I’ve been low before. Even lower over water, where it’s hard to hit things like mountains, hilltops and trees, etc, which have a tendency to jut up suddenly out of the dirt. On the other hand, it’s also safe to say that flying low over a flat and feartureless sea comes with its own set of hazards.
Which is why this picture evokes a reaction that shares a bit of humbled awe with a healthy slice of “those guys are fricken’ crazy.”
Fortunately, according to the accompanying email:
Photography by Frans Dely/Aviationdimension.comEarly morning anglers are treated to the spectacle of four T6 Harvard Aircraft from The Flying Lions Aerobatic Team waterskiing across the Klipdrift Dam near Johannesburg South Africa.Aircraft from The Flying Lions Aerobatic Team waterskiing across theKlipdrift Dam near Johannesburg South Africa.Lead by Scully Levin, with wingman Arnie Meneghelli, Stewart Lithgow and Ellis Levin, this renown airshow display team rehearse a sequence for the newly launched “Aviation Action” television program on Supersport.
Meneghelli from Academy Brushware, owner of the aircraft had this to say, “What we did today I believe is a world first. It illustrates that South African airshow pilots are amongst the best in the world”.
This unusual act, approved by the South African Civil Aviation Authority CAA), and supported by Castrol Aviation, was meticulously planned and took place under the watchfull eye of divers and paramedics that were on site.
Maybe it’s just me, but the idea of briefing an aerobatic stunt (in formation!) that requires on-scene divers just sort of sounds, you know: Nuts.
But where do you put the divers? Under the flight path? “Oh, and if you’re needed, your first indication will probably be a propeller thrusting through the top of your skull.” Which, at least, probably wouldn’t hurt in any meaningful sense.
Somebody told ‘em about the turbo-crocs in the water, right?
If this was taken in Florida, I would be concerned about the manatees surfacing, as manatees usually do. Begs a question, Any Hippo traffic?
I suppose if your radalt can reeaallyy be tweaked, this tactic could be included in the ASW TACAID.
I want a larger photo… some of those T-6′s look a little T-28 to me. Maybe they retrofit a bubble canopy?
crazy.
you’re all crazy.
we have perfectly sound EARTH under our feet, but yet you choose to get in the air, and in their case- in the water with something that SHOULD be in the air.
crazy crazy crazy
(that being said… I got my plane tix to DC for the Milblog Conference yesterday…. and if my pilot attempts anything like this, I doubt it will have the same result)
shudder… the BAD kind
In South Africa, it would be the crocks and hippos that cavort at and under the surface. So, assuming you survive a water “landing,” you would have that to look forward to!
What do you think the lineup gouge is for this particular formation? Methinks stepdown is not your friend here, unless you are a bubblehead. Lost sight procedures would be interesting to brief. Assuming they briefed anything other than “Here, hold my beer.”
Sans military, sans military aircraft, sans approved target, sans hostile SA-7, the enterprising pilot (no doubt suffering from the debilitating XY syndrome) will nevertheless find a way to make it interesting.
Once upon a time, it was not an uncommon thing for aircraft to touch the water. But they had hulls, and floats, and such. Not wheels.h
YOu can’t tell me you wouldn’t think about doing that, Lex. What happened to your daring-do? Maybe you’ve just become “soft.”
j/k
That looks like fun.
I hate it when I hydroplane!
I got this at work today and I told the guys, that I wanted to change the caption to read (no offense, Lex, I’m only joking with this!), full credit to Flight of the Intruder, Stephen Coonts, “What we did today I believe is a world first. It illustrates that South African airshow pilots are like American Fighter Pilots… they have the brains the size of peas and the balls the size of grapefruit.”
MADMAN!! MADMAN!! MADMAN!!
Smokes AWAY!!!!
HATS recorded!
Sister says: “crazy. you?
Sister says: “crazy. you’re all crazy. we have perfectly sound EARTH under our feet…”
I heartily agree. I’ll fly on a commercial plane to get someplace nice. Otherwise, it’s terra firma for this girl.
Although, my claim to fame (aeronautically speaking) is flying in an open cockpit Steerman Bi-Plane (circa not too sure). My father-in-law is a small craft pilot (currently owns a Mooney) and he used to fly the Steerman (owned by a friend). He took me up in it one day, and despite my fears & vertigo, it was one of the most memorable days of my life, to date. At first made him promise to “behave” – no funny business. But once we got up there, I hollered up to him to have a good time. So we did! The plane wasn’t retrofitted for stunts, but he did a few good wingstands – just beautiful.
That being said – still prefer terra firma.
Kris- I couldn’t do it. No way… not this chicken.
I freaked on a flight from Tennessee to Ohio on a Comair prop plane- 1 seat on one side, 2 on the other.. open door to the cockpit and no flight attendants. I mean freaked.out. They had to pry my white knuckles off of the armrest by the time we landed.
I do fine on big planes, but littles… I just can’t handle. I shudder to think how I would handle a helo.
Big deal. Just a modified version of how we used to get mud, blood and spent brass off the Huey’s floor and out the door. And we’d do it in trail, so the outsides got washed, too.
A couple of minor differences:
1. they still have their feet dry and
2. they’re hovering ‘way too fast…
Does this violate the old aviators adage ” You can tie the record for going low, but you can never break it”?
I “heard” the Blues done this one better in a Hornet. Without gear down… no pics though.
The old tailhook stunt? I never had the sack for that. But, old pilots and bold pilots, as they say
I ?
I “heard” the Blues done this one better in a Hornet. Without gear down… no pics though.
Strikes me, doing it with the tailhook is far less likely to suck you ass over t*t into the water than the main gear… spinning wheels or no.
But I’m a spectator and self-loading cargo…
Hey, there’s “sack” & there’s insane. They don’t make tailhooks long enough for “sack”!! B2, I got to believe that’s one of those nasty rumors.
If they want to impress me they should do it upside down…
…was actually thinking of the Blue that used AB to part the waters a while back! He might have been below sea-level! That wins!
B2
A one-armed stunt pilot by the name of Art Swango from Wabash Indiana used to skim the surface of farm ponds in the same manner just for the fun of it. He was killed in 1980 performing at an airshow in Ft. Wayne Indiana when the right wings departed his Pitts Special.