Just a normal person. There's something uncomfortably familiar and chilling about this. "I'm gonna barrel roll this thing real quick, kay?" What a fucking legend.
Guy is a bit of legend in my opinion.
I've always wondered what would happen if a normal person just snapped, just decided to do something crazy that they had no intention of ever coming back. Not something bad like shooting up some public place or something, something just kind of out there.
Now that I have I'm not sure I should have wanted to...
I can never be mad at a guy like this, anyone like that so close to snapping and instead of taking it out in anger just goes about looking for some freedom and adventure.
My dad is a pilot for United Express, and he often mentions that he's not going to go mainline because of how everyday you're either away from home or working. Must be hell.
The view of that barrel roll had me terrified with how close it was.
They'll keep breaking us
I feel like he was a guy who just had enough and just snapped. Instead of going postal he did something which was kinda like a fuck you to the man, but also was an opportunity for him to do something extraordinary for himself. Maybe he had a dream to become a pilot and just couldn't reach it. I think he knew when he went up he wasn't going to land it, I don't think he ever had the intention of surviving through this. I think it says alot about him as a person by the way he spoke to all the people over the radio and the fact he didn't want to hurt anyone, even when he knew regardless of what would happen he would never face the consequences of those actions.
It is kinda depressing really, there are so many people out there like Rich. People who are just going through the motions trying to make ends meet. Everyone has dreams and most people are fortunate to achieve them, but not everyone can. Having a dream of being something you really want to be and for it to be completely out of reach is absolutely soul crushing.
Trying not to cry, yo. Rest in peace, Skyking. You fucking legend.
Seems like a lot of the media is making him out to be evil or something.
pretty sad
The media demonize people who try to show others the light and lead them out of the cave, that there is more to life than the rat race and meaningless consumerism.
/s ?
What sucks more is that I'm seeing far right websites try to latch onto this man because of his one comment about not being hired because he was white.
His suffering was more than that god damn it.
If most people achieve their dreams why do so many empathize with this guy?
Just because people achieve their dreams doesn't mean it happened overnight.
Progress can take days, weeks, years, and even decades. I think if someone truly struggled to get where they are and had to work hard to obtain their dreams they can empathize with Rich.
Just because you are successful doesn't mean you are detached from reality or any emotion. Regardless of who you are, what your status is in this world, and what you do with your life. I think everyone has been to a point where they felt like "snapping."
The bit where he almost hit the water was more a loop-de-loop than a barrel roll. Barrel roll is more for getting into a new formation with a roll and some lateral movement. It's not just spinning the X axis like in some games, but it's definitely not involving pitching up and regaining control.
I've been suicidal before, so get some of this, but I'd still not say he's a legend, as he wasn't exactly trained and something could have gone wrong, resulting in hurting others. I don't know - perhaps I'm a spoil sport, but I don't come down on it terribly strongly either way. I think it's just sad.
I kind of agree with you.
I, too, don't want to be a spoil sport but I don't feel confortable idolizing him.
Maybe I'm just reading the reactions wrong though.
I mean, at the end of the day, this was suicide. You don't call people who kill themselves legends.
I'm not saying people should demonize him either.
I think this whole situation is just sad. The fact that most of us can even relate to the guy's feelings makes it even worse.
If it was your 15 million dollar aircraft that he took and crashed into an island, I think you'd be at least a little upset.
I feel a lot of sympathy for the guy, especially when he said something along the lines of; I got a few screws loose, there's going to be some people who are going to be sad to hear about this. I wish he had chosen a less destructive outlet.
Shame he's already an alt-right lovechild.
It's very strange how sober he was about the whole thing. The way he talked, the tone of his voice. So calm and normal, which is terrifying when you already know the outcome (and so did he).
Ah yes, money symbols next to an entirely replaceable object that really probably didn't get much use considering how often airplanes are grounded for months on end. The only people I'm upset with are those the clearly made him feel trapped.
He didn't go up there to die, we went up there to see if he was really alive.
Yeah, I can't really blame or hate a man who decides that he'll at least find a few moments of life and freedom and doesn't harm others. The last things he did were entirely his own and he got to make whatever he wanted of that. We can say he might have hurt others or anything like that, but he didn't and he made it clear he didn't want others to get hurt for it. I have to respect him for it to be honest.
I think this story really speaks to the societal ennui our generation is going through. Our lives are so unfulfilling nowadays, full of just going through the motions and listlessly surrendering ourselves to the powers that be. Anxieties about the economy, our futures, and our place in society wear us down until we're not quite who we used to be. We throw away our dreams, passions, and wonder as we get older and have to face the harsh realities of an uncaring spreadsheet world. Every cog in the machine is replaceable.
I obviously don't want to project too much of my perception and myself onto this guy that I know really not much about at all, but it can be hard not to. I think the reason this story has been so unexpectedly thought-provoking and sentimental for a lot of people is because a lot of us can identify and sympathize with this guy. Who knows what really pushed him to where he ended up, but I think ultimately it was a dissatisfaction with how things are and seemingly will always be.
Yeah he probably would of gotten hard time for stealing an airplane, pretty sad when all he needed was just someone to talk to.
Part of me wished he came back safely, to tell us his story.
https://youtu.be/cWGE9Gi0bB0
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