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.
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.
Wings of Storm is the name of the aerobatic display team of the Croatian Air Force. Wings of storm were seen for the first time over the city of Zadar in 2004, but were officially formed in the spring of 2005. The team flies the Pilatus PC-9M and all pilots are also flight instructors in service with the Croatian Air Force. This is a video shot during some training sessions over the city of Zadar, where Wings of Storm regularly train to improve their display.
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.
These pilots probably have the time of their lives in Chad. No restrictions, no nothing… just man and machine in a great playground. The Mirage F1 is a very rugged airplane suited to the conditions in Chad where it performs aerial reconnaissance missions. These missions are known as “leisure missions” since pilots have quite a lot of fun doing stuff normally forbidden. Check out some amazing low-level action over the desert of Chad.
The F-22 Raptor is the newest and greatest USAF stealth fighter jet. And it is also a very expensive one. Want to see a 100 million $US crash? Check this out.
