# 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:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-or-fake-flyby/584440/21 "2011-06-06T17:29:58Z")
I remember reading (in a book or magazine) many years ago that fighters bouncing German airfields in WW2 sometimes came back with grass stains. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Ayebaw](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darth_ayebaw/32/9870_2.png) [@Darth\_Ayebaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Ayebaw)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-or-fake-flyby/584440/22 "2011-06-06T17:32:57Z")
Don’t know if these might help but: [![](https://i.imgur.com/QtB5g.png) ](https://i.imgur.com/QtB5g.png) [![](https://i.imgur.com/W4IJc.png) ](https://i.imgur.com/W4IJc.png) [![](https://i.imgur.com/zZzjX.png) ](https://i.imgur.com/zZzjX.png) [![](https://i.imgur.com/1xqDy.png) ](https://i.imgur.com/1xqDy.png) [![](https://i.imgur.com/3eRBh.png) ](https://i.imgur.com/3eRBh.png) Looks real (not that that means much these days), but the second to last pic looks weird to me, and I’m not sure if it’s the angle or fake. And as far as I can tell that is frame by frame (I downloaded the vid and slowed it way down), so I’m not sure if we’ll have much more to base the answer on. ---
**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, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-or-fake-flyby/584440/23 "2011-06-06T17:51:07Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > I remember reading (in a book or magazine) many years ago that fighters bouncing German airfields in WW2 sometimes came back with grass stains. IIRC in \*The Right Stuff \*by Tom Wolfe, he claims pilots in prop planes would ‘mow the grass’ in low flybys. ---
**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, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-or-fake-flyby/584440/24 "2011-06-06T18:36:04Z")
> [@Darth\_Ayebaw](#): > > Looks real (not that that means much these days), but the second to last pic looks weird to me, and I’m not sure if it’s the angle or fake. And as far as I can tell that is frame by frame (I downloaded the vid and slowed it way down), so I’m not sure if we’ll have much more to base the answer on. Judging from that pic, and comparing it with the actual [FMA IA 63](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FMA_IA_63) aircraft, the recorded image of the aircraft appears to exhibit severe [rolling shutter distortion.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolling_shutter) The interesting thing is that if the camera is scanning from top-to-bottom, then the distortion is as if the plane is moving right-to-left across the frame; this could be explained by the observer rotating the camera from right to left in an attempt to track the plane, but rotating far too quickly. If this video is a fake, then the author has demonstrated _extreme_ attention to detail. ---
**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, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-or-fake-flyby/584440/25 "2011-06-06T19:28:40Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > If this video is a fake, then the author has demonstrated _extreme_ attention to detail. Could it be a semi-fake? An RC plane perhaps. If you google that model plane it seems there are several RC kits of out there of it. I found this [somewhat similar video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPF7cKVvXxY&feature=related). However this plane is in the frame much longer and sure seems to be a larger size RC plane. With the detail in this [Mig RC](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvHf1njfsdQ&feature=relmfu) and the flying they are doing I could be swayed to believe an RC with a little sound dubbing could be what we are seeing. ---
**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, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-or-fake-flyby/584440/26 "2011-06-06T20:15:00Z")
The original question was not “could this be faked,” it was “_is_ this faked.” While I admit it may be possible to fake a low pass, there’s no clear evidence (to me, at least) that this particular one was indeed faked. ---
**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, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-or-fake-flyby/584440/27 "2011-06-06T20:44:06Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > The original question was not “could this be faked,” it was “_is_ this faked.” While I admit it may be possible to fake a low pass, there’s no clear evidence (to me, at least) that this particular one was indeed faked. I agree there is nothing obvious that shouts fake. The OP also alluded it maybe being somewhere a bit in between. > [@](#): > > …just feels a bit funny to me… Which it does to me as well. Way too many proper visual cues for it to be just an edit job. I think the thing that is bugging me is the buffeting post pass just doesn’t quite seem right to me. But I have no firsthand experience to go from. ---
**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, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-or-fake-flyby/584440/28 "2011-06-06T21:01:13Z")
I’m changing my thoughts to real. After seeing [this F16 video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDEifYJNXO0&feature=player_embedded) it isn’t hard to imagine that with the ground being mostly all the same color (say grass as in the other video) and if there was even the slightest rise to it going away from you, this plane would have looked just as low. ---
**Author:** ![Otara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a88e4f/32.png) [@Otara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otara)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-or-fake-flyby/584440/29 "2011-06-07T01:52:31Z")
Thank you all, the rolling shutter aspect in particular does seem fairly convincing. Otara ---
**Author:** ![user\_hostile](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/user_hostile/32/474_2.png) [@user\_hostile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/user_hostile)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-or-fake-flyby/584440/30 "2011-06-07T02:13:00Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > IIRC in \*The Right Stuff \*by Tom Wolfe, he claims pilots in prop planes would ‘mow the grass’ in low flybys. Beat me to it, **TriPolar**. IIRC, the pilot referred to was astronaut Gordon Cooper who was flying low enough to top off the grass somewhere in the Everglades (with a wop, wop, wop…). Even thinking about this passage causes me to cringe.:eek: ---
**Author:** ![Jayrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Jayrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayrot)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-or-fake-flyby/584440/31 "2011-06-07T22:23:05Z")
[Video of same flyby from inside the cockpit.](http://gizmodo.com/5809436/) I would say the evidence is stacking up for it being real. ---
**Author:** ![yoyodyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a9a28c/32.png) [@yoyodyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yoyodyne)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-or-fake-flyby/584440/32 "2011-06-07T22:33:03Z")
If that guy isn’t grounded and going to a court-martial his superiors should be for dereliction of duty. ---
**Author:** ![brossa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brossa/32/3040_2.png) [@brossa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brossa)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-or-fake-flyby/584440/33 "2011-06-07T22:49:07Z")
There was a bit of a foofaraw over a low flyover at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City in November of ‘10; one of many videos is [here.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCsyJas_YRE) I believe that the final report stated that they overflew the stadium 16’ above the press box at 400 knots, in violation of multiple regulations. It resulted in [disciplinary action for all four pilots.](http://hawkcentral.com/2011/03/23/pilot-in-kinnick-flyover-to-be-disciplined-leave-air-force/) ---
**Author:** ![user\_hostile](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/user_hostile/32/474_2.png) [@user\_hostile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/user_hostile)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-or-fake-flyby/584440/34 "2011-06-07T23:20:08Z")
> [@Jayrot](#): > > [Video of same flyby from inside the cockpit.](http://gizmodo.com/5809436/) > > I would say the evidence is stacking up for it being real. I note the HUD shows the R (radar altimeter?) dropping in increments of 10. At its lowest point it just shows “010” [meters, I presume]. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-or-fake-flyby/584440.md?page=1)