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!
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.
The Dassault Mirage 2000 is probably one of the best looking planes in the world. Admire its stunning beauty in this great French Air Force video showcasing the qualities of their jet fighter.
Compilation of Mirage, Mirage 2000 and Rafale footage. This video has everything, from low level passes in Chad to high altitude chases in the Rafale. Also some very nice footage taken from the French movie “Skyfighters”.
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.
Old promo video of the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford.
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.
