Bridges You'd Like to Fly Under - But Won't

Arnold

Arnold

Cleared for Takeoff
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Arnold
I'll start:
vz_bridge_0.jpg


Verazzano narrows.
 
iu


The Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge over the Cooper River in South Carolina, US, connecting downtown Charleston to Mount Pleasant.
 
That has to be the same engineering firm that built the new Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge in St. Louis over the Mississippi.

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Edit: After some research, apparently not. Two completely different firms with no apparent connection between the two.
 
Lowflynjack said:
Royal Gorge

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Your post made me remember a family trip there when I was a kid. Looking at a map I couldn't figure out why they would build a highway bridge there, as there is relative flat land on either end of the gorge just miles away. Did a little reading and discovered it was built as a tourist attraction in the first place.
 
None — what's the point (even just as a daydream)? I didn't do all that work getting my license and spend all that money buying my plane so that I could go under things close to the ground. I could have got that just by paying $30 to go ziplining.
 
Perrine Bridge, Twin Falls, Idaho

There is an apocryphal story that the instructor who taught my dad to fly flew under this in the early 1950's. I suspect he wasn't the only one, it's nearly 500' above the Snake River.

There is a version of that story that says he looped the center span, flying under it twice.

There is a newer bridge there now, the photo shows the one that existed at that time. It's now the busiest year-round base jumping destination in the world, so flying under it would be an especially bad idea today.

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David Megginson said:
None — what's the point (even just as a daydream)? I didn't do all that work getting my license and spend all that money buying my plane so that I could go under things close to the ground. I could have got that just by paying $30 to go ziplining.
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Some things are more fun to fantasize about than to do. That doesn't mean they aren't fun to fantasize about.
 
Tim, the St. Louis Arch tempted me mightily.

Unfortunately, I was on an IFR flight plan out of Mexico MO, so my blip on the radar was identified. The low fog covering all of the city had very little except the very top of the arch sticking out, and it was tempting to turn off the transponder, descend and fly through, climb back up to the original altitude, and turn the transponder back on.

If I had been VFR, I could have done the same, but departed at low altitude, and disappeared from radar completely flying at 500 feet, and turn S.E. after a few miles and leave the original track. An offset into KY should have disconnected my flight from the suspect track.

The big trouble is, if you succeed, who can you tell? And what if your kids brag to their friends, a special risk if you live inside the Washington beltway.
 
I posted this in Pic of the day but then this thread popped up.
For those of you who want to join the “Martha Lunken No Certificate Any More Club”, this is the one she flew under. I was not tempted.

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Cheers
 
Here is my flying under a bridge story. A very good friend of mine grew up occasionally flying recreationally, with a former WW2 pilot. This WW2 pilot told the story of when he was in flight training, and they used to play "follow the leader" among the pilot trainees. One day it was his turn to be the leader. He put his plane through all sorts of aerobatics and maneuvers, and one by one he eliminated everybody, except for one plane. No matter what he did, he couldn't shake him. Finally, he decided to fly under a very small bridge. The last remaining pilot refused to follow, but he pulled up next to him, and signaled that he needed to land. He noticed that it was the instructor. He feared he was in big trouble, because "follow the leader" among the trainees was against regulations. After they landed, they made a road trip out to that bridge and measured the clearance. He had exactly 9 inches clearance on either side of the wings. I don't remember hearing how much trouble he got into.
 
I did not fly under it. When this was taken, there was a very active thread regarding a well-known aviatrix who did fly under a bridge....

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Another of the same genre & same actor, but with airplanes

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The_Amazing_Colossal_Man
 
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Deelee said:
I did not fly under it. When this was taken, there was a very active thread regarding a well-known aviatrix who did fly under a bridge...
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My DPE and I were discussing stupid pilot tricks after my PPL or Instrument ride was done and he noted his father ( a very well known area pilot and a DPE himself) had taken his Baron under that bridge in the early early am about a week after the 2nd span was completed so circa 73.
 
A very wise scotch drinker once said... “once you’ve seen one woman nekked, you want to see them ALL nekked.”

To answer the question, I want to fly under ALL of these bridges. Every last one, and then some. Then do a touch and go ON them.
 
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Bear Mountain Bridge over the Hudson River just south of West Point. At one point I seriously considered flying under it in a paramotor... Part 103 has no minimum altitude and while your can't fly an ultralight over any congested area the regs say nothing about flying under a congested area...

When I was living in NJ I knew a pilot who claimed to have flown his Champ under all of the Hudson River bridges from the Verrazano to Newburgh in a single flight.
 
Tools said:
A very wise scotch drinker once said... “once you’ve seen one woman nekked, you want to see them ALL nekked.”

To answer the question, I want to fly under ALL of these bridges. Every last one, and then some. Then do a touch and go ON them.
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Here’s a bridge for ya. Coyote Bridge

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I had a classmate in college that worked in maintenance at a nearby Airforce Reserves. He said he saw a picture of the bottom of a bridge from a pilot that flew under the bridge. The impressive part he said was that the camera was on the bottom of the plane. :eek:
 
Hey Luvflyin, hmmm, the touch and go could be problematic...
 
wayne said:
I had a classmate in college that worked in maintenance at a nearby Airforce Reserves. He said he saw a picture of the bottom of a bridge from a pilot that flew under the bridge. The impressive part he said was that the camera was on the bottom of the plane. :eek:
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That would be @eman1200 's checkride:

 
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