Hi John;

From your post, you sound very much like my good friend David Francis
from the U.K.
He speaks a lot like you and has the same sense of intelligent
reasoning. Nice to know you!

I have a few moments this morning, so let me delve into this a bit
deeper for you.

I think the issues involved in this thread probably go much deeper than
just the videos and my personal reaction to them, although that reaction
obviously is a large part of it. I'm fairly convinced that the original
poster (Bogels) pushing all the videos has motives that are not totally
up front. Perhaps I'm reading it because of my sensitivity to the basic
issue, but I've seen this pattern before. It usually has to do with the
enhancement of reputation by supplying what has been conceived by the
photographer as a basic constant of the human nature factor to view
video like this as a "hook". Actually, it's an effective technique and
is part and parcel of a basic advertising concept known in advertising
101 at the grade school level. It practically guarantees generation of
the excitement needed to attract and steer the viewer toward the real
reason for the video being used. Basically, it's in the same category as
using sex in advertising to generate impact interest.
The other web site involved in the thread, (Honek) I don't believe has
these motives. In other words, I don't believe that if Honek actually
KNEW some of, or even one of the people killed in the videos he's
showing on his site, he would have put the words COOL and ENJOY there to
begin with. So that part of the equation deals with perspective; his,
and naturally my own.
So where does that leave us in the judgment area? Should Honek refrain
from showing his crash videos because they offend me personally? I don't
believe that's a fair solution. He has a right to do whatever he pleases
regardless of the fact that there are those the showing of the video
might offend. And we can add to this that there are indeed many out here
who see no problem whatsoever with showing crash video. Many actually
believe that they can learn something from watching. This of course is
nonsense to anyone with accident investigation experience. Simply
watching a crash video without any explicit knowledge...and I mean
EXPLICIT KNOWLEDGE od the accident being shown yields little in the way
of useful flight safety related data.
For example, if it were possible for the average GA pilot to view a
video of the Thunderbird Diamond crash at Indian Springs Nevada on 18
January 1982 that killed all four T38 positions, absolutely nothing
would be gained from this viewing except to walk away thinking "I won't
be doing low altitude line abreast loops in the T38 any more. It's not a
safe thing to do" Nothing of a safety value would have been gained by
these people watching such a crash video. They just wouldn't be expert
enough to gain useful information from it if that indeed was their
intent in the first place.
To someone like me however, seeing the video would have had meaning. I
know this crash very well. In fact, having flown tests in the T38 prior
to the crash dealing with slab stall and vertical apex penetration speed
vs. altitude, plus knowing the Thunderbird routine myself, I would have
seen something immediately that would have indicated clearly what had
caused this accident.
The point I'm making here is simply that for a layman (layman being
defined as someone not cognizant of specific accident data...including
pilots) to watch a crash video thinking that there's a safety lesson in
doing it.....well, let's just say the time could be better spent
practicing your flying at the local airport. Those of us who deal in
this scenario have long known this to be a fact.
There will always be those pilots who believe that watching a crash
video allows them to come away with a strong safety lesson, but this
just isn't true for the uncontrolled web site viewing environment. It IS
true however, in a CONTROLLED environment, where skilled safety experts
completely familiar with a specific accident using the video along with
expert commentary allow a tremendous safety value to exist for that
video. Anything else other than this scenario is just not an honest
reason for watching the video.
But be that as it may. I can't control human nature. The videos exist,
and people have a right to view both show them and view them as well.
It is my hope that the hotel owner (Honek) will eventually change two
remaining things on his site, if not for me personally, for those who
have died in the videos he has there.
On the left side of the main screen is the link "cool stuff". I would
make a small change there to something more appropriate. I would also
take the word ENJOY off the site, or at least move it to some place
where in context, it remain unattached to the viewing of people dying in
these crashes.
Personally, I would like to believe that Honek is the type of person who
would stop and re-think these two small things and change them. Not that
my opinion of him is all that important, but I think I read some honesty
and integrity in his posts regardless of our somewhat heated discussion.
Anyway, you have taken a ride with me this morning and had a small look
into my world.
Enjoyed having you along.
Dudley Henriques
International Fighter Pilots Fellowship





"John Mullen" wrote in message
...
Dudley

Thanks for your post.

Unlike you, I am not a pilot, though I have been in love with planes
and flying since I was a wee boy. I have done quite a few hours of
instruction in Pipers and Cessnas but cannot really afford on my
salary to get a licence.

I did use to drive motor bikes professionally as a despatch rider and
have lost a few friends over the years that way.

I know how the fairly flippant portrayal of your friend's death must
have offended you. I think I would have felt the same way. I tried to
point that out to the OP as well. Death casts a shadow.

By a weird coincidence, I was reading just last night for the nth time
the story of the crash in which your friend was killed in Andrew
Brookes' book. If you haven't seen it, it is worth a look. He says the
same as you about it. He and Macarthur Job are highly prized resources
on aviation safety; thoughtful and insightful. If you want a good book
on aviation safety, you could do worse than read it.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...175441-4003826

He was an RAF pilot. Great writer.

In his version he claims that several of the crew on that plane were
instructed to go by their superiors because they themselves knew
Holland was a disaster waiting to happen. If that is true, it is a
f***ing disgrace. They would have been braver to ground Holland than
themselves I would think.

May I extend my symapthy for your loss.

John