Warbird Information Exchange

I thought that the Spanish inquiry into his crash had stated that he might have hit his own wake turbulence from his low-level flyby prior to that. Would this not be considered "low altitude maneuvering"?

The Spanish enquiry made no such finding. The (unproven) 'wake turbulance' theory came from another source. Regardless, he was on final approach to what should have been a normal landing when the accident occured. As I stated, nothing whatsoever to do with "low altitude aerobatics or maneuvering" unless you would class landing as "low altitude........maneuvering".

Actually, all my flight instructors always stated landings as ... "low altitude......maneuvering", but who's really counting right? ...

I get your point.

O.K., fair enough, I stand corrected. Do you have a link to the Spanish report on line? I used to have that but don't anymore.

The Mark Hanna incident excepted, I still stand by what I previously wrote.

http://www.fomento.es/NR/rdonlyres/3BD1 ... _A_ENG.pdf

Thanks, Mike, I appreciate it!

In these photos it is clear that he has left himself no escape route if something goes wrong. Not a good way to fly. I'm sure he is an awesome pilot, and I have a ton of respect for the guy, but this just isn't a good idea.

_________________
Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Director

I don't post a lot on this forum, I tend to be more of a "lurker", however, this particular topic is one I feel strongly about. These are simply my opinions of course, and I appreciate this forum to express them. I also respect everyone else's views that may be contrary to my own.

ACE card or no ACE card I get no more thrill out of seeing a low pass at 10 feet instead of 100 feet. If it is your airplane then knock yourself out. (by the way, the owner of the 51 probably knew the kind of flying Snort would do) I guess I would just feel some sort of obligation to be a bit more careful with someone else's $1.5 million dollar airplane that he graciously allowed me to fly. If someone takes what I consider unnecessary risks in flying my airplane, then how careful are they in the overall operation of it? Did he run the engine hard? Did he try to take a taxiway by braking hard instead of taking the next and getting more life out of them? etc etc etc I'm not saying Snort did that, I'm just saying one has to assume that you play how you practice.

In addition, I view myself as a "custodian" of my T-6 as much as an owner. I would feel the same way if I ever get the privilege to fly someone's Mustang.(the only way I'll ever get to)

Speaking of Nancy Lynn, I watched in horror from the flight line at CJR when I saw her crash. I ran across the runway to help with the rescue effort and got a good dose of what happens when someone makes a mistake flying that low. I still think about her to this day and wish she had used a higher "hard deck" than she did. I would have enjoyed her show just as much, the crowd of average patrons wouldn't have known the difference and I would have been able to watch her fly again some day.

I'd like to STRONGLY ally myself with pretty much everything that my friend Mike says here.

Not a day goes by that I don't think of Oct 14th.

My opinion on Snort, aside from the fact he's almost a gear-up ace (and I'll give hime credit for the Collings Corsair as that was beyond doubt a mechanical issue), is that sooner or later "Fate goes a-huntin". His choice to do what he does, in the way that he does it, but I just wonder about folks who lend him their airplane...

I also, having been through the horrific circumstances of a fatal crash (Nancy) think that Snort is needlessly tempting fate, and by CHOOSING to do so in that manner in front of lots of spectators, will be responsible for the mental anguish and emotional issues that result when you (spectators) see it happen, in front of you, in living colour with a soundtrack that you'll NEVER get out of your head.

That's a dammed selfish outlook if you ask me (which nobody really did, but nonetheless...)

_________________
Regards,

Jase
www.b26marauder.com
"I'm having a BLAST!!" 2007 CAF Wing Staff Conference

RIP Gary Austin..always in our hearts

Didn't we recently have a thread about hoover and how he flew someone else's plane?

Snort has the skills, but should he fly that low?

Imho, no

Just because you can do something does not mean you should

I worry when I see this kind of stuff because no matter how good a pilot you are, and I am sure Snort is right up there at the top, if something mechanical goes wrong all of his skill won't help him. Look at what happened at LSFM recently with two very high time and highly skilled pilots (I have flown many times with the Hurricane pilot and trust him 100% when I am in the airplane) when something mechanical fails to work - luckily that was on the ground and both pilots were being watched from above.
What would happen to Snort if his controls jammed from say a failed control pully or hing point or the engine decided to burp. Not sure how pilot skill can overcome physics and the laws of gravity.

I Agree that it is fun to look at pictures but not a good thing in front of a crowd line.

Steve S

Have a look at this video I put together of Snort's Demo at Geneseo in July. He really is not low very often and could easily convert that to altitude if he had to. For the most part the routine is pretty straightforward, with all the energy being directed to the sides of the display area, cuban 8's, 4 pt rolls, immelman......with plenty of altitude attained during them. IMHO I have seen much more 'spirited' displays at the Duxford shows I have attended.

Here is the full demo I filmed. Have a look and I think you'll have a much more clear picture than looking at a single frame with telephoto compression no less.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGGmg1f6R7I

Cheers,
Peter

Let's hear some expert opinion on this low pass:

http://www.airshowbuzz.com/videos/view.php?v=0e722623

Too low, no question. ... but what do i know?

Yep, we do live in a wussified world, but who's the wuss when you kill yourself or someone else to try not to be a wuss? Again "Snort" is probably the best pilot out there right now, but he propably doesn't fly the best aircraft out there right now. It's just too much of an assumption that your aircraft is up to your skills.

When I saw the pics before even seeing any of the comments, I knew it was him.

Snort Posing for my cameras in 2002.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tX8L4CA1vWg

Yeah that's me saying "Holy..."

You all have valid points but in todays wussified world, I was honored to buy him a drink that evening.


excuse the video .... 4 megapixel digi camera

Regards,

Mike

_________________
"There was no such thing as a bad day when you have a door knob on the inside of the door."

Cmdr. Paul Edward Galanti -retired