Not the smartest thing to do...

I noticed in the story that it happened a year ago.  I don't remember hearing about it then, but I do remember that the EAA was working to loosen the restrictions on flying old military planes so that the pilots of the warbirds could keep up proficiency for performing at air shows and repositioning them for static display.  Loose cannons like this aren't any help with public opinion for supporting our heritage warbirds.  I suppose we can always see them in a museum but it's nice to see them in the air from time to time.

That is the same movie where they filmed an ejection from a SU-35 a Mach 2

Ok, I have to jump in here.  The fastest recorded ejection from an aircraft that someone actually survived was when Captain Brian Udell ejected from his fighter at just over mach 1during a training exercise gone terribly wrong over the Atlantic.  He barely survived, and the Air Force re-wrote the book on ejection seat safety devices based on his experience.  I heard Capt. Udell speak in 2007 and was one of the most amazing aviation stories I have ever heard.  If you ever get the chance to hear Brian Udell speak you should jump on it.  Here is a link to a brief synopsis of his story.

http://www.aviationspeakers.com/Speakers/brian-udell.php  

Kevin,

Is that an optical illusion from the flames? It looks like the plane is breaking apart.

I don't think the edit button is working.

But I wanted to ask about what movie and about the pilot in the front?

Hate to spoil the fun (and further hijack Adam's original post) but this pic and the movie it was used in have been well discussed all over the internet.  It's a Photoshop job - although there is some photos of a plane flying with the canopy removed.

A quote from the Russian pilot talks about flying "topless" at Mach 2 but that is pure bravado. . .

http://englishrussia.com/?p=3524

and another

http://acecombatskies.com/index.php?s=b00754452bd566ff568da2ee78b05566&showtopic=18754&st=0&p=498612&#entry498612

and finally a "supposedly" unretouched photo of the ejection.

http://www.neptunuslex.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/ejection.jpg

It was originally thought that this was shot for Kersone Cowboys, but, actually, this ejection scene was from a Russian film called "Mirror Wars". Here's the clip:

http://gizmodo.com/5330468/mystery-of-the-crazy-sukhoi-su+35-ejection-finally-revealed

Here's the trailer:

And, what the heck, if you want to watch the whole movie, you can find it here:

http://www.hulu.com/watch/86874/mirror-wars-reflection-one

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Back to the original thread -   

I see these guys as just what their movie states - Cowboys.   One of the pilots seems to have a propensity to get his license in trouble on a regular basis.  I suggest he not get a US or Canadian license reinstated and prosecuted.  The EAA is trying to get the restrictions eased on flying these aircraft.  This is another media datapoint for the FAA to consider. 

I'm with you 110% Jim. This guy is a criminal first and a pilot only by virtue of the fact that he has been able to separate other people from enough of their money to buy himself some nice toys. Not my judgement, the facts according to the article published today on the hot line.

This reminds me of the guy I used to know who would fly over the sub division around our small local airport south of Atlanta in his blue and white Citabria performing aerobatics just over the tree tops. As if small airports and special interest aviation aren't in enough trouble already, the last thing they need is the sort of attention this type of behavior attracts.

My wife would be proud, I sound like a grown up.

Rob.

I found these consecutive paragraphs to be rather comical.  Perhaps that was the intent of the author.

Should the case go to trial, his attorney, John Duran, said he would assert that Holm is to blame. "The stunt involved two airplanes," Duran said. "My client was in the secondary plane. He was just following the pattern of Mr. Holm. They are going to have a hard time proving this case."

Holm is a Vietnam War veteran who won three Distinguished Flying Crosses and flew more than 350 combat missions as a U.S. Air Force pilot. He left the service as a lieutenant colonel in 1992 and has worked in civilian aviation since.