More tab-clearing - impressive feats of airmanship, and the use of dictators to sell chicken

[andrewducker]

I saw this on theweaselking's journal:

and sent it to , who sent this by way of return:

If you're anything like me then the video will elicit a response of "Pfft, that wasn't that low." followed by your jaw falling wide open.

And in the topical and tasteless stakes this rather takes the biscuit chicken.

Comments

[nojay.livejournal.com]

Back in the late 70s the RAF sent a couple of Vulcan bombers to the US to take part in the Red Flag bombing competition at Nellis AFB. The Royal Navy also took part with a pair of carrier-based Buccaneer strike bombers. There's a painting of the Vulcans visiting (as in flying down into) the Grand Canyon on their approach to Nellis before they found out the Canyon's airspace was off-limits to military aircraft.

Anyway the competition included a penetration exercise, something the Vulcan crews had trained for as their nuclear strike capability was tuned for low-level attacks into the Soviet Union. The Vulcan made its approach to the target area across the desert at low-level, about fifty feet up or about the height of the B-52 doing the flyby in that picture. The US AA radar guys were on the ball and managed to get a solid lock on the Vulcan which then peeled up and away leaving the two Buccaneers flying under the Vulcan and screened by its delta wing to successfully get through to the target and score hits.

[hano.livejournal.com]

yeah, the old Strike Command & FAA boys pulled all manner of insane manoeuvres given half a chance. One of my favourites was the Lightening pilot who pulled into a vertical climb from 20 feet and managed to leave scorch marks from his afterburners on the roof of the officer's mess. Reputedly it was the same Lightening squadron that on an air defence exercise managed be the only people ever to successfully intercept an SR71 although I'd need to do some digging to confirm that story.

[nojay.livejournal.com]

A friend's father flew Lightnings until he moved over to the Red Arrows in the early 70s. He particpated in the planning of the SR-71 interception but didn't fly it.

The SR-71 flight was scheduled as a (successful) attempt at the Blue Riband, the fastest crossing of the Atlantic, in this case West to East. The RAF decided that even though the US were our brave allies they weren't going to allow a foreign military aircraft into British airspace without it being intercepted and challenged.

The SR-71 was tracked and a Lightning was vectored under its flightpath as it approached the mainland at which point the pilot lit the afterburners and went ballistic climbing above the incoming Sled until the engines quit. He then dived past the SR-71 (which was slowing down anyway) from above taking pictures all the way. The plan was to get the Lightning's engines to relight once it got into denser air but everyone knew this was not a certainty given the general balkiness of the Lightning. If they didn't relight the pilot was prepared to bang out with the camera and the precious pictures. The RAF senior command had let it be known unofficially that losing an aircraft to get those pictures was a price worth paying. In the end the engines did restart and the plane returned safely to the airfield.

[errolwi.livejournal.com]

Great collection of low-flying photos incl the B-52 above
bit.ly/sDlOag

Some details from the co-pilot of the Sunderland touch&go at the opening of Wellington Airport shown in my link bit.ly/sSHB3S

My ex-Navy mate got a surprise one day when he was standing on the roof of his frigate's helicopter hangar, and a RNZAF Skyhawk flew over the flightdeck, and below him.

Low-level refueling was cool. RNZAF Kiwi Red Skyhawk team used to do a 'plugged barrel roll' while buddy-refueling (but not that low!)

[skreidle.livejournal.com]

Check this out, too: http://www.vintagewings.ca/VintageNews/Stories/tabid/116/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/325/language/en-CA/Lower-than-a-Snakes-Belly-in-a-Wagon-Rut.aspx

[errolwi.livejournal.com]

That's the full version of my first link - I pinched the bit.ly version from a tweet I did last week :-)

I spotted it on WIX. You?

[skreidle.livejournal.com]

Ah! Hadn't followed the short link. I picked it up from Bayou Renaissance Man a month or two ago. :)

[errolwi.livejournal.com]

Nice, thanks!

[skreidle.livejournal.com]

Huge set set of low-altitude awesomeness photos and stories (including that one, way down at the end):

http://www.vintagewings.ca/VintageNews/Stories/tabid/116/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/325/language/en-CA/Lower-than-a-Snakes-Belly-in-a-Wagon-Rut.aspx