Man knocked down by low flying plane while "Flour Bombing"
For some inexplicable reason I remembered this story today which some of our non U.K. members may not have seen of or heard of before. Thankfully the reporter was unhurt apart from being knocked unconscious and having a very sore head for a few days. They do not seem to do "flour bombing" anymore at airshows in the U.K.; probably another victim of health and safety.
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Last edited by Flying10uk; 09-06-2017 at 02:32 PM.
Was it only the U.K. that indulged in "flour bombing" at airshows/events or does/did it happen at airshows in other countries?
I've heard stories of vehicles being lifted by helicopter up to a great height then dropped at events in Canada or the U.S., years ago. I suppose that this has now been stopped by the "health and safety department" nowadays?
I watched a Chevy Vega dropped from about eight hundred feet at a show at the nearby Naval Air Station during the Reagan era. They spent an hour announcing that a black Chevy Vega was blocking the commander's spot and would be towed if it wasn't moved. The next thing we know it was brought out by a Super Sea Stallion and "accidentally" dropped opposite the crowd on the other side of the show center line. Poof! Impressive.
They also simulated an A-6 attack by blowing up a few gasoline bladders. Guys love to blow up things.
Bob
"It is said, 'Go not to the elves for counsel for they will say both no and yes.' "
Frodo Baggins to Gildor Inglorion, The Fellowship of the Ring
I watched a Chevy Vega dropped from about eight hundred feet at a show at the nearby Naval Air Station during the Reagan era. They spent an hour announcing that a black Chevy Vega was blocking the commander's spot and would be towed if it wasn't moved. The next thing we know it was brought out by a Super Sea Stallion and "accidentally" dropped opposite the crowd on the other side of the show center line. Poof! Impressive.
A very similar story to this was told to me by an interesting chap back in the early 1980s, that I met, when I visited Canada but I'm not sure if the "stunt" took place in Canada or the USA.
An interesting aside, the same chap had been held as a prisoner of war by the Germans during WW2 and had made a "secret" camera, in the camp, that he could conceal but take photos of the Germans. He showed me a magazine article that had been published in Canada (1970s?) telling his story and it also included some of his photos taken with his "secret" camera.
That hurt me to watch. He certainly has a hard nut. I just wonder what he was doing if he knew this plane was going to be buzzing by. All these years after it happened and I feel bad for him. I must say it's a shining example of poor situational awareness. What a way to learn to pay attention to what's going on around you though.
He was supposed to be the target for "flour bombing", the dropping of bags of flour at targets by aircraft at airshows and events. The pilot wasn't supposed to get so close to the poor chap that he knocked him down with the actual plane. I don't know if the U.K. was the only place where "flour bombing" took place; perhaps one of the crazy things the English get up to when they have nothing better to do. I haven't heard of "flour bombing" taking place in recent years, I suspect, because of health and safety concerns.
PM
Originally Posted by Flying10uk
