AwMac, I'd like to offer some feedback on what happened here. This is just my personal opinion, please file it as such.
If it had been true, then finding out about the A-26 crash would have been of interest to all of us on the board. There's nothing prurient about grieving for lost aviators, the fact that it's a WWII plane makes it that much more relevant for this board.
I feel that your decision to request the deletion of the thread was a bit overblown, and represented a departure from the normal bounds of online conversation. If you wanted it to be deleted because you learned that the basis of the post was incorrect, then that's fine, but say so. If you wanted it deleted because you had a change of heart, say that too. But saying that you're deleting it 'out of respect' when there's no evidence that there's anything BUT respect for the fallen pilots, that's disingenuous.
I understand that you had an emotional reaction to a troubling story that touched you personally, but consider for a moment this: You're not the only person on this board. If the crash had occurred, then there are others of us who may have a personal stake in the matter or feel a resonance with the issue that want to talk about it. By preemptively having the thread deleted and suggesting through inference that anyone who wanted to talk about it wasn't 'showing respect', you do the community a disservice.
Keep in mind, I'm not suggesting that we all need to sit in a circle, knitting commemorative booties and passing the Kleenex box, but there's a lot more to community then just talking about politics, posting pictures of 'pwned' people, and complaining about MPs.
I remain saddened at the news of the Yak, but at the same time, I have a sense of relief that it was not compounded by the loss of the A-26 as well. My best wishes go to the family and crew of the Yak pilot.
Regards,
cb
