Originally Posted by
franklin_m
The AMA VP was at the event when a large WWI aircraft veered over the crowd and crashed in the tents, narrowly missing people. Yet that same VP did nothing to change the standoffs, the crowd location, the flight pattern, nor the "no earlier than liftoff point" to ensure that if there was a wayward aircraft in the future, save a >90 turn, that the velocity vector would be away from the spectators. So, since nothing was done, when the B29 continued it's takeoff despite a clear lack of directional cotrol on the ground, that 100lb aircraft narrowly missed the crowd on a flight path similar to the earlier one. Then, in the MA the next month, that same VP bragged about being there and not one word on the near miss...a very dangerous one.
I'm just not seeing the value for the dollar. I get a magazine that becoming increasingly forgettable, a museum I'll never visit, competitions that are more and more won by sponsored pilots who get $100+ servos by the box, and now completely ineffective government lobbying on behalf of my interests.
Originally Posted by
franklin_m
No, it's all about actively managing risk...and making sure you've got adequate protections in place. After the first event, it was evident the potential was there. It had already happened once, missing people only by luck. There is no excuse for the second...especially so since the only thing worse than an out of control airplane on the ground is an out of control airplane in the air. Full scale airshows carefully manage aircraft velocity vectors to minimize exposure...and that was clearly not done at WOD. It's important to note that not only did the AMA not engage in a situation that clearly warranted it based on the first close call, they still didn't engage after the second. Furthermore, I have little faith in an organization that doesn't even mention the two serious near misses in safety columns...when they seem to have no problem talking about things much less likely to injure an innocent bystander.
Additionally, they more than micro manage already, just not in the right areas (in my opinion).
Originally Posted by
franklin_m
I'm an aviation accident investigator by training, and I watched with great interest the video of the crash. It was frightening to watch the airplane clearly unable to maintain centerline almost from the start of the takeoff roll and yet it continued, and got worse, and despite that was still yanked into the air. It didn't look so much like a 180 as a wingover type maneuver with the airplane impacting as it came down the back side. That said, if you say it made a 180, then it did.
As for what's possible at certain venues, that's where it's a balance between field size, layout, winds, crowd size, crowd control, course rules, operating procedures, and in some cases perhaps even aircraft size (as to what's allowed and not). Not easy to be sure, but I suspect there will be increased scrutiny - I'd predict giant scale and/or turbines first. But time will tell. That said though, it would be wise for any group contemplating a large event to take a real hard look at planned operations - with an eye toward "how would a regulator view what we're about to do?"
I'm only aware of one significant crash at WOD, and that involved the B-29. I'm 100% certain there was nothing any person, group, or entity could have done to avoid that horrible crash other than the pilot of the plane. He was the only one that could have made a difference. Trying to lay this, or any part of this, at the feet of an AMA officer is disingenuous and unfair. When I saw that video for the first time I was horrified at how close spectators were to the flight line, and watching other videos from that day as well as other years made it seem like that is a pretty tight field, but I've never been there in person. I completely agree however with the other comments about minimizing and controlling risks though. The more probing question for me is what is going to happen next year? Will they have the same lines up that they did this year? If so, I wouldn't want to fly there, or be a spectator. An accident like that can't be completely avoided, they happen at many events, and in that case it might have been worse had people been farther back. Still, it's was freakishly lucky nobody was hurt.
That happened right before one of our club's electric events and while we didn't have planes that big, we still had a pilots meeting both day to go over every possible event we could think of. We also continued to tell spectators to keep their heads up at all times. We were equally as paranoid (yes, paranoid) at our IMAA giant scale. Multiple safety lines and barriers were in place.
I agree there will probably be more scrutiny at events this year, nothing wrong with that, and might even be a good thing to refocus on the basics. I get the value proposition question you pose on the AMA membership. I hope we as a group, and the AMA collectively can have a stronger voice and advocacy on behalf of this hobby in the coming months/year. I'd like to see the numerous vendors get more involved with this issue as well. I think there is strength in numbers, just don't know if it will ever be enough to get everything we want.
Also, on a more completely off topic note...you have an almost exact doppleganger here in CT, the owner of one of the best hobby shops in CT, RC Hobbies and More. Twins almost.
