Hendrick Motorsports plane down?

[low-n-slow]

Sad day indeed.

I attended both Saturday's truck race and Sunday's Cup race, had a great time right up untill the track announced the sad news. Jimmy had taken the checkered flag, came around and nosed his car on the inside wall out of turn four where he did a short burnout and then proceded to slowley drive his car around the track to the pit entrance where the crew and some other folks gathered around the car. They announced a couple of minutes later about the news of the missing Hendrick plane and not another word was said on the PA system.

The Blackhawk(s) fly-by was cancelled due to low ceilings. We left out of MCO Friday afternoon and never once saw the sun untill landing back into MCO this morning.

Prayers out to all.

 

[BlueBusDriver]

Sad......

God Speed.

 

[meanstreak]

Wasn't there a previous post on the improper use of the word GOD SPEED?

 

[AA717driver]

meanstreak--Since the previous overuse of the phrase "God speed"(including all the variations on spelling) the moderators have decided to issue licences to use the term during certain threads.

Bluebus driver is the only authorized user of the phrase "God speed" in this thread.

The moderators appreciate your understanding in this matter. Thank you.TC

 

[Long Time Gone]

A clip that I just saw on the news showed the crash site....a couple of hundred feet from the top of a mountain (large hill). Unfortunately, it looks like CFIT. According to the information guessers (newscasters), the aircraft were not equipped with a CVR or FDR (not required, anyway).


LTG

 

[Headwind]

TAWS will be required soon.

HEADWIND

 

[FN FAL]

Aren't a lot of those stock car corporate flight departments staffed by aquaintances of the racer?

 

[rajflyboy]

Hendrick Motorsports has a fleet of aircraft with complete corporate flight department.


I imagine some of the smaller teams have acquaintances flying them around. Aviation is so important in the lives of nascar teams and drivers. Most of them have flight departments!

 

[FN FAL]

A flight department is one person. I wasn't asking about whether or not there was a compartmentalization between accounting, shipping and recieving, payroll and the department of corporate aviation...I was asking if bubba drives the airplane.

 

[Race Pilot]

A flight department is one person. I wasn't asking about whether or not there was a compartmentalization between accounting, shipping and recieving, payroll and the department of corporate aviation...I was asking if bubba drives the airplane.

Most flight departments at the big teams are very well staffed with most of the pilots having 121 experience. Many of the pilots like myself do the NASCAR thing part time while holding another job in the industry as well. Hendrick has a few part time folks I believe but mostly full time. And I don't know how closely related any of them are to any others, but I can tell you they are an absolutely professional organization, no "bubbas" there!

I knew the pilot involved in this accident and had met the copilot as well. He always projected the utmost in professionalism and was a great guy! There will of course be tons of speculation about how and what happened but we as professional aviators should let the investigators do their jobs and give us the answer when the time is right.

I just hope that Dick and Liz's families are remembered and prayed for as much as Rick's. I realize Rick has lost a lot and he is a great individual, have spoken with him at length many times, but the pilot's families need our prayers too.