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1=maximum age fly high g display and performance aircraft imo age 55 tops men woman =50
2=all aircraft be it a cessna air trike to a 747 , hot air balloon outfitted with some tracking and recording unit in the event of crash and recover, data can be pulled from it to narrow down cause.
3= display crowds pushed back from flighline runway no fly zones increased.
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1) To be fair diveplane, having separate retirement ages based on sex is in fact sexist. They don't give out driver's licenses at different ages based on sex...
I get the fact that everyone is concerned about the pilot's age, but every pilot over a certain age or flying a certain type of aircraft undergoes a thorough medical examination at least every year. Even some 18-year-olds aren't fit to fly. The pilot in this case was strong and fit, and often outperformed many of the young lads. He was experienced and well qualified. The truth is, this was a mechanical failure, and it could have happened to anybody.
In fact, according to one report, he may have well
saved lives. Apparently, the plane was going down uncontrollably and would have gone into the crows at a shallow angle, easily taking out hundreds of people. He could have been trying to dive nose first directly into the tarmac to avoid the crowd and minimize the effect of the debris. While this is a tragic occurence, it could have been much worse (In Ukraine a jet flew into the crowd after an engine failure. The pilots had been denied extra practice time, and were also not briefed as to the location of the crowd. The pilot instinctively pulled up to save the plane, but the plane then skidded along the ground, claiming almost 100 lives.)
2) Black boxes are between $10,000 and $15,000 each. They are large and heavy. If you put one in a C.152 there will be no place for the pilot. Considering the huge cost of the device, the FAA isn't going to subsidize that for every single plane or balloon. The cost is going to be shouldered by private aviation enthusiasts who are already paying through the nose. I had to take insane student loans to learn to fly a little Cessna 172, and I'll probably never pay them off completely before I die. Recreational amateur aviation, which started with the Wrights, Bleriot, Curtiss, Lindbergh, etc. will disappear.
3) I want to agree with you on this point, but these people chose to be there. I personally haven't been to an air display, and if I will go, I'll try to be sure that the seating arrangement is safe. It's a bit brutal for me to say this, but those folks knew that they were watching some potentially dangerous stuff. It's a risk that everyone takes when going to one of these shows.
While some safety measures should be implemented, like warning placards or having spectators sign a release, it wouldn't be the best idea to move the seats 5 km away. Frankly, that would defeat the purpose of going to an airshow in the first place, and in reality, does little or nothing to mitigate the risk (a plane can go out of control and travel that distance very quickly).
This is a shocking and horrifying tragedy, and my sincere condolences go out to the families of those lost and injured, but knee-jerk reactions like this are slowly suffocating private aviation in the US. Instead, we should take a moment to think about the best way to deal with this situation in everyone's favor and be prepared to deal with the risks when we do decide to enjoy an air show or similar event.