Military Aircraft Horsing around.

[Airbrake]

I was on Support Sqn for the Grad Flypast and have never seen the video despite searching the net for it many times. If anybody has a link or even a still shot, it would be appreciated. I vividly remember the blast of hot air and grit sweeping across CHOM. That flypast got me through the last 6 weeks.

[Phil_R]

Are ceremonial flypasts a popular job among aircrew? Do people clamour to do it?

Usually there are four Tornados buzzing around Essex on the eleventh. I assume there'll be fewer this year as four Tornados probably represents every serviceable aircraft in the current RAF, but I doubt it's a terribly enlightening job.

Presumably if you don't get to do that on 11 November, though, you end up standing in a formation somewhere saluting things. No?

P

[Mach Two]

Fly Pasts

Are flypasts popular among aircrew? Yes, I would say so. I've always enjoyed doing them. Usually needs a reasonably experienced crew/pilot to lead the formation and a good opportunity to get some of the younger guys on the wing. Great pride in getting the timing spot-on and presenting a good formation to the public. I'm sure we could start a whole new thread on formations that went wrong!!!

As for Tornado flypasts on 11th November, I wonder who'll be flying with the current Mk10 ejection seat issue. At the moment, that includes the Hawk, Tucano and Tornado. We shall see.

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

Formations that went wrong?
Thanks for the reminder, not.
I'm going to have to call my trick cyclist and my spiritual advisor immediately now!
The experience went:

[Duncan D'Sorderlee]

ZH875,

Where was teh Vulcan flypast? There is a bloke in the left of the picture with his fingers in his ears!

Duncs

[A A Gruntpuddock]

This one seemed pretty low at around the 1 minute mark

FA-18 Super Hornet very LOW Fly by! - YouTube

Don't know if this counts as I suspect it was unintentional

Plane Nearly Crashes During Air Show - YouTube

[Truck2005]

The story on Arrse is a little off mark. This fly past happened on quite a few occasions, post Major, (I have been blown over on at least 2 occasions, along with an lady on a bike the other side of the fence that is out of shot to the right). The Bucaneer also did similar beatups but using its own unique talents, (ie flying between Aberthaw power station stacks and coming over the fence at stupid level). The same pilot did the flight tests and deliveries in those days.

[Poltergeist]

Brilliant thread thanks all

[jamesdevice]

so whats the difference between all these near crashes and the incident in the "Puma Crash Catterick 2007" thread?
In this thread everyone (or most) seem to be thinking these stunts are fun and something to be applauded. Whereas in the Puma thread the pilots are being criticised. Somewhat hypocritical perhaps? Or is it a case of horseplay isn't horseplay until it goes wrong?

[clareprop]

Or is it a case of horseplay isn't horseplay until it goes wrong?

Yep, I would think that sums it up nicely - like most things in life. Perhaps it's where the term "Hero to Zero" came from....

[Mach Two]

In my experience it is horseplay until it goes wrong or until you get caught.

[TorqueOfTheDevil]

so whats the difference...

The other difference is that all the incidents mentioned so far, apart from the Puma at Catterick, happened a long time ago. I'm not saying for a moment that there is no longer any horseplay, but the youthful (sometimes!) exuberance which led to incidents like those at Cranwell and St Athan has now been tempered by the spread of both litigation and portable recording devices. As a result, horseplay (or whatever you choose to call it) is less common, and usually less flagrant, than it was up to 10-15 years ago.

[jamesdevice]

"has now been tempered by the spread of both litigation and portable recording devices"
What I would like to believe is that it has been tempered by better training, better selection policies, and better leadership. But I don't believe any one of those for an instant. Otherwise you wouldn't get situations like pissed up prats making fools of themselves in Italy...

[phantomlurker]

Earthquake bomb

Not sure if this counts as horsing around, but a couple of moments after 45 seconds are quite low!

12,000 lb Tallboy Earthquake Bomb - YouTube

pl

[jamesdevice]

surely theres a difference between the calculated risk of a low level training flight, and unautrhorised ****ing about?

[ZH875]

Originally Posted by Duncan D'Sorderlee

ZH875,

Where was teh Vulcan flypast? There is a bloke in the left of the picture with his fingers in his ears!

Duncs

Not sure, I think there is the official stamp somewhere on the back, I will try find the photo and check.

[captainsmiffy]

Being 6 weeks to graduation, I watched the infamous phantom fly-by at Cranwell from "cardiac hill"; it gave me the required 'impetus' to finish the run and, indeed, the course - so hats off to whoever was flying it and would love to see the video to confirm that it really was as low as I think it was....!! (The parade was 'hats off' involuntarily, as i understand it!)

[LowObservable]

PL - Interesting video...

Hedge-hopping Stirlings versus V-2 bunkers? Don't think so! It would be interesting to see the whole Stirling video.

Most of the bomb video is from US trials with a B-29 and Grand Slam, see:

http://www.pprune.org/aviation-histo...ml#post6077195

Note that the B-29 ground clearance is not high enough for the bomb and loading dolly, so they had to rest the bomb on the ground, back the Superfort over it and winch it all the way in with cables. You can also see the cut-outs in the bomb-bay doors and the structure between the fore and aft bays.

[Wander00]

I've learned something new - did not realise the Americans had tried Grand Slam nor Tallboy. Interesting...

[MAINJAFAD]

Wander00. The USAF actually made limited use of a radio command guided version of Tallboy (The VB-13 TARZON) during the Korean War, Plus they did trial a Super Grand Slam (the T-12) that weighed in at over 43,000lbs.



T-12 Cloudmaker