Third Fatality In 4 Days

In the 44 years that the Reno Air Races have been taking place, there have been 18 fatalities.  Three of those fatalities occurred this week.  On Tuesday, a biplane piloted by Steve Dari apparently stalled shortly after takeoff and crashed killing him.  Thursday afternoon, after encountering severe wake turbulence from another aircraft,  an L-39 Albatross jet crashed killing pilot Brad Morehouse.  Race officials made the decision to resume the races today, but they were shot lived.  A mid-air collision between two formula one aircraft this morning left Gary Hubler dead and another pilot, Jason Somes, seriously injured.  There are details of all 3 crashes everywhere on the net, but what really made me decide to blog about this is several comments posted on news sites calling for a permenant ban on the races.

I have one question…WHY?  The undeniably skilled pilots obviously know the risks as do the spectators.  Everyone at the event is there because they love aviation.  From what I’ve read, the event takes place over an unpopulated area, so no unsuspecting persons are put at risk.  Some people expect the government, through regulations/bans, to protect them from everything.  As a former police officer, I can assure you that the government cannot protect you 24/7.  If you don’t want to risk having a plane crash on top of you then don’t go to an airshow.  Personally, I think it’s a risk worth taking.

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