# Real or fake flyby? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 5, 2011, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-or-fake-flyby/584440 "2011-06-05T21:48:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Otara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a88e4f/32.png) [@Otara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otara)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2011, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-or-fake-flyby/584440/1 "2011-06-05T21:48:40Z")
> **[The Craziest Low Pass Flyby I've Ever Seen (Updated)](https://gizmodo.com/the-craziest-low-pass-flyby-ive-ever-seen-updated-5808599)** > > A Spanish pilot friend of mine sends me this stunning video of a low pass flyby in Argentina. I just can't believe the mad man who was flying this jet got it so close to the ground. Watch: Looks to be about 1m high, but just feels a bit funny to me - anyone able to comment? Sorry if repeated, seem to be a few flyby videos questioned. Otara ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2011, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-or-fake-flyby/584440/2 "2011-06-05T22:07:55Z")
It’s trying to land on a treadmill. 😃 I say fake. The plane would be blurred as it passes, way too sharp as close as it appears. Not to mention the noise, wind, shock wave, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2011, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-or-fake-flyby/584440/3 "2011-06-05T22:10:39Z")
> [@Otara](#): > > [http://gizmodo.com/5808599/the-craziest-low-pass-flyby-ive-ever-seen](http://gizmodo.com/5808599/the-craziest-low-pass-flyby-ive-ever-seen) > > Looks to be about 1m high, but just feels a bit funny to me - anyone able to comment? > > Sorry if repeated, seem to be a few flyby videos questioned. > > Otara I wouldn’t be surprised if thats real, but if it is I imagine the pilot didn’t intend to be quite _that_ low! ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-or-fake-flyby/584440/4 "2011-06-06T12:24:58Z")
What \*\*Disposable Hero \*\*said. Looks real to me, but he came very close to tying the all time record for low flight. And killing himself & his pals in the process. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-or-fake-flyby/584440/5 "2011-06-06T12:33:21Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > It’s trying to land on a treadmill. 😃 > > I say fake. The plane would be blurred as it passes, way too sharp as close as it appears. Not to mention the noise, wind, shock wave, etc. Blurring depends on the integration time for the camera sensor (or film speed, if it’s a film-based camera). The video depicts a bright sunny day; with fast film or an efficient sensor, either one using a big-ass lens to gather a lot of light, the lack of blurring is not proof that this was faked. Noise? What about the noise catches your attention? Sounds like a plane going by to me. Very sudden attack, very rapid doppler-related pitch change, both consistent with a plane making a pass very close to the observer/camera. Shock wave? You only get those if you’re flying at supersonic speeds. Not surprised we aren’t seeing one here. What I did notice was the debris trail immediately behind the fuselage of the plane, apparently dust kicked up from the ground by the engine exhaust. In fact, even after the plane has gone by there’s still either a dust trail lingering in the air where the plane had been, or the grass has been permanently displaced by the jet exhaust (see 0:22-0:29). If this is a fake video, then that’s pretty remarkable attention to detail. ---
**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-or-fake-flyby/584440/6 "2011-06-06T12:45:26Z")
does anyone have a downloadable version we can step through frame by frame? I say fake as well. •No real pilot would be so fucking crazy, the margin for error would be tiny. •faking this in post productuon is ridiculously easy, this video was made 11 years ago in 2000. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Z-cDQR0SCfY/hqdefault.jpg "Emergency Landing on the 405 Freeway") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-cDQR0SCfY) Since then photoreal 3d and compositing including camera tracking has got much easier. The trail in the grass is easy to add with some 3d particles and stock elements shot on black. • Even on a bright day with a fast shutter there should be some motion blur, and there is none at all. It’s a well done fake, but with a good 3d artist I could make something similar in about 2 or 3 days. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-or-fake-flyby/584440/7 "2011-06-06T13:03:06Z")
> [@coremelt](#): > > •No real pilot would be so fucking crazy, the margin for error would be tiny. Just about the time you think “nobody would dare do that” is the time that someone goes and does it - either on purpose, or by accident. as **Disposable Hero** suggests, the pilot may not have meant to come quite that low. For the record, there are plenty of “fucking crazy” pilots out there, in the US and also in other militaries. Many of them don’t make it to retirement, for example [Bud Holland.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bud_Holland) ---
**Author:** ![J-P\_L](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/j-p_l/32/3156_2.png) [@J-P\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/J-P_L)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-or-fake-flyby/584440/8 "2011-06-06T13:17:50Z")
What would someone expect to happen to that pilot, assuming it is known who it was. The stunt, if real, according to what I’ve read occured in Spain, and it appears to be a military plane. So what will be the reaction of the Spanish Air Force ( or whatever other authority may be involved if not Spain ), will the pilot get sacked, suspended or simply have his butt chewed off, anyone has an opinions. ---
**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-or-fake-flyby/584440/9 "2011-06-06T13:27:42Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Just about the time you think “nobody would dare do that” is the time that someone goes and does it - either on purpose, or by accident. as **Disposable Hero** suggests, the pilot may not have meant to come quite that low. For the record, there are plenty of “fucking crazy” pilots out there, in the US and also in other militaries. Many of them don’t make it to retirement, for example [Bud Holland.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bud_Holland) maybe, but I still think it’s fake. Someone send me link to a version I can download and step through frame by frame and I’ll tell you 100 percent. Professional visual effects artist and compositor, so I’ve seen few shops in my time and I can tell by the pixels 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-or-fake-flyby/584440/10 "2011-06-06T14:15:41Z")
> [@J-P\_L](#): > > The stunt, if real, according to what I’ve read occured in Spain, and it appears to be a military plane. The Gizmodo article claims it happened in Argentina. Where did you read that it was in Spain? > [@J-P\_L](#): > > What would someone expect to happen to that pilot, assuming it is known who it was. It varies. There’s often a difference between what _should_ happen (according to the rules) and what actually happens. In the case of Bud Holland (detailed account [here](http://www.crm-devel.org/resources/paper/darkblue/darkblue.htm)), he had a long history of dangerous stunt flying with numerous incidents that had gone entirely unpunished, leading to the final incident in which he exceeded preplanned bank-angle and altitude limits, causing the crash that killed him and his crew. In the [Cavalese cable car disaster,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cavalese_cable_car_disaster_(1998)) the pilot and navigator were found not guilty of manslaughter/negligent homicide despite having killed 20 people while flying well below the minimum allowed altitude. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-or-fake-flyby/584440/11 "2011-06-06T14:48:39Z")
The Gizmodo article has been updated to include a video of the same event recorded by a second camera that appears to be a few feet more distant from the line of flight. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-or-fake-flyby/584440/12 "2011-06-06T15:06:56Z")
If it is a fake, I love the fact that the plane leaves a trail on the grass that you can see when the camera comes back. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-or-fake-flyby/584440/13 "2011-06-06T15:33:09Z")
[Here’s a different low pass](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3c6fMql2uk&feature=player_embedded) (see at 0:10). Also appears to be on the order of 1 meter of ground clearance. Posted only to refute the claim that “No real pilot would be so fucking crazy.” ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-or-fake-flyby/584440/14 "2011-06-06T15:57:34Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > [Here’s a different low pass](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3c6fMql2uk&feature=player_embedded) (see at 0:10). Also appears to be on the order of 1 meter of ground clearance. > > Posted only to refute the claim that “No real pilot would be so fucking crazy.” That’s different. It doesn’t reek of drunken douchebags faking a video. Joe ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-or-fake-flyby/584440/15 "2011-06-06T16:16:09Z")
> [@wheresgeorge04](#): > > That’s different. It doesn’t reek of drunken douchebags faking a video. > > Joe “Drunken douchebags faking a video” and “no real pilot would be so fucking crazy” are entirely unrelated. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-or-fake-flyby/584440/16 "2011-06-06T16:20:34Z")
I couldn’t pick up the plane descending to that low level. Could it just be taking off? The gear is up when it becomes visible. I don’t know if that plane can retract them quickly. Anyway, people do stupid things, and sometimes they survive. Maybe its real. ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-or-fake-flyby/584440/17 "2011-06-06T16:31:11Z")
Hard to tell the scale - is it possible it was an RC plane? ---
**Author:** ![Hbns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hbns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hbns)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-or-fake-flyby/584440/18 "2011-06-06T17:13:04Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I couldn’t pick up the plane descending to that low level. Could it just be taking off? The gear is up when it becomes visible. I don’t know if that plane can retract them quickly. Anyway, people do stupid things, and sometimes they survive. Maybe its real. [This.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5CIhT1n3Dc) Nobody beats this guys low pass and walks away. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-or-fake-flyby/584440/19 "2011-06-06T17:15:03Z")
> [@Hbns](#): > > [This.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5CIhT1n3Dc) > Nobody beats this guys low pass and walks away. Whaddyamean? The pilot himself is walking away! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-or-fake-flyby/584440/20 "2011-06-06T17:28:03Z")
> [@Hbns](#): > > [This.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5CIhT1n3Dc) > Nobody beats this guys low pass and walks away. Some records never get broken. Jim Abbot will be the the MLB pitcher with the fewest hands. That guy has the record for lowest altitude flyby at 0 ft. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-or-fake-flyby/584440.md?page=2)