OK,
I'm sure that despite how I phrase this or the type of "smiley" I use this is going to come off sounding harsh, but that's not my intent.
With ALL the recent discussion lately concerning risk/reward (can anyone remember all the way back to last week?), how can anyone really justify a mass formation arrival at OSH? I mean really, a formation arrival in the military is a practical means of getting a large number of aircraft on the ground quickly. In the civilian world however, this has almost no relevance. In fact, in this case, I'm guessing there was a lot of time collecting all the aircraft at a rendezvous location, briefings, and prep. In other words, LOTS of time spent just so you could give the illusion of "efficiently" recovering a large number of aircraft. It's like creating a problem just so you look good solving it.
So we've heard from several sources that this was not the finest example of a formation arrival and admittedly produced some "tense" moments. We've demonstrated plenty of risk, with ZERO practical value, so isn't this just a sanctioned form of "showing off"? Where is the outrage I'm so used to seeing on this forum?
Michael,
You argument could be used for any type of aerial demonstration. Formation or otherwise. Show flying is done for many reasons, none of which may have anything to do with practicality.
With risk, it is done to perhaps inspire. "thats pretty darn neat" is just but one feeling pilots hope to generate with a formation fly over. Or perhaps, "I did not know that was possible in a Bonanza. Neat! I think Ill take my Bonanza and go get some training and try that."
Showing whats possible, whether it be Tucker in a bipe, RV-s in a formation fly-over, or a Bonanza doing solo aerobatics (Pat Epps as an example), gives folks the sense that they can do more, inspire to do more, with their plane and themselves. Any demonstration of planes, dudes with wing bat suits, or anythings else, gives people feelings of reaching for the stars.
You cant demand the common sense of it. You could argue that some loon will see a man jump off a cliff in a bat suit and go try it for himself and die. Or see a formation of Bonanza's and go try it without any training. And surely that happens and is part of the trade off of professionals demonstrating skill to others that dont have it.
But in the end, you will find that for pilots demonstrating a skill of some type, it is in fact to look cool, to give folks good feelings about it, to inspire one to achive more than they thought might be possible with their RV or Bonanza or whatever. Anything being done of course always has risk. Accidents happen to smart, talented, well trained, best in the business pilots. Its a managed risk they accept.
I could go on but you get the jist. For me, the smile of a young boy or girls face who is admiring what we do, might just get him in a plane as a pilot one day and inspire others just the same.
position.
