74-Year-Old Shouldn't Be Flying a 'Hot Rod'

Witnesses may be praising the Reno pilot killed in yesterday's air show crash, but aviation blogger Clive Irving has one key question: "What was a 74-year-old pilot doing in a souped-up World War II fighter flying in an air race?" he asks at the Daily Beast. The deadly accident is a "ghastly reminder that the normal rules of public safety are suspended when air shows are involved."

Sure, organizers pay lip service to safety protocols for spectators, but the speeds these planes are flying—upward of 400mph—along with "sheer physics" make the idea laughable, writes Irving. These kinds of events are all about speed, as opposed to, say, shows by the Blue Angels, which are more about precision. And remember those Blue Angels planes are flown by young, skilled military pilots. "It beggars belief" that "old men" are allowed to fly "hot rods barely 100 feet above thousands of people," writes Irving. Click for the full column. (More Reno, Nevada stories.)