Aerobatics in a Champ

[Jerz]

Yes, I know that it is much more complicated. And yes, I new most of the dead pilots you mentioned and some you didn't. Some quite well. And of course I know of Leo and his bike wreck.
In today's safety obsessed society (you can't fart without wearing a helmet, seat belts, and all body armor) there are very few opportunities to do legally anything as exiting and risky as airshow flying . And then we are told you need to get scared at least once a week for your good mental health...
Some individuals need that fix more then others. So airshows probably attract more people with higher tolerance or even appetite for risk then say chess. However, I believe even guys pushing the envelope consider themselves safety conscious professionals. Nobody I ever met in the industry had a death wish.
We get close to the thin line, but we don't try to go beyond. Myself, (and I am not the one pushing the envelope) I plan my flight with survivable ways out in an event of engine, or other failures. You can't plan for ripping the wings off at 50ft, but my wing is designed for 24Gs. And the most you could possibly pull up to the Vne is 18Gs. That is acceptable risk to me. If my engine coughs during a cobra, I won't fall from more the few feet. Again, survivable. I overfly the hammer heads badly and fly egg shaped loops close to the ground. I do inverted ribbon cut at speed which would allow me to roll right side up in case of engine failure. And so on.
I don't like to be called a dare devil, or even a stunt pilot. That implies 50/50 chance of success. I like to think of myself as a professional aerobatic pilot.

[Colonel Sanders]

You can't plan for ripping the wings off

Rick Massegee. SU-31, 1996.

That was the end of the Beckers at Pompano, IIRC.

[Jerz]

Yes, but his wing spar was one of the first built by a subcontractor and had dry caps. My wing was built by the design bureau in Moscow. Big difference. And BTW, he was not flying low level airshow, but competition practice at altitude. Either way, sh*t also happens to the best and most careful .
My point is , you mitigate it to acceptable level. Just like driving to work in the morning, or getting out of bed in the first place.

[Blakey]

Blakey, sorry for highjacking your post. I have too much time on my hands - only two flying days per week.

No problem at all. I got my answer pretty early on and I always find it interesting to see the "bends" these threads take. Every so often you even find a nugget in the dross!

[GUMPS]

I don't always agree with then Colonel, but when I do it's cause he knows what he's talking about. Risk, and fatality rate in the aerobatics world is right up his alley.