I have received several questions from friends and acquaintances regarding air show safety and certain risks associated about them. Having attended many air shows and even working at one, as well as witnessing a crash or two in addition to many near-misses, and feeling strongly about supporting air shows for various reasons, I hereby offer the following response:
In the wake of this most recent air show disaster that occurred in the U.K. the other day, there is guaranteed certainty that commentary and speculation with no relative context will arise. The media is bound to broadcast incorrect, often not-so credible information while so much detail remains unavailable or unknown at the moment. And unfortunately, next to the fatalities that resulted in this accident, the public will prematurely jump to conclusions based on said information released by the various media. And without a doubt, these anti-air show groups will milk this for all its worth to further their (in my opinion) ridiculous and irrelevant agendas to get all air shows banned over "safety concerns." I put those two words in quotation marks because like all sports and anything outdoors, there are associated risks. But like all sports and anything outdoors, you take the necessary precautions to minimize and mitigate potential hazards that come from said risks; air shows and the people who bend over backwards to organize them does just that, often working together with aviation regulators.
Last month, I attended the Oregon International Air Show up in Hillsboro, OR and it was one of the best I've seen in a long time. And I plan on attending the National Championship Air Races in Reno, NV next month. Whenever I go to these type of events, I don't even think about the risks associated with being an air show spectator, not even in the back of my mind. If you think that way, you have no business being at these sort of events. And I say the same to these anti-air show groups who are wasting their time: If you're so worried about safety, don't even get involved and let those of us who actually want to be at these events enjoy the air show. I am personally grateful to live in a country where air shows happen all over the place; many countries around the world have national bans that prevent one from happening over their respective soils. In my opinion, air shows are very safe overall. Not only do these events provide entertainment, but it is an opportunity to provide significant tourism revenue, education, and employment. Air shows are opportunities to see history come alive when vintage and historical aircraft that are still airworthy fly. I personally find it a true privilege to see old fighter planes from World War II or the Cold War in flight. And most important to me is that patriotic aspect air shows bring through the demonstration our country's military as well as their historical warbird contemporaries; I am proud to be an American whenever I see the Air Force Thunderbirds or Navy Blue Angels or even an old American warbird fly. To me these aviators display some of the truest patriotism this country has ever seen.
With that said, accidents do happen from time to time. And when they do happen, let the professionals assigned in investigating the causes do their jobs so they can formulate the appropriate responses to prevent similar accidents happening again, and ultimately preserve a unique, but important pastime. Don't dismiss an air show just because you've seen footage or images of a crash that occurred at one.
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