How low can you go?

[Weaver]

Comic Timing.

My late girlfreind was a passionate fan of the Lake District and did her level best to get up there at every opportunity. One one trip, with her leading, we went to a "blind" valley where the road crosses the closed end high up (sorry, can't remember the name). We parked the bikes and walked across to look at the view, and just as we got to the rail and just as the words "listen to that glorious silence!" had passed Anne's lips, a Tornado, which had been flying up the valley towards us, went past us vertically in full burner at a distance of about 100ft...... 

As soon as we'd retrieved our eardrums from the middle of our heads and could contemplate speech again, I had to say it: "Listen to that glorious noise!" 

Glorious Silence was all I got from her for the rest of the afternoon........

[nev]

Growing up just a few miles from the bombing range at Donna Nook, A-10s were a regular sight - and sound.  Their distinctive BU_UUUUUUURP carried a long way on a clear day.  Remember helping my dad on a job in a remote farmhouse, being tossbombed by a flight of 4

During the Gulf War (first one) I opened my bedroom curtains one morning just in time to see a desert pink Tornado streak past, level with my window   I assume it was in the pool of attrition replacements.

[nev]

Ian, you forgot the time a Typhoon blew a fence down on you

It was two fences, Nev, and no I didn't forget, I simply chose not to remember   

Ian

And weren't you nearly decpitated by a Turkish Phantom?

[lancer]

I was on a wilderness survival course in Scotland back in the mid 80's and I remember being buzzed by a 2 ship A10 flight. We waved at them and they also did an orbit over us and ended up using us as a mock target for a strafing run. ~They couldn't have been more that 100ft off the deck either. Later that same day we got buzzed again but this time by an F111 going like a cat with it's tail on fire! I thought Tornado's were noisy but this bugger was LOUD, he was alos pretty low as well. The rest of the course went off with bno other contacts but my ears were still ringing from the '111 2 days later when the course finished. Good times I wish were back again.

[Ian the Kiwi Herder]

And weren't you nearly decpitated by a Turkish Phantom?

No that wasn't me, that was on the flying-in day at Waddo a coupla years back..... saw it happen tho': The Rhino driver was on long finals and somehow, seriously undershot/misjudged his approach, missed the boundary fence by less than a metre. Unfortunately the camera toting enthusiast on the ladder, leaning against the fence, was two metres above..... I'll allow your collective imaginations to 'fill-in-the-blanks'.....

.....not really a Low Flying story, that one.

Ian

[Mossie]

Growing up just a few miles from the bombing range at Donna Nook, A-10s were a regular sight - and sound.  Their distinctive BU_UUUUUUURP carried a long way on a clear day.  Remember helping my dad on a job in a remote farmhouse, being tossbombed by a flight of 4

During the Gulf War (first one) I opened my bedroom curtains one morning just in time to see a desert pink Tornado streak past, level with my window   I assume it was in the pool of attrition replacements.

Same here, but they were on their way to the (now closed) off shore range at Cowden instead.  We used to go watch them with my Dad, we thought it was hilarious to hear the A-10's would fart (Heck of a follow through...)!  They used to pass low round the edge of the village were I grew up, Tornadoes too & the occasional other type.  I also remember seeing a Desert Pink Tonka while doing my paper round just before the war started, it was part of a four ship with three others in standard wraparound.  A lot of activity in those times, still see the occasional Tonka, but rarely these days.  Used to go to Spurn Point too & watch the F-15's line up on the ships.

My Dad had a story of being targeted, although it wasn't a mock.  He was an avid sea angler & his club had got a couple of boats.  They fished off the coast not too far from the range at Cowden.  One day, they were minding there own business when they saw a couple of Vulcans nearby at low level (if not as extreme as some of these pics), which then turned towards them.  My Dad had watched them at Cowden and twigged, the floating targets were orange, the boats had red canvas tops & the Vulcans would probably have been carrying practice bombs.  The nav had probably assumed he'd got off course when he mistakenly got a visual.  They waved everything they havd & the Vulcans turned off, waggling their wings.

Like Ian, I can't prove it & my Dad passed on a few years back, but he swore it happened.

[kitnut617]

Same here, but they were on their way to the (now closed) off shore range at Cowden instead.  We used to go watch them with my Dad, we thought it was hilarious to hear the A-10's would fart (Heck of a follow through...)!  They used to pass low round the edge of the village were I grew up, Tornadoes too & the occasional other type.  I also remember seeing a Desert Pink Tonka while doing my paper round just before the war started, it was part of a four ship with three others in standard wraparound.  A lot of activity in those times, still see the occasional Tonka, but rarely these days.  Used to go to Spurn Point too & watch the F-15's line up on the ships.

My Dad had a story of being targeted, although it wasn't a mock.  He was an avid sea angler & his club had got a couple of boats.  They fished off the coast not too far from the range at Cowden.  One day, they were minding there own business when they saw a couple of Vulcans nearby at low level (if not as extreme as some of these pics), which then turned towards them.  My Dad had watched them at Cowden and twigged, the floating targets were orange, the boats had red canvas tops & the Vulcans would probably have been carrying practice bombs.  The nav had probably assumed he'd got off course when he mistakenly got a visual.  They waved everything they havd & the Vulcans turned off, waggling their wings.

Like Ian, I can't prove it & my Dad passed on a few years back, but he swore it happened.

There was a few stories similar from around where I lived in the UK, the local lobster fishermen would tell tales about being 'shelled' by the Army when they were doing a live fire exercise just off Lulworth Cove, and the fishermen hadn't seen the red flags that were hoisted up on the cliff tops.

[PR19_Kit]

Low level Vulcans, hmm, that brings back awful memories.........

In the '70s when I was at BR, some of the guys there were mad walkers, and wanted to do the Lyke Wake Walk (don't ask....) which goes from somewhere on the west end of the Yorks Moors to Ravenscar on the coast. For some reason they had to start around 10 or 11 pm, which meant lots of food, coffee, soup etc was needed and as I had a big Bedford CF van I got the nod for the job.

So off we went, drumped off the walkers and I positioned myself at various crossing points to feed and suport the guys. In the early morning, about 7-8 am, I was parked up some miles north of Fylingdales, waiting for them to arrive, but had an hour or so to wait so I got out my R/C glider and launched it into the valley to my east. It was a dead end valley, quite deep and full of mist so it looked as if someone had dumped a cloud in there. I was getting some good lift and soared the model back and forth across the slope and above the mist obviously.

Then I became aware of a dull roar from somewhere, I felt it rather than heard it at first, and realised it was coming from my right, up the valley. All of a sudden I saw a sort of wake on top of the mist with what looked like a shark's fin sticking out of the top and coming like HELL toward me! 

In a flash I realised it was a Vulcan fin, and the aircraft was using its terrain folllowing radar to fly up the valley, and any second it would have to climb to miss the end of the valley. What was right where it would be going? Correct, my glider!

I had visions of the next day's headlines, 'Model aircraft downs RAF V Bomber!' etc etc. and in a flash I dived the model into the mist, and at the same moment the Vulcan roared into view trailing streams of vapour from its wings and tail tip. It climbed above the end of the valley leaving me a shuddering wreck, not only because of the mind blowing noise, but also because of how close I'd come to having the most expensive mid-air in UK history!

Needless to say the glider had vanished into the mist and I had no chance to find it then, but when the walkers arrived a couple of us went down into the gorse to search and one of the  other guys found it. It was bright yellow with red wingtips so it wasn't that difficult to see I guess, but it was a total basket case, even the radio kit was smashed to bits, and I just carted it to the nearest big bin and tossed it in.

Better that than an even BIGGER basket case though!

[nev]

IMO its worth losing the glider just to have experienced the Vulcan kit

There was a great low level thread on ARC some time back.  I remember one of the posters being a USAFE Phantom RIO in the 70s, saying how much he used to enjoy the low level work in the hills & valleys of Wales and the lake district, and looking up at the shocked faces on the climbers and walkers

[kitnut617]

Wouldn't that be 2009? In Argentina

This year --- Dakar

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/80844

Already? Didn't know that...

Apologies Thomas, it is in South America ----- but it is happening right now.  Sainz is in the lead driving a VW

[B777LR]

Wouldn't that be 2009? In Argentina

This year --- Dakar

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/80844

Already? Didn't know that...

Apologies Thomas, it is in South America ----- but it is happening right now.  Sainz is in the lead driving a VW

Didn't Volkswagen win last year?

[upnorth]

Here's a couple of picture's I took of Poland's Bily Iskry team from an airshow in 2008. They had a quite impressive low flying section of their display. Sadly these are the only two pictures I have of that part of the routine:



Here's a picture I took of a Czech Mil Mi-17 Hip making a low pass over some armor in 2008:

[PR19_Kit]

For a relative cornucopia of low level pics there's always http://lowfly.net/index.html

Many of the pics there are taken from ABOVE the aircraft, for crying out loud, and there's not only some amazing flying but the photographic work is top class too.

[GTX]

Must be time for a repost of this.

Note:  Works better with the sound turned on!

Regards,

Greg

[PR19_Kit]

They're all mad, those Frenchies......... 

Thank goodness!