Low flying? It`s a piece of cake. (Apologies to Mr Hannah)

As part of my gliding `Full Cat Instructor` course at Benson in the early 70`s I was privileged to fly with Doug Bridson as part of my final tests.

Doug had been a glider aerobatic champion. He had perfected a finishing routine which involved a very low downwind pass of the launch point at high energy. (Modern terminology for `kin fast, I believe). He would then keep it low to the field boundary before completing an extended 270 which led to a final 90 back into wind. He would stop with precision alongside the control box. Very very impressive.

Anyway, in the bar after my successful qualification, which included him demonstrating his `routine` with me in the back seat of our Bocian I naively said to him:

"Doug, it seems to me that, during the final turns when you were bleeding off the speed, you seemed to raise the fuselage rather than putting the wingtip down, why is that?."

His reply is still a classic.

"Well, old boy, If you don't, it can get rather messy"

RIP Doug, gone, but not forgotten.

We are in danger of thread drift, but I also had the pleasure of glider aerobatics with Doug Bridson, and recall him (when he was part of the Blue Diamonds) looking down at his Hunter doing a low fly-by at Middleton-St-George. The Electronics Centre was a single storey building......

'Air show departures' were often a likely source of rule-breaking, particularly by those who'd been on static display and who hadn't been selected for their flying skills to be demonstrated at the show itself...

Seeing a P-47 emerging from between the hangars at Coningsby was memorable, as was a TWU Hawk at Brize. The world's only (serviceable at the time) Mk 7½ Meatbox slow-rolling at low level departing Abingdon was another, but it was flown with clear skill, if illegally. Whereas the CF-18 which came across the ULAS ASP at head height was another matter...

Back nearly 40 years ago when I was young and foolish, having been on static at Honington, I rang the Duty Pilot (who was actually OC Ops Wg) and asked if it would be OK to fly 'a visual circuit' before RTB. This was approved; a careful study of the TAPS showed that if one lined up with the south-eastern part of the taxiway, it would be possible to fly between the control tower and 12 Sqn's hangars after crossing the ASP. So, get airborne, turn downwind accelerating all the time, then turn in to run at about 80 ft and 350 KIAS over the ASP as planned... Then pull up, wingover to about 120° AoB to stop the climb and head off on the published SID.

Which probably gave people the closest and noisiest view of a Vulcan that they'd ever had until then. And yes, we did get deeply in doo-doo over that...:= Fortunately Honington's OC Ops Wg had been asked for the OK to do the circuit on departure, but hadn't actually asked for the details of our intention...:E

I've witnessed some very impressive flypasts during my time ( including the Cranwell F4s), and probably been involved in quite a few. I would opine that there is usually a 'grey' area between what has been approved/authorised, through what will almost certainly get you in trouble, to something potentially dangerous.

Just saw a video of an E3 doing a flypast of Lincoln a few years ago. Probably 1000ft msd or even more. I accept that it wasn't needed at roof-top height, but it looked almost pointless. I know it's not a display, but 500ft msd was as high as it ever needed to be! Snag is who will authorise it. QBF is a tad more involved, but again it's just too high.

Conversely, I recall being at Woodvale long long ago as very skilful Hawk QFI (CM) flew a display, then went over the top of ATC/MASUAS somewhat below 100ft! Looked great and perfectly safely flown. I remember Harriers out in Belize flying even lower, and occasionally upside down!

As ever it's a balancing act. You know if you 'bend' the authorisation you'll probably get away with it - provided you have the skill to safely complete it. If you completely ignore the auth/approval you're going to be in trouble, but sometimes it's worth it and just has to be done.

It used to be a lot easier to 'discuss' flypasts after the event before YouTube came along!!!

It is possible to perform v. low flypasts safely, albeit whilst breaking the rules, but also possible to satisfy the rules and regulations and be dangerous. Judgement is the key, both in the flying and the supervisory aspects.

The Buccaneer left its jet efflux in the water below about 40 ft and there was an urban myth that if you were low enough you could push the stick forward and the ground effect would prevent you from hitting the sea. Funny thing is that I never met anyone who had tried it!

Tommy was one of my QFIs at BFTS before he went to the F4 - small world.

Pre-YouTube, after one or two impressive 'airfield attacks':

Boss: "Anyone else who does a beat-up with no HUD film or claiming that the film was destroyed will be off the squadron by the end of the day."

Later that day... wings fully swept, quite low and neatly inverted, in full burner... sqn boss in full rage mode....

Sqn shag: "Boss, HUD film on the rack, as requested."

Evalu8ter-are you talking about the Typhoon incident at RIAT, when his burners got him out of trouble?

..or was it the other one a few years later. :E

Treble One,
Ahem, no...the other one........Matt's close call is well documented and captured on Video. His mea culpa was very public....and also covered in these hallowed pages.

Typhoon Close Call At RIAT [Archive] - PPRuNe Forums

As stitchbitch suggests, the one a while later that wasn't anything like as public....

As a young LAC at Kaitak in 66/67 I can vividly remember being awoken one weekend by a Sqn Ldr Bodger Edwards flying his Hunter very low over our barrack block to celebrate the disbandment of 28 Sqn. Just as well that sheet change was the following day:eek:

Ahh, I'm afraid I am entirely ignorant of that one Evalu8ter. I did see the Dutch F-16 nearly buy the farm once (literally) at RIAT during a Friday display practice, burner was to the rescue again (FCC ordered him to land immediately afterwards)....