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Posted on 05/04/2014 7:26:54 PM PDT by EveningStar
A 77-year-old civilian pilot who had flown planes since he was a teenager was killed when he crashed his biplane Sunday while performing a low-to-the-ground stunt maneuver during an air show at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, authorities said.
Officials said Eddie Andreini of Half Moon Bay was piloting the Stearman biplane when it crashed in an open field away from spectators at 2:05 p.m. Black smoke rose from the wreckage as the tens of thousands of people who had flocked to the "Thunder Over Solano" show were evacuated from the base.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
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I have flown a stearman, and they are pretty stable. Saw a stunt pilot do a low level manuver at Oshkosh and he bought the farm. Risky business.
Condolences to his family. What’s that aviation adage ... “There are old pilots, and there are bold pilots, but there are no old bold pilots.
Yeah, but how stable is a 77 yr old brain. A one second blackout at that attitude and altitude.........not good.
I’ve been to the Stearman fly-in at Galesburg, IL, several times. Those folks have too much fun!
At least he died doing what he loved. RIP.
My husband is threatening to fly his Pitts in the Reno Air Races. I am adamant - NO WAY!!!
He knew Andreini and looked up to him. This is really awful.
My wife and I had planned to go to it today. Condolences to his family, but I am sorta glad we didn’t witness his death.
You know, I love airshows and MotoGP racing. But, it’s hard to follow these activities faithfully, BECAUSE you can never find anything about them in the media unless there is a fatality.
Then, it’s front page news.
Grrrr.
Oldplayer
I just watched the video of it on the news, my money is on him having a stroke or heart attack and going out doing what he loved best.
RIP Eddie
People who were there said there were high winds and turbulence. not the best conditions for an inverted ribbon cut.
So sad. When I first heard the headline on local LA TV I thought it had happened at the Chino Airshow which my house is in the Flight path. The F-22 Raptor set off the car alarms all over my neighborhood both Sat And Sunday that is how low and fast it was going.
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damn shame... Prayers up
Has your husband flown his Pitts at Reno before?
No, he qualified last year but didn’t participate in the races.
Condolences to his family. What’s that aviation adage ... “There are old pilots, and there are bold pilots, but there are no old bold pilots.
REALLY? He was 77 years old and has been flying airshows longer than I’ve been alive. He was an amazing man and many of us are absolutely crushed by his death.
So to all of you “old vs bold pilot” statement users - if you have nothing nice, relevant or informative to say, zip it.
Anyone familiar with general aviation knows it is inherently hazardous. The insurance actuaries clearly demonstrate the harzards of the elderly driving - and this gentleman went out stunt flying.
I learned the phrase "old/bold" from an elderly family member who was tech school certified in airframe and power plants. His career was riding along as a flight engineer to evaluate refurbished UH-1's at Ft. Rucker for 30+ years. He had several close calls in his career.
One of my inspirational Americans is Chuck Yeager (USAF, BG-Ret.) I know he was a bold pilot as a young man, and I know he still flew into his 70s and probably 80s.
Again, stuff it up your pitot tubes.
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