Wed, Apr 27, 2005
He's Okay
British Prime Minister Tony Blair's campaign plane, dubbed
"Blair Force One," was struck by lightning Wednesday. No one was
hurt and the plane was not damaged. It landed safely at London's
Heathrow Airport without further incident.
"All I remember was a red and white flash just in my mind which
woke me up with a start," said BBC producer Will Walden, who was on
the aircraft with the prime minister. "The plane wobbled from side
to side but it was also quite rough anyway because it was pretty
cloudy and rainy. Lots of people looked momentarily shocked."
Another BBC employee, Peter Allen, said Blair appeared
"imperturbable" after the flash and loud bang. "The rest of us
certainly weren't imperturbable," he said.
Indeed, others on board said Blair was absolutely calm during
the incident. When one journalist having a private conversation
with the prime minister suggested to him that the aircraft might
have been hit by a missile, he simply shrugged his shoulders and
"didn't bat an eyelid."
It was at least the second time Blair's plane had been hit by
lightning -- the first on a recent trip to Washington.
British lightning appeared nonpartisan Wednesday. Conservative
leader Michael Howard's helicopter was down with engine troubles as
he took to the sky. He had to fly commercial. At one point in the
flight, the captain announced that a "pop" heard in the cabin was a
lightning strike 15 miles away. Again, there were no injuries and
no reports of damage to the plane.
More News
Aero Linx: Model Aeronautical Association of Australia MAAA clubs are about fun flying, camaraderie and community. For over 75 years, the MAAA has been Australia’s largest fl>[...]
Touchdown Zone Lighting Two rows of transverse light bars located symmetrically about the runway centerline normally at 100 foot intervals. The basic system extends 3,000 feet alon>[...]
“Discovery and innovation are central to our mission at Virgin Galactic. We’re excited to build on our successful record of facilitating scientific experiments in subor>[...]
How To Get A Story On Aero-TV News/Feature Programming How do I submit a story idea or lead to Aero-TV? If you would like to submit a story idea or lead, please contact Jim Campbel>[...]
Student Pilot Reported That During Rotation, “All Of A Sudden The Back Of The Plane Kicked To The Right..." Analysis: The student pilot reported that during rotation, “>[...]