Geoff Thomas
All display pilots have to satisfy Farnborough's eagle-eyed flying control committee that they're not going to do anything dangerous - either to themselves or to the thousands of spectators along the flight line.
For the past few days, the leaden skies over Farnborough have echoed to the roars and whines of myriad powerful engines, as agile fighters, elegant commercial airliners and historic aircraft have been put through their paces, their pilots anxious to show their steeds off to best effect but without doing anything too risky.
Past Farnborough shows have seen 'groundings' and several 'raps across the knuckles', but so far this year there have been no particular problems.
Judging by the various validation flights, however, spectators are in for a treat as some of the world's finest pilots do their very best to make Farnborough '98 into a truly memorable experience.
Source: Flight Daily News