This Ukrainian Air Force Su-27 pilot will be remembered by the ground crew.
This Ukrainian Air Force Su-27 pilot will be remembered by the ground crew.
Taken at Kleine Brogel Air Base on Sep. 9, 2019, the videos in this post feature a Ukrainian Air Force Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker Jet Blast tumbling people, barriers, and other objects while taxing before take-off during the Spotter Day for Sanicole Airshow 2019.
Noteworthy the people who tumbled at 6:52 in the clip by the jet blast of the Flanker weren’t spectators but ground crews.
Jet blast is the phenomenon of rapid air movement produced by the jet engines of aircraft, particularly on or before takeoff.
A large jet-engined aircraft can produce winds of up to 100 knots (190 km/h; 120 mph) as far away as 60 meters (200 ft) behind it at 40% maximum rated power. Jet blast can be a hazard to people or other unsecured objects behind the aircraft, and is capable of flattening buildings and destroying vehicles.
Despite the power and potentially destructive nature of the jet blast, there are relatively few jet blast incidents. Due to the invisible nature of jet blasts and the aerodynamic properties of light aircraft, light aircraft moving about airports are particularly vulnerable.
Some airports have installed jet blast deflectors in areas where roads or people may be in the path of the jet blast on take-off.
Ukrainian Air Force has 70 Su-27s in inventory with 34 of them in service as of March 2019.
The Sukhoi Su-27 heavy air superiority fighter – codenamed ‘Flanker’ by NATO – was designed during the Cold War as a Soviet counter to potential Western opponents such as the US Air Force’s F-15 Eagle.
In the post-Soviet era, the original Su-27 series continued to equip the Russian armed forces and carried on serving with the Ukrainian Air Force as well as other former Soviet states and several export customers.
