An RAF pilot conducting an unauthorised flight over London to mark the RAF's 50th anniversary, a milestone he felt was inadequately recognised by the government. The pilot flew a Hawker Hunter jet low over landmarks, including Parliament, before passing through Tower Bridge. (1968)

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Belfastscum@reddit

The pilot would've rathered hit tower bridge than ditch in the Thames

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KoBoWC@reddit

For the 100th anniversary the government made no such further mistake.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-44775939

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timdav8@reddit

And we continue to remember. Spotted this yesterday
Such a fitting tribute /s

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moderatefairgood@reddit

Thankfully, the Royal Air Force is rather more accurate with their timekeeping than any of the privatised rail services!

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StephenMcGannon@reddit (OP)

Can't decide if this guy is a legend or an asshole.

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SubjectiveAssertive@reddit

Well if you are RAF high command, he's an arsehole, I believe he got court martialed for it

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TheManWith2Poobrains@reddit

The arresting officer Flying Officer Roger Gilpin said, "You, sir, are under arrest, but bloody good show old chap." Probably

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DimensionMediocre439@reddit

In the immediate aftermath of the incident, Pollock's unit was posted to North Africa without him while he remained on a charge.

I bet his squad loved that.

"I have to be stationed in Alexandria in the freaking summer because Alan went rogue?"

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lockerno177@reddit

what happened to the CO? usually their career gets trashed if a squadron pilot does this.

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I_travel_ze_world@reddit

"daddy got him out of trouble" is typically the answer for stuff like this

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Latespoon@reddit

You can be damn sure of it in the RAF in that era.

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Pr6srn@reddit

Oh come on - endangered the lives of maybe 100 people because he thought himself and his colleagues were not getting enough national attention?

Nah, total arsehole. Ignored all the laws, rules and safety concerns in order to simply attract attention?

Guy should be in jail.

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Internal_Owl463@reddit

Totally meaningless statement. You endanger lives when you drive to work in the morning.

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Well no, because when driving I follow the laws and rules of the road to keep the risk to an absolute minimum acceptable level. Other road users also accept the minimal risk when they use the roads. We all use the roads for a clearly defined purpose and participate in keeping everyone safe by following the law.

I follow the laws and rules that apply to aircraft when I'm in the cockpit.

This was a reckless pilot who ignored the rules and risked the lives of many members of the public, none of which consented or accepted the risk of death/serious injury caused by Tower Bridge collapsing because it got hit by a jet.

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Internal_Owl463@reddit

I didn't say that the situations were the same. I didn't disagree with your comment about laws and rules. Just highlighting that simply stating lives are endangered is meaningless. If the threshold was no lives endangered then all military air shows and displays and fly overs would be cancelled

(but yes, it's a fact that you make the choice to endanger lives when you drive to work)

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fishyfishkins@reddit

Oh come on - endangered the lives of maybe 100 people because he thought himself and his colleagues were not getting enough national attention?

Nah, total arsehole. Ignored all the laws, rules and safety concerns in order to simply attract attention?

Guy should be in jail.

This is the comment you're referring to. It does not "simply state" that lives were endangered. However, your other comment:

Totally meaningless statement. You endanger lives when you drive to work in the morning.

..does make this exact meaningless statement. Who exactly are you disagreeing with here?

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Internal_Owl463@reddit

The first sentence of his comment which you quoted in whole. come on mate

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fishyfishkins@reddit

IDK what to tell you, buddy, it's as clear as it's gonna get.

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devolute@reddit

Reckon that's a similar level of risk?

Just out of interest, what do you drive?

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Internal_Owl463@reddit

Reckon that's a similar level of risk?

Don't know. That would be more interesting than the simple statement that lives are endangered.

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devolute@reddit

Just to try and help you out: I don't think driving to work is a similar level of risk to flying a 2nd generation jet fighter low through a bridge in the middle of one of the most densely populated areas in the country.

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Internal_Owl463@reddit

Obviously. Another meaningless statement. What are we doing here?

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goodeyedeer@reddit

It appears you are having a discussion about risk profiles between modes of transportation and having trouble extracting meaning from their statements. Hope this helps!

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Internal_Owl463@reddit

Not really I don't care about risk profiles between modes of transportation. I care about the risk profile of what the pilot did - which nobody can answer!

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Chimpville@reddit

As cool as it is in the hindsight of knowing nothing went horribly wrong, Pollock took a high and completely unecessary risk with other people's lives for no good reason. Likening that to simply conducing regular day-to-day activities is pretty nonsense.

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FighterJock412@reddit

Nah, legend.

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dgputnam@reddit

I mean, this wasn't some guy off the street. He was an elite fighter pilot (and instructor) who was a member of the RAF's aerobatics squadron. Best of the best.

I don't think it was that absurd a maneuver from a technical perspective

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Meme_Finder_General@reddit

You don't get a court-martial without reason.

He endangered the lives of hundreds of people in the country's capital for, what, attention?

What if he crashed, either into Tower Bridge or a building? How many people would be hurt, or worse, because of one man's lack of discipline?

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TommiHPunkt@reddit

people like that crash regularly during carefully planned shows, and did so a lot more often in the 60s than now.

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Pr6srn@reddit

That's like saying it's fine for Lewis Hamilton to drive a fast car at high speed through a shopping centre, purely to show off his new Ferrari. Sure he's highly skilled but it's risking lives and putting people in unnecessary danger.

We have rules for aerobatics and flying over buildings for a reason. If you're going to ignore them then you need an even better reason - and 'nobody cares about the RAF's birthday' isn't anywhere near good enough.

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BigGameMikeTomlin@reddit

You sound fun

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deleted_by_reddit@reddit

[removed]

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aviation-ModTeam@reddit

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tiorzol@reddit

He's a legendary bellend. It's like that bloke who landed his plane at the bar in New York. Twice. Maybe don't do that cos it's dangerous but fuck me that's cool

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under_psychoanalyzer@reddit

Small correction, the new york guy stole two plans to land at the bar.

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EmotioneelKlootzak@reddit

He specifically did it because people were betting him that he couldn't, so I mean, what was he supposed to do, not commit multiple felonies?

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under_psychoanalyzer@reddit

I don't think they were felonies back then. That's the neat trick about being one of the first person to commit a crime.

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ChartreuseBison@reddit

Well maybe only one felony: stealing something expensive. Pretty sure that's been a law for a long time

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under_psychoanalyzer@reddit

Clearly not, he only got 6 months when he did it a second time.

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Suspicious_Flower_0@reddit

I do believe that holds up in court, that any act committed as a result of a dare isn't a criminal offence.

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Squrton_Cummings@reddit

"Your Honor, they put their hands in their armpits, flapped their elbows and said bawk-bawk-bawk at me. I had no choice."

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UnpredictiveList@reddit

Where did he get the planes from?

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Atholthedestroyer@reddit

Nearby airport

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ProfessionalTruck976@reddit

I come down to "neccesary asshole", British government WOULD forget to fun defence if not reminded to in drastic fashion every few years.

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Meme_Finder_General@reddit

... that's not how that works.

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Meme_Finder_General@reddit

Deliberately endangering lives by flying way too low in a densely populated area most definitely labels you as an asshole

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Aggressive-Fail4612@reddit

If you want a great story of a rogue RAF pilot, this one is pretty good

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YZAq72EYp6w

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kisharspiritual@reddit

The answer may be yes

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CySnark@reddit

Ass-End

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metimmee@reddit

The latter with bells on.

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StandardDeluxe3000@reddit

i call BS

you know, foto manipulation not startet with photoshop.

you think the 3 people would not look if there would be a deafening jet a few meters behind them?

they would.

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Winston_Carbuncle@reddit

The Pilot was very much embodying the spirit of Winston Churchill that day

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ChmeeWu@reddit

Americans be like “V for victory!“ that Churchill guy is one cool dude.

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Hot-Job-6281@reddit

It's a pity the Yanks won't get the meaning of this sign

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sketchahedron@reddit

One in the pink and one in the stink.

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Sandusky666@reddit

Idk why you’re getting downvoted, that’s hilarious. Plus, Brits didn’t know you were allowed to put two in the pink back then so it’s historically accurate as well lol.

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Winston_Carbuncle@reddit

Because it's not what it means and, I assume, most people on here aren't 14 years old.

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Sandusky666@reddit

Well excuse me, I didn’t realize we’re so mature and advanced that we’re above a silly joke once in a while. Way to perpetuate negative English stereotypes lol

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Winston_Carbuncle@reddit

Sure. And you keep perpetuating those stereotypes about American intelligence levels

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Sandusky666@reddit

Knew that was coming. Keep that nose pointed straight towards heaven, where you’ll surely go after a life of staggering felicitousness 🫡

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Winston_Carbuncle@reddit

The yanks have discovered the thesaurus!

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Nausicaaah@reddit

Winston Churchill didn't know what it meant either, so we're in good company.

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Zealousideal-Peach44@reddit

Some other pilots did that in Italy once under a cablecar, and it did not end up so well...

Correction: twice.

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star744jets@reddit

I was a hothead pilot in the RRAF and got court martial for flying down the Victoria Falls below the bridge after picking up my stewardess girlfriend of her Viscount as she deplaned with the passengers. I later dropped her off smack in the middle of the Makasa Sun hotel near the swimming pool blowing off all the umbrellas and tables in front of Air Marshall Mussel and his wife who couldn’t believe what they just saw ( me neither.. ). I was grounded for months, had to pay a hefty fine and left the Air Force in disgrâce. I joined the SAAF and earned the Honoris Crux for bravery in combat after being shot down by North Korean and Chinese forces in Angola during a daring casevac.
I later went on to fly Julbo jets until I retired and I would do it all over again if I had a chance : You Only Live Once so grab every opportunity in your life to live the day !

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pjakma@reddit

I don't believe there were any photos taken of this event. This photo is surely fake.

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GregTheIntelectual@reddit

With that AoA, was he doing a cobra through the bridge?

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EpicDogeMeme@reddit

Hunter flying under the Tower Bridge would be louder than thunder and those guys on the boat acting like it’s a normal Tuesday

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HaggisHunter93@reddit

Total legend

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Lopsided_Snower@reddit

Also risked countless innocent lives due to an enlarged ego and sense of importance, no hero of mine

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joesnopes@reddit

I don't think he does - or ever would have - given a s**t what you think. That's the best aspect of people like him.

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BMoorman7@reddit

Hilarious that reddit suddenly has a collective hard-on for pilots flying recklessly in civilian areas during a non-combat mission.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998_Cavalese_cable_car_crash

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AbhishMuk@reddit

I kinda get both sides. It's stupid and risky to try out such a stunt; yet if the government doesn't give a shit I understand why the airman wouldn't either.

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MediocreControl5277@reddit

London bridge, not Tower Bridge.

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iBlockMods-bot@reddit

That's Tower Bridge mate

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Trilobite_Tom@reddit

Try again

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Tikhoo@reddit

Needless to say, this isn't a photo of the actual event. This is a composite that (I think) was used at the time to report on the incident.

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CardinalOfNYC@reddit

I think that's actually very, very needed to say haha!

This reality is noted nowhere in the post and mods also noted it nowhere in their stickied comment, which was posted 3 hours after your comment was made.

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domiciledhere@reddit

That’s pretty good… though I wish everyone had cameras then like we do today

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DontAskAboutMyButt@reddit

You would think the pilot would have gotten at least one guy with a camera to take a picture 😂

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b00m@reddit

Needless to say

Oh yeah totally! I for one never thought it was the actual event

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NebulaRunner5981@reddit

You can see the two guys in boar facing other way. You’d think if a jet was hurtling towards you you’d look in the direction.

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donald_314@reddit

I think they are deaf. The guy on the right tries to inform them. /s

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Candid_Highlight_116@reddit

They should have put a star in the bottom right to indicate that

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scottgal2@reddit

Rmeinds me of the Belgian RAF Pilot Baron Jean de Selys Longchamps. After a mission he desided to fly his Hakwer Typhoon down a Belgian town's main street and strafe the Gestapo building with his 20mm Cannons killing several SS & Gestapo members. He was demoted but remembered as a hero.

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Chimpville@reddit

Do do do do dodododo, do do do dododo do! do! do! do!

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Low-Board181@reddit

Please do not link mark felton, he doesn't deserve the attention. He's responsible for a lot of plagiarism and spreading falsehoods.

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davidspdmstr@reddit

Why would he get in trouble for attacking a tagert of opportunity?

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scottgal2@reddit

IIRC not folowing orders & it wasn't considered viable for the type of attack he made as they'd usually do it at night and from altitude (but it was in a civilian area so not a viable bombing target).

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davidspdmstr@reddit

Ironic considering the RAF and USAAF were firebombing cities in Europe and Japan, killing more people than the two atom bombs killed. Yet on Belgium pilot strafes and SS headquarters and everyone loses their mind.....

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Stu161@reddit

The difference is that those cities were designated targets by generals and the guy picking his own target was an F/O (lieutenant).

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s0ulfire@reddit

Conduct unbecoming of an officer

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McBlemmen@reddit

Real life Maverick from top gun. Who may I remind you was the bad guy from Top Gun.

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Lopsided_Snower@reddit

Did he risk countless civilian lives, too?

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FiberApproach2783@reddit

The comment only had two sentences and you didn't even read the second one😭

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Lopsided_Snower@reddit

Sorry, what?

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Mr_Coa@reddit

Can they do this again please

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maporita@reddit

Such a beautiful looking aircraft. I think of this as the e-type Jaguar of attack jets.

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luv2ctheworld@reddit

Something something cargo plane full of dog shit

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Lopsided_Snower@reddit

The smooth-brains are downvoting you, this may help - https://youtu.be/ocTKTk7oExk?si=MSd3c2otssa52JmE

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FundforLund@reddit

What is that rosewell and limerick written on those boats?

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I_say_cheerio@reddit

Chad

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msuka1@reddit

To quote an Englishmen at the time “Bloody hell”

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GeraintLlanfrechfa@reddit

Bloody hell.

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hoganpaul@reddit

Story is true: Picture is AI wank

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Acc87@reddit

Is it AI? I'd have thought it's a simple photoshop, like literally just copy&pasting the jet in the middle of the bridge

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Tikhoo@reddit

As far as I'm aware it's a simple composite.

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Manor7974@reddit

Every boat in the foreground has its name printed in the exact same way, and they’re all perfectly in focus. Something feels slightly uncanny in that AI kind of way

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Vladimir_Chrootin@reddit

It would be quite easy to get all of the boats in focus.

Composite photographs have existed for well over a century, you don't need to point to AI to explain everything.

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