Old Chief wrote:
Quote:
I'm not so sure about that one Coach, there was a crash earlier this year that the pilot swam away from, and just this Saturday one of the pilots hit the water and flew away. These, plus a ground bounce back in 2007, are the only three incidents they have had racing since 2003, with thankfully zero injuries.
Think about that statement.
OC
I thought about it before I wrote it, and I (as well as the competitors and everyone involved with the races) sees it the same way I meant it.
In literally thousands of trips through the tracks there have been a dozen or so near misses, with only two (possibly three) times where the ground/water was hit with only one airplane lost. Is it dangerous? Of course, but that's part of the challenge. Just like flying A-10s in combat or flying an airshow, it's not the world's safest activity! Most of the pilots are married with children, do you really think they would fly the races if they didn't expect to come back?
I don't know the exact statistics, but it wouldn't surprise me one bit if the per sortie accident rate for the races was lower than GA flying. On top of all this, the pilots go through water emergency egress training at least once a season. They wear life jackets in the cockpit in addition to parachutes, and each plane is equipped with an emergency scuba bottle just in case. Any time aircraft are in the track, rescue personnel are standing by in boats just in case, and can be anywhere on the track in under a minute.
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