Originally Posted by
Tashengurt
British Grand Prix, Brands Hatch circe '83?.
A fairly large air display was being held prior to the race.
I'd cycled some 10 - 12 miles from home and got myself a spot on an embankment to watch the show.
I can recall seeing a Vulcan but not much more.
I'll always remember a brown Lambo pulling up near me and the occupants calling me over to explain they had to leave suddenly and then offering me their tickets for free.
I declined. I was only there for the airshow.
They left looking very bemused with lots of head shaking.
I still kick myself from time to time.
I was working that Grand Prix (I'm not a pilot) and remember the air show for several reasons. One was standing in the control tower and looking DOWN into the cockpit of one of the syncho pair of the Red Arrows as the planes crossed BELOW me. One the highlights of the show was a Harrier that had been in the Falklands and helped in recapturing them from the Argentinians. The plane came in, landed and parked on the oval that formed the centre of one part of the racetrack so it was on display to as many people as possible. . No protection from any errant racing car but fortunately none hit it. The pilot was likewise famous, having, if I remember correctly, invented the Harrier's method of evading incoming Argentinian planes approaching from behind by using its vectored thrust to jump straight up, let the Etendard fly underneath and then drop down again to be in optimum position to attack it.
He performed at the event by taking off, hovering at about 250 feet over the centre of the circuit (South Bank for those who know it) which was just across the track from the pits. The F1 teams were all set up with trucks, marquees, temporary shelters of one sort and another, and were preparing for a weekend blending fast racing with socialising as they set up temporary dining areas so their guests could watch the air display as well as the racing.
His display was sensational - huge noise (much louder than the F1 cars) as it spooled up and then went straight up before he lifted the nose to accelerate up and away. He performed various manoeuvres that no normal plane could do including flying backwards before ending his display by hovering at about 250 feet over South Bank, spinning slowly on the spot, gently dipping the nose for the now famous Harrier bow towards the pits and lifting the nose in an earsplitting blast, soaring away once more to circle before landing back on the oval in front of a now completely deafened crowd. The trees behind South Bank had flapped frantically in the downwash. I had never seen a Harrier before, let alone this sort of stuff and found it quite emotionally intense. Youtube has an excellent video of one performing at Eastbourne.
He did this routine on the Friday and Saturday. However, on the Sunday, the day of the Grand Prix he was performing a few minutes before the start of the race. I suddenly noticed something subtly different. While he still hovered over South Bank and bowed towards the pits he hadn't rotated the aircraft on the spot. He did so AFTER the bow, and the aircraft didn't quite rotate on the spot but seemed to slip very slightly towards the pits. As he lifted the nose to accelerate away, the massive downwash hit the pits, sending awnings, tables, bottles of wine, advertising leaflets, guest's hairstyles and hats cartwheeling around in the blast. Mechanics were hanging on to poles, gazebos were collapsing and general chaos ensued. Within moments he had lifted and calm returned but he didn't as he returned to base. The GP managed to start on time, but the confusion behind the scenes took a while to sort out.
I thought for a long time that this had been an unfortunate mishandling. I learned much later that it was nothing of the sort. Apparently, there had been a big F1 party on the Saturday night, and the pilot had turned up smartly turned out for it, only to be highly embarrassed to be turned away at the door. This had not gone down well. Moral of the story? NEVER upset a man with the keys to a warplane.