Oilpressure

I fully understand that I will come off as an old man yelling at a cloud on this, and I know I am in the vast minority. Even my own household is deeply divided on this topic. Susan completely disagrees with me. But I have had conversations with a few people that do agree with me on this topic, so I know I’m not completely alone on an island.

I would just like to get a better idea on how few people agree with me on this, or maybe there are some others who have been reluctant to speak up out of fear of backlash. One friend of mine, who will remain nameless, got his head torn off on Twitter for speaking out. Hopefully, this group will be kinder to me – even though I am expecting most to disagree with me.

The topic is: the use of the two Black Hawk helicopters during the first Parade Lap of the Indianapolis 500. For the record, I will state it right now – I did not like it. There, I said it. Let the barbs and arrows begin!

This isn’t because I almost always detest change, as I follow my life’s mantra that Change is Bad. Then again, when it comes to messing with tradition just before the start of the Indianapolis 500 – there had better be a pretty good reason for it. Just to show that I am not a total curmudgeon, when it comes to the start of the race – I was happy when they stopped setting off bombs in each of the turns as the field went through for the first time at speed. Those of us sitting in the stands along the main straightaway, always wondered if there was some terrible crash taking place in Turn Two. I’m not quite sure when they did away with that longstanding practice – probably sometime in the early to mid-90s; but that was a change I actually welcomed.

So why did I not care for something that probably 98% of the fans loved?

First of all, I found it to be very distracting. That is a moment that needs nothing to add to it. To see the cars take off row-by-row from their grid spots is a thrill beyond description. After such a buildup throughout the morning, to see the cars screech away from where they have been sitting for a couple of hours is so exciting. But it is topped when the field comes around for the first time, with the engines humming in harmony with the field passing directly in front of us. Each and every year at that moment, I can feel the chills running up my spine, and I have a smile on my face that cannot possibly be removed. The anticipation that has been building for a month is about to unfold in front of all of us. The first Parade Lap is sort of a salute from the drivers to the fans.

With the Black Hawk helicopters becoming part of the show, flying very low over each end of the field – the sound of the helicopters completely drowned out the sound of the thirty-three cars we had come to see (and hear). Until then, I didn’t think that was even possible.

While I appreciate and applaud the large presence and recognition of all of our armed forces throughout the pre-race ceremonies – that is not what we paid to see. It would be a lot less trouble and expense to attend our local Memorial Day celebrations across our great country, where there would be ample representation of our armed forces.

To me, it took away from one of the very special moments of each Indianapolis 500. The command to start engines and the ensuing Parade Lap is the transition from the traditional pre-race ceremonies into the actual race – the real reason we are all gathered there. I found it to be completely distracting, and I was so disappointed when I could not hear the cars during that first pass, all because of the helicopters soaring just above.

If the Army wants to show off their impressive airborne war-machines – make them part of the flyover maneuvers that take place in the pre-race ceremonies. Please don’t have them serve as a major distraction that overshadows a very special moment just before the green flag.

But if they are included in the pre-race ceremonies before the cars are fired, maybe fly a little higher. That brings me to my second objection about what happened just before the race.

To be perfectly honest – I felt a little spooked with those helicopters flying so low. Yes, it was an adrenaline rush – but the actual start of the race is already promising that. We don’t need any further stimulation running through our bodies on Race Morning. I felt like flying lower than the top of the grandstands was an unnecessary risk. Yes, there was the cool-factor that came with it; but if they are having to pull up as they fly over the main straightaway to keep from colliding with the second level of the stands that appears in the southern half of the track, and to avoid hitting the scoring pylon – then they are flying to low, in my opinion.

I come from a family with a deep history rooted in aviation. I have even soloed and have logged many solo hours myself. That means I know just enough about aviation to be dangerous. Still, I know that helicopters tend to not like wind and turbulence very much. It seems to me that when flying that low near grandstands that are holding thousands of people – they are one unexpected gust of wind away from disaster. As cool as that was to be that close to such an impressive aircraft, if I was given the option – I would have passed. In my mind, the cool-factor that was achieved was not worth the risk of possibly ending several thousand lives – especially when one of them was mine.

Everyone assumes a certain amount of risk whenever they choose to attend an auto race. I was in the stands at the 1999 IRL race in Charlotte, when three fans were fatally injured after a wheel tore loose from a crashed car and bounced over the catch fence and into the stands. I was sitting in Turn One and the victims were in Turn Four, but sitting in the same approximate row that we were in. The thought certainly went through my head that it just as easily could have been me, as them.

I understand that sitting in Stand A at Indianapolis, there is the slight chance that debris from a car could somehow make its way to our seats. While that possibility exists deep in the back of my head, I weigh the odds and choose to sit there anyway. We all understand that racing is violent and that the danger for spectators is always there. What I don’t expect is to be taken out by a massive helicopter that got a little too close to the fence, just as a gust of wind hit it. The potential result is too catastrophic to even think about.

When my friend was vilified on Twitter and was speaking of the safety aspects, one person’s response was “That would never happen, because the Black Hawk helicopter is the most badass machine flying”. Well, that expert opinion certainly squashed any fears I might have had.

Knowing that hardly anyone shares my opinion, my hope is that the Black Hawk presence over the Parade Lap was a one-time occurrence for 2025. It was a death-defying stunt that looked great for most people, while it either annoyed and/or terrified others. It was a success, but now that it’s been done – I see no need for it to return. It probably won’t have as much cool-factor with everyone expecting it. Then the game would be on to top it each year, until something tragic happens. At that point, a few thousand helium-filled balloons will seem pretty harmless.

George Phillips

This entry was posted on June 6, 2025 at 4:04 am and is filed under Indianapolis 500. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.