Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Close encounters of the aviation kind


Here's a fun video of a Ukrainian Sukhoi Su-27 fighter closing in on a light cargo plane that was being used for air-to-air photography.  The big fighter simply can't fly slowly enough to keep in formation with the slower plane, and eventually has to break away - but in the process, the photographers get some spectacular shots.





I'd have been rather nervous, watching that fighter closing in on me like that!

Peter

7 comments:

juvat said...

That's dumber than a box of rocks. No margin for error.

a bear said...

Curious how close that actually is. Twenty feet? Hard to tell, since the Flanker is significantly larger than the photo plane.

Glen said...

They forgot the B-70 rule. Don't get too close.

John T. Block said...

Krazy Ivan....this is why there are old pilots, and bold pilots, but NO old, bold pilots, execpting maybe Yeager...

capt fast said...

once the Pilot Induced Oscillation set in the breakaway was sure to follow.
very interesting photo op

STxAR said...

I figured the porposing was due to wake turbulence. I sure hope the radar was off...

Pretty incredible footage.

Bob Gibson said...

Sorry, son, we're *not* a Tanker . . .