13 meters from the roof: The unusual flypast that is stirring the aviation world
A festive flypast intended to open the rugby match between South Africa and New Zealand became the talk of the aviation world over the weekend, after two passenger planes passed at an extremely low altitude over the DHL Stadium in Cape Town, in front of tens of thousands of spectators.
A festive flypast intended to open the rugby match between South Africa and New Zealand became the talk of the aviation world over the weekend, after two passenger planes passed at an extremely low altitude over the DHL Stadium in Cape Town, in front of tens of thousands of spectators.
The flypast took place on Saturday, shortly before the start of the match between the South African and New Zealand teams, as part of the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series. Two Embraer aircraft of the South African airline Airlink, E190 and E195, were specially painted in the colors of both teams and passed together over the stadium.
In the footage published online, the planes are seen approaching quickly at an unusual altitude, passing right over the stadium roof, near the pyrotechnic smoke, and beginning to climb immediately after the pass. The dramatic angles quickly raised questions regarding the flight altitude and the actual distance between the planes and the roof.
According to data published by Flightradar24, the lowest altitude recorded by the ADS-B system during the flypast was 50 feet at standard pressure. After adjusting for local air pressure, the altitude was estimated at approximately 205 to 210 feet above sea level. Since the top of the DHL Stadium is at a height of about 164 feet, this means a gap of only about 41 to 46 feet, about 12.5 to 14 meters, between one of the planes and the roof.
This unusual figure sparked a storm on social media and in forums for aviation enthusiasts and professionals. Some users marveled at the precision and timing of the flypast, but others argued that it was too dangerous a maneuver over a full stadium, and wondered how passenger planes were allowed to pass at such a height over tens of thousands of people.
Following the criticism, Airlink published an official response clarifying that the flypast was planned and practiced in advance, and that the South African Civil Aviation Authority and the country's air navigation services provided guidance, approval, and support for its execution. The company emphasized that the flight data recorded on both planes confirms that they remained within the height and speed limits that were approved and practiced in advance.
It was also reported that each of the planes had three senior captains, a commander, a co-pilot, and a safety and technical officer, and that the flypast was performed at a speed of about 150 knots. Airlink emphasized that this was a planned flypast as part of the company's cooperation with the match series, and not an unusual or unauthorized event.
There were 56,589 spectators in the stadium stands, who saw world champion South Africa defeat New Zealand with a score of 33:26. For many of them, the most memorable moment of the match happened even before the opening whistle, when the two passenger planes passed a few meters above their heads.
This was not the first time Airlink has performed a flypast as part of the match series. A week earlier, the same two planes passed over Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg, before the first match between the Springboks and the All Blacks.
Flypasts of this type have a special place in the history of rugby in South Africa. The most famous moment occurred before the 1995 Rugby World Cup final, when a South African Airways Boeing 747 passed at a low altitude over Ellis Park Stadium, with "Good Luck Bokke" written on its belly. Later that evening, South Africa defeated New Zealand and won the World Cup for the first time.
