Terribly tragic...a few of the gang were there but nowhere near the crash site.

Active ejector seats in civvy aircraft aren't allowed in the UK.

There's been a mid-air collision today at Dittigen airshow in Switzerland, one dead and one parachuted to safety.

https://twitter.com/News_Executive/s...559104/photo/1

Not the best weekend in aviation, but far from the worst. :-?

Reports on the news over here are saying a number of people on the ground are unaccounted for and the death toll will go higher. As if it needs to get worse.

Rgr that :-?

Happened here in Germany with a Canadian F104 in 1983. The plane crashed on a motorway while doing a display with 4 other Starfighters and killed 6 people. The pilot ejected before impact.:-?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...incidents#1983

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-34034430

Looks like 11 dead now.

They are if they're an integral part of the aircraft escape system, in fact it's required for some ex-military aircraft:

http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAP%206...20Aircraft.pdf

Thanks for that. I was always under the impression that was why the Lightning couldn't fly here, turns out I was wrong. :salute:

I think the high rate in which they fell out of the sky has a fair bit to do with it. :yep:

67 spactators dead 3 pilots killed-the view at ground level
 

One of our members had a son at the Reno race:

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=187930

I've been near to a few crashes, all of which I was oblivious to at the time. The first was a three-ship Jag take off at Coltishall, Sqn Cdr, another high ranker, and a relative new guy. The first two took off fine and the third didn't select reheat and clipped the barrier at the northern end of the runway, tried to eject but seat had moved on impact so he didn't make it. That was my first sobering experience of a station losing a pilot. I was in the Alt Operations Centre (the primary being refurbished) when the station crash alarm sounded, at about the time they tested daily - but there was no tannoy prior, and it didn't stop.

The second was at Pristina airfield, the Russian Minister or Defence was flying in to see his troops and his wingtip struck the runway, but was fortunately safe. His flight out was delayed though.

The third, and the closest I'll hopefully ever get to one was at Brize Norton. I was driving to the mess alongside the runway (road vehicles only on this stretch) and the Red Arrows took off right next to me. Well, eight out of nine did. The remaining one suffered a birdstrike and careered off the runway in my direction. 40 seconds later as I parked up the fire crews were running out the mess from lunch. As I looked back the Hawk had ended up right next to where I'd been. I've just had a quick Google for this incident but I can't find any reference to it at all but I swear it happened! :o

Oh, there was also Gulf Air Flight 072 at Bahrain, I was the only Brit working that night, at the norther end of Muharraq. The Airbus A320 crashed 3 miles off the coast and the first I heard of it was about 30 minutes later when a colleague in a night club phoned to see what was happening. I went outside and the air was filled with blue lights of the police cars, red lights of the ambulances (sadly none needed) and US helicopters all over retrieving the bodies in to the temporary morgue set up right next door to me. In fact it was on 23 August 2000 - exactly 15 years ago today. :o

I had a friend up in Kuwait who was coming down for work/celebrate my birthday (25th) but there was a period of national mourning so very little alcohol could be consumed.

Quite true and hopefully nothing will ever come close to matching Tenerife.

Possibly still the costliest (in lives ever). Approximately 20 years ago (mid nineties) my lad was watching a documentary on said disaster on the tv and said "Dad, isn't that where we are going?"

We were booked to go to Tenerife on a family holiday a week or so later.