The Human Fly – Outstanding aircraft stunt in 1976

In 1976 Arguably one of the most spectacular aircraft stunts ever was performed by Canadian Rick Rojatt dressed up as comic book super hero the Human Fly. The stunt was performed several times at speeds of up to 300mph (480km/hour), mainly in California. Another side Lacy, number one pilot for United Airlines when he retired is one of the most experienced pilots of the modern era and flew the DC-8 as low as 200ft in a high speed pass that thrilled crowds.

In early 1976, he got a call asking if he’d pilot a DC-8 jetliner at an air show in California and was more than happy to take on the extra freelance work. But he was more sceptical when he was told his plane would carry just one passenger. And his scepticism only increased when he learned this passenger would not be inside the plane, but strapped to the fuselage. Not only that but the man claimed to be “the greatest superhero that ever lived” and would therefore be wearing a jumpsuit and sequined mask.

On 19 June that year, Lacy taxied out a former Japan Airlines DC-8 at the Mojave 1000 Air Race with Rick Rojatt strapped to a post on the plane’s fuselage. Lacy flew the plane past spectators, mere feet from the ground. Preparing for a second attempted fly-past, the plane passed briefly through cloud with Rojatt being pummelled by rain at 250mph.

Clay Lacy Aviation is arguably the world’s leading producer of air-to-air video and still photography with cameras specially developed by Lacy to fit into corporate jet chase planes.

“He was in a little bit of rain,” Lacy admitted in an interview after the stunt. “Actually, they were big raindrops. When they started hitting it sounded like golf balls. It really beat him up; he said they felt like bullets.”

Upon landing, Rojatt went to hospital, surely one of the few people ever to enter an emergency room presenting rain injuries. Nevertheless, the stunt was a success and widely reported on American TV. Against all odds, it seemed Joe Ramacieri’s creative talents were not going to be wasted making sausages.

During the summer and autumn of 1976, The Human Fly became a staple of prime-time US show That’s Incredible! and Canadian show Headline Hunters, and even appeared in character in the TV movie The Beach Boys: It’s OK, alongside John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd

source : The-rocketman.com, Airlinerating , esquire.co.uk, wikipedia

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