Paul Krumrei wrote:
I think it was a real shame that after all those kills, Bong dies in an accident. How F'd up is that?
It's an interesting statistic to rack up the number of ace pilots were were killed in air crashes. (Off the top of my head, Heinz Bar was killed in the 'ultra-safe' Zuankonig light aircraft, Bluey Truscott (RAAF) was killed in a mock attack, and Bong as discussed.) There's an element that after combat death, an air crash is the next most likely cause of death for fighter pilots, as in the nature of the job, yet I wonder how much 'fighter pilot' attitudes are a factor in subsequent losses.
Part of the problem in perception is putting fighter pilots on a pedestal, seeing them as exceptional achievers (which, in many cases they were) and then assuming that
included complimentary skills. A good fighter pilot needs some particular skills, but history shows being a rounded airman or a 'nice person' or anything else wasn't a requisite.