Tragic

[Phil G]

Tragic! My Grandfather built Instrument Panels for B-29s in WWII, here at Lockheed in Georgia (then Bell aircraft). Many years ago, Pop and I went to an airshow at Peachtree DeKalb Airport FIFI was there! We did the tour (they weren't giving rides, but I couldn't have if I wanted to, bad motion sickness). After the tour I mentioned to the crew that the Son and Grandson of one of the original B-29 builders were there. The "Tour" got a little more "in depth" for us then.

The CAF was originally the "Confederate Air Force", but political correctness forced them to change it.

Honestly, those old warbirds should probably be in museums and preserved rather than risking people's lives at airshows, but I can definitely appreciate those that want to keep them flying!

I still have a couple of "reject" instruments Granddad gave me to tinker with when I was in single digits of age. Took them apart, then figured out how to put them back together, actually got one of them to work again. Granddad always told everybody I was going to be an Engineer and he was right! Two MET degrees and now retired after a 40+ year career.

Still a hotrodder at heart and still spinning wrenches at almost 64 (B'day in 8 days).

 

[Lowend]

It's so horrifying, it's hard to process.

 

[BillyDean7173]

That was horrible and it happened so fast. My sympathy to the families for their sudden loss.

 

[TTR230]

That P39 (or king cobra) certainly didn't see the B17. The sky looked a bit like chaos right up to that incident.with planes flying in every direction. I feel not only for those killed, but the spectators, especially children, that had to witness that.

 

[Zstar]

I may get flamed for this, but that did not look like an accident. The fighter aircraft were above the B-17. It appears the P-63 tracked the B-17. This is being talked about on many flying forums. There is more to this than meets the eye.

 

[ChevyReb]

UhOh...^^^he said the quiet part out loud

Could be he was trying to do a close pass and misjudged, I didn't see another fighter close enough that he would have had eyes on a lead aircraft to fly formation with so that's not an option in my mind from the views I have seen.

Honestly I think it would be difficult to make a dead on hit intentionally at the speed and rate of closure on a moving target. I mean it looked like he flew a straight line dead into it from a pretty good distance. That's why I was saying maybe the guy blacked out, had a heart attack or something? Possibly a mechanical failure but he could have throttled back if he lost control abilities. IDK, just a very sad incident on so many levels.

 

[Zstar]

I really doubt a medical issue. The guys who fly those aircraft are excellent, well seasoned pilots. I will stick to my claim that this was intentional.

 

[Mitch_Z]

Unbelievable.

 

[CorkyE]

I really doubt a medical issue. The guys who fly those aircraft are excellent, well seasoned pilots. I will stick to my claim that this was intentional.

What do you have to back up your claim?

 

[1972_Z-28]

My GrandFather flew B-17s during WW2