Boeing 707 low pass at an air show in Harare, Zimbabwe 1995
Posted by Klutzy_Mark_4948@reddit | aviation | View on Reddit | 134 comments
Posted by Klutzy_Mark_4948@reddit | aviation | View on Reddit | 134 comments
demroidsbeitchn@reddit
Kind of eeeased into that right bank, eh?
HortenWho229@reddit
Sir we’re below the minimum gear extension altitude
dangledingle@reddit
PULL UP…….WOOP WOOP…….PULL UP
gretafour@reddit
Did the 707 have any of those warning systems tho? 🧐
Nippon-Gakki@reddit
Probably just a bunch of bells ringing in the cockpit.
FragrantExcitement@reddit
"In internet and party culture, "woop woop" is simply a hype phrase used to celebrate a success, get the crowd hyped, or express general excitement."
Sufficient-Aspect77@reddit
WOOP WOOP
That's the sound of the BEAST
WOOP WOOP
METAL EAGLE SCREEECH
Crackstacker@reddit
And to let everyone know the cops are coming.
hitsomethin@reddit
That’s the sound of the police!
dangledingle@reddit
The 707s do the WOOP WOOP 😬
madmikey_the_menace@reddit
ALTITUDE....ALTITUDE
Top_Meaning6195@reddit
DON'T SINK.
LANDING GEAR.
FLAPS.
TOO LOW TERRAIN.
RETARD RETARD
BorisLordofCats@reddit
Is the pilot a former Blackburn Buccaneer pilot?
yeahalrightgoon@reddit
Interesting recollection by the pilot. https://www.707jet.com/lufthansa-707-fleet/d-abuh-msn-18930-ln-464/
Basically, Air Zimbabwe approved it, only three crew on board, 2 hours of fuel on board. No regrets about doing it, basically knew what he was doing and had planned ahead etc. Ended up working for Emirates as a check pilot.
random352486@reddit
400kts is silly fast for a jetliner at that altitude, impressive that it held together.
Chicago_Blackhawks@reddit
400kts seems like a slight exaggeration, no? Idk
Chicago_Blackhawks@reddit
Bro WHAT lol
Fluffy_Muffins_415@reddit
That second pass has a good deal of the 'ole pucker factor
AppropriateCattle69@reddit
Genuinely thought he was coming in to land
The-Sound_of-Silence@reddit
If he was landing, he was probably forgetting a thing or three. Gonna require full throttle to taxi after
IC_1318@reddit
Yeah he was about to land the PIA way
Met76@reddit
The organic material in the grass will provide more available energy to burn in the engine leading to a huge boost in thrust! /s
Kichigai@reddit
I've never once wondered how accurate or precise an altimeter is, until now. Like, for sure it's great to get you tens of thousands of feet in the air, but is it still good when we're only talking about tens of feet AGL?
CptSandbag73@reddit
Radar altimeter is what you’d want to use when landing (or doing this). And it’s very accurate because it’s getting real time pings from the ground right beneath the fuselage. It’s what autoland systems use.
The barometric altimeter is going tell you how far you above sea level, which is extremely variable depending where you are. Not to mention hoping you have the right correction in for pressure and temperature.
gamerspoon@reddit
From an article linked by another commenter below:
>Tarr says that his radar altimeter read 6 feet beneath his keel at one time
_austinm@reddit
Balls of steel on that guy
CptSandbag73@reddit
Terrifying without fear down lol
Grindipo@reddit
The "S" in tens of feet is purely ornamental I think !
gamerspoon@reddit
ones of feet
commsbloke@reddit
You could get a bucc under that.
TinyDemon000@reddit
You reckon you'd get sucked into the engine if it had gone over the heads of spectators? Always wondered the limit for that or if it's more forward directional
hutch_man0@reddit
Holy shit. Epic
boabyjunkins25@reddit
Did a flight with this guy in another company. Legend.
SatanicBiscuit@reddit
back when regulations were suggestions
Wahx-il-Baqar@reddit
Amazing. Love the sound of that 707.
Speaking of low passes, this will always remain the absolute best:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iOoiEbtf2w
Booouurns@reddit
I never considered having to account for the diameter of the propeller when making a low pass lol.
Repo_co@reddit
I'm a fan of this one. Not the lowest of flybys but certainly not the safest maneuver. Had a buddy that was there and he said it's the loudest thing he's ever heard.
https://youtu.be/4ufA8j3XAhc?si=kW8ETXaj58-GoYcn
_austinm@reddit
I used to work at FedEx’s Memphis hub, and there’d be fighter jets and C-17’s that would take off every now and then. We had to have hearing protection in at all times and even with that the commercial planes were still pretty loud. That being said, those fighter jets were a great deal louder than any other plane there. I can’t imagine how loud they’d be that close and without hearing protection.
SugarBeefs@reddit
FACK ME
MalaysiaTeacher@reddit
Knew what this would be. Still clicked. Still watched.
OTribal_chief@reddit
first pass - oh wow that is low...
second pass - wtf i could hitch a lift on that sucker by reaching up!
that was some squeeky bum time for a lot involved
_austinm@reddit
One comment here said the altimeter read 6 feet at one point, so depending on how tall you are you could’ve gotten a good bonk on the head with that second pass lol
Over-Tax403@reddit
Ma look no hands
Bruggenmeister@reddit
Flying a 707 ain’t like dusting crops boy! Oh wait…
nine57th@reddit
That is so f-ing crazy dangerous it's insane!
pierrelaplace@reddit
BRAINS times BALLS is a Constant.
Foodconsumer3000@reddit
That's not a low pass that's taxiing with the landing gear up
Positive-Mark9084@reddit
TERRAIN! PULL UP!
Tiny-Desk_Engineer@reddit
By any chance this holds the record for the lowest height an airliner flew without touching the ground and then climbing again
shadowsofthelegacy@reddit
Knew an E-3 pilot that could do this. Guy is a legend in our small world. He admitted that the ground effect did most of the work. Still thought he was one of the coolest dudes I ever flew with.
ChiefKC20@reddit
Some folks just have the touch. It’s not nerves of steel but confidence, education, and practice.
RCoaster42@reddit
Surprised the engines did not ingest FOD.
Zestyclose_Row_9783@reddit
Where’s the FAA?
Dry_Complaint_3569@reddit
Ground Effect
Honest_Box_6037@reddit
does ground effect apply to low flying fixed wing aircraft or is it a helicopter thing only?
SharkAttackOmNom@reddit
Any winged craft flying lower than half its wingspan (approx). Which for a commercial jet can be pretty high off the ground.
Check out the Soviet Ekranoplane
Honest_Box_6037@reddit
yeah that was a dumb question, forgot all about the ekranoplan, ty
MKD8595@reddit
Yeah I cringed. That thing could do who knows what so close to the ground
Walbabyesser@reddit
Very good point
User_Anon_0001@reddit
I'll make sure to check out the airshow next time im in Zimbabwe
ElChambon@reddit
Boeing exec - "What the hell do you think you were doing?!"
Pilot - "Selling airplanes..."
Boeing exec - "Don't do that again."
Summary of actual conversation after the test pilot did a barrel roll in a 707 at Sea Fair in Seattle. I figure the same conversation happened here.
Accurate_Mobile9005@reddit
That cockpit was definitely singing.
ElChambon@reddit
Pilot - "Yeah, just shut those off... I need to concentrate here..."
Cendyan@reddit
Plane - "You do know the ground is 10 feet below us right? Right?"
WelpImTrapped@reddit
10 feet is being generous on that second pass... Try 6
SharkAttackOmNom@reddit
At that point it depends on which part of the plane your measure from.
MalaysiaTeacher@reddit
Ha shit I thought the second clip was a takeoff
Tomero@reddit
Han Solo - “Never tell me the odds”
Retardedaspirator@reddit
Smooth operator...
GITS75@reddit
Tex Johnston the one and only
TheTallGuy0@reddit
Funny story, he was named Spencer McGilroy before that stunt, but then the whole world just decided Tex Johnston was more appropriate, given his gigantic nutsack
RatInaMaze@reddit
He also has a cousin who drove race cars. His name was Mississippi Penis.
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KetchupIsABeverage@reddit
It’s not necessary. It’s possible.
Antique_One7110@reddit
Wasn’t a 707, that was the 367-80.
kipperzdog@reddit
Never knew that, always thought it was a 707. Though there was only one made of that plane and it was a proof of concept eventually developing into the 707
fodder650@reddit
I was thinking that Tex Johnson might have been at the controls of this one as well.
Ok-Proposal-9160@reddit
😂💯👍
atlas83@reddit
Thanks for the reference. Absolutely wild.
WuclearNeapon@reddit
That was awesome. Thank you for exposing me to this, this guy seems rad.
yeahalrightgoon@reddit
Nah Air Zim knew about it, approved it and were perfectly fine with it.
ScepticalRaccoon@reddit
Almost no chance that pilot lived to old age.
Timely_Entrance_7931@reddit
To be that ballsy only to start a turn right before climbing out! That plane is carrying some heavy balls.
Davide_KTM@reddit
Minimuns!! Minumins!!
Far-Throat-8445@reddit
A habsheim (France), ils avaient fait la même chose avec un 320 NEUF ! Il est allé au tas, dans la forêt.
Tyler_holmes123@reddit
With 100 passengers in the plane lmao. What were they thinking.
Far-Throat-8445@reddit
Le captain (Asseline) était connu pour être un caractèriel et le copi (de meziere) n’a pas eu les couilles pour l’arrêter (il avait désactivé les protections) s’en est suivie la catastrophe. Le 320 venait tout juste d’être exploité et l’enjeu avait été de charger le captain et non l’avion. La catastrophe a rendu obligatoire le concept de CRM qui a alors débuté.
Total_Wrongdoer_1535@reddit
Please someone explain to me this clearly most basic aerodynamics. Why the hell are his flaps extended down like that ? Like wouldn’t the air tilt the nose down?
Am I misunderstanding how it works? Are engines producing so much upwards lift that he has to counter it with flaps to remain at this altitude?
This has been bugging me for years.
MeccIt@reddit
I think you might be mixing up two different training edge moveable parts:
the flaps which are extended exactly the same amount on either wing, to change its shape to allow more lift at lower speed and
the ailerons which tilt up/down on opposite wings in order to help turn the airplane
CptSandbag73@reddit
The other guy explained it really well.
But this is something else you were missing I think.
Wing flaps on a plane like this are not control surfaces. They are lift devices.
They are set to a particular angle and left there for landing or takeoff, not wiggled around to affect the airplane’s pitch.
You’re thinking of the elevators, which are on the back end of the horizontal tail of the airplane, which the pilot does wiggle around to control the airplane’s pitch.
Funkytadualexhaust@reddit
Tilts it up extra actually
yeahalrightgoon@reddit
Assume you're talking about the second pass.
The more lift area you have, the slower the air needs to be passing over the lift area to create lift to keep the aircraft in the air.
Flaps increase lift area, but also give you more drag. So at higher speeds you use zero flaps, because the air going over the wing will give you enough lift.
When you go slower, you need more lift area, which flaps give you.
In this case, having the flaps at full extension allowed them to fly at slow speed (125 kt) while also providing lift. With the minimum speed they could have been at and still remained in the air, 116 kt.
Engines provide the thrust that provides the speed of the air over the wings.
sektorao@reddit
Moles boarding!
vandabo@reddit
"Jet exhaust fryin' chickens in the farmyard!"
Kichigai@reddit
“Yeah, but has he got a chance‽”
LounBiker@reddit
Too low! Terrain.
Too low! Terrain.
randomtask733@reddit
It is possible that it does not have a gpws
patrick24601@reddit
Too low. Sub terrain. Too low. Sub terrain.
BrewCityChaserV2@reddit
Which is where you end up if you get this maneuver wrong.
pushinlittledaises@reddit
I know virtually nothing about aviation, so bear with me, would this ever be able to be recreated/approved today?
krodders@reddit
Most countries would not allow it. There have been far too many airshow deaths for lots of these manoeuvres to be approved
You'll see that modern displays are always in front of the crowd, aircraft direction is pointed away from the crowd (in case a plane goes in), they're not allowed to do certain stuff below a specific altitude, etc.
I remember a lot of old displays would begin with a jump scare dive on the crowd from behind. Not any more
This particular one was far too low, and did I see that there were passengers on it?
FORKNIFE_CATTLEBROIL@reddit
Extending the landing gear would increase the altitude
JohannesMP@reddit
Sir, it might just touch the ground then
Carbios_Moon@reddit
That reminds me of the many 9/11 twoofers claiming that such a plane can't fly low without disintegrating
ol-gormsby@reddit
Turbojets, not turbofans.
No-Guarantee-4865@reddit
My cousin Norman was a pilot for Air Zimbabwe in the 80's & 90's, he flew for Air Rhodesia before that. He flew those 707's, but also the 767's when they came into the fleet.
shortname_suppi@reddit
That second pass must’ve felt buttery with the ground effect in full swing.
spideyghetti@reddit
Roight, he cahnt goh lowur than thaht
Jainsaw@reddit
Low enough for the plane to start insulting you
delta_bugles@reddit
Whoop whoop Pull Up whoop whoo!
ChikaraNZ@reddit
Bit more info on this here:
https://www.heraldonline.co.zw/the-pilot-who-mastered-the-air-zim-boeing-707-low-pass/
Own-Poetry-9609@reddit
That's not THAT low... oh...
HonorAndKittens@reddit
Out of curiosity, what could go wrong at this altitude?
2script@reddit
Nothing if they do bank angle check
Far-Throat-8445@reddit
Ou ça en 1989.
https://youtu.be/KO7R6FVKL-I?is=V8s2Gk_19ajtxCOA
colombian-neck-tie@reddit
The ground
Important-Spring3977@reddit
You can only ride the record for lowest altitude
realdjjmc@reddit
50
40
30
20
Retard .... Terrain.... Retard
gordonlordbyron@reddit
"ya can't get any lower than that"
God_Dammit_Dave@reddit
6' under.
huluvudu@reddit
Negative, Ghost Rider, the pattern is full!
B1BLancer6225@reddit
Damn
rlaw1234qq@reddit
Ground effect!
blackbird0130@reddit
An Airbus would’ve called you a bunch of appropriate words for that lmao
Turbulent_Nature_109@reddit
I watched it live as a child. I think this was Charles Prince airport
Zwangsjacke@reddit
This is what I'm thinking of everytime I see this sign.
Mackin-N-Cheese@reddit
That second pass reminds me of the land speeders on Tattooine in the original Star Wars.
nilay-nishit@reddit
That's not that low, good it's landed now... I am sorry wut
Crazy__Donkey@reddit
That crop dusting, not an air show
boyengabird@reddit
Now I'd pay for a ticket to that show!
Tight-Two3065@reddit
Pilots were grounded and promptly sacked, doing a low pass full of passengers, amazing tho ;)
Throwawayne617@reddit
I was looking at the vid timer hopping there wasn't another pass.
Aggravating_Speed665@reddit
I would have to stand under it's path
strat-fan89@reddit
"Eh, that's not even that low... HOLY SHIT!"