Too close for comfort?

[Grey Havoc]

Via Scoopdeck:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eebBjs507Yc&feature=player_embedded

It shows what appears to be a FMA IA 63 Pampa doing some, ah, somewhat risky low level manoeuvres.

And here's a link showing the pilot eye view:
http://gizmodo.com/5809436/exclusive-cockpit-video-of-the-craziest-flyby-ever

 

[GeorgeA]

Right up there with the Alain de Cadenet Spitfire flyover.

 

[Nik]

Yikes !!

My brother-in-law, a robust chap, claimed to have been knocked flat by the back-wash from two NATO jets skimming an arête in Scotland...

I've seen them low enough to lift spray from a stream beside the road...

But, nothing could beat a Vulcan hedge-hopping a couple of miles beyond their runway's perimeter fence. My guess, it was a touch'n'go exercise: Whatever, the crew waved to us campers as we fell over with surprise !!

 

[Orionblamblam]

Re: Yikes !!

But, nothing could beat a Vulcan hedge-hopping a couple of miles beyond their runway's perimeter fence.

I seem to recall that one of the early maintenance problems with A-10's stationed in Germany was cleaning dirt out of the GAU-8A gun barrels. Coupled with the publicity troubles causes when German farmers found that their fields had been lightly plowed by A-10s.

Something that *clearly* beats flying very, very low is actually scraping the ground and continuing to fly.

 

[Nik]

"Something that *clearly* beats flying very, very low is actually scraping the ground and continuing to fly..."

Too true !!

D'uh, would anything but an A-10 survive such cavalier (*) handling ??

I'm reminded of ~WW2 bomber designs where the main gear 'mostly' retracted, leaving a couple of inches of tire in the slip-stream. Yes, that would assist belly-landings when unable (or unwise) to lower the gear, and might mitigate engines digging into soft ground but, given the hairy tales of pilots who found themselves at zero feet and *still* climbing'...

==
(*) tent-pegging with lances ;D

 

[pathology_doc]

I read a story somewhere that low-level Mosquito intruder pilots in WW2 used to come back home with leaves and twigs jammed in the radiators, indicating some of their close calls while over Occupied Europe. Not surprisingly they trumpeted it as part of their macho go-anywhere, do-anything attitude.

This led to the PR and high-altitude interceptor-variant pilots telling jokes about coming home with harp-strings wrapped around the prop shafts.

 

[Grey Havoc]

This led to the PR and high-altitude interceptor-variant pilots telling jokes about coming home with harp-strings wrapped around the prop shafts.

;D

 

[Michel Van]

Re: Yikes !!

But, nothing could beat a Vulcan hedge-hopping a couple of miles beyond their runway's perimeter fence.

I seem to recall that one of the early maintenance problems with A-10's stationed in Germany was cleaning dirt out of the GAU-8A gun barrels. Coupled with the publicity troubles causes when German farmers found that their fields had been lightly plowed by A-10s.

Something that *clearly* beats flying very, very low is actually scraping the ground and continuing to fly.

i confirm that
in 1980s were allot complaints by German farmers about extrem low flying A-10 and other ARMY/USAF aircraft
also that Luftwaffe plowed their fields with F-104G, but that's other stroy...