ELTEE
Vice Admiral
It was a sad weekend for vintage aviation enthusiasts. I was deeply saddened by the tragedy that occurred at the Reno Air Races in Nevada. For those that may not know, it is one of the last venues where owners of souped up vintage fighter aircraft can race wingtip to wingtip as it was done throughout the dawn of aviation. Speeds are in excess of 500 mph with hp numbers north of 3000. The stars of the show are famous throughout the pages of history books; Mustangs, Bearcats, Typhoons, Tempests, Tigercats - they're all there.
This past Saturday, a heavily modified P-51 lost control and crashed into the VIP section of the audience. Most accounts agree that the pilot was a hero in directing the aircraft away from the larger and more densely populated main audience, despite the few, precious seconds available between loss of control and impact. Initial fault seems to lie with a failed elevator trim tab, but the investigation will doubtless span many months if not years.
I was supposed to be in attendance of this year's races as it has always been on my 'bucket list,' but circumstances with the military prevented me from attending. There is no sugarcoating the main event - I think there have been around 40 fatalities here in the past 20 or so years. Tragically, this is the first to involve the spectators. I can only hope that the event will continue - losing the Reno races would be closing a storied chapter not just in the history of aviation, but rather in the entirety of the competitive human spirit with the drive to win at all costs. This spirit serves as such an inspiration for so many of the characters that make up the WC universe.
RIP Jimmy Leeward, you will be missed. Thanks for keeping history alive. Below are two pictures of "Galloping Ghost" just prior to impact.
EDIT - I can't seem to include the photos I wanted to. I don't have a URL for them (they're on my drive) and I cant seem to post them in the thread either as copy paste. Any suggestions?
Anyway, a good article on the overall races and the events of this weekend can be found here. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4456906...ash-had-radical-changes-compete/#.TndePtQ_824
There are pictures there as well...
This past Saturday, a heavily modified P-51 lost control and crashed into the VIP section of the audience. Most accounts agree that the pilot was a hero in directing the aircraft away from the larger and more densely populated main audience, despite the few, precious seconds available between loss of control and impact. Initial fault seems to lie with a failed elevator trim tab, but the investigation will doubtless span many months if not years.
I was supposed to be in attendance of this year's races as it has always been on my 'bucket list,' but circumstances with the military prevented me from attending. There is no sugarcoating the main event - I think there have been around 40 fatalities here in the past 20 or so years. Tragically, this is the first to involve the spectators. I can only hope that the event will continue - losing the Reno races would be closing a storied chapter not just in the history of aviation, but rather in the entirety of the competitive human spirit with the drive to win at all costs. This spirit serves as such an inspiration for so many of the characters that make up the WC universe.
RIP Jimmy Leeward, you will be missed. Thanks for keeping history alive. Below are two pictures of "Galloping Ghost" just prior to impact.
EDIT - I can't seem to include the photos I wanted to. I don't have a URL for them (they're on my drive) and I cant seem to post them in the thread either as copy paste. Any suggestions?
Anyway, a good article on the overall races and the events of this weekend can be found here. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4456906...ash-had-radical-changes-compete/#.TndePtQ_824
There are pictures there as well...