MIG 23 crashes at Ypsi Air Show

[Lowell]

It seems like crashes of old war birds at air shows are a repeating story and yesterday it happened here. Fortunately no one was hurt but an apartment building was narrowly missed. These shows are exciting but one has to question their being done in populated areas.

[401don]

These shows are exciting but one has to question their being done in populated areas.

Not to mention the spectators. They're also a "populated area."

[Rocket]

23's had a terrible record while still in service. Mainly with the engines. Less reliable, less maneuverable, more expensive and harder to maintain than the Mig 21 they were supposed to replace. It last saw service in the late 80's, yet the 21 it was supposed to replace is still in service today.

This one was the only one flyable in North America, and it had issues with parts of it's canopy flying off at Oshkosh a week or so ago.

From the videos, the engine was still running at part throttle when the pilots ejected, and the plane was in a steady, gentle left turn. So perhaps hydraulic failure of the flight controls?

These older foreign planes are tricky to maintain these days. Actually, the Flogger was a disaster to maintain when new.

Sooo glad no one was injured.

[Richard]

Is the guy on YouTube when it comes to aviation mishaps

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CrDWpQMRK2U

Great that the pilots and everyone else made it out safely.

[Danny]

My question is how some private collector get it's hand's of the Old Soviet Mig-22 clunker?

[Richard]

My question is how the Air Force get an hand of the Old Soviet Mig-22 clunker?

It was a private owner,Hal is his name,he has a walk around video on YouTube.

Private individuals are allowed to purchase,restore and fly vintage war craft,tanks etc.most of the war birds are privately owned.

There are flight restrictions as to when and how you can operate them,

A B-17 will easily burn 200 gallons of fuel per hour, plus about 10 gallons of oil per hour. Consumables and wear items cost an estimated $3,000 per flight hour.

Between warbirds and fast boats they are not a poor man’s hobby.

The F-22 Raptor costs $70,000 per flight hour to operate.

You can even buy a surplus Blackhawk helicopter,they are only $3 - $4000 per hour to operate,not including tire rotations,brakes etc.

The best part is nobody calls and offers an extended warranty every 10 minutes.

It crashed into a parking lot of an apartment complex,split second things in life can make all the difference,

[Pat001]

Surplus military aircraft are available if you have the $$$ but IMHO they are deathtraps that belong in museums. Fortunately no one died – this time.

[Richard]

It’s the season and air shows have been around since airplanes started flying and sometimes people die,it has not stopped people from attending,no different then when people die from amusement park rides.

Most museums do not have the funds to restore war birds which can run into the millions,they are actually a good source for buying a fixer upper from.

There are companies flying DC3 cargo planes that were built during WW2 every day delivering cargo,planes are no different then any other thing and are subjective to failures,it’s no different then driving a classic car.

They are air planes and made to fly and not be stuck in a dusty corner of a museum.

One is more likely to be killed riding their bicycle then by a plane at the air show.

[Rocket]

Many jets can be bought very cheap. It's not hard to buy a Mach 2+ jet like a Mig21 for less than the price of a new Priius.

And storing one only costs hangar space.

Flying it? That's a different story entirely. You could easily spend $100k to 1/2 million getting something like that Flogger airworthy. And then fuel and maintenance will run about $10,000 per flying hour. I believe the owner of that plane said it holds 1,100 gallons of fuel, and if you're careful, that will get you about 1.5 hours of flying. Jet A is about $5.75 these days, so that 1.5 hours runs you about $6,300 just in gas.

That said, maintaining something of which there are only a few in this hemisphere is a challenge.

Noise is also an issue. There are virtually no airports in the USA where you can legally take off and land such a plane without special permission, such as for airshows.

[Wesley Mouch]

Life's full of risks. Sure, let's be careful. But if DEI has taught us anything's it's that a good idea can be taken much too far. Yes to better safety. No to OCD.