Page 4 - Volume 15 Number 10

editor’sbriefingTragedy in the DesertSpeed is a common topic in airplane conversations. Most pilots would admit speed has an addictive quality. If given the opportunity, few of us can resist the chance to go fast no matter what kind of airplane we fly. Add the element of competition, and you have a formula for realexcitement – and real risk. It is this love of speed – and, yes, risk – that has drawn so many people to participate in the Reno Air Races, either as a racer or watcher.But September 16 has changed how we think of the Reno Air Races forever. The tragic Galloping Ghost crash is a terribly dark day in aviation history. Not only did our hearts break for those who were lost, we were deeply shocked by the spectacular way it unfolded. The dizzying speed at which a plethora of video clips and photographs circulated all over the news media and Internet was overwhelming, leaving us with a few scant clues and ultimately more feelings of sadness.In the aftermath of the Reno tragedy, the media has dissected the plane and its modifications, the pilot’s age and skills, and the mechanics and placement of the race itself. The thing is, no one ever claimed flying an airplane a few hundred feet off the ground at 500 mph is without risk. Pushing an airplane up to, and sometimes beyond, its limits can produce disastrous results – whether you’re racing or faced with a loss of control scenario in the course of normal flying. However, this is the first time a crash has ever killed or hurt air race spectators, who up until now felt pretty safe behind the flight line.When I attended Reno a couple of years ago, I had the opportunity as a member of the media to watch the race fromPylon 2. Before I was allowed onto the course, I had to sign a lengthy release, acknowledging the risk of injury or death. A number of race planes have crashed on the course in the past, so the risk was real. Once our bus reached the pylon, our chaperone once again reiterated the dangers (including rattlesnakes) and reminded us of where we could go and where we couldn’t. Once the races started, the rush and thunder of the race planes so close to the ground was unbelievable. Seeing the planes barreling right at you and banking hard around the pylon was breathtaking.Unlike my media pals and me under Pylon 2, those in the stands were not notified, nor did they think about, any risk. But it is there, even if miniscule. Compared to NASCAR, air races have been very safe affairs for fans. During a 12-year period in the 1990s, 29 spectators were killed at NASCAR races from flying debris or impacts from cars. There’s always room for safety improvements, and that discussion will be inevitably held among organizers and performers of every future air show around the globe.So now the question remains: what should become of the Reno Air Races? As the Reno Gazette-Journal so eloquently put it: “Now is not the time to call for an end to the air races. But in the months ahead, after the investigation is complete, our community will have a decision to make. If ending the air races is ultimately the right thing to do, we must have the courage to do so.”Twin & Turbine extends its heartfelt condolences to the Jimmy Leeward family and the families of those killed in this tragedy.Dianne White Editor2 •E OCTOBER 2011• TTWWINN &&&&TT T TUUURRBBIINNEE