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Pilot grounded after Fenway flyover
Aim Points ^ | 04/11/2008 | James Vaznis

Posted on 04/11/2008 11:40:34 AM PDT by Fundamentally Fair

Three F-16s roared toward Fenway Park, flying wingtip to wingtip. Suddenly a fourth F-16, trailing behind the formation, caught up, flew under the three F-16s, then looped up and over the formation to take its rightful spot for a perfect V formation.

The maneuver, performed during the Red Sox Opening Day game Tuesday, came just as the Boston Symphony Orchestra finished playing the national anthem. It elicited roaring applause and cheers from the full-capacity crowd, which clearly appreciated what it thought to be great showmanship. But as it turns out, the maneuver was improper and the Vermont Air National Guard grounded the pilot this week.

"I understand the crowd liked it, but you won't see it again," said Lieutenant Colonel Lloyd Goodrow, a Guard spokesman.

The pilot, whose name was not released, conducted the maneuver to slow down after he raced to catch up with the formation already in progress, Goodrow said. But the pilot, he said, was flying at an altitude too low for such a maneuver: about 1,100 feet, rather than the sanctioned 5,000 feet or higher.

"Our highest responsibility is safety," said Goodrow, although he quickly added: "At no time during the flyover was anyone in jeopardy. . . . He's a very professional pilot, and he was in control of the plane at all times."

He also emphasized that the maneuver was not acrobatic, as it has been characterized by some spectators.

The pilot's sudden maneuver concerned at least one fan, Gina Reitano, a 39-year-old Fall River resident who sat behind the bullpen on Opening Day.

"I thought that maybe he was having trouble with the plane," said Reitano, noting she has seen four other flyovers previously that didn't include such a dramatic maneuver. "I didn't think there was any imminent danger but just that maybe something was wrong."

"The people around me were drunk so they just went, 'Whoaaa,' " she added.

John Blake, Red Sox spokesman, said the team fielded no complaints about the maneuver and hasn't had a chance to talk to the Guard about it.

"I'm not an expert on flyovers," Blake said. "If something was amiss, I wouldn't have known."

The pilot will go through remedial training before being allowed to fly again.


TOPICS: Extended News; News/Current Events; US: Massachusetts
KEYWORDS: airnationalguard; airshows; aviation; flyovers; hotdogging; vermont
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To: mvpel; MAexile

And drunk before the National Anthem was even over. Impressive.

I can’t lie. I’ve been there in the past(and future)


61 posted on 04/11/2008 2:57:44 PM PDT by GQuagmire (Giggety,Giggety,Giggety)
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To: Liberty Valance

Cool, dude, really coooool.


62 posted on 04/11/2008 2:58:24 PM PDT by Ole Okie
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To: Fundamentally Fair

“The people around me were drunk so they just went, ‘Whoaaa,’ “

That’s a drunks’ job, darlin’, thats what they do.


63 posted on 04/11/2008 3:40:38 PM PDT by TalBlack
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To: ops33
"...should not be done that low over an urban area."

Yes. You're right. Makes one think of the accident that occurred at Ramstein a few years ago. Italian flying team, I believe.

64 posted on 04/11/2008 7:45:39 PM PDT by davisfh ( Islam is a serious mental illness)
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To: Fundamentally Fair
Re: "The people around me were drunk so they just went, 'Whoaaa,' " she added.

And we wonder why... Taxmatuches voters keep sending Ted, Barney, John, etc back to Washington over and over again!

65 posted on 04/11/2008 8:10:35 PM PDT by Bender2 ("I've got a twisted sense of humor, and everything amuses me." RAH Beyond this Horizon)
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To: Fundamentally Fair

My thoughts as well. Had Bud had a commander like the guard commander, some good men might still be alive today.


66 posted on 04/11/2008 8:17:03 PM PDT by wita (truthspeaks@freerepublic.com)
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To: Rummyfan

It was following this mission that a particular B-52 Squadron Commander, made the decision that none of his crews would ever be forced to fly with Bud Holland again, and for that reason, the Squadron Commander was aboard the B-52 on the fateful day that Bud Holland finally exceeded the limits of the B-52 at too low an altitude to recover, and took three other fliers with him into the dirt.


67 posted on 04/11/2008 8:31:33 PM PDT by wita (truthspeaks@freerepublic.com)
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To: Fundamentally Fair

bump


68 posted on 04/11/2008 9:24:05 PM PDT by VOA
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To: Fundamentally Fair
The pilot will go through remedial training before being allowed to fly again.

Basically, the Air Force is saying, "That was really cool, but gon't go it again."

69 posted on 04/11/2008 9:26:33 PM PDT by SeaHawkFan
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To: davisfh
I was stationed in Germany when that accident happened, 1984, and remember watching it on Armed Forces television. I worked with some pretty tough guys but many were in tears watching the TV. I was an air traffic controller and have worked many airshows. US air show teams do not fly over the crowd, all their maneuvers are aligned with the runway. Any that is not flown inline with the runway are flown at a higher altitude when over the crowd. The Italian team flew that maneuver at a low altitude, less than 1000’, at right angles to the crowd line. So when the two aircraft clipped wings the one that was flying towards the crowd plummeted right into a large group of spectators. Whereas, if the same accident occurred with a US team the aircraft would have crashed in line with the runway, areas where spectators are not allowed. What I have always wondered is why the AF allowed the Italian team to fly that maneuver to begin with since it violated all established safety rules.
70 posted on 04/12/2008 6:53:06 AM PDT by ops33
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To: Kozak
BRAGGING RIGHTS FOR PULLING THE COOLEST MANUEVER EVER AT FENWAY PARK - PRICELESS Sorry, that record is still held by Bill Buckner..

That game was at Shea Stadium....

71 posted on 04/14/2008 12:34:54 AM PDT by Rummyfan (Iraq: it's not about Iraq anymore, it's about the USA!)
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