As the Cold War bomber shot towards the air show crowd, retired RAF pilot Bob Prothero knew he had to act… and fast.
The 75-ton Victor was only meant to have slowly taxied down the runway and stop for a photoshoot, but his amateur co-pilot had accidentally slammed on the throttle, sending it 150ft up into the sky.
Now it was veering, putting it on a collision course with the crowd and a nearby housing estate if they tried to land.
But Mr Prothero, 70, who last flew a Victor in the 1980s and whose flying licence has long expired, wrestled with the plane’s controls to steer it away from potential disaster.
He landed on one wheel and in a cloud of dust, but without a scratch – on grass at the end of the runway.
Hailed a hero after an inquiry into the near disaster he said it was ‘the most terrifying nine seconds of my life’.
Excellent job, sir. More on the Victor from Wikipedia.
Nothing like a little flight time to round out your day.
nonsense