INDIANAPOLIS - The safety of air shows is being called into question after a crash in Nevada killed 11 people attending the event. But a consultant with the Indianapolis Air Show says there is a big difference between the air race in Nevada and the air show here.
"Your heart goes out to all the people," said Bob Duncan, a pilot and director of the Indianapolis Air Show.
Duncan feels for the families who lost love ones in the Reno air race crash last Friday. Metal fragments, wreckage and aviation fuel hit nearby spectators. Duncan believes the pilot may have even steered away from the crowd.
"That he was in trouble and certainly he would try to navigate his aircraft away from causing harm to people," Duncan said.
Now, as Duncan and his team plan Indianapolis' 2012 air show, they follow strict rules set by the Federal Aviation Administration.
"An air race is an entirely different animal," Duncan said.
The air show rules include having a person called the "air boss," who keeps an eye on everything here on the ground and in the air to make sure the pilots stay within an imaginary flight box.
"Should there be an incident, the incident will result or the accident occurring in the box," Duncan said.
To keep incidents from happening and your family safe at air shows, the air boss has a huge responsibility.
"The air boss can discontinue the show at any time, should something appear to be amiss," Duncan said.
Despite Friday's devastating crash in Reno, organizers are confident next year's air show in Indianapolis will be just as safe as the past 59 years of the event.
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