I'd guess a compressor stall would be more likely, or just a standard con from an unusual angle. I would not expect to see traditional cons at 200,000 feet. Odd looking though!
We drive in formation on America's highways and 40,000 people a year die trying. Why don't you go bother them?
People fly formation in paraplanes, while sky-diving, in fighters, bombers, commercial aircraft, airliners, and anything else that flies. And almost any time they bump into each other, it's bad. So what's your beef with RV builders?
I applaud your bravery in publishing such a list. I'm certain you were aware of the hazards of not including any man's first love in the top 100. That said, allow me to pile on... NO TOMCAT? The aircraft that for 30+ years, no other machine could both fly faster AND slower than... and it did it from the boat. It was a bloody Swiss watch under those panels, analog computers moving jackscrews and a pilot with a really long pipe handle, moving push/pull rods that ran 50+ feet. It was an engineering marvel and the most beautifully vicious aircraft to ever fly.
I feel so much better now. Thanks for stimulating the day a bit!
I don't think so, SantaFe. The article says the one that failed was not the one in the squawk. The title of the article is misleading.
Look, anytime you are flying that fast, that low, things can and will break just from the Q and encounters with other aircraft wakes. It is entirely possible that there was nothing obviously wrong with the trim tab before the mishap, but it failed anyway.
Aircraft racing is like any other racing. Operating at max speed breaks things. Sometimes crashes happen near the spectators. Sometimes innocent lives are lost. Let's not condemn a team, or pilot, or air racing in general because of one tragic event.
