Quoted By:
When I first saw this on the news I thought it was just another screwball American showing up the total inadequacies of the states security, and wrecking a perfectly good aircraft.
But.
When I found out that this guy wasn't even a pilot, and that he obviously had some psychological problems, the story takes on a whole different aura.
Learning to fly and being a pilot (I have had the pleasure of both) isn't as easy as you'd think, you can't just jump in and away you go. You have a set routine you must complete in order to get the aircraft to do what you want it to. Not only that, pressure of your surroundings, concentration, and just "being in the air" in a real aircraft puts a heavy weight on your mind and senses, something "playing video games" can't reproduce.
Now I know 'Rich' wasn't really fully in control of his mind, but he handled that aircraft pretty damn well. A couple of years ago in the U.K. a "professional pilot" do the exact barrel roll Rich did, and he managed to kill 11 people standing on the road he crashed on to when he performed his loop too low.
The barrel roll in that Q400 of Richards silhouetted against a beautiful sunset was one of the most elegant and perfect I've ever seen, especially when you realise that the guy's NEVER flown before! Not only that, he's doing it in an aircraft not built or designed for that either, showing he had a very delicate and understanding touch with the controls.
This could have ended so very differently and I'm glad that it didn't.
It's immensely sad that Richard didn't get the help that he obviously needed, but he sought to go out in a spectacular way, he most certainly achieved it.
Godspeed, Sky king.
