airtwardo 6 #1 August 22, 2011 ~to his death. I've worked with his dad Eddie at shows all over the country. Very sad. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/08/21/national/main20095214.shtml ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sinjin 0 #2 August 22, 2011 RIP , flyfree !!dont let life pass you by Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MX304 0 #3 August 22, 2011 This was a terrible weekend. On top of the wing walker, we also lost Bryan Jensen when he spun it at the Kansas City Air Show in his Pitts "The Beast". The Red Arrows lost a pilot to an airshow crash, and a mid air in NJ claimed the life of an aerobatic competitor. Blue Skies to all Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 6 #4 August 22, 2011 Quote This was a terrible weekend. On top of the wing walker, we also lost Bryan Jensen when he spun it at the Kansas City Air Show in his Pitts "The Beast". The Red Arrows lost a pilot to an airshow crash, and a mid air in NJ claimed the life of an aerobatic competitor. Blue Skies to all Bad weekend indeed. Bryan and his Beast circled us jumpers at Oshkosh the last couple of years, great guy, great pilot. ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnMitchell 14 #5 August 22, 2011 Damn, Twardo, are the audiences expecting too much? Are we asking the performers to stand too close to the edge? I appreciate the beauty of flight and the skill of the performers. I don't need to be chills and thrills. My condolences to all. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
futuredivot 0 #6 August 22, 2011 I don't think so, although I do see instances of performers trying to impress other performers. It's kinda like swooping a demo. It's not done for the crowd because they don't get it anyway. I keep telling the people i associate with that all I care about it how it looks from show center (and it can look very close and be very safe from that vantage point) and that the announcer remembers to mention my name :-). It has been a bad week. I recall Bryan as being a heck of a nice guy. I never met Todd but I've been friends with Roger, the helicopter pilot, for years. I think there's even a pic on here somewhere of me hanging under Otto during an airshow.You are only as strong as the prey you devour Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jrmrangers 0 #7 August 22, 2011 I saw all of these fatalaties on the news and i was shocked, condolences to all the families and freinds. Was the wing walker trying to transfer to the helo? Thats what it looked like in the videos i saw,Wait , I pull what first? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Galenis 0 #8 August 23, 2011 I know it is macabre but..... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpZ8Y_hwBsw&feature=player_embeddedIt's time for my nightly ritual: Pleasure myself, weep, and repeat. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wayneflorida 0 #9 August 23, 2011 QuoteI saw all of these fatalaties on the news and i was shocked, condolences to all the families and freinds. Was the wing walker trying to transfer to the helo? Thats what it looked like in the videos i saw, Yes Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jtval 0 #10 August 24, 2011 Quote Damn, Twardo, are the audiences expecting too much? Are we asking the performers to stand too close to the edge? I appreciate the beauty of flight and the skill of the performers. I don't need to be chills and thrills. My condolences to all. As a skydiver we mitigate risks to prevent unnecessary/unfortunate accidents. I performed at the air show and hadn't yet seen Todd's act. We were loading up to leave after our last performance when this happened. There was a 15 kt crosswind. (coming from the west. they were flying south.) The first two passes were designed to build up the anticipation. The third, on this day, was his last. I was very surprised to see that he had nothing but goggles and gloves on. It's definitely a sad day (weekend) day for the air show circuit but there's should never been pressure to perform when it overrides safety.My photos My Videos Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
longtall 0 #11 August 30, 2011 Condolences" 90 right, five miles then cut."---Pukin Buzzards Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites