What's Up? - October 2011

Reno…

By Larry Shapiro

I suppose there wasn’t any way this column could have been written without the mention of Reno.  After all, this is an aviation publication, I write about aviation, and you would have to live in a cave not to know about Reno 2011.

Okay, my aviation friends, here’s what I have to say about this.  People much more qualified than me, since they were there and witnesses, are telling their stories on other pages in this issue of In Flight USA.

Here’s what I know for sure.  Reno is the “Super Bowl” of aviation.  Without Reno the Reno area will take an economical hit worse than a flood. Furthermore, general aviation and professional air racing would simply not be the same without all Reno offers, from the thrills around the pylons to the live entertainment to the promotion of great skilled and talented pilots.

Do We Need It?

Reno is a major test bed for aviation technology and many of us benefit from that.

Please don’t forget how many folks/sport fans, are bitten by the “aviation bug” after being there and head for their local flight schools to take the first step into the “friendly skies.” I’m not forgetting the annual reunions among thousands of old and new friends.

Will it affect GA and the children (i.e. pilots-to-be) that were there?  Of course it will but hopefully, parents will explain to their children that this flying accident is not like the flying they do in their family or rental airplane.  This accident was extreme.  They have nothing to worry about and in time, hopefully they will put into perspective and better understand what they saw and heard. Hopefully, the same goes for the adults and industry overall. We must remember that those who race and even those who come to watch have some understanding of the risks involved

Can the sponsors of the Races obtain insurance again for this event going forward? Hard to know…  however, in my experiences in aviation, I think they will. The real question is at what cost, both financial and with regard to restraints and limitations.

Does it matter what went wrong?  Sure it does.  Will we learn lessons, no doubt?  We already knew that there should be no energy towards the audience.  This wasn’t a controlled maneuver, so the question is moot.  I do have a problem with the box seating, specifically where it is located. When I would attend back in the day, it wasn’t there. It was installed fairly recently and if someone had asked me, I would have objected.

There are a lot of things that now need to be looked at in terms of the overall event, from staging to seating and everything in between. Some will complain, some might take it further with a lawsuit, but this is not for discussion right now. It’s soon and the emotions are too raw. As for me, I send hugs and condolences to those who sustained physical and emotion injuries.  I understand and feel your pain.

Actually, just one more word or two about those lawsuits…  Reasonable people sometime do unreasonable things.  If there is just cause they will come.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed that they are few and far between.  First, let’s take care of those still in bandages.  The Reno Race officials will handle this issue honorably if and when it occurs.

Minutes Later …

Within minutes I was buried by phone calls from Reno, TV stations, and many friends sitting neck-high in debris.  I felt helpless and afraid knowing how many of my aviation family were in harms way.  I made the decision not to get involved and leave the situation to those at the scene. Just FYI, one of the Docs there called me within minutes to give me an update.  I was driving on I-5 when I got his call. Clearly, the accident scene was horrific and while my heart ached, my mind told me to lay low… let the pros on scene tend to the hurt and their families and disseminate information properly. A more spontaneous reaction on my part some time ago might have been to drop everything and head to Reno… maybe to save the day, maybe just to help one person… a shoulder to cry on if nothing else.

What are the pilots saying? Many are my friends and acquaintances. I made the very careful decision to give them their space. They need to hurt and then heal. When the time is right, I’ll hear from them and we’ll talk. They know they can count on me to listen, maybe to cry with them and then try to move forward. By the way, I’ve been knee-high in photos and stories from well-meaning folks trying to help me cope and write. I thank you all for your efforts.

Is This The End?

Is this the end of “Reno” as we know it? I hope not.  I know emotions are running high right now but, look folks, here’s a little bit about who we really are: Those of us that love aviation, especially air racing, like the action and the thrills. We understand the risks involved. Please don’t tell me you’d go to a NASCAR event and not expect a big crash or two.  While no one wants to see anyone get hurt, we go to extreme sports to see extreme action. The same goes for the Indy cars and all the other extreme and fast sports.  The replays on TV are always that of the current roll-over or the previous crash. Even replays of previous crashes from years before get airtime.  While every effort in all arenas is surely made to keep fans safe, sometimes bad things happen. At Reno, tragedy happened. Safety measures are taken, no one wants or expects tragedy to strike in the stands but I ask you, would we not be naive to think it could never happen?

I pray that reruns won’t happen with Reno.  I really don’t want to see anything about it anymore or for that matter ever again. Enough said.

I’ll close this subject by sending my prayers and wishes for quick recoveries for those still in bandages and those grieving at their loss and please, please feel free to contact me if you think I can help or you have a story I should hear.

Other Concerns

It’s getting way too quiet on the field.  Is it the price of fuel?  Is it just plain economics?  I suppose those darn Prez TFRs aren’t helping, especially in my neighborhood where he’s been harvesting all those high-tech dollars.  When he’s around dozens of flight schools, charters, tours, and even pattern work all shut down.  Will someone please talk to him about this? 

He needs a really cool tour bus and he should fly out west on a commercial tuna can so he can be one of us.  Now there’s a first-hand taste of aviation he won’t soon forget.  I want to clear security with him and watch him take off his shoes.

Where is everyone?  I’m still trying to figure out where all the pilots are if they aren’t at the field. They are either are the unemployment office or looking for a job I guess.  I miss them. It’s lonely here without you.

Sundays were the usual quiet days, now there seems to be a lot more Sundays.  No wait, Sundays were the busy days and now I’m really confused.

So is it the price of fuel or am I missing something?  Will someone tell me why I’m all alone, with the exception of a few hard working business owners that work Sundays just like me?  Heck, we can nap on the ramp.

So, this might surprise you.  I have some good words to say about the FAA this month.  Hey FAA, thanks for all the great safety blurbs you have been posting on-line.  I actually read them and find them of great value.  I hope some of you will do so also.  They are called:  FAA Safer Team/Safer Skies Through Education.

Most exciting for me is to see the beginning of the grumbling about the possibility if you can drive a car, you can fly an airplane. Of course you can, duh!  This will make a hangar full of dudes very happy and save a trillion buck-a-roonies by eliminating the third class ticket exam.  Anyone in their right mind who would get into an airplane as PIC but still has to ask someone to drive’em to the airport, has to be nuts.

If the pilot drove himself or herself to the aerodrome, them let’um fly! Being able to perform that task tells us they can see and hear.  This is causing me a great amount of unneeded trouble and a waste of my very valuable time.

Here’s a blurb from Aviation eBrief:

Proposed: The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association have joined forces with the Experimental Aircraft Association to propose changes for the medical requirements for private pilots. The groups would like to expand the “driver’s license medical” from sport pilots to additional groups of private pilots. Sport pilots show a valid driver’s license as proof of medical eligibility.

I’ve been preaching to you all for years about “common sense.” Trust me on this, it works and will continue to work. 

On Final

I’m putting some of my other items on hold for now.  I want you to dwell on what I’ve just shared with you.

Other than have a safe Trick-Or Treat-night out, a reminder that the “Blues” are flying into the SF Bay Area the first week of this month.  This is a good thing as Fleet Week is a biggie where I live, plus it lights a very big aviation fire under the seats of the little ones in the audience.

Finally, I’m off to remind myself why I live and love California so much.  I will leave for Texas soon to take some retraining in “two-year-old” talk.  Having grandchildren is the reward you get for having children.  I get to practice my “Y’alls’” and “Howdys.”

That’s Thirty!

  “Over”