Article borrowed from Bruce Askham: Now that the internet has had 24 hours to lose its mind over the Airlink flypast at DHL Stadium… As a pilot, I thought it was magnificent. Yes, it was LOW. That was rather the point. But low does not automatically mean unsafe. This was a planned, rehearsed and approved flypast, flown at around 150 knots and conducted within the altitude and speed parameters approved by the SACAA. Air Traffic Navigation Services was also involved in the planning and support. And this wasn’t a couple of cowboys having a crack at it. Each aircraft carried THREE senior Airlink captains, acting as commander, co-pilot and safety/technical officer. That is a serious amount of experience sitting up front. What we watched was precision flying. Two Embraers. Formation. Low level. Precise timing. A stadium packed with Springbok and All Black supporters. And a spectacular piece of aviation to kick off one of the greatest rivalries in world sport. Was it close? Hell yes. Was there an incident? No. Was it some unplanned near-disaster requiring an internet investigation by every newly qualified Facebook aviation expert? Also no. 📷 Airlink’s own recorded flight data confirms that both aircraft remained within the SACAA-approved and rehearsed safety parameters. So perhaps we can stop manufacturing an accident that never happened and simply appreciate what we were privileged to see. And thankfully, despite what another highly reliable Facebook image may suggest, the crews were not dreadlocked, doobie-smoking, “trust the vibes” cockpit philosophers. 📷 So no, Cheech and Chong were not flying the formation. Thank you Airlink. That was something special. May there be many more. Oh, and the Boks won 33–26. Lekker. 📷 #Flypast #Flover #Airlink #SouthAfrica #Rugby #Springbokke #SANZ #Crybabies #TIA