Flyovers, also known as flypast or flyby, are a celebratory display or ceremonial flight of one or more aircraft over a specific location. Crowds normally go wild when aerial displays bring daring aerobatics or stunning formations from planes that can break the sound barrier. But sometimes things don’t as planned — at least not by the attending crowd.
Normally part of a bigger airshow, these aerial displays bring maneuvers not ordinarily seen by people outside of aerial operations. Most airborne operations are done at safe distances for safety and security purposes, but pilots can’t resist stretching the limit to show off their skill to people who rarely get to see low-altitude aircraft behavior.
Plane flying low. (VIDSTORM/Youtube)
This footage shows flyovers that were so out of the ordinary, people were heard screaming fearfully in the background. While it mostly shows fighter jets flying at excessive speeds and too-close-for-comfort distances, a few commercial aircraft can also be seen giving people the scare of their lives.
How low can they go? Watch the aircraft fly over the crowd so low that it looks like they could touch the wings — or at least feel the need to duck. Some on the ground are defiant or unmoved by the sight of a jet flying at them.
See for yourself in the video below:
In some of these maneuvers, the spinning propellers are actually visible from the ground.
Check out the huge aircraft that seems to hover above and in between the skyscrapers.
It’s an eery experience that leaves you wondering if it’ll crash. It might even make you wonder if some of these moves were planned for entertainment purposes or were they near misses?
These are the kind of thrills that many people enjoy, which is why so many spectators attend air shows, or get as close as they can to a runway.
(VIDSTORM/Youtube)
The military seems more comfortable with some of the maneuvers since low altitude flying is part of typical military pilot training. Although routine for a military pilot, such a sight is a wow factor for civilians on the ground.
Yet even sailors are entertained by such a sight and take out their phones to capture the experience.
Imagine the moment of possible sheer terror as you see a plane racing towards you at an unbelievably low altitude. The feeling is followed by exhilaration and a hunger to see it again. What a rush!
