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2017 Dayton Airshow Marred By Thunderbird Accident But Highlighted by Other Performers
By Mike Heilman
The Thunderbirds diamond practices upon arrival to 2017 Dayton Air Show. The Thunderbird arrived on Monday before the show but had to cancel their performances due to mishap with the team’s two-seat F-16D. (Mike Heilman)In 2106 the Dayton Air Show attendance suffered from a cancellation of the headline act two weeks before the show, when the U.S. Navy Blue Angels experienced a tragic accident at an air show in Tennessee. Once again in 2017, the show experienced another cancellation of the headlining act due to a near tragic accident of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds. The mishap happened at the Dayton International Airport less than 24 hours before the show was scheduled to open.
Thunderbird number 8, the two-seat F-16D “Fighting Falcon,” was conducting a crew familiarization flight in the Dayton area when upon return to the airport the jet skidded off the runway and flipped over trapping the pilot Capt. Erik Gonsalvas and Tech Sgt. Kenneth Cordova for almost two hours. The Thunderbird crewmembers were transported to a local hospital in good condition. There was heavy rain at the time of the mishap from remnants of tropical storm Cindy.
On Friday Michael Emoff, Chairman U.S. Air & Trade Show Board of Trustees, held a press conference to discuss the weekend’s show after the mishap. “When you first hear about something like this you pray that everything is okay and for the health of those involved. Once you understand that everything is under control, you then start working on what I can do. My job as Chair of the air show is to ensure that we produce a safe and quality show for our community.”
Editorial: Pilot in Command
By Ed Downs
Before I launch into a variety of viewpoints and opinions, please read the following news announcement that was recently received by In Flight USA from the EAA:
EAA Declines FAA Exemption for Young Eagles, Eagle Flights Pilots
EAA has notified the FAA that it is declining a partial grant of exemption that would have allowed Young Eagles and Eagle Flights pilots to obtain reimbursement for fuel costs and logging of flight time. While EAA welcomed the time the agency spent considering and formulating the partial exemption, its mandated record-keeping, coordination, and notification requirements would cause complete restructuring of the program with enormous time and expense burdens.
Sean Elliott, EAA’s vice president of advocacy and safety, stated in a letter to John S. Duncan, FAA director of Flight Standards Service, that, “EAA sincerely appreciates the substantial efforts of the FAA in reviewing, publishing for comment, analyzing, and finally granting an exemption in response to EAA’s petition dated April 17, 2012. Unfortunately, EAA is unable to accept the exemption because of the severe requirements imposed by the FAA grant.”
Supporting Aviation's Future
This year’s Gathering of Eagles fundraising event at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh brought together the aviation industry and private aviation enthusiasts to support aviation’s future. The event raised $2.679 million, and after expenses, EAA will invest approximately $2.17 million in its youth programs. The Gathering is presented by Cessna Aircraft Company.
Sport Flying with In Flight USA - December 2010
The Gift
By Ed Downs
This holiday column is being written early Sunday morning, with the expectation of a good day. Shortly, this writer will be heading to church, ready to partake of a terrific service followed by our calibration of Thanksgiving. The holiday season is in full swing and most of America is getting serious about selecting the perfect gift for loved ones as “Black Friday” approaches. This early hour promotes reminiscing, and the LSA theme of this column brings to mind a gift I received almost 20 years ago, to the day. Allow an old pilot a moment of sharing.
My local community airport had decided to take advantage of beautiful Indian-Summer weather to hold an open house and mini-airshow. Although late in the season, with Thanksgiving decorations having already given way to the wonders of commercial Christmas paraphernalia, a well-known resident airshow pilot agreed to participate in the program. The local EAA chapter pulled together a fine selection of planes to be displayed, including a couple of warbirds. My company fired up a major EAA Young Eagles event with the intent of setting records by flying at least 100 kids. The Young Eagles program was new at that time and my wife, Sue, set up an assembly-line system to process the paperwork and conduct the educational program that accompanied each flight. The idea was that two planes (both meeting today’s definition of LSA) and three pilots would spend minimum time with ground activities, giving them the ability to offer each participant the best flight experience possible. I signed up to fly a feisty little tail dragger (later to earn fame at major airshows) and all was ready to go.