Friends: Pilot was a Skilled Airman, ‘Not a Risk Taker’
- Posted on September 17, 2011 at 8:07am by
Madeleine Morgenstern
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Long time Reno Air Race pilot Jimmy Leeward, pictured here with his P-51 Mustang in Sept. 2010, crashed into a box seat area in front of the grandstand at the National Championship Air Races in Reno. At least two bystanders died, and more than 50 were injured. (AP Photo/The Reno Gazette-Journal, Marilyn Newton)
RENO, Nev. (AP) — Friends of an air racer and movie stunt pilot whose plane crashed into the edge of the grandstand at a show said the 74-year-old was a skilled airman and member of a tight-knit flying community.
Pilot Jimmy Leeward of Ocala, Fla., died in the crash Friday after apparently losing control of the P-51 Mustang, which spiraled into a box seat area at the National Championship Air Races at about 4:30 p.m. Friday. Leeward and at least two others were killed; dozens were injured.
Family members were at the air show and saw the crash, said Reno Air Races President and CEO Mike Houghton.
“They obviously are devastated,” he said. “I talked to Jimmy’s son and his wife wanted me to know that Jimmy would not want us to cancel the races but sometimes you have to do things that are not very popular.”
Leeward‘s pilot’s medical records were up-to-date, and he was “a very qualified, very experienced pilot,” Houghton said. He’d been racing at the show in Reno since 1975.
“Everybody knows him. It’s a tight-knit family,” Houghton said. “He’s been here for a long, long time.”
Leeward gave an interview at the air show Thursday with Live Airshow TV, standing in front of his plane “The Galloping Ghost” and saying he didn’t want to show his hand on how fast the plane could go.
“We’ve been playing poker since last Monday. And … it’s ready, we’re ready to show a couple more cards, so we’ll see on Friday what happens, and on Saturday we’ll probably go ahead and play our third ace, and on Sunday we’ll do our fourth ace,” Leeward said in the interview.
Leeward owned the Leeward Air Ranch Racing Team and was a well-known racing pilot. His website says he had flown more than 120 races and served as a stunt pilot for numerous movies, including “Amelia” and “Cloud Dancer.”
The vintage plane raced in the “Unlimited” category, where the planes race wingtip-to-wingtip at speeds in excess of 500 mph.
“How fast will she go? Hold on tight, you’ll find out soon enough. Reno Air Races 2011 …” said a teaser on Leeward’s website.
A post on his Facebook page Friday afternoon said “Jimmy is starting up right now” and posted a link to live video of the airshow. As news of Leeward’s death spread, Facebook users posted comments and condolences on the post.
Steve Silver, 69, was Leeward’s next-door neighbor at a gated community in Ocala, Fla.
“He’s been my friend for many years,” Silver said. “He was more than a competent pilot. He was really quite a guy.”
Given Leeward’s experience with flying, Silver said he doubts pilot error was the cause of the crash.
“It would be my bet there was some kind of mechanical malfunction,” Silver said.
Maureen Higgins, of Alabama, said Leeward was the best pilot she knew. She was at the air show and said she could see his profile while the plane was going down. He was married and his wife often traveled with him.
“He’s a wonderful pilot, not a risk taker,” she said. “He was in the third lap and all of a sudden he lost control.”
Leeward had been racing in Reno since 1975, Houghton said.
Leeward and his wife had two adult sons, Dirk and Kent, according to Leeward’s website.
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onegodinkansas
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 7:20pmCan I say that I‘m a ’skilled biker’, not a risk-taker, if I choose not to wear a helmet now? …or does everyone that can’t throw a leg over a bicycle still get to continue to berate me?
Report Post »Phantom II
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 3:36pmSince this is an all conservative event, the communist will soon move in to attempt to stop it.
Report Post »teamarcheson
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 5:56pmI think Obama will take this opportunity for more gun control.
Report Post »CanaryInACoalMine
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 12:11pmSpeed kills. How fast do you want to go?
Report Post »gfmucci
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 10:53amNot a risk taker? Not a RISK TAKER? What kind of assinine comment is that? How can a person be in that sport in close proximity to hundreds of spectators and not be called a “risk taker”? That destroys any credibility that might have have existed with those people. The irrational defensiveness of close friends and family is mind bending.
Report Post »TomFerrari
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 1:59pmWe all take risks by getting out of bed. The point was not that the man doesn’t take any risks in life. The point is, he does not take additional risks beyond what is called for at any given time.
A skydiver is taking risks, sure. But, if he doesn’t check his parachute before a jump, he is “a risk taker”.
He followed the rules and safety procedures. That is the point of the comment.
Report Post ».
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otmonger
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 5:19pmI could not say it any better.
Report Post »gfmucci
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 8:56pmI guess we are speaking of different kinds of risk; insane risk and “responsible” risk. Both are risk. Ask any life insurance actuarial or sales agent when you buy life insurance. I’m positive there would be a substantial premium for an individual who engages in low altitude racing or stunt flying of modified WWII aircraft. And no matter how healthy and how experienced a high risk performer is, things get dicier in their 70′s. Reaction times may be better than the average 70 year old, but are likely significantly degraded from what they were 20 years earlier. And the possiblility of some sort of health failure at that age is greater than that of a 40 year-old.
To suggest the man was not a risk taker and that age was not a factor denies reality.
Report Post »threedoor
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 10:47amDitto Rolly Bones. The average person will be all over the age of this gentelman and his aircraft. I call BS, both were in tip top shape. The FAA forcing pilots to retire in their early 60 is garbage too. I’ve known that since I was 16.
Report Post »TomFerrari
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 1:56pmIt used to be age 60 for airlines, then the ALPA union got the age raised to 65.
Report Post »TPaine
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 10:38amThese things happen in a high-risk sport like this. And it IS a high-risk sport – these planes are tricked out and are running usually in the red-line areas. They’re highly modified, and anything can happen. It is sad to see a man of his stature and experience die like this, but I’m thinking (like many others) that this man died doing what he really loved to do, and at 74, he had a long life and great times. His family knows this and that’s why they said not to cancel the races because of this.
When I go, I want to go doing something I love to do, like sky-diving. I don’t want to die in bed of old age.
Report Post »BOMUSTGO
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 10:42amI am sure he didn’t want to take others out with him.He lived life to the full.
Report Post »TPaine
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 10:42amAnd to those spectators who died and were injured, they should also know the dangers. Crashes are NOT unusual at these things, and as the planes are flying almost directly in front of the crowd, when things go wrong, they go wrong amazingly fast! I feel for those who lost their lives i nthis accident, but that’s just what it was – an accident.
Report Post »BOMUSTGO
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 11:10amKind of like sitting in the splash zone at “Sea World.” You are going to get wet! They were sitting in the “Crash Zone.”
Report Post »dcart888
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 10:24amThis pilot saved lives as he pulled up as soon as he realized he had a problem and tried as hard as he could to have plane crash away from bleachers
Report Post »BOMUSTGO
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 10:37amIn the event of a problem, they are required to pull up out of the race.This will give them anough altitude to fugure out where to put the plane down safely. Many have done this in the past and have glided to a safe landing.This is what he was attempting to do.Must have had a catastrophic failure of some kind.Sad.
Report Post »John2
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 9:15amThe first reports I saw prominently mentioned his age. In my view, intentionally slanting the story to make you think age of the pilot was the problem, without ever saying it. Those tricky journalists.
Report Post »woodyl1011fl
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 10:14amHaving spent my 30 year career flying above the earth in aviation I will tell you the ignorance of alleged journalists about aviation is only exceeded by the arrogance of their of gigantic egos. As God asked Job 38:2 “Who is this that darkens counsel By words without knowledge?” Fits most of them and not just in aviation matters.
Report Post »RollyBones
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 8:29amSome of the comments I‘ve seen on other boards are ignorance personified as to flying a ’Vintage P-51‘ that’s older than most of the spectators and blaming the pilot for his age. Ludicrous and insulting to say the least!
These aircraft are the Formula 1 racers of the sky. It may look like a old WW2 P-51 but I’m willing to bet that every single part of that aircraft is new and has been inspected to a higher degree than some medical equipment. This was an unexpected malfunction of the flight controls and not pilot error. My condolences to all involved. This tragedy is a sad day for aviation!
Report Post »Rolly
BOMUSTGO
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 10:16amIt was a highly modified P-51,clipped wings,Radiator and scoop removed and replaced with a heat exchanger (Water/methanol),redesigned low-drag canopy.All to give it a top speed of 500 mph. A stock P-51 would do around 437 at altitude.
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