Niki Lauda

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dnewton3

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F1 great and three time World Champion Niki Lauda has passed away.
He was inspiring in many ways; one of the few drivers that was not only a talent behind the wheel, but also a engineer at heart.

If you ever get a chance to see the movie "Rush", it's worth the time spent.
 
-The guy had moxy.

""Correct," was the typically brief reply. And what about despair? It must have been the moments leading up to the priest administered the last rites?

"It wasn't," he said firmly. "In 1991, one of the planes from Lauda Air, the airline I had set up, crashed in Bangkok, killing 223 people. When I was in motor racing, I had taken the decision to risk my life. But when you run an airline and more than 200 people want to go from A to B and they don't arrive -- that's a different responsibility."

He went on to describe the absolute horror and devastation of the crash site as he tried to find the reason for the Boeing 767 falling from 28,000 feet. Lauda could fly all of his aircraft. He suspected that reverse thrust had deployed on one engine, turning the aeroplane upside down.

When eight months passed without comment from the manufacturer, a mass burial for the last 23 unidentified passengers proved to be the tipping point as relatives continued to look to Lauda for answers. Niki flew straight to Boeing's headquarters in Seattle and asked to fly the simulator programmed in the way it was thought the 767 had been at the moment disaster struck.

"At first they refused," said Lauda. "I said: 'Listen, this was my f---ing aeroplane, my name, my damage...so let me do it.'" Boeing agreed and Lauda proved it was an O-ring failure on the reverse thrust. When Boeing said they could not issue a statement immediately, Lauda went into action -- as only he could.

I said: "Okay, I'm going hold a press conference. I'm going to say we take a 767, load it up like it was with two pilots, deploy reverse thrust in the air and, if it keeps on flying, I want to be on board. If you guys are so sure that people can continue to fly these aeroplanes, then let's do it.' They issued a press statement straight away. Finally it was made clear the manufacturer was at fault and not the operator of the aeroplane.""



http://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/26794972/niki-lauda-remarkable-man-very-special-person
 
"At first they refused," said Lauda. "I said: 'Listen, this was my f---ing aeroplane, my name, my damage...so let me do it.'" Boeing agreed and Lauda proved it was an O-ring failure on the reverse thrust. When Boeing said they could not issue a statement immediately, Lauda went into action -- as only he could.

I said: "Okay, I'm going hold a press conference. I'm going to say we take a 767, load it up like it was with two pilots, deploy reverse thrust in the air and, if it keeps on flying, I want to be on board. If you guys are so sure that people can continue to fly these aeroplanes, then let's do it.' They issued a press statement straight away. Finally it was made clear the manufacturer was at fault and not the operator of the aeroplane.""

It's funny how people change their opinions/minds when it's their behinds in the frying pan.

Rest In Peace Niki Lauda
 
I always considered Niki a tough guy, particularly after his rapid comeback following his horrific 1976 accident as well as his retirement from the Japanese Grand Prix in the same season which would have likely brought him another Driver's Championship over Hunt the Shunt due to what he considered dangerously wet conditions including fog and water running across the track that should have forced the organizers to postpone the race.
That he went on to form an airline and earn the ratings required to actually fly the airliners shows that his skills had many dimensions.
Not a show pony but rather a real doer, unlike many in many fields. I won't mention any names, although I'm sure that everyone will have a few come immediately to mind.
As a driver I thought of him as a modern era Fangio, who was probably the greatest driver ever.
 
One of the greatest personalities in any field.
I followed F1 and open-wheel racing fanatically through the seventies and eighties, and knew that NL lived at a gut level like few others. He won't fade away easily.

I was thrilled recently when I discovered the current display at Griot's Garage in Tacoma featured his number 12 car.
[Linked Image]
 
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