Just chance, but I posted this on Quora just hours before the program. The program was very well produced and even to this 80 year old in full philosopher mode, it was gripping.
Re the incident below, I strongly suspect such gung-ho pilots would be a little more cautious these days, what with cameras in cars.
https://www.quora.com/If-you-saw-a-j...r/Rob-Benham-2
The hour long program on FreeView was fantastic. Despite being in a philosophical/theological phase of life, one could not remain unaffected by the bravery, and indeed the gung-ho enthusiasm of the A10 team.
The Quora question by someone:
If you saw a jet plane fly past you at street level, at max speed, would you see that it was a plane, or would it be so fast you would not even be able to identify what it was? What effect would it have on the environment around it?
Answered ThuIt’s extraordinary just how much detail you can see in such circumstances, especially given the sudden appearance.
As a civilian skipper, I was driving to work one beautiful spring morning on the (in those days) quiet A140 to Norwich. Not another soul about. Most relaxing.
My left vision picked up movement just a second before the A10 Tank Buster crossed the road in front of me. Those jet engines on the tail of not too large an aircraft seemed huge. Did it make me jump? Well, no. It’s just the kind of thing I did in mischievous moments. When I said, crossed the road, I meant going through gaps in hedges.
Why did he do it? No doubt in my mind. He looked at the green fields of Suffolk and spied me, a lone car on totally empty roads. The devil on his shoulder said, “Go on, give the buggah a scare.” I wonder if he saw the gold braid on my shirt and had a moment’s fear that I was British military, and would tell on him. Nothing was further from my thoughts. It made my day.
Just reminiscing this week about waiting on the side of Shetland’s Sumburgh airport. I needed a green lantern in the tower to cross the active runway. I got a red, despite no aircraft! What?
Then there was a black dot to the north. Then the black dot had four streaks of smoke trailing it. Then the black dot became a very large dot with wings. It continued to come on down the glide-path. I stepped back a few paces.
Where the Blue Blazes is he going? thought I, or words to the effect. On the south of the runway was a towering cliff, with a lighthouse on top of it. The Vulcan Bomber was now just above head height - with its wheels retracting and the engines spooling up. Jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeepppppers! The noise hammered into my ribcage.
He’ll crash! Not a chance. The thing pulled up until I could see the entire top surface of its wings. It stood on its jets and aimed at the sky.
I got my green light, but could hardly move. Fantastic, wonderful, moment.
Oh, and if the pilot had waved, I’d have seen it easily.
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