The sensation of speed ...

rick_bostrom

rick_bostrom

Onda Kattan Racing
Somewhat off topic, but we race because we like to walk at least a tiny bit out on the edge where normal people don't go. I caught this at random and it impressed me as several steps farther out, with perhaps one foot dangling in space.

(Favorite is the guy who stands dead center under the inverted pass then gives a casual thumbs up, although the guys who throw themselvesoin the ground for clearance are a close second.)

http://www.wimp.com/lowpass/
 
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Very cool. I experienced one of those low passes when back packing in the mountains near Palm Springs. Hicking to the top of the mountain, just below a ridge line whan a fighter popped over the ridge at tree top hight, then dove down in the valley beside us. We ended up looking at the top of his as he swooped away. That will definitely get your juices flowing.
 
Back when I was beginning my career as an Exploration Geologist working the desert southwest the Air Force and Navel Air used to use our trucks as mock targets. A10's would regularly stalk us and attack at low levels. If we saw them first we would hide from them and if we were successful they would circle until we revealed ourselves and they would give us a wave. They usually found us and attacked. Navy guys went so far as to drop fake bombs (flour) in our general area, but this practice was eventually discouraged by politically correct folks who though practice bombs were in bad taste when dropped off of designated bombing ranges. Worst/best experience was getting attacked by an Air Guard F 4 that came in low, maybe 50 feet and hit it's afterburner (I think) right as it passed over......barley stayed on the road amidst the noise, black smoke and dust. Hope we were of some sort of help to these guys when they were in actual combat.
 
I had B52's buzz me, F104's, F15's, F5's, A10's, F16's while stationed in Utah and while out in California and Colorado and Texas during training exercises. They all are so cool to watch. The B52 was doing NOE flying at what felt scrub brush level (I'm sure it was really several hundred if not a couple thousand feet up, but it didn't feel like it).
 
I did a freeze-frame of the super-low pass in that video and the bottom of the plane is somewhere between 4 and 4.5 feet off the deck. Woof. (And the fuselage passes about 15 feet from the camera. That's close!)
 
Well, back in the day.

When I was in Nam there's nothing F4 Phantom pilots like to do better thenbuzzing destroyer escorts below mast height and within about 50 feet when returning from missions. Also 'interesting' to watch them make a very low level pass over the palm trees along the beach then rip lose a world if hurt with a tank of Napalm. Yes that scene out of Apocayipse Now was pretty real (but a little bigger fire ball then normal).
 
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Having spent 21 years as a backseater in the F-4 I can attest that it was as fun as it looks, although there were moments that I wondered if a career in shoe sales would have been more prudent, LOL. Have had wing men report that we were kicking up rooster tails in the desert. Don't know that we intentionally attacked civilians at low altitude but there were those inadverdant incidents...Thanks for the video.
 
I am sure it was not intentional, just to much fun to pass up. We actually looked forward to playing with the A10's. the F4 was a much more special moment to say the least.
 
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