Stearman Flyers honor fallen QC air show pilot - CBS4 - WHBF Quad Cities, IL-IA News Weather Sports

Stearman Flyers honor fallen QC air show pilot

By: Jillian Wilson

jwilson@cbs4qc.com

It's been one week since a plane crash took the life of a pilot at the Quad City air show and pilots are honoring one of their own.

There was a moment of silence for the fallen pilot at the 41st Annual National Stearman Fly–in in Galesburg, but some pilots say you can't let the fear of a crash, keep you from flying.

"It's obvious that it's visual and everybody sees it, but cars crash every day and nobody talks about that," said Randy Hardy, a Stearman pilot.

It was an air show stunt gone wrong.

"It's a bad situation. It's a small industry and we all know each other pretty much and it's unfortunate and we're all sad about it, but you continue to get back in your car and you continue to get back in your plane," said Randy Hard

Pilots at the Stearman fly–in took one ride to honor fallen pilots like glen smith

It's the missing man formation and the choreography begins with four airplanes flying side by side and then one airplane drifts off.

"The three airplanes continue on until one pulls on to the west showing that he's pass onto the next life."

But some pilots don't think about the losses. Instead, they are driven by their passion.

"I think as a pilot, you don't really think about that you still enjoy the freedom we have to fly in the united states anywhere you wanna go," said Victor Riffel, a pilot.