As my friend Pete Anderson put it "everyone wants to see the two-headed
fat lady". Polished, skilled aerobatic routines are dull, safe and
boring - bring on the farting jet truck. I guess the few of us that
post of this NG appreciate a smoothly flown, original engine Chipmunk
without a smoke system doing a full routine low-level without a break
for altitude, or the Granley's glueing two mismatched airplanes like a
Yak--55 and a Yak-18 together. For the rest of the crowd it is World
Wide Wrestling, smoke and flames, make mine double bizarre.

Offhand I can't remember a formation aerobatic team that hasn't had a
fatality, Blue Angels, Frecce Tricolore, French Connection,
Snowbirds... etc. so I'm saddened but not surprised.

I had a look at a couple of home videos from the Canada Post
(newspaper) web site. Looked like Franklin was at the top of a steep
climb wing-over to the left when Younkin pulled up and into him from
his rear blind side. There was lots of smoke around so that may have
been a factor.

My condolences to all....