November 4, 2009
A Joyride Through the Grand Canyon
They wouldn’t be allowed to do it today, but back in 1959, experienced military pilots would sometimes buzz the Grand Canyon when flying out of nearby Nellis AFB. At the time, RAF pilot Ron Dick was an exchange officer with the US Air Force, training students in a Lockheed T-33. Fellow instructor Bud Pratt recalls that during these Canyon flights, the pilots would fly low enough that spray would be thrown up from the river.
Ron Dick rose to the rank of Air Vice Marshal and later became a fellow of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum and a popular writer and lecturer on military history. He died in 2008. His son Gary Dick, who put together this video from Ron’s footage, says, “As a lifelong supporter of the National Parks and a man with a keen interest in bird watching, Ron would definitely endorse the flight restrictions that ensure natural quiet in the parks today.”
This clip would have been awesome if it didn’t have that lame music. Why do so many people feel the need to ruin aviation videos with terrible music? Aren’t the jet engines music enough?
Comment by Schooly — November 6, 2009 @ 4:57 pm
PS- I’m not a cranky old man, though my last message reads that way.
PPS- get off my lawn, punks!
Comment by Schooly — November 6, 2009 @ 4:58 pm
@Schooly:
Okay, Mr. Eastwood, we’re outta here. And put down that shotgun!
Comment by Pat Trenner — November 9, 2009 @ 11:35 am
He may be right – the jet engines might make a better sound track…
What the poster is not thinking about of course is there is no sound at all on 8mm film recorded in 1959 on a clockwork Kodak cine camera
So no – the jet engines aren’t “music enough” – they are not there.
While a purist might prefer the silence, he/she can simply mute the sound and get the original film – so there is a choice; in my view, having the music available to others makes it more appealing to a wider audience.
Comment by Gary Dick — November 9, 2009 @ 1:55 pm