My pal Andy McKenna and I had been talking about how competitive Red Bull Air Race is this year and how aggressive the flying is these days. A couple of years ago, you could turn up with pretty much any Unlimited Aerobatic machine and expect to be in the hunt, but not any more. We love the flying and the fact that the Silver Haired Brits are at the sharp end!
We’d also commented on how hopefully we’d be wrong, but the odds were shortening on a shunt….
My heart skipped a beat when I saw the headlines in Perth, but the word ‘survived’ brought a lump to my throat. Low level aerobatic accidents are not survivable. But watching the footage and seeing the incderibly professional emergency crews on scene within seconds and whipping Adilson out was truly impressive. They obviously practice A LOT.
Nigel Lamb’s website gave his grounded viewpoint on the whole thing, including the interesting fact that the centre section of the Edge was intact. So, now that we know that a high speed water impact is potentially survivable, perhaps it’s time to look to motorsport for the next advancement.
In the seventies, a HANS device in F1 was pointless. Whiplash was the least of your problems as the chassis crumpled around you then more than likely caught fire. Today, massive impacts are survivable, so HANS is mandatory in many forms of motorsport. So with a tightly harnessed pilot, a crash proof structure and great emergency crews, the next thing is surely making sure that the pilot is still conscious to get to oxygen and that he hasn’t suffered irreparable brain injury?
Perhaps it’s time for HANS in Red Bull Air Race?