Silvaire wrote:
landing in fields of their own choosing, parachuting to get attention, flying stunts and selling rides.
Well… for the greater part, what the barnstormers were doing would generally inspire the public with “see what you could learn to do in a plane!”, rather than the apparent recent “watch me do something so far away from the norm, and of no value whatever to public aviation, that neither you, nor any wise person, would ever be able to attempt it”. There’s a difference.
I was inspired to fly by appreciating good airmanship. What I see Red Bull pilots doing has elements of really poor airmanship.
Whoaaa, you guys are heroes… not…
Sorry, is “damaged” really the appropriate word? Why not go with “accumulated some slight wear and tear”?
On the other hand, I like “safety mechanism”, that makes it sound so harmless – if that chute hadn’t failed, one could have simply gotten in and tried again!
Well, taking responsibility is something, but I’ll wait to hear…. does he graciously accept punishment which the FAA might impose? Does he actually take responsibility for other punishment the FAA may impose upon the uninformed co participants (pay their fines too)? This still has a really bad look for disciplined GA aviation.
Inkognito wrote:
Sorry, is “damaged” really the appropriate word? Why not go with “accumulated some slight wear and tear”?
Only one ‘lady owner’ 
Redbull gives you wings, FAA takes them away. 
The cynic in me suspects this was the best possible outcome for them: one pilot makes it across showing it can be done. The other fails showing it’s not easy. One plane crashes, adding a frisson of excitement. My first thought was that whilst I don’t like seeing good hardware trashed, nobody got hurt; no third party was likely to get hurt, and I’m generally in favour of letting people take their own risks.
On the other hand, the day I broke my leg (tumble from an unicycle) I ended up sharing a ward with 2 people who had quite significant injuries from a single Red Bull cycling event. I know there was at least one other competitor who got taken elsewhere. They’re all professionals, but most nice weekends here we see amateur mountain bikers with injuries they will regret for decades to come (will limp for the next 60 years type injuries) and this upsets me. I get the impression that sports and stunts are getting more extreme, and inspirational youtube videos are partly to blame.
kwlf wrote:
They’re all professionals,
Well, that’s being generous. I’m not sure what their “profession” would be. For some reason, paint a name on and airplane/boat/car, and the operator seems to think they are less vincible. When I trained fire fighters in the fireboat, one of the first things I’d tell them was that the fact it said “Fire Department” on the side of the boat was no assurance whatever that they too could not come to grief in it. Every time I responded to a call, I’d think to myself, I’m now leaving, in a hurry, to help someone who got it wrong, what will I do differently than they?
I have no forgiveness for these two Red Bull goofs. How many pilots would be happy just to fly normally and safely, the 182 they wasted?
kwlf wrote:
with injuries they will regret for decades to come
Yeah, it’s very unglamorous waking up, not recognizing where you are, with the doctor on one side of you instructing that you wiggle your toes for him, and you wife on the other side with that “I would really rather that you’d not done that” look. Just do normal stuff, safely.
The ‘professionals’ I was referring to were mountain bikers who presumably they all know how their careers are going to end by looking at their peers. The kids who copy them don’t have that insight.
The pilots are another matter…
