p****** = accident

[AdamW]

I happened to mention this to a colleague today (an aerodynamicist) who reminded me of that little thing known as "ground effect". To fly a Tornado very fast whilst ground hugging, you literally have to hold it down to the ground i.e. push forwards on the stick... so it is unlikely the pilot was going more than 200-300mph (is that all!) when he hit the lamp, it isn't possible to go that low at any speed more than this. Dunno how high the lamp was, there are some in my town that are 50 feet or more (really!) so it could be that kind of height. Still pretty low, mind!

Why if its call "sea-level", do all yachts sail at an angle?

Cos sailors drink grog, arrrr!

 

[planenut]

The bulb at the top of my stairs went the other night - are you sure it wasn't a landing light he hit? Boom! Boom!

 

[TexMex]

I read an article recently in the papers about the pilot that clipped a lamp post in a tornado. He managed to land the plane successfully, and, last I heard, was awaiting a court martial. It was anticipated that he will loose his wings. The damage on the lamp post was found to be 54ft from the ground.

BTW. In the same report they mentioned about a british fighter pilot that clipped the cable of a cable car in one of the Swiss valleys. He reported feeling a "slight bump" when he returned to the base. He wasn't aware that the car had subsequently fallen and killed all 20 passengers!

Boys will be boys eh?

 

[AdamW]

It was anticipated that he will loose his wings.

I dunno, I would have thought the wings would have come off when he hit the lamp-post, but they didn't.

A toast to the Tornado. The only fighter capable of cutting cable-cars down and knacking lamp-posts without feeling more than a bump.