Idiot Tornado pilot
Discussion
I found this little vignette on t'internet, some unintentional humour methinks.....
Helicopter 'nearly hit car'
THE MINISTRY of Defence has launched an investigation following a complaint that a low-flying helicopter nearly crashed into a car driven by a Wotton-under-Edge woman.Fiona Wright, 46, of Dryleaze, told the Gazette she was driving home from Chipping Sodbury towards Wickwar on Monday afternoon with her 73-year-old mother, Barbara, when the helicopter swerved in front of her white Fiat Uno.
She said on Tuesday: "I suddenly became aware of a dark shadow on my right, matching our speed and down at car height. It was a dark green colour, so I think it must have been a military helicopter. I was the only car on the road at the time and then all of a sudden it came in front of my car - only half a bonnet away.
"I just grabbed my mother's hand because it was right on the road. I thought it was going to kill us.The pilot knew we were there because he was at the same height as us and travelling at the same speed. I was only going about 40mph. I think that he was doing it as some kind of dare. You could tell the pilot was experienced because he knew what he was doing.What was he doing that low? He could have caused a pile-up. We were absolutely terrified and I am still shaking.We stopped for lunch at The Buthay in Wickwar and I tried to forget about it. But I didn't sleep last night. I think it was a delayed reaction."
Miss Wright, who is disabled, reported the incident to the Civil Aviation Authority, which referred her to the Ministry of Defence complaints and inquiries office.
"The woman we spoke to at the MoD told us that they carry out a manoeuvre called grass- hopping and they would be able to find out who it was because they have to submit flight logs.They have promised me that they are going to look into it and they will let us know what has happened in 15 days."
Miss Wright also reported the incident to police in Dursley. She said: "They didn't want to know and told me that it was nothing to do with them." Caroline Edie, spokeswoman for the MoD, said: "The lady in question did exactly the right thing by calling the complaints line. We take any allegation of breach of low flying very seriously. They will now launch an investigation to make sure that all regulations were adhered to. "We are aware that low flying can cause disturbance to people but to achieve our military aims low flying is necessary. We have stringent regulations on low flying and we will discover if there has been a breach. The individual will then be dealt with."
On Tuesday afternoon Gazette reporter Keith Watson was driving out of Cam along Taits Hill Road when he experienced a similar incident. A large military aircraft with propellers, which may have been a Hercules, suddenly flew across his eye-line as he started to descend the hill. Seconds later an identical plane followed on the same flight path.
Mr Watson said: "I was quite startled to see an aeroplane that appeared to be flying at the same height that I was driving. Maybe I'm just a city boy still getting used to the ways of the country but, if a pilot flew a plane that low over Sunderland, then someone would have had his wheels off!"
Helicopter 'nearly hit car'
THE MINISTRY of Defence has launched an investigation following a complaint that a low-flying helicopter nearly crashed into a car driven by a Wotton-under-Edge woman.Fiona Wright, 46, of Dryleaze, told the Gazette she was driving home from Chipping Sodbury towards Wickwar on Monday afternoon with her 73-year-old mother, Barbara, when the helicopter swerved in front of her white Fiat Uno.
She said on Tuesday: "I suddenly became aware of a dark shadow on my right, matching our speed and down at car height. It was a dark green colour, so I think it must have been a military helicopter. I was the only car on the road at the time and then all of a sudden it came in front of my car - only half a bonnet away.
"I just grabbed my mother's hand because it was right on the road. I thought it was going to kill us.The pilot knew we were there because he was at the same height as us and travelling at the same speed. I was only going about 40mph. I think that he was doing it as some kind of dare. You could tell the pilot was experienced because he knew what he was doing.What was he doing that low? He could have caused a pile-up. We were absolutely terrified and I am still shaking.We stopped for lunch at The Buthay in Wickwar and I tried to forget about it. But I didn't sleep last night. I think it was a delayed reaction."
Miss Wright, who is disabled, reported the incident to the Civil Aviation Authority, which referred her to the Ministry of Defence complaints and inquiries office.
"The woman we spoke to at the MoD told us that they carry out a manoeuvre called grass- hopping and they would be able to find out who it was because they have to submit flight logs.They have promised me that they are going to look into it and they will let us know what has happened in 15 days."
Miss Wright also reported the incident to police in Dursley. She said: "They didn't want to know and told me that it was nothing to do with them." Caroline Edie, spokeswoman for the MoD, said: "The lady in question did exactly the right thing by calling the complaints line. We take any allegation of breach of low flying very seriously. They will now launch an investigation to make sure that all regulations were adhered to. "We are aware that low flying can cause disturbance to people but to achieve our military aims low flying is necessary. We have stringent regulations on low flying and we will discover if there has been a breach. The individual will then be dealt with."
On Tuesday afternoon Gazette reporter Keith Watson was driving out of Cam along Taits Hill Road when he experienced a similar incident. A large military aircraft with propellers, which may have been a Hercules, suddenly flew across his eye-line as he started to descend the hill. Seconds later an identical plane followed on the same flight path.
Mr Watson said: "I was quite startled to see an aeroplane that appeared to be flying at the same height that I was driving. Maybe I'm just a city boy still getting used to the ways of the country but, if a pilot flew a plane that low over Sunderland, then someone would have had his wheels off!"
I was once tracked by an Apache as I was blasting down a country road outside of Andover in a work-owned Z4. Only noticed when the track on the stereo changed and I heard it. Looked around, it was so close I could see the pilot looking at me with his gunsight, tracking me up the road as the 'copter drifted sideways.
Uber cool.
Uber cool.
HereBeMonsters said:
I was once tracked by an Apache as I was blasting down a country road outside of Andover in a work-owned Z4. Only noticed when the track on the stereo changed and I heard it. Looked around, it was so close I could see the pilot looking at me with his gunsight, tracking me up the road as the 'copter drifted sideways.
Uber cool.
Indeed. All you have to do is lure them into some woodland though.....Uber cool.
P2: "Do you think the gap through those trees is wide enough?"
P1: "Oh ye of little faith"
<THWACK!>
Both: "OhOhohbuggabuggabuggabuggajuddajuddajuddabuggabugga....." etc.
That was the septics though. You would hope we take more care of ours.
HereBeMonsters said:
I was once tracked by an Apache as I was blasting down a country road outside of Andover in a work-owned Z4. Only noticed when the track on the stereo changed and I heard it. Looked around, it was so close I could see the pilot looking at me with his gunsight, tracking me up the road as the 'copter drifted sideways.
Uber cool.
He was hunting monsters...Uber cool.
I assume he missed..?
eharding said:
Indeed. All you have to do is lure them into some woodland though.....
P2: "Do you think the gap through those trees is wide enough?"
P1: "Oh ye of little faith"
<THWACK!>
Both: "OhOhohbuggabuggabuggabuggajuddajuddajuddabuggabugga....." etc.
That was the septics though. You would hope we take more care of ours.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xT0uc5m9bFkP2: "Do you think the gap through those trees is wide enough?"
P1: "Oh ye of little faith"
<THWACK!>
Both: "OhOhohbuggabuggabuggabuggajuddajuddajuddabuggabugga....." etc.
That was the septics though. You would hope we take more care of ours.
HereBeMonsters said:
I was once tracked by an Apache as I was blasting down a country road outside of Andover in a work-owned Z4. Only noticed when the track on the stereo changed and I heard it. Looked around, it was so close I could see the pilot looking at me with his gunsight, tracking me up the road as the 'copter drifted sideways.
Uber cool.
In a similar vein, I was being driven down the dock road at Devonport a few years back and happened to glance to my right to find the deck gun on a frigate pointing straight at me - it tracked us all the way down the road. Somewhat unnerving.Uber cool.
rhinochopig said:
HereBeMonsters said:
I was once tracked by an Apache as I was blasting down a country road outside of Andover in a work-owned Z4. Only noticed when the track on the stereo changed and I heard it. Looked around, it was so close I could see the pilot looking at me with his gunsight, tracking me up the road as the 'copter drifted sideways.
Uber cool.
In a similar vein, I was being driven down the dock road at Devonport a few years back and happened to glance to my right to find the deck gun on a frigate pointing straight at me - it tracked us all the way down the road. Somewhat unnerving.Uber cool.
eharding said:
You *always* treat a prop as if the mags are live - and that includes types where you regularly have to pull the prop through to clear possible hydraulic locks or to prime it. The risk is that moving the prop will cause a magneto to raise a spark, and the engine can start. Obviously, the aircraft should have been left with the mags off, the throttle shut, and the mixture at cut-off, but that doesn't always happen. Dodgy wiring can mean that even if the mags are selected off in the cockpit, they can still be live - I've seen it happen. Hence finding random hedge-chimps (I didn't want to use the term, but the more I use it the more I like it) moving the props in the hangar for a better photo shot is a recipe for disaster.
When my Dad was at Yeovilton in the War he was doing this on a F4U Corsair. 14ft prop and the engine "coughed", the blade behind was ripped out of the erks' arms and threw my dad across the apron. He was flat on his back on a board in the hospital for two weeks. If the engine had actually fired, he'd have been cut into two halves vertically.Mister V said:
I've often thought about that.
intact the other end isn't much better, what with the dual carriage way PC world and ASDA right under the flight path.
Doing a bit of research it appears there has been accidents before; apparently an aircraft about 20 years ago smashed into the ground trying to avoid the M2 after engine failure (twin engine craft) caused him to fall short...intact the other end isn't much better, what with the dual carriage way PC world and ASDA right under the flight path.
The amount of fog we get up on the airfield too is unbelievable. Can see the strategic need to protect Medway going back in the day but there had to be a better place to stick the airfield, Next to the river by Hoo or on the flats towards Cliffe maybe...
mrmaggit said:
When my Dad was at Yeovilton in the War he was doing this on a F4U Corsair. 14ft prop and the engine "coughed", the blade behind was ripped out of the erks' arms and threw my dad across the apron. He was flat on his back on a board in the hospital for two weeks. If the engine had actually fired, he'd have been cut into two halves vertically.
Even just the kick from moving the prop through a compression can be nasty. Pulling the prop through on radials is a chore, but it has to be done. The only thing is never to get complacent about it, and position yourself accordingly (as a mate pulling a Nanchang prop through last weekend can testify)I get jets flying over the house all the time, which i think are tornado's. The whole house shakes, the gf can't stand it 
The funny thing is hearing/seeing the house shake, and knowing 5 seconds later the wing-man will be doing the same. I usually jump up and head over to the window to see the planes down the valley.
Whoever you are pilots - please go faster and lower
At work i have a view over morecambe bay, with the lake district behind, and we get the odd jet come flying over-head and the circle around the bay, before heading off over the lakes.
The best moment i remember was when i was travelling up kirkstone pass out of windermere when the air show was on, and hearing a tremendous rumble. I stopped and got out of the car, to see a vulcan at eye-level, full-power, cruising through the valley of the lake. Simply amazing.
The funny thing is hearing/seeing the house shake, and knowing 5 seconds later the wing-man will be doing the same. I usually jump up and head over to the window to see the planes down the valley.
Whoever you are pilots - please go faster and lower
At work i have a view over morecambe bay, with the lake district behind, and we get the odd jet come flying over-head and the circle around the bay, before heading off over the lakes.
NismoGT said:
I want to get buzzed by this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqA6bgFPGWI
Speakers up to max. I don't care if my ear drums turn themselves inside out if it ever does.
Awesome http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqA6bgFPGWI
Speakers up to max. I don't care if my ear drums turn themselves inside out if it ever does.
The best moment i remember was when i was travelling up kirkstone pass out of windermere when the air show was on, and hearing a tremendous rumble. I stopped and got out of the car, to see a vulcan at eye-level, full-power, cruising through the valley of the lake. Simply amazing.
Not read the whole thread - but mate that's the price of freedom. And a price I love to pay.
Being buzzed by a FJ is great. I have a holiday home in Scotland and its on the way to and from a weapons range. Hawks are always welcome in my overhead.
Legend has it that one beat up with the navy went badly wrong....Back in the 70s as supersonic jet doing a flyby of an elderly frigate managed to crack its bridge windows...So you got off lightly.
Being buzzed by a FJ is great. I have a holiday home in Scotland and its on the way to and from a weapons range. Hawks are always welcome in my overhead.
Legend has it that one beat up with the navy went badly wrong....Back in the 70s as supersonic jet doing a flyby of an elderly frigate managed to crack its bridge windows...So you got off lightly.
s off Biggles'
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