Another Crazy Flyby!

[Iberia A340-600]

Take a look at this!



That's a pretty hot looking 747-300, I can't wait to get the chance to photograph her at MAD.

[PhilDernerJr]

That beats the A310 by far. Wow. Those pilots are either really good or really stupid.

Anyone know if these guys got in trouble?

[SengaB]

They really need to stop doing that kind of flying. Its just a matter of time before it happens again. Fortunately most pilots don't get to do it as much as this spectacle did.
Remember this USAF B-52 pilot?
Make sure you watch it to the end to see the crash.
For those of you that don't know about this guy...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1994_Fa...ase_B-52_crash



Senga

[mirrodie]

WOw Senga. That is hthe first time I heard that with sound. All the articles I've read say how crazy that guy was.

[SengaB]

Yea its just AMAZING to hear how fast the plane sounds as it flies past the camera at that speed. I think You would need a super ultra sonic motor in your lens shoot that thing!

They said you can see the co pilot eject from the B-52 unfortunately the plane caught him on the way down.

Senga

[moose135]

They said you can see the co pilot eject from the B-52 unfortunately the plane caught him on the way down.

He never got out of the aircraft. You can see the hatch above his seat go, but he never got clear before impact.

[Gerard]

> All the articles I've read say how crazy that guy was.[/quote] <

Yeah, he also parked illegally all the time in a "No Parking" area. That should have been a clue there!!! I thought that was pretty funny that
they put that in the article. But the guy sounded like a wacko and of course no one did a thing about it. Amazing video, first time I saw that.
And the way that plane just disinigrated on impact, wow!!

[Delta777LR]

I was thinking of posting that 747 video yesterday... Beat me to it Gordon

[SengaB]

Yea, I bet that guy thought it was on complete control until the end!

Senga

[Derf]

I have a difference of opinion here.... hindsight is 20/20.

I think this guy was one of the best if not the best 52 pilot. He pushed the limits and too far only one time, but if he had not crashed...he would have been all of our hero's. He would continuously go right up to the point of no return. Once he crashed EVERYONE yelled foul. People love a showoff and all really outstanding pilots in the community are showoffs and praised until the crash. They let him fly for a reason.... if you think for a minute that the other BUFF pilots thought he was so dangerous, he would have never flown in any airshow....let alone lots of them.


TO PUT IT ANOTHER WAY, If Tex Johnson crashed doing a very easy +1g Roll demoing the 707, we would have said things like.... Stupid cowboy.... why was he not grounded before this......but he did not crash so he is our hero.

my .02

[moose135]

if you think for a minute that the other BUFF pilots thought he was so dangerous, he would have never flown in any airshow....let alone lots of them.

Read this case study of the B-52 crash and the incidents that led up to it.
http://www.crm-devel.org/resources/pape ... rkblue.htm

Lt. Col. Bud Holland, the pilot in question, was a very good B-52 pilot, but he did dangerous things, not only pushing the limits, but clearly exceeding them. Lots of people thought he was dangerous, but for various reasons didn't take action. Several times he was told, in effect, "Do that one more time and you're done", but by the next time it happened, there were new commanders in place at the wing, and nothing had been documented in his record, so again, it became "Don't do that again..."

Many crew members in the B-52 squadron at Fairchild refused to fly with him. The co-pilot on the flight that crashed was Lt. Col. Mark McGeehan, the B-52 squadron commander, who had tried several times to get Wing leadership to ground Holland, and the two fought about it. (Holland was head of Wing Standardization and Evaluation Section, and not in McGeehan's chain of command). According to McGeehan's wife, following one incident, "Mark said afterwards that he knew that he was not going to let (Lt) Col Holland fly with anybody else unless he was in the airplane ... that he was going to be flying whenever Bud flew." That's why McGeehan was in the plane that day - he wouldn't let his crew fly with Holland.

This was not the case of an outstanding pilot who made a mistake. This was a pilot who regularly and willfully ignored procedures and aircraft limitations, and bragged about it. This was a failure of leadership to take appropriate actions to stop a dangerous aviator - he wasn't a hero, he was a danger to those who flew with him.

[Derf]

" On March 10, 1994, Holland commanded a single-aircraft training mission to the Yakima Bombing Range to provide an authorized photographer an opportunity to document the aircraft as it dropped training munitions. The minimum aircraft altitude permitted for that area was 500 feet (150 m) AGL. During the mission, Holland's aircraft was filmed crossing one ridgeline about 30 feet (10 m) above the ground. Fearing for their safety, the photography crew ceased filming and took cover as Holland's aircraft again passed low over the ground, this time estimated as clearing the ridgeline by only three feet (1 m). The co-pilot on Holland's aircraft testified that he was forced to grab the controls to prevent Holland from flying the aircraft into the ridge while the aircraft's other two aircrew members repeatedly screamed at Holland, "Climb! Climb!" Holland responded by laughing and calling one of the crew members "a *****". "


OK Moose....your right of course

[SengaB]

:)

Senga

[USAF Pilot 07]

I have a difference of opinion here.... hindsight is 20/20.

I think this guy was one of the best if not the best 52 pilot. He pushed the limits and too far only one time, but if he had not crashed...he would have been all of our hero's. He would continuously go right up to the point of no return. Once he crashed EVERYONE yelled foul. People love a showoff and all really outstanding pilots in the community are showoffs and praised until the crash. They let him fly for a reason.... if you think for a minute that the other BUFF pilots thought he was so dangerous, he would have never flown in any airshow....let alone lots of them.

I'm sure he was more than a decent pilot and probably a "good" dude. He was the Chief of Stan/Eval IIRC which meant he worked directly for the Wing Commander and was one of the ultimate authorities and officials at the Wing Level on B-52 flight operations, so I'm sure he had his stuff together at least somewhat.

But... He was a reckless idiot, who loved to showboat and had little regard for anyone's life other than his.

There is a clear difference between "pushing" operational limits to demonstrate an aircraft's capabilities, and completely ignoring them to showboat.

He was "reprimanded" numerous times for his behavior, but was a part of the "Good Ol' Boys" flying club in which many higher ranking officers tended look the other way to not tarnish and/or kill careers.

In this case it's the Squadron Commander from that unit who ended up making the ultimate sacrifice. By ensuring none of his men and women would have to fly with this guy, he was the only one who would fly with him and was on that ill-fated flight.

[Squirrel_PA]

I've been trying to find the video from the March 10th, 1994 Yakima Range passes but no success except a short snipet in the Fairchild crash.



I have seen the full Yakima Range video and to say the least it reminded me of a couple of events I soon forget. The photog's were ducking as the B-52 crested the ridge, simply little room for comfort.

Example, when a MIG-29UB almost failed to pull out of a loop in time....only problem was there were a number of people directly in its path below it....including me. We had that Holly S*** moment and then started to run, only to see the two F-15 Demos pilot's we were with already WELL in front of us. Clue number one: When an F-15 pilot says Holly S***, be very aware what he is doing immediately afterwards. Clue number two: When the cockpit is full frame with a 300mm and is still pointed at you in a dive, you have already passed the time when you should run.

Here's another interesting B-52 photo, look at the bottom picture !
http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=121600

Barry