"Stefan" wrote in message
...
Kyle Boatright wrote:

danger. The folks you see on the ground are not spectators but airshow
staff or pilots.

Yes, and heaven knows that it is acceptable to put pilots and their
parked aircraft at an unnecessary risk.

The spectators are usually laypersons and can't judge the risks, so it's
the organisator's and the pilot's responibility to protect them.
Contributing airshow pilots however can judge the risks (I would hope!),
and if they decide to deliberately stand there during a flyby, it's their
choice.

Whether the pilot put himself in danger is another question. I can't and
won't judge it, but even if he were, that's what airshow pilots do
routinely.

No. Their goal is to entertain the crowd but NOT put themselves in
danger.

You can read, can't you? Where did I say it was their goal to endanger
themselves? It's their goal to entertain (and probably also a bit to show
off, I dare to assume), and to reach that goal, they accept to take risks.

BTW, they take routinely much bigger risks than that low flying airliner.
Flying inverted a couple of feet above the runway is *much* more risky,
yet done routinely at airshows and I've yet to see a post about that here.
Probably the most stupid thing done at airshows is the "inverted ribbon
cut", but you see it everywhere and nobody seems to care. E.g.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=sCbwRzgJLhk. In that particular video you also
see one low level pull in which the pilot nearly stalls the plane. Most
dangerous at that altitude, but people don't even realize the situation.
The same goes for those stupid low level flicks shortly after take off.
E.g. http://youtube.com/watch?v=Uy0KkqFf_bU Extremely risky, because in a
flick you have *never* 100% control. Yet nobody seems to care. But an
airliner flying low... wow, *this* is going to cause discussions! It
reminds me somewhat of the quality of certain newspaper reports which have
been discussed here on a regular basis.

BTW, I don't say that I like such displays. Actually I hate them, and I
don't attend airshows for that very reason. I do attend aerobatic
competitions, though, because they are flown at a safe altitude. Besides,
the flying there is mostly better (i.e. more precise), albeit less
spectacular.

bodies in all developed countries. Those governing bodies usually react
with disapproval on stupid pilot tricks (at airshows or otherwise) which
put the public at risk.

You can read, can't you? It was my point that the public wasn't put at
risk.


The public WAS put at risk. Those spectators, some of whom may be pilots?
At risk. Anyone within a couple of miles of the airport? At risk. Clip a
wingtip and that multi-hundred thousand pound bundle of aluminum, steel,
titanium, and jet fuel could end up virtually anywhere within a few miles of
the airport.


Stefan