South African airline behind daring stadium stunt cancels next flyby
The South African airline behind a stunt which saw two planes flying in close formation low over a packed stadium, has cancelled a similar operation this weekend. Airlink confirmed it had withdrawn its application for the display set to take place before South Africa’s rugby match with New Zealand in Johannesburg on Saturday, citing a…
The South African airline behind a stunt which saw two planes flying in close formation low over a packed stadium, has cancelled a similar operation this weekend.
Airlink confirmed it had withdrawn its application for the display set to take place before South Africa’s rugby match with New Zealand in Johannesburg on Saturday, citing a poor weather forecast.
The airline’s flying feat divided opinion, with some labelling the startling manoeuvre reckless while others praised the precision and expertise.
It comes as the the country’s aviation regulator said that while it had approved the application for the flyby, it was now reviewing the operation following “discussions in the media”.
Footage of last weekend’s air show before the start of the match in Cape Town was shared around the world.
Flight tracking website Flightradar24 said that according to its analysis “the lead aircraft passed less than 50ft (15m) above the top of the stadium”.
From some angles the jets appeared very close to the roof of the DHL Stadium as they roared over amid coloured flare smoke.
The South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) said on Wednesday it would review the incident.
“Following various discussions in the media relating to the events of the past weekend, the SACAA initiated compliance verifications, engaged the operator, obtained the Flight Data Recording downloads as well as other additional requirements,” it said in a statement.
It also revealed a flight simulator to practice for the Saturday flight was used as part of the approvals process.
