This A-4 Skyhawk was flying formation with a F-18 Hornet when disaster strikes. The F-18 “looses” one of its bombs and the A-4 gets hit by it. The pilot was forced to eject and landed safely.
Archive for Jets
A collection of some of the greatest flybys done with airliners. Most of the time you see low level flybys performed by military pilots and their fighters or aerobatic pilots and their nimble airplanes. This time you have the chance to watch Boeings and Airbuses as their pilots go low.
Skyfighters is the English title given to the French movie “Les chevaliers du ciel”. The film was marketed as the French Top Gun and I don’t think it was a blockbuster mainly due to the ridiculous plot. The film was however very impressive under one aspect and that is the aerial footage, probably some of the best shots of the Dassault Mirage 2000 ever. If you didn’t see this film this is your chance to see the best 12 minutes of it: the planes. The flight sequences from the film were all filmed with actual planes and aerial photography, without the use of CGI. In order to capture the high-speed maneuvers, a specially designed camera was attached to a Mirage 2000 aircraft which then tailed the ’star planes’ as they flew, for only another Mirage 2000 could actually fly at speeds that matched the planes being filmed.
In 1991, at the Kubinka Air Base a new Russian Air Force aerobatics team was born: the Strizi ( Swifts ). Pilots at Kubinka had been flying since 1984 in close 6 aircraft formation, but they were officially recognized on May 6, 1991, when they carried out a demonstration under the name Strizhi. The aerobatic performance demonstrator team flies the Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-29 Fulcrum. The Strizhi aerobatic team has conducted 50 demonstration flights on an annual basis since 1991. Its pilots have visited in excess of 28 foreign states. The team traditionally participates in Tushino air parades and Zhukovsky air shows. The team’s pilots have repeatedly carried out demonstration flights during numerous celebrations, devoted to anniversaries of various cities, including the 850th anniversary of Moscow. This video present the story of these amazing pilots.
The Tupolev Tu-160 known by NATO as Blackjack is a supersonic strategic heavy bomber. Similar to the American B-1 Lancer, the big Russian bomber was nicknamed by its pilots “White Swan” due to the white antiflash white finish of the aircraft. The white finish adds a bit of elegance and style to this mighty Russian bird…
If someone decides to make a top 10 of the most memorable flying formations then this one should be one of the best. The mighty Concorde, the only successful supersonic passenger airliner leading the members of the Patrouille de France. Must have been quite a sight.
Video of the Japan Air Self Defense Force ( JASDF ). The JASDF is the aviation branch of the Japan Self Defense Force and is responsible for the defense of Japanese airspace and other aerospace operations. The majority of military aviation videos that leak on the web feature the United States, Russian or French Air Force so it’s quite a rarity to see a video of the Japanese Air Force. This video features both the combat units of the JASDF as well as the aerobatic demonstration team of the Japan Air Self Defense Force, known as Blue Impulse. Great in cockpit footage taken from these aircraft.
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 ( NATO codename Fishbed ) is still in service with almost 50 countries around the world more than half a century after its maiden flight. The MiG-21 LanceR is an upgraded version for the Romanian Air Force done by Elbit of Israel and Aerostar of Romania. This video offers an in-cockpit perspective of a LanceR training session at Luna Air Force Base.
The English Electric Lightning was a British supersonic fighter aircraft of the Cold War era, remembered for its great speed and natural metal exterior. It is the only all-British Mach 2 fighter aircraft. English Electric was later incorporated into the British Aircraft Corporation, later marks being developed and produced as the BAC Lightning Renowned for its capabilities as an interceptor, RAF pilots described it as “being saddled to a skyrocket”. This video is a tribute to this legendary aircraft featuring some great footage from the past including breaking the sound barrier and full throttle vertical climbs.
The largest passenger airliner in the world, the Airbus A380 is a double-deck, four-engine airliner manufactured by the European corporation Airbus. Don’t know what this guy says in the video, but the footage speaks for itself… crosswind landings with the giant A380.
