A very well loved Blue Jay.

was waaaay over his skill level, though. My brother, a pilot there in Florida, says those planes are deathtraps -- 4 people have been killed in them in just the past year, including one of the engineers who designed the thing. Halladay was a very new pilot. It was like putting a 16-year-old in a Lamborghini.

Apparently the SPL requires only about half the instruction and flying time of conventional pilots licence. Halladay may even have been flying with an Initial Sport Solo licence that can be had in a whopping ten hours. Woefully inexperienced, and now reports are surfacing of him stunting in the plane prior to the crash, including a video:

http://www.nj.com/sports/index.ssf/2017/11/watch_roy_halladay_piloting_erratically_before_fat.html

The plane is manufactured down the road from me so the crash involving the engineer was big news in out area. The National Transportation Safety Board blamed the crash on pilot error. Apparently the pilot flew into the wrong canyon (box canyon) up at the lake ten miles away doing touch and goes on the water.

Roy Halladay Not Eligible For 2018 Hall of Fame Ballot, Remains On Track for 2019

Former Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies star pitcher Roy Halladay will not appear on the 2018 BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot for 2018 but will be eligible for the 2019 ballot, the BBWAA announced.

The two-time Cy Young Award winner died on Nov. 7 when his single-engine plane crashed into the Gulf of Mexico. He was just 40 years old. Halladay played 16 Major League Seasons with the Blue Jays and Phillies. He finished his career with a 203–105 record and 3.38 ERA. In 2010, he became just the second pitcher to throw a no-hitter in the postseason.

He retired in 2013 and would likely make his first appearance on the 2019 ballot even if he did not die.

Rule 3(D) states: “In case of the death of an active player or a player who has been retired for less than five (5) full years, a candidate who is otherwise eligible shall be eligible in the next regular election held at least six (6) months after the date of death or after the end of the five (5) year period, whichever occurs first.

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https://www.si.com/mlb/2017/11/20/roy-halladay-hall-fame-ballot-2018-status