re: B-17 collides/crashes with another plane at Dallas air show.

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I didn't say never fly them. I said fly them LESS often.

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An argument could be made that by flying them less often the pilots’ proficiency could regress.

Qualified =/= proficient

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I didn't say never fly them. I said fly them LESS often.

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Planes break when they sit on the ground a lot more often than they break in the air.

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Not only that but planes that sit too long tend to have big shite break too.

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We are kind of getting off topic here but, that's why manufacturers include short and long term preservation and return to service procedures in their maintenance publications to minimize the adverse effects of storage.

Those old Cutler Hammer mechanical relays were impossible to preserve internally. You just have to do what you can to keep that area moisture free as much as possible.
Back to the OP.

The age of the aircraft doesn’t matter it’s all about how it’s maintained. The few B-17’s still airworthy usually have a small dedicated army of people who keep it in running condition. They get a lot more attention to fly just for air shows and the like than your normal 777 would that is in the air flying all over the world regularly. Sometimes bad things just happen not just in aviation but life in general.

Amazing the people that you meet in life.

One of the crew was sitting right here... As many a Navigator before him.

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Or it went into a skid and mis-performed... But I admit the video shows that he cut in real close at such an angle to the turn of the rest of airplanes... Hot Doggin' they called it..

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I think there were several causal factors from first glance.

1. Plans include flying at the same altitude.
2. Plans have the bombers too low (more of a NFWOD)
3. Appropriate assessment of weather may not have been reviewed.
4. P-63 pilot likely became fixated on formation lead.
5. P-63 pilot did not keep adequate view of bomber.
6. Air controller (boss) did not identify/communicate crash risk.

NFWODS
1. P- aircraft's field of vision is limited directly ahead and below.
2. At 500 feet there is little adjustment room for any aircraft.

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