PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Air Display 'C*ck Ups'
View Single Post
Old 27th Nov 2006, 01:44
  #98 (permalink)  
Lon More

More than just an ATCO
 
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Up someone's nose
Age: 75
Posts: 1,768
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
The aeroclub at Sanicole in Belgium usually has an airshow each August.
In typical Belgian fashion very little respect is paid to such things as distance from runway to the crowd line, compounded by the fact that the distance from the runway edge to the main road/airfield boundary is only about 25 metres.
Visiting B52, several years ago, eventully found the field and made a low pass down the runway - the wing and the outer engine were actually over the crowd.
Later a Harrier did his piece, ending by curtseying to the crowd, unfortunately so close that he blew a tent selling frites over. As he departed the fire crew were busy extinguishing the remains.
Yes, it has gone tits up. Fortunately with only one fatality, when a Belgian Mirage pilot did his display in very marginal weather. He flamed out and ejected at about 500 feet, unfortunately inverted. The a/c crashed into some empty army barracks.
I now normally watch this from the car park on the other side of the road, keeping large numbers of belgians between me and potential accidents
Lon More is offline