Shoreham Airshow Accident – AAIB Update Due Out Today

The AAIB don’t usually apportion blame so I do wonder who the police will bring in for their analysis of “blame” if such should be the case.

A few years ago, the CAA established an “enforcement department ” within their organisation. This consists of half a dozen former police officers, none with any specific aviation background. This move was undertaken because they were being criticised for not pursuing enough prosecutions for exceeding existing aviation laws.

Yes, I would agree with mist of that. As far as “closure” is concerned, it is deeply personal meaning different things to different people. If relatives are seeking comfort from knowing why they lost their loved ones, then regrettably they may have to wait a while. But perhaps not as long as those whose relatives died aboard MH370.

I agree the AAIB will report in good time but the coroner has said that he/she won’t open the inquest until March next year after considering what the AAIB has to say in their final report. The AAIB don’t usually apportion blame so I do wonder who the police will bring in for their analysis of “blame” if such should be the case. Until the case is finalised there won’t be much in the way of closure for the families of the victims. The conclusions of the coroner could well have further implications for airshow organisers.

That may well be the case. As long as the “definitive answer” is arrived at the time scale is of little consequence. In any case the AAIB will produce their report regardless of criminal proceedings, won’t they? The effect and implications on the airshow scene have already anticipated the conclusions in great measure.

I fear the final report might be some time in coming. The police have apparently asked for the witness statements, videos and probably most importantly, the two in cockpit videos. If the latter are usable they might provide the definitive answer as to how well the manoeuvre was flown, which could open a real can of worms in terms of liability for the crash and it’s implications.

yep charlie I am wasting my time, but you know what they say A little knowledge !

I think everyone should stop the conjecture and wait for the full report on this incident.

Good try TA, but when have those words ever fallen on any but stony ground in this forum?? Conjecture and speculation are its life blood.

A ‘competency check’ means that every two years a GA civilian pilot has an instructor sitting beside them for a one hour flight, and checks that the pilot is still capable of pulling/pushing all the right knobs and levers at the right moment.

Airlines might have their own regime.

I think everyone should stop the conjecture and wait for the full report on this incident.

Whilst there is thread drift here I am adding advice from my recent experiences with my health(age 62) I would suggest that regular check ups are made. It took 6 months to solve my situation and it turned out to be a restricted artery which has now been stented. I had not realised just how many aspects of my health were being affected and some were identical to what David has posted.( my uncomfy feeling in the sternum was not indigestion ..it was angina)
Commercial and military pilots do have regular medicals which screen them as much as possible from unexpected health issues .We all vary in our health and its better to consider an individual than generalise.

As a person gets older their reaction times increase and their physical strength decreases as I know from first hand experience. I have also found that memory becomes as issue as does sleeping soundly (next to impossible) and filtering out extraneous events and concentrating on the moment. I believe that these are very common experiences once a person gets much beyond 45.

I’m very surprised, to be perfectly honest, that the RAF permits pilots to fly fast jets operationally up to the age of 60 and I can’t help but wonder what the ‘competency checks’ actually include.

Regards

Competency checks, altho’ they are not referred to as such, are carried out every two years for civilian pilots. Being the ‘smart’ fellow you are, I’m sure you know that.

So what ‘competency checks’ are required to fly a fast jet, such as a Gnat, on a PPL?

Don’t be a smart ****, you know very well. The salient point is ‘competency checks’.

What check rides are civilian fast jet pilots (who can be PPL holders) required to carry out, any by whom?

“competency check rides as all other military pilots”.

Civilian as well.

The current MAA regulations allow pilots to fly military registered aircraft to age 65 so long as they maintain the required medical standard. This includes single seat, high performance combat aircraft. They have to undertake the same periodic competency check rides as all other military pilots so their performance is assessed regularly. With respect to high performance aircraft, g tolerance does not reduce with age. There are not many pilots over 60 still flying fast jet types under UK military regulation but there is at least one who is current on 4 fast jet types (plus 3 lower performance types), is a current air combat leader, facilitator of high g onset rate training and flies high g aviation medicine trials. In fairness, that person has been flying fast jet aircraft continuously for almost 40 years which is one factor in maintaining the skill sets required. And then there are some pilots who, at whatever age, will never have the ability to undertake such flying tasks.

Beware of generalisations!

Old enough to misjudge a loop. Maybe not the best example you could have given. There must be a raft of younger (late 20s to mid 40s, say) flyers out there! Is there not enough young flyers filling the places?

To point the thread back on track , AH is 51, please don’t anyone tell me that is too old.

It isn’t just my family dealing with this, and it isn’t just the issue of driving either. I was using that as an analogy. I could also cite any number of people at my place of work who are trying to get elderly parents to go into care. I think it is fair to assume that it is difficult for elderly folk (or people at any age really) to accept that they may no longer be able to pull of things they did when younger. I make my observation of warbird pilots more from WIX than here, to be fair.

To pose another question, when will these operators know when it is time to stop? They are setting the precedent by operating at an age beyond which the RAF et al would consider fit to do so.