Maybe so, but did we just get told this is NOT a forum and that that we should abdicate out first amendment rights??
Not at all.
But we should probably show a little courtesy and common sense and just shut the hell up about it.
I am in favor of being courteous to living people. In my opinion, if Jessi is "resting in peace", she's not going to be bothered by discussions that might help other living people to survive land speed racing.
It appears to me that some folks with useful info about the fatal run aren't telling the world what was
seen or otherwise witnessed (i.e., anything Jessi said in her last few moments). There could be some
helpful knowledge to be shared. Who among us is not in favor of more safety within the (admittedly
risky) activities of driving at speeds exceeding a couple hundred mph?
I met Jessi, and consider some of the NAE team members as friends. All great folks, in my opinion.
But mistakes were made in the past. They didn't result in a crash then. More than a year ago, the
wind, prior to a run, blew down a mile marker. Jessi, not seeing that marker, drove far off-course (onto un-cleared ground). I witnessed this, and shortly thereafter learned that the mile markers were not all safely and thoroughly secured to the ground. That's the kind of thing that can get someone killed. I was one of the people in earlier NAE test sessions that walked the course, picking up rocks. Most of those I found were fairly small(ish), but several were about 5 pounds, with only a tip showing above the dirt, like the tip of an iceberg.
It gave me immense pleasure to learn that I was digging up a potential killer rock. After spending much time clearing lanes that were about 100 feet wide, I learned that Jessi drove outside this area on at least one run.
I was angered not because she "cheapened" my time. I was concerned for her safety.
I would also like to know more details about the fatal run. Did Jessi deploy a chute during her last run? If so, did it function decently? How about air brakes? Did she run off the end of the lake bed at high speed? Did she (while at high speed) stay on the fodded (cleared) part of the lakebed?
The reason I'm seeking facts is not to gloat over death and/or destruction. I am very bothered and unhappy about all this, and certainly don't want to minimize the pain experienced by anyone over any of it. But safety improvements are still evolving, sometimes after some very unpleasant occurrences. Who can help us learn what went wrong? Is the news released by the county Sheriff available to the general public? Is there some important information being held back, in order to save someone from embarrassment, guilt, or lawsuit(s)?
It's been said that "all the world loves a scandal." I take exception to that, as I don't like scandals. But I am a big fan of safety. I believe that the NAE should have had a nice padded roll cage, and perhaps even airbags in the cockpit. Yeah, this sounds like some kind of Monday evening quarterbacking, and of course it can't bring Jessi or any other crash victims back to life. But I strongly believe that we should be talking about this. And the Bloodhound team, along with the Aussie Invader team, should participate in the discussion.