Spectator safety is the top consideration at the Gary South Shore Air Show, its organizer said Monday, three days after a racing plane nosedived into a crowd of people in Reno, Nev., killing 10 and injuring more than 70.
On Saturday, a stunt pilot was killed after his T-28 plane crashed during an air show in Martinsburg, W.Va.
Both pilots were experienced veterans.
“The whole air show community grieves when anyone loses their lives,” said Speros A. Batistatos, president/CEO of the South Shore Convention & Visitors Authority, which runs the Gary South Shore Air Show at Marquette Park in July.
“Our air show takes place over water, that’s different from those that take place on a tarmac. Heaven forbid if a pilot has to make a decision, there’s plenty of water out there,” said Batistatos.
Safety is the reason the Gary show returns many of the same acts, year after year.
“They’re a proven commodity. We don’t have the newest flashiest acts. They have a track record of long-term safety.”
The racing plane in Reno, a vintage WWII-era P-51 Mustang fighter, was modified to fly at speeds of up to 500 mph.
“It’s like NASCAR in the sky,” said Hunter Chaney, spokesman for the Collings Foundation which brought the Wings of Freedom Tour of WWII planes to Valparaiso and Griffith this summer.
The foundation is a not-for-profit education organization that preserves vintage military planes and shares their history at public shows.
“That’s not at all similar to the flying we do,” said Chaney. “We fly low and slow. We keep the planes in pristine condition and treat them gingerly. We fly these aircraft for an entirely different reason and treat them as such.”
Batistatos said the Federal Aviation Administration is on the scene for the Gary air show and the show’s “performance box” must be 1,000 feet away from people.
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