Life is a risk Don.
True, perhaps pilots could perform better in competition
by not wearing seatbelts or parachutes, thus allowing
them to see better behind and above them.

The Human race advances by taking
risks. Everday you get up in the morning Don you take
a risk. Sometimes the risks don't pay off and you end
up injured or dead.
True again, is the possibility of death an acceptable
risk for taking a picture? Or racing in a glider?

I'm
not saying it was entirely Mr Lawson's fault - nor
the pilot's. You are.
Personally, the organizers that allow this to happen
can and should be held accountable. And I apply that
to future contests in the US.

Now please provide the statistics to say that competition
racing finishes are inherently more dangerous to so
called 'innocent bystanders' than you driving your
car on a public highway.


What is your point here?, we can compare low flying
to Russian Roulette for that matter. It is an unecesary
procedure that combines the desire to show off as
a stunt pilot might, but with none of the controls
inherit to acrobatic flying.

Hell, why not just organize a 'low pass' competition
and eliminate the need for the cross country component?


This subject gets batted around so often, now we see
a fatality caused directly by these stupid activities,
and we still listen to the justifications for this.
Gee, only one guy died. It hurts our sport, all of
us for this to continue. Reasonable thinking people
within the sport and particularly out of the sport
are not going to buy into the *logic* presented here.