Thread: Shoreham plane crash: Seven dead after Hawker Hunter hits cars

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Watching one of those sit on its tail and zoom upwards is one of the most satisfying sights in aviation.

Have to agree with that Bazza.
Loved my time at RAF Binbrook on X1 Sqn.

Jumpers for goalposts.....

^lol, you don't have a clue, I was there, I know what I saw and heard ...and on more than one occasion.

Originally Posted by Texpat

The Folland Gnat, used by the Red Arrows up to 1979, was subsonic. The Hawk, used since '79, can barely break the sound barrier and then only in a steep dive. It's a trainer, and they certainly wouldn't do that in formation flying, especially over a crowd of people. If the formation was at hangar height, as you said, five or seven jets breaking the sound barrier would shatter every window around for two miles.

Throttle back your enthusiasm to "they came in low and fast," and I'd agree with you.

But...but...but he was there!

The infamous Hawker Siddeley dive, which was practically vertical, and a good rattle & shake might get a Hawk hitting M1.

Will it be the end of airshows, apart from a few fly-bys, in the UK after this verdict?

Only ever been to one, not familiar with flying machines but was fun and a great day out.

Originally Posted by Troy

The infamous Hawker Siddeley dive, which was practically vertical, and a good rattle & shake might get a Hawk hitting M1.

Will it be the end of airshows, apart from a few fly-bys, in the UK after this verdict?

No, but it might be the end of risky maneouvres in old aircraft.

Originally Posted by Texpat

Multiple planes, formation flying, low level (hangar height) supersonic, directly overhead an airshow crowd.

Ahhh to have the imagination of a 12-year-old again ...

And these are trainers, only capable of supersonic flight at the very outermost fringe of their max speed.

Not sure what you are contesting exactly as you agree in the right conditions they are capable of hitting that speed, if you think these things didn't happen over a crowd then you've never been to an airshow at that particular time when these things were allowed, and the red arrows were not the only planes to break the sound barrier over the crowd at these events.

However, talking of bullshit...

Originally Posted by Texpat

five or seven jets breaking the sound barrier would shatter every window around for two miles..

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-disaster.html

I don't believe his defence for a minute. However, like all accidents, there were a lot of contributory factors (AAIB report at the bottom).

Eleven men who died in the Shoreham Airshow plane crash in 2015 were unlawfully killed, a coroner has ruled.
Coroner Penelope Schofield concluded on Tuesday that a "series of gross errors" led to the deaths of 11 people.

<snip>

In 2019, Mr Hill said he had no memory of what happened on 22 August 2015, but believes he must have been cognitively impaired or disorientated to have made such a catastrophic mistake to crash his 1950s jet on to a busy dual carriageway.

'Series of gross errors' during 'incorrect manoeuvre' led to Shoreham Airshow deaths - coroner | UK News | Sky News

Aircraft Accident Report AAR 1/2017 - G-BXFI, 22 August 2015 - GOV.UK