The thing about flypasts is that timing has to be perfect - on the part of ALL concerned. How do you control the timing of two rugby teams, sundry officials, event organisers, bands, the media and 70,000 spectators? Did they all synchronise watches on "hack"? How much rehersal did the aforesaid thousands do in order to time their activities so that everything could be co-ordinated to the second?
The last time I did a flypast was at a the end of a BoB cocktail party. The band was playing The Last Post, the RAF Ensign on the flagpole in front of the mess was being lowered in time with it, and just as the Ensign hit the bottom the band played the last note and we arrived spot on, fast and low, from behind the assembled mess members, guests and dignitaries and pulled up into the night sky with burners lit. Those assembled said it was very impressive and brought a lump to the throat and a tear to the eye. But it had taken planning and co-ordination and split-second timing between the bandmaster, the SWO, ATC and ourselves.