mred33

Sorry everyone, but I just have to throw in my .02 in the pot. There is one way and ONLY one way to avoid a mid air and that is to land before anyone else takes off. I don't care what the rules are and how many spotters you have. If there are two or more planes in the air at the same time, there is a chance of a mid air. It is going to happen at times and nothing you or anyone else can do is going to stop it. Sooner or later, two planes are going to meet. I have been flying since the 50s and I have seen my share of crashes and mid airs and I have had my own share of crashes and mid airs. I had 1 mid air the whole time I have been flying and neither one of us saw the other coming. We were flying head on with pattern planes and hit REALLY hard. neither one of us tried to blame the other. We were standing side by side when it happened and both of us were stunned. When we finally got it through our heads what had just happened we both had a good cry and then shook hands and both of us broke up in fits of laughing. We were sorry it happened and helped each other pick up the mess, but neither one of us even thought about blame. I feel just as sorry for the P-40 as I do for the Kaos. No one deserves to lose a plane in a mid air, but it is part of flying. It's going to happen and nothing you or anyone else does is going to change the law of averages. IT WILL HAPPEN! As to the man not being a club member and flying at the field, all I can say is -What the H*** has that got to do with anything. Now to those that are trying to lay some blame on someone, all I can say is - GET A LIFE......... No one is to blame in a mid air. It happens and that is a fact of life. That is not going to change and mid airs will always happen. The only thing that bothers me about this is the fact that the club members were not doing everything they could to make you feel welcome and to get you to join the club. As far as I can see, that is the ONLY thing that was wrong.
I'm sorry for your loss and also for the loss of the P-40, but placing blame is not only wrong, it is stupid and a wast of time. If flying off of dirt bothers you, then get a GOOD air filter and have at it, but if I were at a field and made to feel unwelcome, I would find another place to fly. I drive 40 miles to go fly and while I wish I had a place closer, I would rather drive 40 miles to a place where I felt welcome then fly at a close field and feel left out in the cold. Hope you never have another mid air and have a wonderful time. Sorry for your loss.
Ed