F4 extreme Low pass..
That just outside the tower at AKR LM?
Yes, well spotted. Photo taken from tower.
NB Airbrakes. Practice Op Block off I'd guess.
No. Hooligan pass. Airbrakes out to improve speed stability and engine response time I suspect. Was not a take-off.
LM
Yes, well spotted. Photo taken from tower.
NB Airbrakes. Practice Op Block off I'd guess.
No. Hooligan pass. Airbrakes out to improve speed stability and engine response time I suspect. Was not a take-off.
LM
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Believe it or not that F4 was not even close to the lowest one I saw. Guy put one between the fire section and tower with 90 AOB.
I do wonder what happened to the photos' that were taken from the 76 hangar roof
ttfn
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Locking 1972
For my sins I took grandstands from Cranwell to Locking for the Radio School Anniversary, think 50 years. Was the SWOs best mate for a week and all passed well save for a storm causing bother the night before.
Red Arrows performed, Gnats obviosly and wheels were touched on the Parade Square as well as evasive action to avoid a barrack block and a water tower, I have no pictures but some must exist?
Red Arrows performed, Gnats obviosly and wheels were touched on the Parade Square as well as evasive action to avoid a barrack block and a water tower, I have no pictures but some must exist?
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Ray Hannah - Low Flying "par excellance".....
At the risk of thread drift as this is not about an F4, the most memorable solo display I have ever seen was of Ray Hannah in a Spitfire whilst a "stude" at Linton in 1979. He flew over the grass beteen the pan and the runway with about half a prop diameter's clearance ( 4-5 feet?) and I know that there's a photo to proove it! Not mine I'm afraid but I shall try and get a copy and post it here..... Ian A have you still got it?
At the time I didn't know who Ray Hannah was, but the instructors all did and thankfully got us all out of the 2 Sqn crew room to watch. Happy days indeed.
MB
At the time I didn't know who Ray Hannah was, but the instructors all did and thankfully got us all out of the 2 Sqn crew room to watch. Happy days indeed.
MB
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The Lightning Low pass at AK
I borrowed the original negative from the SATCO who took the photo from the balcony of the Tower and I have a poster sized copy of the photo of which I kept for myself and I had one other made that graces the wall of a crewroom at Shawbury .
The pilot of the Lightning was a Kiwi and it was his end of detachment 'low pass' to say farewell. If I remember correctly, there were four photos on the negative showing the Lightning getting lower and lower as it came along the taxiway and the final one is where he's just passing in front of the Fire Section.
I regret to say I never had the negative copied and sadly I believe it was subsequently lost.
Visitation
The pilot of the Lightning was a Kiwi and it was his end of detachment 'low pass' to say farewell. If I remember correctly, there were four photos on the negative showing the Lightning getting lower and lower as it came along the taxiway and the final one is where he's just passing in front of the Fire Section.
I regret to say I never had the negative copied and sadly I believe it was subsequently lost.
Visitation
Two words, "measles rock".
....."F*** he's low!!!!!"
One other thing, boy's on 751 SU, called the F-4 Jock 'Mad Dog', for some unknown reason.
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The Missouri Mules (The Missouri Air National Guard) had a deployment to Leeming in the early '80's with their F4's.
Cracking bunch of guys.
A four-ship launched to do simulated airfield attacks against Leeming who were on exercise (usual Support Command caper, fully loaded pick-axe handles, JP5 at RS10 on QRA etc etc).
I emerged from my 'NBC shelter', (made from black polythene bin liners), to see four F4's wazz Leeming from N,S,E and W at zero feet, and I mean zero feet.
The weapons release consisted of two toilet rolls tucked behind the airbrakes. Pop the airbrakes at the right time and, voila, Leeming covered in Andrex snow.
Brilliant.
We, the Brits thought it ace. The Bird Colonel of the ANG had a fit (abusing our hosts' airfield etc etc) and made the attacking crews do the Fod Plod on their hands and knees.
Russ McGruder, where are you?
Cracking bunch of guys.
A four-ship launched to do simulated airfield attacks against Leeming who were on exercise (usual Support Command caper, fully loaded pick-axe handles, JP5 at RS10 on QRA etc etc).
I emerged from my 'NBC shelter', (made from black polythene bin liners), to see four F4's wazz Leeming from N,S,E and W at zero feet, and I mean zero feet.
The weapons release consisted of two toilet rolls tucked behind the airbrakes. Pop the airbrakes at the right time and, voila, Leeming covered in Andrex snow.
Brilliant.
We, the Brits thought it ace. The Bird Colonel of the ANG had a fit (abusing our hosts' airfield etc etc) and made the attacking crews do the Fod Plod on their hands and knees.
Russ McGruder, where are you?
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I too have seen the Tornado flown extremely low at Saints. Sometime in the mid eighties I was doing some AEF at Saints. A Tornado took off being delivered somewhere or other, we Spacies were told to go outside as the aircraft would do a low fly past. Stood outside chatting near the tower on West camp when I saw a Tornado come between the hangars on a wing tip, go past us, not too far away still on a wing tip before climbing away. Not sure how high it was but my abiding memory is seeing, as it passed us, the reflective strips on top of the pilot and navs helmet.
At the end of the eighties and early nineties I was a staff cadet on the VGS at Saints and witnessed quite a few low level beat ups but never the same as the first one.
At the end of the eighties and early nineties I was a staff cadet on the VGS at Saints and witnessed quite a few low level beat ups but never the same as the first one.
Of course, the really low passes at sea were the ones where my camera was still in my cabin 
These two happened when the camera was actually switched on:
Firepower demo off Ark, 4 ship pass:
and whilst not very good quality, this wasn't an unusual sight when we were either flogging along at a nosebleed 200ft, it also happened when we were in a more acceptable 40ft hover
These two happened when the camera was actually switched on:
Firepower demo off Ark, 4 ship pass:
and whilst not very good quality, this wasn't an unusual sight when we were either flogging along at a nosebleed 200ft, it also happened when we were in a more acceptable 40ft hover
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Erm, yes.
'Bigging up' people who fly ridiculously low to impress others reflects on those who do it, and those who can't, but are impressed by those who do.
Inevitably, there is a crash, with all the horrible consequences that go with it.
Do it on your own time, at the Grand Canyon, with a cheap motorcycle you have bought, with your own money, you sad, attention-seeking mong.
I'd buy a ticket to watch you weed yourself out.
Crack on.
'Bigging up' people who fly ridiculously low to impress others reflects on those who do it, and those who can't, but are impressed by those who do.
Inevitably, there is a crash, with all the horrible consequences that go with it.
Do it on your own time, at the Grand Canyon, with a cheap motorcycle you have bought, with your own money, you sad, attention-seeking mong.
I'd buy a ticket to watch you weed yourself out.
Crack on.