Low Flying under bridges
 

Seen on ITV news this evening, home video of two light aircraft flying under a bridge in Scotland a couple of weeks ago. Must have been 30ft at most - the news said that they were Spanish and pilots promised to police that they would not do it again (I assume they got away with it then!).

Seem to remember both mil and civ pilots in the past getting their ba!!s strung up for less!!

Hmm.. I seem to remember a few years ago when I was tasked to escort a RN boat up the River Orwell during a visit to Ipswich (HMS Grafton if I remember correctly) We had the doors open and some military PR types on board taking some photo's, the BBC were filming on the Orwell bridge and broadcast a perfect picture on the news that evening of the top of my Lynx as it passed under the bridge.. The CO phoned me that night and congratulated me on having the balls to do it!.. They were the days..:cool:

Have to say though - Thats one huge bridge.

There's a thread in the Rotorheads forum about the two recent 'bridge' flights.

The first was a helicopter flying under the Skye bridge http://homepage.mac.com/helipilot/PP...avoidbirds.jpg


Followed by the Spanish pilots jolly. http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/image...lachone203.jpg



All very tame compared with the exploits of WWI ace, 'Mad' Major Draper DFC in 1930 and again in 1953 which eventually led to this: http://people.aero.und.edu/~draper/summons.jpg

See thread for old b&w pics.

Click here for link.

I understand that the Menai bridge was popular with Spitfire pilots from Rednal, the Clifton suspension bridge received its fair share of AFS pilots from Weston Zoyland and Merryfield and a Hunter flew under Tower Bridge in 1968. I know a chap who flew a Venom under some German bridge in the 1950s...

There's plenty of room under the Severn Bridges to fit a VC10 - but that wouldn't be a good idea!

.................and, apparently, there is enough room under the Humber Bridge for a Lynx 3 ship on NVG - or so I've heard ;)

With regard to Spitfire Pilots flying underneath obstacles.

My Grandad worked as a Mechanic at RAF Cardington during the war. He says that the works pilots, when flight testing the aircraft, were prone to flying through the airship hangers looping over the top and passing back through the airship hangars (Obviously with both end-doors open on the Airship Hangers)

Can anybody confirm?

DeepC

Fortyodd, you're clearly showing off now; everyone knows tiny weeny can't get 3 Lynxs in the air at once!

;)

819 or Gannet SAR flight as it is now called regularly fly under Erskine bridge in Glasgow quite legally for training purposes:hmm:

Ah crab in cab, but in the aac, 3 lynx flying the same route on 3 consecutive days would qualify as a formation. So it could be true :p

I have it from the navigator on board that the then OC 101 Sqn (Sqn Ldr Cassidy I think) flew his Canberra B2 under the Clifton Suspension Bridge in C1951!!! Very early one summer morn apparently so not too many witnesses.

Didn't Ray Hannah fly under a bridge on the Tyne for the filming of "Piece of Cake"...

...and the chap in the Hunter flying through Tower Bridge in 1968...

...and a stunt pilot in a tiger moth pretending to be Lady Peneplope in a Thunderbirds film flew under a motorway bridge in the late '60s.

All you doubters out there - it was 1998 (allegedly!) when the AAC could actually field 3 Lynx on the same day ;)

Best ever for teeny weeny; 11 Lynx mk9, NVG Cat 3, 100ft, 100knots, all at two rotor spans in staggered file, unfortunately we didn't go under a bridge:(

Max R8

The bridge Ray Hanna flew under when filming Piece of Cake in 1988 was Winston Bridge in Co. Durham.
They chose it because it's not on a busy road or too close to houses and has a straight run-in for the Spitfire. I think, from memory, he flew it at about 200 kts.
This pic of the bridge gives only an idea.

http://www.ice.org.uk/images/know/winstonbridge.jpg

The picture with the Spit flying under is spectacular, but I can't find my copy to scan and post here.

Hunter through Tower Bridge 1968
No personal knowledge about this one, but a quick google came up with ....
"In 1968 it was the RAF's 50th birthday, yet the top brass did not se fit to mark this with any flypast, choosing instead for mere parades on the ground. Many RAF personnel were less than impressed and one Flt Lt Alan Pollock of 1(F) Squadron decided to mark the occasion in style - first with toilet-roll bombing missions against rival squadrons, and then on April 5th, while suffering from the beginnings of pneumonia which no doubt had some affect on his decision making processes, he flew his Hunter over London and at the last second decided to fly under the top span of Tower Bridge! Knowing of the consequences of his unauthorised trip, he proceeded to beat up several airfields and landed to meet his fate. It would be the end of his RAF career (he went on to run a successful exporting company), with political influences making sure he was treated incredibly unfairly - thrown out of the RAF with no right to appeal, no court martial at which he could present his case, medical evidence ignored, unable to meet with his superiors, etc.
It took until 1982 for his case to be fully heard, and only then was he exonerated."

F'ing Lawyer (Sorry, couldn't resist! ;) )

I would sure like to see the pic, I have the Piece of Cake series on DVD at home, I've watched it on videotape but haven't gotten to that part on the discs. If anyone has a copy, please post.

Ta! M2

Ah, but who will tell us about flights under the Eiffel Tower...?

When you see it, it is hard to imagine it happening - or doing it. :eek:

Around 1960 someone didn't make it through the Clifton Suspension Bridge..........well he did actually, but failed to clear the cliffs on the climb out. Vampire I believe.

Mike W

I saw a Vulcan underfly the Severn Bridge in the 70's.

My brother used to work for PSA and he saw a lot of RAF and USAF metal go under the Severn Bridge when he did site surveys on the old Army Apprentices college which is practically under the approach to the bridge.

Re .......and the chap in the Hunter flying through Tower Bridge in 1968...

That was a chap from 1 Sqdn based at that time at West Raynham think the name was something like Alan Pollock (always wanted to say well done and my hero).

However more to the point on low flying at that time it was 1 Sqnd 50th Birthday. Another 1 Sqdn Hunter shot up the Lighting line of 111 and 29 Sqdn at Wattersham dropping sheets of paper
stating it was there birthday and that 'Its the One in the Sun that gets You'

He also got me at I was standing on the wing of a 29 Sqdn F3 changing the cassette in the AI23b Vis recorder, and If he was 5 feet above my head I would be exaggerating. Needless to say I went off the back of the wing landing on my butt.

29 not to be outdone returned the compliment by sending an F3 with its dive brakes filled with bog paper to plaster there line. I cant remember the outcome of the return flight.

West Raynham is now a great place to practice Aerobatics as apart from sheep and pigs the Rnys look in good shape and its well isolated and unused
:ok:

Skylark4, a bit earlier than 1960, I think. Perhaps 1956 + or -.

It was indeed a twin boom job of the RAuxAF on almost their last week-end of flying after the anouncement of the demise of the flying element of a Reserve Air force. Vampire/Venom.

Rumours abounded (isn't that incorporated into the name of this BB?). Pilot had been to a party, wasn't strapped in, two bonedomes were found in a single seat aircraft, etc, etc.

No he didn't make it. But there appear to be no reasons why he shouldn't have had he wanted to badly enough. He'd got under the bridge, but instead of pulling up he pulled into a hard turn into the side of the ......


Go on, now, someone find out about the Eiffel Tower just after the end of the War (WWII) in 1945.

Ah, but who will tell us about flights under the Eiffel Tower...?
 

Link for film and narrative, here .

Thanks, John Eacott. Not quite what I had in mind but nevertheless an interesting read.

Fobotsco,

The article appears to refute the claim that it had been done during WWII, quote:

"After another wonderful meal and a couple of bottles of so-so French wine, he came up with his next brainstorm. We should fly the airplane through the arches of the Eiffel Tower. I pointed out it wasn't really worth doing as it had been done during World War II, at least according to my faint memory. He insisted no one had ever flown under the tower and set out to prove it. (Later, Fenwic became president of the French Aero club and all agreed the tower had cables to prevent exactly what we had in mind all during the war.)"

Thanks John, I had spotted that with some disappointment. I was pretty sure that a Spitfire tried/did it after liberation but that it may not have had a happy ending....

They could be right I suppose. They ought to know. :)

I've an Ex FAF contact over there who may have been the guy who told me. I'll get around to calling him in the next week or two. Any change, I'll get back.

But back to the Clifton Suspension Bridge/Vampire event, this site has a lot of general information about the Bridge including a long description of the under-flight. This is an extract:

The aircraft might have been from 501 Squadron given that you mentioned Filton which never had operational units (501 was a reserve squadron). The Royal Auxiliary Air Force disbanded in 1957, so putting two and two together I assumed an unauthorised flight by a pilot shortly due to leave the RAF (he would only have been a week-end flyer). In the event it looks a touch sadder. Here are the details.

The aircraft was a Vampire FB Mk 9 WR260 of 501 Sqn at Filton and the date was 3rd February 1957. The pilot was Flying Officer John Greenwood Crossley RAuxAF aged 27 years. The reference that I have on the accident (from 'To Fly No More' by Colin Cummings) reads as follows: "The Royal Auxiliary Air Force was about to disband. This pilot took off without authority and did not wear a helmet nor did he secure his harness and parachute and he left the pitot cover in place. After about 20 minutes, he flew under the Clifton Suspension Bridge in the Avon Gorge near Bristol. Having passed beneath the bridge he pulled up into a slow roll and entered cloud. He emerged from cloud inverted and rolled out slowly losing height. He then turned to port, levelled the wings and began to lose height more rapidly before striking the side of the gorge." (In case you don't know the pitot is an open-ended tube, usually on the wing, which by allowing air in gives you your airspeed. You cannot fly properly without knowing your airspeed and you certainly can only land with great risk.) Incidentally the speed you suggest is too high [originally 450 mph] and would probably have been nearer 250 knots. My guess would be suicide

He would still only be 73. A sad tale.

I seem to remember reading about a guy who looped a Spitfire through the Forth Rail Bridge. Wasnt traced but RAF took the flack for it. Apparently it was done in the one and only RN Spitfire.

MajorMadMax

I haven't tried doing it myself, but I'm told you can create a still pic from DVD.
The pic will need to be on a website before you can post it here. If you email me the file of the pic I can help with that stage.

MM Max

Here's the pic I mentioned.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...ieceofCake.jpg


http://www.ice.org.uk/images/know/winstonbridge.jpg

Fortyodd,
Know anything about a viaduct in S.Armagh??

Only that it's there....... and that a certain individual allegedly went thru..... Like the MoD, I can neither confirm or deny that this incident ever took place - It definitely wasn't me!!!

AUTOBAHN BRIDGES

In the late 70's and early 80's as a Sqn pilot, Flt Comd and Sqn Comd, flight under autobahn bridges during tactical exercises was endorsed and also practised during training. Never did it at night, this was pre NVG. Surely this falls into the same bracket as flight under wires - now I have done that on NVG and there is NVG Video of this taking place during a trial in '92.

Bet there's a few other Pruners out there who can admit to both wires and autobahn bridges.

Low Ball

Don't forget the great shots in "The Blue Max" of the flying through the arch of a viaduct. If you ever get the chance to hear Derek Piggott give a lecture on flying for films, this is one that he talks about. Fascinating stuff.

No-one has yet mentioned "Spitfire Bridge" on the old Winchester bypass. There are stories about an aircraft, alledgedley a Spitfire but actually a P40 I believe, flying under this bridge and coming face-to-face with a lorry! I believe that it hit the bridge and was from a local airfield around Winchester area. Anyone any more details?

Under bridge flying.... Menai Bridge...... at night....... NVGs ....... Hmmmmmmmmm what fun even if it was a search for a bridge jumper................

Hoist to crew winching over and out!

Spitfires & Hangars
 

Deep C
My father trained at Cardington and he has often told me of the time a Hurricane flew through wide open hangar doors, problem is my memory is not too good and a little voice tells me it was at Digby where the a/c went through the hangar. It is entirley possible I'm wrong of course and the size of the Cardington hangars would make such a feat possible. Dad never worked on Spitfires so I guess if he says Hurricane I'll believe him. Shame there are no pictures as that would be a stunning image, Hurri or Spit.

Navigator
 

Was the navigator in question a Mr R.A.G Barlow?

Low Flying under bridges (Updated)
 

My father used to sail across the Channel with an eternally modest ex-pilot who we knew had flown spitfires in the latter part of WW2 and had been awarded the DFC - more than once I gather. He has never spoken to us about his experiences, but as they sailed up the Kiel canal on one of their trips and approached a huge bridge, Dad reports he was seen to smile and muttered: "I think I flew under that one..."

ISTR that flying under the Kiel Bridges was not that uncommon in 2TAF days, Allegedly the Court Martial of a Canberra pilot collapsed when the German witness was asked if he saw a Canberra on the day in question fly under a particular bridge and he answered "which one?; there were a number that day!"

Beat me to it, Woody. It was indeed "Winkle". I believe he did THREE loops around a span of the bridge.

Years ago I saw a photo (I believe in the Southampton Hall Of Aviation, as it was then) showing a P-40 with a damaged wingtip sitting upside down on a grass field having had a landing mishap; the caption described it as the aircraft which had flown under 'Spitfire Bridge' and clipped the arch as it took evasive action from the lorry. Although several feet of wingtip was lost, the aircraft remained controllable up to the point of touchdown. Growing up in Southampton, and having passed under Spitfire Bridge many times, the photo and caption stuck in my mind. This site appears to confirm the details, with the date 19 Oct 41:

http://http://www.hampshireairfields.../hancrash.html

At the other end of the country, I heard talk some years ago of a SAR crew doing a Role Demo at Queensferry and arriving via a horizontal 8 around both Forth Bridges and departing via the same...

BEagle, Are there any still flying or was that just wishfull thinking?

The Blue Angels have flown under and between the spans of the Golden Gate bridge a number of times.