Airline Defends Low Flyover Through Stadium Smokeshow

There's nothing more exhilarating than a flyover before a major sports event, but there's a fine line between excitement and fear. A stadium full of rugby fans in Cape Town found that out last Saturday. Two airliners flew so low over DHL Stadium during the pre-match festivities that the trailing plane licked a plume of red smoke shot off the stadium's roof. The regional carrier that performed the flyover defended the spectacle, stating its experienced flight crews closely abided by guidelines from South Africa's civil aviation authorities.

South Africa's national rugby team was slated to play New Zealand in the second match of a four-match tour, billed as "Rugby's Greatest Rivalry." While the All Blacks are known for their pre-match haka, the Springboks had a display of their own to amp up the home crowd and intimidate their rivals. Airlink tasked two of its Embraer E-Jets, painted in promotional liveries for the tour, with soaring over the seaside stadium.

Video of the resulting flyover immediately went viral, as onlookers were shocked by how low the passenger jets flew. The aerial display was admittedly cool as hell, especially with the second plane climbing through the smoke after clearing the playing surface. According to Simple Flying, flight tracking data shows the two aircraft came within 50 feet of the roof. It looked a bit closer than the transponder-based estimates. If Airlink was aiming to intimidate the opposition, it worked. South Africa would go on to win the match 33–26.

Understandably, many were concerned by the sight of two planes flying low enough for people to film the flyover from above on Signal Hill. Airlink highlighted that each Embraer E-Jet had three senior captains serving as commander, co-pilot and safety officer. The regional carrier wanted to make it abundantly clear that this flyover didn't happen on a whim. According to the Guardian, the airline's statement on the matter read:

"Airlink notes the concerns expressed in various social media and online forums regarding yesterday's formation flyby over Cape Town's DHL Stadium. The flight demanded careful planning and rehearsal, as it required navigating at low altitude, at around 150 knots. The South African Civil Aviation Authority and Air Traffic Navigation Services provided valuable guidance, approval and support to ensure a safe flyby."

I do have to give Airlink credit for handling its flyovers with more professionalism than the United States military. In July, the Blue Angels buzzed a Florida beach at such a low altitude that chairs and umbrellas became projectiles. The Navy stated that it would review the incident and admitted that its most-skilled aviators "flew lower than standard profiles." Thankfully, no one was injured.