Aerobatics performers are like bull riders.

Pretty much. Also like auto, speedboat, or motorcycle racers,
parachute demonstration jumpers, circus acrobats and tigtrope walkers,
and pretty much anyone else who does something that is both technically
demanding and dangerous for the entertainment of the crowd.
Interestingly enough, my circle of friends includes all of the above.
Birds of a feather, I suppose.

Consider for a moment the difference between a circus acrobat and an
Olympic gymnast. The skill level (and even the skill set) is quite
similar. The main difference? The Olympic gymnast performs moves that
are know to (expert) judges to be technically demanding, and performs
them just high enough off the ground to get the job done, over a
cushioned mat, wearing a simple leotard. Even the best sometimes make
a mistake and slip and fall, but the resulting injuries are rarely
severe. In the circus, the emphasis is on moves where it looks like
the performer will slip and fall, the leotards are flashy, and the act
is done dangerously high - some used to perform without a net.

In a nutshell, that is the difference between competition aerobatics
and airshow performance, though many refuse to admit it. The aerobatic
competition (or non-competition recreational aerobatics) is for the
pilots. The airshow is for the crowd. That changes things.

Aerobatic competition is primarily about skill. Even at the highest
levels, there is a hard deck below which one may not go. It may not be
much, but it's enough to give the pilot a margin - for an engine
coughing, for a slight error, for all the things that happen. At lower
levels of performance, there is more altitude margin. All kinds of
pilots fly aerobatics at times - even confirmed destination flyers like
yours truly. Aerobatic competition (and practice for same, and
recreational aerobatic flight) may not be safe as houses (or even
cars), but it's no worse than GA flying as a whole.

Aerobatic demonstration takes skill, but it also takes a certain amount
of willingness to take some pretty big risks to thrill the crowd.
Airshows have an absolutely horriffic safety record. Airshow pilots
are pretty much the most skilled out there, but the fatality rate is
orders of magnitude higher than it is for the nearest equivalent -
cropdusting - never mind GA as a whole.

Of course not all airshow acts are of the loud, violent, extremely
hazardous variety - but those are the ones that pay the bills and bring
in the crowds. Pilots might show up to watch the skillful and graceful
- Red Barons or some glider acro routine - but most of the crowd won't.
They want to see planes screaming toward the ground or towards each
other. They're not there to see a graceful aerial ballet - they're
there to see the performer play a game with death, and they don't much
care who wins. If you don't believe me, go to West Virginia on the
third Saturday in October. It looks like half the state (though
official figures say it's only 100,000) goes to the New River Gorge
Bridge to watch a few hundred idiots jump off with parachutes.
Inevitably some leave by ambulance. A couple have left by hearse. Now
that's entertainment.

In the interest of full disclosure - I was one of those idiots. I've
also done some airshow work as a demonstration jumper. I han't really
intended to, but I was in the right place at the right time, I had the
necessary skills (and yes, there is way more to it than jumping out and
pulling a ripcord, just like there is way more to bull riding than
holding on) and it did start out as one of those skillful and graceful
gigs. We would build a diamond, fly it around so it pointed at the
crowd, and starburst it at 3000 ft or so (about the minimum altitude
that would allow disentaglement and reserve deployment if the maneuver
went wrong, as they sometimes do). For the uninitiated, a starburst is
a timed maneuver where everyone drops grips at exactly the same time
and flies a predetermined course - it looks lie the diamond explodes.
That was nothing different than I would have done at a training camp
practicing for the world record attempts. It didn't take long for the
word to come in from airshow management - it wasn't enough. We needed
to do something down low for the crowd - they wanted the plummeting
towards the ground thing.

And next thing I know, there I am, piloting a stack in a hard spiral,
dropping people off the bottom with every 360, knowing that if one of
the drops goes bad (as they sometimes do) we don't have nearly enough
altitude to resolve the entanglement (which is a nice way of saying
hack the lines with a hook knife until we're clear) and get reserves
out. But hey - we're all skilled and experienced and as long as nobody
makes a mistake and we don't get some really freaky strong gust, all
will be fine. And it was. And it usually is. But it's not something
you can count on pulling off 1000 times out of 1000. And that's why
airshow performers rarely die in bed.

A goddamned stupid thing to
do, serves no useful purpose and you deserve what you get.

For those who get it, no explanation is necessary.
For those who don't, no explanation is possible.

Remember - little airplanes are rarely useful. Stupid and crazy are
not the same thing. And in the end, everybody dies. Not everybody
lives.

Michael