CamTom12 wrote:the negative press is killing our sport.
Agreed.
The media is focused too much on a money generating flashy story and not enough on objective reporting.
Also agreed, in almost all cases. However, with a video like this floating around from just before the crash, you can't expect them not to run with it (that wouldn't be objective reporting either).
If we're not honest with ourselves as a community when we contribute to the problem, we will bear some of the responsibility if and when our freedoms are eventually limited. In many countries around the world, they're not allowed to fly any lower than 500' unless taking off or landing. That would SUCK. I don't want it to happen here, and I'm concerned that incidents like this only provide more fodder for those who would seek to shut us down based on sensationalistic reporting. I love flying low and hard as much as anyone, but doing it around unwitting bystanders and/or structures invites unneeded attention and unwanted trouble, IMHO.
I'm hugely relieved they are ok, and I'm not trying to rag on the pilot(s) or be anyone's nanny. I'm totally a live-and-let-live guy. However, I've decided I'm not going to stay quiet anymore when someone's...overly-enthusiastic...exercise of those freedoms could potentially hurt a bystander and/or result in the curtailment of my own rights to fly. Sadly, I've seen how that ends--both for the people involved, and the much larger number who are inevitably affected.
Just my 2 cents worth.
