it well. And they certainly debriefed him after each performance. Bottom line: I believe your representation of the problem being pilots in marginally safe JN-4's, and that the crowd is made up of folks that want to see that is completely wrong. In fact, the number one attraction at any airshow (as proven by ICAS surveys that are given to spectators), are the military jet teams. And, as you know, they have a full-blown syllabus that gets them up to speed through a step-down program. So... I guess I disagree with you. Side note: as was pointed out on another thread, we've proved we can drive cars real fast now, and there's no need to spend your entire life training to go a little faster on a bicycle, while under the influence of steroids. Apparently, human nature enjoys the challenge.

My wife would skip the divorce option and go straight to murder if I moved her to a Muslim country where it is 110 in the shade for 6 months out of the year, no matter how many fancy malls and cultural centers they build.

I just threw up a little. Champ already said it, but it bears repeating. I like the active duty less and less each day.

Love the hypocrisy of Fox News for outing this guy's real name when earlier they were slamming the Obama administration leaking info on the raid and risking the lives of the SEALs who were involved in the op.

It's like the children of the corn..

And on that day, throughout all the land, not a single fuck was given.