The helicopter in question is an Aerospatiale SA330 Puma. The pilot in question is French and if you have visited this site before, you probably know by now that if the words insane, helicopter, Puma and French are thrown in together it can only mean one thing: somewhere in Chad this French pilot had a very good time while at the same time entertaining the guys on the ground. Lucky guys!!! For the rest of us couch potatoes, well… at least we have one very impressive video with this truly crazy low level pass.
Wayne Mackey won the 2008 Short Takeoff and Landing competition in the experimental category at the “May Day” Fly-In & Air Show in Valdez, Alaska. His plane is a replica of the well known Piper J-3 Cub and he won the experimental category with an incredible takeoff distance of 49 feet, and an equally impressive landing distance of 71 feet. Check out some of his very impressive short takeoffs and landings out in the bush.
Turbine Cubs of Wyoming are the guys building this replica of the famous Piper Cub. These are very nice little planes for bush flying and stuff like that. Anyway, check out this amazing video of these airplanes in actions… pretty cool scenery!
Old video presenting a test flight of the Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion, one of the biggest helicopters in the western world. Watch as this giant performs loops and rolls with relative ease, aerobatic maneuvers that very few helicopters in the world can perform.
These are probably some of the best low passes ever. And, if it is about low level action, then it’s the French flying their Mirage F1s as crazy as humanly possible over the sands of Chad. Enjoy!
This is really a very cool commercial. Plot is simple: a few dudes are having some fun windsurfing when all of a sudden one of them disappears. The reason for his disappearance is simple; an airliner passing by offers him the ride of a lifetime 
)
This video shows that even helicopters have blind spots too and sometimes funny things happen when you least expect it. Check out this firefighting pilot who accidentally hits a truck with his bucket spreading his load all over.
The French Air Force keeps a number of units in Chad. Because of the nature of the missions, the old Aerospatiale SA 330 Puma and Dassault Mirage F1 are stationed there. Pilots often call these “leisure missions” because they pretty much get to do stuff they wouldn’t normally do… like flying extremely low and generally having lots of fun. Check out the videos of the “Crazy Boys” over Chad.
Posted on Jul 08, 2008 under Civil Aviation, Cool, Crazy Aviation, Helicopters, Jets, Low level, Military Aviation, Planes, Propeller, Videos |
This is a compilation of some of the greatest low passes ever, soundtrack of the video is The Who – Baba O’Riley. Lots of action here, from low flying airliners to high speed jet fighters going down on the deck. Enjoy a great video!
Robert A. “Bob” Hoover (born 1922) is a former air show pilot and United States Air Force test pilot. His personal trademark is a wide-brimmed straw hat and wide smile.Bob Hoover is best known for his air show career, which started when he was hired to demonstrate the capabilities of Aero Commander’s Shrike Commander, a twin-engined piston business aircraft which had developed a rather staid reputation due to its bulky shape. Hoover showed the strength of the plane as he put the aircraft through rolls, loops, and other maneuvers which most people wouldn’t associate with executive aircraft. As a grand finale, he shut down both engines and executed a loop and an eight-point hesitation slow roll as he headed back to the runway. He touched down on one tire, then the other, before landing. After pulling off the runway, he would start engines to taxi back to the parking area. On airfields with large enough parking ramps (such as the Reno Stead Airport where the Reno Air Races take place), Hoover would sometimes land directly on the ramp and coast all the way back to his parking spot in front of the grandstand without re-starting the engines.
A few years after starting the show, he began carrying passengers during the show — after all, he reasoned, the Shrike Commander carries six passengers in comfort (though perhaps not as much comfort when upside down.) These passengers became known as “Hoover’s Heavers” due to the number who became airsick during the maneuvers.
With the advent of camcorders, Hoover added a flourish to the act by pouring a cup of tea from a Thermos, while performing a slow barrel roll (a 1G maneuver). Video of this has been widely distributed, to the pleasure of Aero Commander enthusiasts.
