NEWS: Some Things Just Aren't Worth Crashing a Plane For

CULTURE: Some Things Just Aren't Worth Crashing a Plane For

In the interests of full disclosure I will say that I know absolutely nothing about air shows. All information regarding air shows is culled from a hazy memory of an air show I attended at the age of 11. Thank you.

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So, this happened over the weekend.

Footage of the crash is available here.

Is it not enough that we've mastered flight? That we, as a non-flying species, were able to build a bird from metal and wire, to do our bidding, and use it to fly across the country... We can't stop there? We just have to twirl around and do flips and spew red, white and blue smoke for the amusement of some yokel cramming pie into his yap. (Or, as it was in Poland, perhaps only red and white smoke, and whatever passes for pie in Poland.)

I'd have no problem with the high risk involved if the end result were worth it. You know, if the actual show resembled the crash more than whatever was supposed to happen. And maybe back in the '50s (again, I have no idea when air shows came into vogue, and I don't care enough to look it up. While I'm also not sure when exactly they went out of vogue, I can tell you that it was sometime prior to Saturday.) when your only other option was catching frogs and trading marbles, it might've looked pretty exciting, but, we've moved on.

Haven't we, as a society, outgrown the need for air shows as entertainment? Is this something anyone out there is clamoring to see? If "see an air show" is on your to-do list that list also contains:

-ride in firetruck

-pet elephant

-turn 6

All things one only needs to do once, if that. There are better things to look at... Like everything.

I think there's comes a time in the life of any form of entertainment where we have to assess whether or not the negatives outweigh the entertainment value we get from the event. I think two deaths sounds about right for getting rid of the air show. I would've been happy to discontinue it at "strained neck."

Q: How many Polocks does it take to ruin an air show?

A: It was already ruined... it's a fucking air show.




TheCoolerKing is fairly certain he ripped off the "turn 6" joke from one of his previous articles. He's fine with that.

Some people love aviation so much they get a thrill from watching a planes contrail at 30k feet so they absolutely blow thier loads at air shows. I am one of those people!

Q) How many ethnic slurs does it take to ruin an article?

A) None; the blatant elitism beat it to the punch.

Wow, it's a news story... that's an "HOW IS THIS NEWS?" of another news story. META-CAHRAZY!

Performing stunts in an airplane can't be easy, you jerkoff. It doesn't interest me personally, but I'd consider it a valid hobby and/or passion for people in the world who enjoy it.

Well you see the term, "Death Defying," is a rather appropriate term for what acrobatic routines are, as was demonstrated by our two pilots. That is also what makes the demonstration teams like the Thunderbirds and the Blue Angels so much fun to watch. flying multi-million dollar airplanes 18 inches from each other a more than a hundred miles per hour is inherently dangerous, just like drag racing. Or just racing in general, Would you condemn the NHRA, NASCAR, F!, IRL, CHAMP cars and the SCCA as well? People die every year racing There are plenty of high risk sports in the world and just because you don't get it doesn't mean it is bad. Like skiing, I don't like it, falling down the side of a mountain and two tiny planks seems silly to be, but when Sonny Bono face planted a tree and go himself killed I didn't write a diatribe so that everyone could know that I don't like and don't understand skiing. When I hear about another hiker who got lost in the woods and died falling from a cliff or maimed to death by a mountain line, I don't call for a ban on hiking or killing all the mountain lions. I just get on with my life, and I think you should as well.

Newsflash!

NEWS: Ethnic Slurs Are Bad

I think the pilots have the right to choose to do this type of work. If they don't want to do it, they can work somewhere else. Why are you against free choice, man? I mean, after all they're going to fly on their free time anyway. Might as well let them do it at work too.

Just because not commenting here is bugging me, I'm going to have to. Why are you bothering to write a commentary that is sheer opinion piece? There are people that enjoy air shows just as there are people that enjoy watching wrestling, or getting drunk on a Friday night. Gee, that's been done before too, can't people think of anything better to do?
I think a lot of people go to air shows for the same reason people go see hockey, they hope something dangerous happens. Having been attached to an air squadron when I was an active duty Marine though, I can tell you that there is nothing quite like seeing those pilots doing their thing right over your head.

I actually like em... if I could fly a plane and do those things, I'd do it, and the feeling would be plenty worth dying for imho

Planes make my dick hard. Therefore airshows are the greatest porn on the planet.


I will admit that crashes make me wilt a little, but such is life.

Hahaha, you guys are truly hilarious. I'd have thought that opening by saying I know nothing about the activity probably indicates I'm not real serious about getting rid of it to save lives.

To those of you arguing for the rights of the Red Baron, I will say that I never called for a ban, I merely mocked its existence and questioned what was entertaining about it in the first place.

I love how the first poster was the most into the sport and yet the least offended by what I wrote.

So would I, dicknose. Is this hobby somehow above ridicule and/or discussion? Must only people who love it speak of it?

Nicely done.

Condemn, no. Mock for being boring to the uninitiated, yes. I am curious about whatever sport is indicated by the "F" with the exclamation point, though. I mean, "exciting" is part of the name, that's gotta be good.

You didn't write a diatribe because it's not your job to write diatribes. I'm sorry about calling for the banning and immediate destruction of all planes... You've shown me that that was wrong.

You're right, I'm gonna get back out there and rejoin the world. Thanks for the pep talk.

Everything I've ever written on here has been an opinion piece.

You have no idea how happy this made me.

Even Polocks? It's not like they're people...

To sum up. Air shows can suck it. Whoo!

To be fair, If you're going to use a derogatory term that alludes to the intellectual inferiority of a group of people, you could at least spell it correctly.

+1

Alright, call me a dick all you want, but I joked when Dale Earnhardt died, too. I mean, the guy drove around in circles over 100 mph for a living and people were actually SHOCKED when he died? Then the hillbillies came out of the woodwork to mourn him as if Christ had come and died again. In this case, the same rule applies - you fly planes just inches from each other and expect nothing to ever happen? Leave Cooler King alone on this one. We didn't lose the cure for cancer here.

I never realized how uptight people are on these boards. (Ironic, considering the content of the site.) The article (as well as my own comments) are clearly facetious, and any ethnic references are obviously just as sarcastic. It's like everyone needs permission from every single race, color, creed, and apparently airplane enthusiast to make a fucking joke anymore. The world is so PC nowadays that it makes me sick.

You have no idea how happy this made me.

I've got a pretty good inkling.

Or maybe people just don't like being called polacks, paddies, etc.

Um, my new favorite t-shirt disagrees with you.



Either way, I'm guessing being unfamiliar with the spelling of such an awful, awful slur is a plus...

Well sure. But that's only because they're using the retard spelling of the word.

you suck at life

wow, Learn something new everyday, I always thought it was spelled "pollock" which made me laugh every time I saw "baked pollock" at the chow hall in Iraq.

You wanna get married?

wow, theres way to much anger aimed at TheCoolerKing. You're getting angry at him for essentially just doing his job. Hes stating his opinion in (at least to him) an amusing fashion, and last time i checked, isn't that his job? I see no legit reason to call him a "elitist" for trying to write an amusing article about a, in his opinion, stupid ass past time. He thinks air shows are stupid, oh well, if someone thinks baseball is stupid and you're a baseball fan would u crucify them for it? I'd hope not, everyones entitled to their own opinion, fucking deal with it. And as to the use of his "racial slur" how many of the people complaining are actually polish? and calling someone an elitist is just as offensive as calling someone a pollack IMO.

I for one give Kudos to TheCoolerKing. for not worrying about people being pussies and speaking his mind, props to you sir!

In the interest of full disclosure I didn't read your opinion.

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But I wholeheartedly have a distinct stance on what you have to say and what you stand for. Furthermore, my half-informed opinion is so important that I have to write it down for everyone to see.

PS. If you challenge my opinion I will backpedal faster than a backpedaling champion.