Slashdot Mirror
James Gosling Report of Reno Air Crash
Earlier today, a tragic crash at the Reno National Championship Air Races killed at least 12 spectators, and left at least 75 injured. Reader xmas2003 writes with a link to Java creator James Gosling's first-hand account of the crash, which he describes as "better than most of what is being reported in mainstream media so far."
i saw it first hand, the galloping ghost lost control and did a barrel roll over the stands and crashed 50 feet away from me into the edge of the box seats. it looked like its aileron got stuck and he couldn't correct it. i love the air races like no other and iv been involved with it literately my whole life, but i will never forget what i saw.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qs98xkTIBQU
about the 3:30 mark
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zusClmg4IQg :30 second mark
about the
Horrible looking, but amazingly not an explosion.
"Oh, you hate your job? There's a support group for that, it's called everyone, they meet at the bar."
As others have said, it's not a show, but a race. Also, unlimited class race planes are not normal planes. They chop the wings and boost the superchargers. Tiger Destifani once said that without a significant amount of thrust, the modified P51s have the aerodynamic capability of a cannonball. As they must for those speeds. One of the most amazing things I've ever seen was a P51 (I think it was the Red Baron, notable for having counter-rotating props) diving into the main straight to do a qualifying lap and see vapor trails coming off the wings at 1000ft. P51s aren't supposed go get anywhere near those speeds. The point being: these aren't normal planes, and they aren't doing normal activities, and they are always on the edge of the envelope.
It's hard to tell. When there's a problem where the pilot feels he needs to bow out, it's usual for them to declare mayday and climb up and around to land while the race continues. I was there, and when I first saw the plane climb I thought it was just another routine failure, but when he flipped over I could see it wobbling a bit, and it seemed like a control surface may have malfunctioned and stuck in a position outside its normal range of motion while the pilot fought for control. Also don't forget that it was windy all day. (I don't remember which way it was blowing)
As for claims of him having a heart attack or some other medical problem... It MAY be possible, but I don't think so. I personally think a person in his position would know better than to fly if he was in bad shape, not to mention the physicals they go through regularly.
There is a huge difference between an unlimited air race and a display airshow. Display airshows are flown ate relatively slow speeds nowhere near the 500mph of unlimited racers
"Second, air show performers â" both civilian and military â" are prohibited from performing maneuvers that direct the energy of their aircraft toward the area in which the spectators are sitting."
The race course is parallel to the runway so clause has been followed. The issue is that a 500mph unlimited racer with control issues can come down miles away from where the control problem happened and in any direction. They don't usually just fall out of the sky like display aircraft. Even if the planned direction was not toward the audience there is no way of knowing where an aircraft with control problems will come down.
"Third, the industry and regulatory authorities strictly enforce minimum set-back distances that were developed to ensure that, in the event of an accident, pieces of the aircraft will not end up in the spectator area."
That only works if the aircraft crashes under the planned flight path. If it veers off course due to a control problem this is moot.
He was 74, not 80, and he held a current 2nd class medical certification from the FAA. Most private pilots only have a 3rd class; his health was fine and almost certainly had nothing to do with it. You can read more about his credentials here: http://www.av8rdan.com/2011/09/before-assuming-age-was-the-cause-of.html Also, photos are circulating that show control surfaces missing from the aircraft before the crash. Something went wrong mechanically - please do your research before making mindless assumptions. http://corduroyplanet.blogspot.com/2011/09/chilled.html
US Airshows
Wrong.
This was an Air Race not an Air Show.
Was the race allowed to weasel out of those regs by not calling itself an airshow, even though that's exactly what it is?
The Reno Air Races operate under far stricter regulations than air shows. Unfortunately, sometimes aircraft fail in unpredictable ways. Nothing is completely safe.
"Second, air show performers Ã" both civilian and military Ã" are prohibited from performing maneuvers that direct the energy of their aircraft toward the area in which the spectators are sitting."
So much for that rule.
These aircraft travel at well over 400MPH. They can travel a long way in a very short time. There's also no way to determine which direction an aircraft might travel in the case of mechanical/control failure or pilot incapacitation.
It appears from the video that the pilot experienced a control failure. In that case, there's not much anyone including the pilot could do to avoid tragedy. The pilot appears to have lost all control of the aircraft, likely due to the aforementioned control system failure.
In this kind of scenario with no way to control the aircraft, the only way to be totally safe is to be outside of the distance the fuel onboard could carry the aircraft. This could be up to 100 miles or more in any direction, even with the limited fuel load of a race aircraft and depending on the point in the flight where directional control is lost.
The poor guy probably sacrificed his own life by staying with the aircraft and not bailing out/ejecting in a last-ditch attempt to try to avoid hitting the stands.
I hope the FAA employees, airshow promoters, and airport employees who approved the airshow plan are all charged criminally.
You may want to re-think your rant. The world cannot be made toddler-safe, and nobody would like living in it, even if it were possible. There is always an element of risk to practically any activity, even laying in bed at night under your covers.
Strat
Progressivism (aka US 'Liberalism'): Ideas so good they need a police/surveillance-state to enforce.
First, he was 74, not 80. I don't know where you get that bullshit. Second, the crash was due to mechanical failure. See photo here. Third, you think maybe because the guy is living life, racing fighter planes, is why he's above ground at the age of 74 when many of his peers are six feet under or pissing themselves at nursing homes? He passed the physical exams with flying colors, which include reflexes and eyesight. I'm sure he would be the first to disqualify himself if he felt even the least bit unworthy to fly.
Yes, you're the only one who thinks it's strange. Asshole.
Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!