The year 1968 marked the fiftieth anniversary of the Royal Air Force. Thanks to a misplaced emphasis on guided missiles over manned aircraft (originating from a 1957 white paper by then British Defence Minister, Duncan Sandys), the British aircraft industry had slipped into general decline in the 1960s and no appropriate aerial displays were planned to mark the occassion. Flight Lieutenant Alan Pollock, a flight commander in No. 1(F) Squadron RAF, decided to take the matter into his own hands, and on 5 April 1968 flew his Hawker Hunter (XF442) single-seater fighter over London at low level, and finally under the top span of the Tower Bridge. Knowing that he was likely to be stripped of flying status as a result of this display, he proceeded to 'beat up' several airfields in inverted flight at an altitude of about 200 feet en route to his base at RAF West Raynham. Pollock was dismissed from the RAF with no chance of an appeal. His case was finally heard in 1982 and he was partially exonerated.
External Links
- Description of incident in the Hawker Hunter FAQ
- The Hawker Hunter History page with a brief description of the Pollock incident and pictures of several Hunter variants
- Forum thread discussing this incident at the Professional Pilots Rumor Network
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