These Fly-bys Were Both Badass and Dangerous

As a member of the class of '77, best fly-by I ever saw was at the Navy - Air Force game. The Blue Angels flew over the stadium and the Navy cheered. The Air Force Thunderbirds flew over and the Air Force cheered. Then an AV-8b Harrier flew over, stopped in the middle of the stadium, did a 180 and flew out the way it came in. Everyone cheered and went absolutely wild!!! Would love to see a video of that Ward.

....."You'll be flyin' a cargo plane full of rubber dog shit outa' Hong Kong!"

During WWII a B-17 did did three unauthorized flyovers during the first game of the 1943 World Series at Yankee Stadium. The ballpark was filled to capacity. During the third pass the bomber almost clipped the flag poles above the stadium. Today a military pilot doing something like that would get canned, but because the Army Air Corps needed every trained pilot they could get the B-17 pilot got a $75 fine and then he was shipped off to Europe. He completed 35 missions and survived the war.

The last F-111F fly-by at the Air Force Academy football game was done so low and fast that folks in the press box said they were eye level with the jets and could smell JP fuel. The flight lead was a friend of mine who immediately lost flight lead and instructor status and soon separated for the airlines. That said, it was a hell of a pass!

The tradition of waving to the kids in the hospital is one of the greatest traditions in sports, one that gets me emotional at times.

After the tragedy of 911, NASCAR temporarily suspended racing. I was at the first race after 911. It was at Dover, Delaware and the flyby was a B2 Spirit stealth bomber. The crowd went wild!

Those were some badass fly-bys. Mid eighties I was at Florida Field and just before kick-off a B-24 Liberator flew by so low that he was below the skyboxes on one sideline. The pilot was an old guy and owned the plane. It was one of the last flying Liborators and he was flying it from Ocala to DC to donate to the Smithsonian. He knew he would lose his license and wanted one last hurrah and to salute his Gators. He hung 'em up in style.

The greates fly-by I ever witnessed was in the french Alps. We were driving through a quite narrow valley when all of a sudden a fighter jet (I can't remember what kind since I was 7 years old at the time) came screaming through the valley towards us in a mock attack run. He did a simulated gun run before pealing off. An amazing sight for a 7 year old boy with a fascination for military aviation.

Now THIS brings back memories! I was a plebe on the field working for the football team as an equipment manager. We lost every game that year except to West Point but that flyby made the season for me. I'd always wondered what happened to the pilot - right or wrong he was a legend to us Mids. Sadly, I think he broke stadium flybys for me for life. Love the channel Ward!

The wildest flyby I've witnessed was probably 1981. Ten years old and riding in the back of my parent's 1970 LTD in the Brazil, Indiana area. Tooling along on a long straightaway between two huge corn fields, i noticed a smoke trail following the road behind us. It caught up to us in a flash, it was an F4 Phantom on afterburner!! Straight over the car at what my dad said was close to 50 feet and making popcorn and us crap our pants! It buffeted the car pretty bad and the roar I'll never forget. Needless to say, i absolutley loved it!!!

30 SEP 2000! I WAS THERE! I was the 4th Company SEL and we had the "Duty" that game. I looked at my Company Officer "Noise" and said HOL...LEEE...SH...! I could see that dudes flight helmet. It was a lot more dramatic than the video shows. The trees at your end were indeed swaying from the afterburners. I also appreciate you used a period correct photo of Worden Field. I recognize our 4th Company Commander. He just left command of the USS INDIANA. Thanks for finally covering this! (BTW, the next flyover was weak and was at like 2000')

We used to have air shows in our city before the airport became international. I was at the far southern end of the runway on a small hill when an A-10 Thunderbolt came in low and slow roughly twenty feet over my head! I was about ten years old at the time and it's a memory I'll never forget! The A-10 has a special place in my heart forever!

I was at a NASCAR race at Charlotte years ago and the flyby was a B-1 Lancer. It was before 9/11 so he was low. He flew over the center of the track from the turn 3-4 to the turn 1-2 end, nailing the afterburners mid-track. He then swung around and came back in the other direction. This time when he was over the infield he again hit the afterburners but this time he banked hard right and exited the track over the back stretch just before turn 3. Best flyover ever!

In the early 1970's, we used to attend the airshows at Point Mugu NAS. Back then, they were far more permissive. I watched an F4 do a real supersonic pass about 60 feet above the runway and right in front of the bleachers. You saw the plane go by instantly and it was gone, but it was absolutely quiet. We counted to five, and then the sound caught up to us, shaking the ground. Amazing...

My most memorable fly by was at the USC-UCLA football game 4 weeks after 911. The Los Angeles Memorial Colosseum was packed with 90,000 fans. A lone trumpeter perform the national anthem. You could hear a pin drop. Everyone had their hand over their heart. A lone B2 timed the fly over precisely at the last note. Very moving

I love the flybys! My dad had four F-16’s do the missing man formation at his funeral! 💪🙏❤️🇺🇸

When I was turning wrenches and discussing the most recent crash someone would mention this gem, "There are old pilots and bold pilots, but there are no old bold pilots."

Thanks Ward, as always awesome material! I wanted to share a fun story. When we lived in Toronto the RCAF would do a flyover with a CF-18 when there was an international soccer game on and they would often fly right over our condo on the climb out.. One day our cat at that time was out on the balcony in her little tent enclosure enjoying the sun when the CF-18 flew over. She went into a panic at this giant loud metal bird over head. Got her back inside and calmed her down but from them on with the hearing they have the moment the CF-18 would be in the vicinity she would trot off suddenly to hide under the bed. Anytime she did that we knew one was coming. :-D

Long time ago, I guess I was about 6 or 7, we were out on our boat in Humber Bay, Toronto watching the CNE airshow. The RCAF had 4 jets doing some aerobatics. They came in low from the 4 points of the compass, and did a zoom climb with full burner. We happened to be just about dead center. We felt the heat too. And were deaf for some time. I've always loved the CF-101 Voodoo.

I was at the Pendleton Round-Up Rodeo on the 1-year anniversary of 9/11. as is tradition, they fire a cannon at 1:05 and the American flag comes out via rider on horseback. It's a thrilling sight each time I see it, but THIS year when the cannon went off all of a sudden there was an F-15 Strike Eagle IN THE ARENA - so low I could see the pilot's white helmet! The instant roar was both deafening, exciting and terrifying - and the crowd LOVED IT! There was like a 2-second pause beforehand where everyone was like - did that just happen?! It was WILD! Then, as the National Anthem's final note rang out, here was the F-15 again out of nowhere from behind the main grandstands, where the dude cranked it straight vertical in the middle of the arena and full-burnered it out of sight. Oregon ANG was AWESOME that day! And yes, dangerous. Considering the sentiment at the time and the poignant nature of the 1st anniversary of 9/11 I don't blame anyone. Thank you Ward and all servicemembers!