What is the future for air shows?

I would never travel in a light aircraft even though various friends over the years have owned them and offered trips. One such friend did actually crash and was killed .

I just heard on 6pm news that 4 Britons have lost their lives in a light aircraft crash in Canada. Do we ban these aircraft from flying sightseers over mountainous terrain?? Another tragic accident. My sympathies to the families of all concerned.

thatbags I think you should preface your remark that those who oppose militarism are short-sighted with the words "in my opinion".

Speaking personally, I don't really care what "off shoots" military technology has provided to the world - such benefits have, in my view, been completely eclipsed by the devastation that these vile weapons have wreaked. Also the almost unimaginable amounts of money and expertise that have been needed to produce these weapon systems would I feel more than compensate for a loss of peripheral benefits.

When we were out walking at Middleham a few weeks ago a very large, old'ish plane flew overhead and yes, we were very moved seeing it. I'm still annoyed that I missed seeing the Lancaster fly overhead recently. Strange how things made of metal cans stir the heart in such a way. Problem these days is that, instead of worrying about a lot of things our parents would have [polio outbreaks etc] the danger facing us and our loved ones now seems to be 'being in the wrong place at the wrong time' and we have absolutely no control over it. If it hadn't been for the bravery of those men on the train at the weekend there would have been a massacre in the news as well as the air show disaster.

Lucky I understand your post absolutely.

I share the view about militarism .......... but, at the outdoor concerts that my DD and her OH run, there is a Spitfire fly past to music from a live orchestra. I was amazed to find myself moved by it - partly the music of course, but also the thought of all the young men who lost their lives flying the spitfires and doing what they felt was right to protect our country. As a lifelong pacifist, I had to acknowledge that feeling and try and understand it in the context of my abhorrence of what the bombing over Germany did to innocent people.

Society benefits from of shoots of military technology because so much money is ploughed into it [look how fast things progressed due to WWI,II and the space race]. If we ploughed that much cash into doing good things just think what mankind could achieve .Although sometimes it's the pressure caused by the situation that spurs on the inventiveness .

According to Radio Sussex, it sounds as though the Shoreham Airshow may be moved to enable the flying to take place over the sea. I have wondered why it wasn't already done there, like Eastbourne Airborne.

I think it's worth remembering that society has always benefitted from what might be called side-shoots of military technology. This continues. Being uncompromisingly anti-military is short-sighted.

I understand that is what is being proposed.

And me

I agree completely with Eloethan.

I don't like air shows or the underlying militarism I believe they represent.

I think it's a terrible tragedy that so many people's lives have just been wiped out in an instant like this.

I know there are lots of accidents on the roads, and railways have seen some terrible disasters too, but these stunts are really not necessary whereas travel is. If they do continue, I think these stunts should be done over the sea and not over populated areas.

Whilst having the utmost sympathy for those who have lost loved ones in this tragedy, I'm with Crun in wondering why nothing is an accident any more. We cannot legislate all risk out of life. The very public nature of this accident, its visibility on all media plus the incongruity of the situation is what makes it feel so shocking. Had this been a road accident which had caused multiple deaths we wouldn't have been talking about banning lorries or cars. In fact it wouldn't have merited much more than a brief headline on the evening news. Sensible precautions such as those announced would seem to be a proportionate response.

Uplifting to see the respect everyone is giving to those that died.

One piece of good news is that there doesn't appear to be any more victims under the wreckage.

Remember, these ariel shows by old aircraft are done solely to amuse people not for any serious reason, we could still admire modern aircraft doing whizz by or stunts.

It doesn't really matter if we speculate about the pilot crashing into an empty field though, what the CAA have done, is to stop any other plane crashing on a road with a huge loss of life.Would anybody really like to leave things until the next fatal crash?

Oh, have they banned vintage air stunts now then? It certainly seems like common sense to do that anyway.

Why are the TV reports still showing the footage of the plane plummeting to the ground? So insensitive.

I think it's a bit early to go laying this at the door of the pilot. I totally disagree that 'few pilots today have enough experience of flying old aircraft'. He may well have flown this aircraft during his RAF service. He will almost certainly have worked on it and devoted his spare time as a civilian to keeping it in the air, and clocked up the hours he needed to be able to fly it, in the same way that the pilots who fly the Vulcan and the Lancaster and the other venerable aircraft that so many of us love to see. The last time we attended RAF Waddington airshow, there were many vintage jet aircraft from all over the world performing aerobatics, including our own veteran Spitfire and Hurricane. Presumably, we shall not see them there, or anywhere else, again. I am shocked by this tragedy, the same as everyone else, saddened by the loss of life, and not trying to excuse anything or anybody, but If this plane had crashed anywhere but on a busy road, if it had crashed in a field, say, and had killed no-one, would the CAA have still banned vintage aerobatic displays?

CAA has just announced that vintage jet planes are to be banned from aerobatics.

While I agree with a lot of your post crun, I still think that a very old aircraft could lead to potential problems in 'itself' much as a very old car may do.However, your thoughts that pilot error is the main problem is also likely true, as few pilots today have enough experience of flying old aircraft.

"dangerous stunts by ancient aircraft over busy areas is, literally, an accident waiting to happen"

Is it? Arguments of this kind beg a definition of exactly what's meant by safe and dangerous, if you're not going to count how many are killed then how?

People watch a train crash and then desert the railways for a less safe motor car, or they'll laugh at cyclists for riding on dangerous roads even though the exercise increases their life expectancy 7 times more than the risk of accidents reduces it. The problem is that people judge risk according to how readily something springs to mind, rather than it's actual probability, and they are also 1000 times more sensitive to risk imposed on them than risk that they choose, which means people worry about all the wrong things.

" it would be more seemly to bide a while until all the poor souls are found and cared for"

But you weren't aiming that remark at those arguing a different line. As I recall, people were willing to defend blasphemy laws on the day that 12 were shot in Paris.

It said on the news this morning [apologise if I've got it wrong as it's what I've been told] that the pilot hadn't done the required amount of flying of the plane as he'd been brought in at the last minute. A previous 'accident' was a result of the pilot doing an unscheduled manoeuvre. So accidents they may be but human error was involved and human errors that could have been avoided. I hope what happened at the weekend hasn't invalidated the insurance in some way [not that money can make up for what has happened ].

While I liked your post, crun, the other thing that could happen is that old aircraft stop doing stunts.The older aircraft can be displayed on the ground and modern aircraft do all the stunts, much safer.Air shows are popular and bring in a lot of money to the region, and also to charities, I hope they won't stop because of this.Equally, dangerous stunts by ancient aircraft over busy areas is, literally, an accident waiting to happen.