Driving back from Alton to Petersfield this evening, empty straight road, stars starting to appear..doing about 60 when all of a sudden there's a rapid very loud thumping noise..tyres disintegrating? engine dismantling itself..? Started to slow down, heart in mouth when the Chinook helicopter overtakes me at about 150 feet...!
P.
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But did they get your number?;-)
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I remeber in the States about 20 yrs ago being tailed by a Police helicopter which sat on top of us (well at about 50') for 2 miles! Since the speed limit was a paltry 50mph and the car a V8 monster I can only count myself lucky not to have been done.
A distinctly unnerving experience!
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Driving along, tape finishes and radio cuts in. Absorbing discussion for 40 seconds, then bang, bang, bang check panel road behind etc. Light dawns when instruments suppplement the heavy drum.
Music!!
Think it was OMD; Maid of Orleans
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Had a similar experience with a C-130 being flown at treetop level down the A5
in the Ogwen Valley(well known RAF radar blackspot). I was on two wheels when this giant roared overhead towards me, I waved and he waggled his wings......It was that bloody low and he dipped BELOW the road level into the valley,that was seriously low.
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Before the Americans quit its Oxfordshire base at Upper Heyford we used to get visiting A10 Tankbusters there whose endearing habit was fly low and simulate targetting on tractors, combine harvesters and cars. Since I had a nice big Volvo 240 estate at the time it was frequently slightly unnerving to watch one of these so obviously with me in its target sights. Having a post-Gulf War scepticism about the USAF (and a neighbour who navigated in F1-11s and told me how gung-ho the pilots really were), I did worry about whether they could be trusted not to let even dummy missiles go in their excitement!
David
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I know the local plod have had problems with our airforce boys using radar speed traps as simulated targets for their anti-radar missiles.
Apparently it id great fun for the flyboys to pick up a roadside radar signal, and either send serious jamming back at it, or come in and buzz them at zero feet!
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PM
Your story sure brings back a memory. I was driving my Cavalier with the sun roof open on a nice sunny day. Just as I shifted gears, in fact at the instant I depressed the clutch, there was an awful noise.
Instant thought was that the transmission has disintegrated, but no, it was a low flying jet passing me at very low altitude. Couldn't have been timed more accurately.
Regards
John
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had a fast jet miss the top of the mast by about two feet while sailing on windermere, well below his authorised minimum altitude
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Bit similar story to John S.
Driving up the M5 through Worcestershire yonks ago, nice sunny day, sunroof open. Timing perfect as a look in the mirror saw some traffic a fair bit behind having a bit of a swerve, next instant a Tornado passes overhead presumably following the line of the M5.
Up ahead there were some power lines crossing the M5, I reckon the pilot left it a bit close and had a very sharp pull up into that attitude you only tend to see at air shows. Anyway he sussed out the power lines didn't cross at right angles and rolled off in the direction to give most room. Everybody was slowing down just waiting for the impact. Broon trews methinks.
We also had the Battle of Britain flight do two flyovers directly overhead one afternoon last year. Now that *was* loud but magnificent.
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crazed - On Lock Ness a jet buzzed me well below 250 feet. Gave us a nice wing wave salute too!
According to a mate in the Army Air Crop there is no military reason for fast jets to practise flying at low level. On a battle field airspace below 500 feet is the exclusive domain of helicopters. Planes must fly above 500 feet. [1]
A Harrier crashed on my Village once. Now that *was* too low.
[1] Or maybe three.
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Dave wrote:
>
> crazed - On Lock Ness a jet buzzed me well below 250 feet.
> Gave us a nice wing wave salute too!
>
> According to a mate in the Army Air Crop there is no military
> reason for fast jets to practise flying at low level. On a
> battle field airspace below 500 feet is the exclusive domain
> of helicopters. Planes must fly above 500 feet. [1]
>
So you're on a bombing raid. The target is some 500 miles inland.
How is the aircraft supposed to penetrate enemy airspace without
triggering a response? Sounds like your AAC mate is probably
spending most of his time flying reconnaisance missions.
/john
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Ah but Dave, is it 300(500) feet above ground or sea level? Subtle difference, I reckon its above sea level.
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FIF
More likely to be above ground level. Using above sea level is a bit dangerous when you're flying. Altimeters are zeroed to the ground level pressure at the airfield to be used.
As John K mentions above, operating a few hundred feet above the gound, and following the contours is an established method of penetrating radar defences, just like the terrain-following cruise misiles.
Regards
john
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Been buzzed by a jet whilst cycling down a welsh valley some years ago. I'm guessing the @!#$ tipped the sound barrier for me and the resulting crack almost had me off my bike.
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"Sounds like your AAC mate is probably
spending most of his time flying reconnaisance missions."
Nice try John K, or should I say Vladimir K-ski! Your attempts to lure me into disclosing military secrets have failed, comrade!
"Ah but Dave, is it 300(500) feet above ground or sea level? Subtle difference, I reckon its above sea level."
I honestly dunno. Flying 300(500) feet above sea level could be tricky if you came upon a hill... ;-)
But, yesh. My understanding always was that jets fly as low as possible to get under enemy Radar. Although in WW2 they didn't bother, did they? Just sent a *lot* and relied on speed & comparative safety in numbers. Seemed to work quite well.
But I'm not really qualified to join this argument. Just passing on what a mate with several hundred hours of Army flying told me.
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Absolutely amazing clip here from the Punchbaby website:
"Every so often, just the right combination of conditions and events occur to create an unbelievable event - in this case an F-14D passing through the sound barrier. Not only were the water vapor, density and temperature just right, but there just happened to be a camera in the vicinity to capture the moment. The F-14D is actually in transonic flight, with normal shock waves emanating from behind the canopy and across the wings and fuselage. The condition will last for only an instant, and once supersonic flow exists completely around the aircraft, sharp-angled sonic cones replace the normal shock waves. The odds of getting a shot like this are staggering. Enjoy..."
It'll take a couple of minutes to download this 1.28Mb file but I'm sure you'll agree it was worth it:
F14 Breaking the sound barrier
www.punchbaby.com/media/laters/clips/cool/FS14ss.m...g
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Another downside to not working for yourself any more - the punchbaby site is blacklisted by our esteemed Internet controller so I'll have to wait for home time.
Or, I could torture him 'til he coughs the password on our Internet server, then kill him ...
Better not, he's a big lad.
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Yes, I thought I was being overtaken by a low flying Chinook, sadly I was wrong, the wheel nuts on the front nearside had come loose. No one else to blame but myself.
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Dave wrote: ">Although in WW2 they didn't bother, did they? Just sent a *lot* and relied on speed & comparative safety in numbers. Seemed to work quite well.<"
WW2 planes didn't low fly? Like most of your postings you are spouting rubbish. Spits would land after combat with bits of hedgerow wrapped around the radio antenna (the antenna was mounted on the top of the fuselage, therefore the Spit would be flying upside down at 0 feet). Mossies would routinely fly at 0 feet to avoid radar and place munitions into selected doorways (as various Gestapo headquarters/prisons found out to their cost). It was accepted practice for Mossie pilots to "waggle the wings" to miss telegraph posts whilst flying along streets in Occupied Europe, this could add much excitement to the average lunchtime meal for Johnnny Foreigner (non- PC joke). 617 could fly Lancs at minimal altitude eg dam busting.
The Americans routinely flew at high altitudes (so nothing changes)
AP
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P51 Mustangs were used by the Israeli air force to cut telephone lines - with special wing-mounted cutters - when they fought the Arab nations. That's about as close to zero feet as it gets!
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Ian (from abroad) wrote: ">P51 Mustangs were used by the Israeli air force to cut telephone lines - with special wing-mounted cutters - when they fought the Arab nations. That's about as close to zero feet as it gets!<"
Was that underground telephone lines or lines suspended from telegraph poles (the ones the Mossies used to fly underneath)? ;-)
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Isn't 'flying at zero feet' called taxying? (Yes Potter, that IS how you spell it!)
Or in a more enlightened age 'motoring'?
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It can't be taxying as the root isn't taxy. That just looks silly. I would have thought taxi-ing was perfectly adequate.
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OK I retract that last post, should've looked before I spoke...I think both are OK tho in fact websearch for taxiing throws up result from nasa site so it can't be all that bad.....
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Not that I regard the USA as guardian of Queen's English of course
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I only knew 'cos I asked why the airport sign said 'taxyway'!
And I only posted to goad the Potter person!
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WW2 planes didn't low fly? Like most of your postings you are spouting rubbish.
- Sorry, thanks for correcting me.
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The Army Air Corps doesn't know sq**t about dropping bombs! Trust me I've done it! There are very good resons for bombers to fly low, what is not clever is for them to fly low where helicopters are flying low. There is very little reason for a helicopter to be flying low near a target that I am attacking and in enemy territory! Who is defending him over there? I'm not, I'm bombing the enemy and he had better keep out of the way!
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What did you fly, Pete?
Tell us some war stories!
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