RENO, Nev.?? 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."
Pilot discussed plane's speed
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.
Video: Several videos of plane crash emerge (on this page) Story: NTSB on scene of deadly Nevada air crashThe vintage plane raced in the "Unlimited" category, where the planes race wingtip-to-wingtip at speeds in excess of 500 mph.
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"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.
'Speed, speed and more speed'
Leeward was the owner of the Leeward Air Ranch Racing Team. According to the Internet Movie Database, Leeward appeared in a number of movies as a stunt pilot, including "Amelia" in 2009, "The Tuskegee Airmen" in 1995 and "Smokey and the Bandit Part 3" in 1983.
In an interview with the Ocala Star-Banner, of Florida, last year, he described how he has flown 250 types of planes and has a particular fondness for the P-51, which came into the war relatively late and was used as a long-range bomber escort over Europe. Among the famous pilots of the hot new fighter was WWII double ace Chuck Yeager.
"They're more fun. More speed, more challenge. Speed, speed and more speed," Leeward said.
Leeward talked about racing strategy in an interview Thursday with LiveAirShow TV while standing in front of his plane.
"Right now I think we've calculated out, we're as fast as anybody in the field, or maybe even a little faster," he said.
"But uh, to start with, we didn't really want to show our hand until about Saturday or Sunday. We've been playing poker since last Monday. And uh so, 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," he added.
A 2010 newspaper article said that Leeward had made major modifications to his plane for racing, including shaving five feet off of each wing and reducing the canopy?s size.
His website said the plane's engine produced 3,800 horsepower and the aircraft was rated to 550 mph. The article said that for races, Leeward was required to wear a helmet, fire protection suit, oxygen mask and parachute.
Good friend
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.
Video: Mass casualties at Reno air races after plane crash (on this page)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."
Houghton described Leeward as a good friend.
"Everybody knows him. It's a tight-knit family. He's been here for a long, long time," Houghton said.
He also said Leeward was a "very qualified, very experienced pilot" who was in good medical condition. He suggested Leeward would have made every effort to avoid casualties on the ground if he knew he was going to crash.
"If it was in Jimmy's power, he would have done everything he possibly could," Houghton said. Leeward and his wife had two adult sons, Dirk and Kent, according to Leeward's website.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44559319/ns/us_news/
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