Su-27, interesting photo...

ok, here is one interesting picture...

someone please explain to me, how could the pilots perform this maneuver if they could not see each other. i mean, pilots are looking in totally different directions.

I have seen similar manouvres but I think, in this case, the picture has been 'created' rather than just taken. For me the two Flankers are just that bit TOO close to each other and the slipstream would bring them crashing together. Not that I'm an expert in any way but it may be that it really was a genuine photo and someone just doctored it and moved the two planes closer together to make it more impressive? I'm pretty sure I've seen photo's where they are flying like this but side by side not one above the other.

[edit on 17-1-2005 by waynos]

Yeah, I think these are wee bit to close to be real too.

But as for doing this manuever, flying on instruments, telling the top pilot to go level flight at "x" speed and have the botom one take a leveled aproach. He'll be able to see the other jet untill he goes underneath it, then its all instrument flying.

Ive seen this, the Red Arrows do a similiar manouever.

Basically, if this is the same as the RA one, and it looks like it, the aircraft isnt directly underneath the top aircraft, its actually flying off to the left of it. This allows an optical allusion to come into effect at certain angles where it does look like the aircraft are 'piggy backing' wheninfact they arent in the same axis.

Its impressive, and it always looks 'real' in photos.

it could be just the angle it is taken at - most of these airshows know the perspective of the crowd and exploit it - as seen in those "near" head on manouvers they do.

Still a possible photo shop - look how easy it would be - white background

On looking a little more closely at the picture I think you are right Richard, it is more like the manouvre I was describing because if you look very carefully you can see that the nearest fin of the lower aircraft appears to be slightly bigger than the nearest fin on the upper one. If the two planes were piggy backing it would appear the other way around as the lower one must be nearer the camera.

I believe I have seen the Blue Angels preform the same manauver...

Richard, you are probably right here...

I agree. Both the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds do a similar maneuver. I forget what it's called, but it's fairly common at air shows. The aircraft in the photo belong to a Russian team called the Knights

thank you all for the feedback. :-)

One thing we have to consider is that this is a 2-D pic and the bottom plane could infact be farther back from the top plane and not right under it. They use a trick like that to make it look like you are punching someone on TV, when they were well clear of your punch.

Not saying thats the case here but we have to consider it.

Yeah, Richard Price is dead on there Shadow...

Many may know how pro-russian stuff I am but I doubt even the best can pull off a feat like that, unless you trick the audiance with optical illusions

Originally posted by GrOuNd_ZeRo
I doubt even the best can pull off a feat like that, unless you trick the audiance with optical illusions

or have a cam on the bottom and have it feed vid to the HUD

The picture looks fake to me, not sayings its impossible to do though.

Originally posted by ShadowXIX
One thing we have to consider is that this is a 2-D pic and the bottom plane could infact be farther back from the top plane and not right under it. They use a trick like that to make it look like you are punching someone on TV, when they were well clear of your punch.

Not saying thats the case here but we have to consider it.

I agree with ShadowXIX, it is very likely that the two planes were futher away than it appears.