The Mirage was indeed an awesome bit of kit - when the fan was turning.
When I was in NZ in the mid-80s I visited the Control Tower at Ohakea Airforce Base, home of the then NZ Skyhawk fighter squadron. Every couple of years the Aussie Mirages would arrive there for joint exercises.
Apparently it became something of a tradition for them to depart for Oz via the space between the Control Tower and its neighbouring hangar - below the level of the Control Tower windows.
One NZ CO decided to put a stop to this practice, so he strung a wire from the Control Tower to the hangar, and so it would be obvious, he strung some of those plastic propellors, that anyone of my vintage might remember used to be a common decoration of used car yards, along the wire.
You guessed it! The next time the Mirages were in town, one of the Aussie pilots just could not resist the challenge and departed for Oz in the usual way - between the Control Tower and the hangar - UNDERNEATH the wire - full afterburner.
Story goes that the MPs were waiting for him on arrival back in Oz.
A Photo of that prior to the wires being added has been posted on this website thread :
http://rnzaf.proboards43.com/index.c...e=2#1201484335