Crashes at sporting events?
Discussion
A rather fatuous comment made by a neighbour of mine prompted me to post this.
After the death of the Red Arrows pilot last weekend, said neighbour quite vehemently said that the only reason people go to watch air-shows was because they want to see a crash. He said the same of spectating at F1 and similar races.
I have to say that I was pretty pissed off at this as personally I watch these events because I am thrilled and amazed by the skill of the pilots and drivers, and really hate any crashes. I know that cars are a lot safer now and drivers are more likely to survive but it still horrifies me when I see bits and pieces of cars spinning off into the air. And as for incidents at air shows, it is a certainty that someone will die.
So who on here watches races and air shows primarily for the crashes, hoping to see this sort of excitement?
I have to say that I think the guy who prompted me to post this suffers from some sort of Asperger’s Syndrome as, despite being a published author, he does have a strange way about him.
After the death of the Red Arrows pilot last weekend, said neighbour quite vehemently said that the only reason people go to watch air-shows was because they want to see a crash. He said the same of spectating at F1 and similar races.
I have to say that I was pretty pissed off at this as personally I watch these events because I am thrilled and amazed by the skill of the pilots and drivers, and really hate any crashes. I know that cars are a lot safer now and drivers are more likely to survive but it still horrifies me when I see bits and pieces of cars spinning off into the air. And as for incidents at air shows, it is a certainty that someone will die.
So who on here watches races and air shows primarily for the crashes, hoping to see this sort of excitement?
I have to say that I think the guy who prompted me to post this suffers from some sort of Asperger’s Syndrome as, despite being a published author, he does have a strange way about him.
T40ORA said:
A rather fatuous comment made by a neighbour of mine prompted me to post this.
After the death of the Red Arrows pilot last weekend, said neighbour quite vehemently said that the only reason people go to watch air-shows was because they want to see a crash. He said the same of spectating at F1 and similar races.
I have to say that I was pretty pissed off at this as personally I watch these events because I am thrilled and amazed by the skill of the pilots and drivers, and really hate any crashes. I know that cars are a lot safer now and drivers are more likely to survive but it still horrifies me when I see bits and pieces of cars spinning off into the air. And as for incidents at air shows, it is a certainty that someone will die.
So who on here watches races and air shows primarily for the crashes, hoping to see this sort of excitement?
I have to say that I think the guy who prompted me to post this suffers from some sort of Asperger’s Syndrome as, despite being a published author, he does have a strange way about him.
Or perhaps he's just a prick. Either way, he's in the minority.After the death of the Red Arrows pilot last weekend, said neighbour quite vehemently said that the only reason people go to watch air-shows was because they want to see a crash. He said the same of spectating at F1 and similar races.
I have to say that I was pretty pissed off at this as personally I watch these events because I am thrilled and amazed by the skill of the pilots and drivers, and really hate any crashes. I know that cars are a lot safer now and drivers are more likely to survive but it still horrifies me when I see bits and pieces of cars spinning off into the air. And as for incidents at air shows, it is a certainty that someone will die.
So who on here watches races and air shows primarily for the crashes, hoping to see this sort of excitement?
I have to say that I think the guy who prompted me to post this suffers from some sort of Asperger’s Syndrome as, despite being a published author, he does have a strange way about him.
C
Urban Sports said:
Not so with the airshows but surely part of the spectacle of motorsport alongside the racing is the spins and crashes.
It shows to me how hard they are trying. Stand at Lodge Corner at Oulton and you will know what I mean.
This - in motorsport if there are no accidents, then they're not racing hard enough! At an airshow? Who the hell wants to see an accident there? Not only do you often lose people, but you lose what are often rare pieces of history. It'd be like wanting to see people damaging cars at a classic car show.It shows to me how hard they are trying. Stand at Lodge Corner at Oulton and you will know what I mean.
F1 got boring, tedious even, when they engineered out the substantial risk of death - of course the crashes are part of the spectacle, part of the entertainment. The same goes for air show acrobatics. If there was no risk and you weren't reminded of that sometimes, they would be extremely boring, merely a stale procession of aircraft. Your neighbour may have put it in blunt terms, but it is the truth. Your level of indignation seems to suggest you are in denial about your own enjoyment and longing for gore!
Meoricin said:
This - in motorsport if there are no accidents, then they're not racing hard enough! At an airshow? Who the hell wants to see an accident there? Not only do you often lose people, but you lose what are often rare pieces of history. It'd be like wanting to see people damaging cars at a classic car show.
Maybe that's why I'll never make a race driver. I get much more enjoyment from people pushing the boundaries and achieving the manoeuver than people failing and crashing. OK, I accept that some drivers will fail and therefore crash, but I still have my heart in my mouth when that does happen.So accepting crashes as necessary is one thing - but watching FOR the crashes? Don't get it. Enjoying a difficult manoeuver that comes off? Hell, yeah. Watching someone stuff millions of quids worth of equipment? Sheeet, no.
T40ORA said:
Meoricin said:
This - in motorsport if there are no accidents, then they're not racing hard enough! At an airshow? Who the hell wants to see an accident there? Not only do you often lose people, but you lose what are often rare pieces of history. It'd be like wanting to see people damaging cars at a classic car show.
Maybe that's why I'll never make a race driver. I get much more enjoyment from people pushing the boundaries and achieving the manoeuver than people failing and crashing. OK, I accept that some drivers will fail and therefore crash, but I still have my heart in my mouth when that does happen.So accepting crashes as necessary is one thing - but watching FOR the crashes? Don't get it. Enjoying a difficult manoeuver that comes off? Hell, yeah. Watching someone stuff millions of quids worth of equipment? Sheeet, no.
Personally i watch motorsport for close racing and a little rubbing (not punting someone into a tire wall at xxx speed). Crashes generally ruin a good scrap between drivers, would prefer to see a little nudging to create space with both drivers able to continue and not loosing speed enabling them to come back at the next corner.
As for crashes at air shows, anyone going for that should be in a padded cell and heavilly sedated.
As for crashes at air shows, anyone going for that should be in a padded cell and heavilly sedated.
Jonty355 said:
I think he must have phrased very wrongly.
The element of danger is always exciting in anything, its part of human nature dating back to caveman times when the rush was needed to escape from big animals.
I dont think he actually meant he wished death upon anyone to spice things up!
If you mean my neighbour who prompted this, yes and no. He doesn't watch F1 or similar but believes that people ONLY watch in order to see crashes and carnage. Not simply excitement but the actual crashes.The element of danger is always exciting in anything, its part of human nature dating back to caveman times when the rush was needed to escape from big animals.
I dont think he actually meant he wished death upon anyone to spice things up!
When he extended that to air shows, even his wife nearly clumped him one!
It's definately part of why some people watch motoracing - not really sure that airshows fall under that but if they same sort of people go there, it's not impossible...
If you think about it - most 'extreme' sports carry an element of risk, indeed it's why a lot of people do it. The Red Arrows fly REALLY close REALLY fast, cars race at the limits of their abilities (and relying on the abilities of the other drivers) etc. etc.
If there wasn't some 'peril' involved, it would be less fun for both parties - but there's a difference between that and ONLY watching 'to see a crash' of course.
As for this idiot, it's one of those moments - like when someone returned some money I'd dropped and I thanked them and they went on to tell me that they're "so honest that they'll never be rich" and "they'd always return lost property" and then they said "unless it was a coloured person tho - then I'd keep it" and the world just froze solid for a moment, giving me time to consider how to dispose of their body...
If you think about it - most 'extreme' sports carry an element of risk, indeed it's why a lot of people do it. The Red Arrows fly REALLY close REALLY fast, cars race at the limits of their abilities (and relying on the abilities of the other drivers) etc. etc.
If there wasn't some 'peril' involved, it would be less fun for both parties - but there's a difference between that and ONLY watching 'to see a crash' of course.
As for this idiot, it's one of those moments - like when someone returned some money I'd dropped and I thanked them and they went on to tell me that they're "so honest that they'll never be rich" and "they'd always return lost property" and then they said "unless it was a coloured person tho - then I'd keep it" and the world just froze solid for a moment, giving me time to consider how to dispose of their body...
I certainly don't go to see crashes but they do add excitement.
Where do most spectate at Caste Combe - Quarry - why - because its easy to get wrong.
I never want to see someone get hurt and whilst I might get a bit of adrenaline watching a crash I don't like seeing nice cars damaged and I think how I'd feel facing a similar bill.
I like to see near misses really.
There was one at a C Combe trackday a few years ago where a Z3 breadvan lost it and nearly killed some poor sod in a Lotus replica, it then completely destroyed his car (he was out of the car by that point)
I still wonder whether he felt happy to be unscathed (it was REALLY close) or mightily pissed off that some idiot had completely destroyed his car.
Where do most spectate at Caste Combe - Quarry - why - because its easy to get wrong.
I never want to see someone get hurt and whilst I might get a bit of adrenaline watching a crash I don't like seeing nice cars damaged and I think how I'd feel facing a similar bill.
I like to see near misses really.
There was one at a C Combe trackday a few years ago where a Z3 breadvan lost it and nearly killed some poor sod in a Lotus replica, it then completely destroyed his car (he was out of the car by that point)
I still wonder whether he felt happy to be unscathed (it was REALLY close) or mightily pissed off that some idiot had completely destroyed his car.
Mr GrimNasty said:
The same goes for air show acrobatics. If there was no risk and you weren't reminded of that sometimes, they would be extremely boring, merely a stale procession of aircraft.
Of all the air shows I've been to I've never seen a crash yet I have never experienced what I'd describe as a stale progression of aircraft... The mesmerising aerobatics of the Red Arrows... the surreal sight of a Harrier hovering... The spine-tingling sound of the Merlin engines of the BBMF. Stale procession? WTF!!!The only plane crash I have seen was a Lightning into the sea a few hundred metres from the beach in Scarborough's North Bay in the 1980s. It wasn't a remotely enjoyable experience and I still feel the sense of horrific finality of it when I recall the event.
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