No comparison? US stadium flyover gets South Africans talking

A clip of a US aircraft performing a stadium flyover has elicited a strong reaction from South Africans. This comes a day after Airlink was criticised over its “dangerous” stunt performed at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town.

South Africa’s first flyover took place at Ellis Park at the 1995 Rugby World Cup final between the Springboks and the All Blacks.

US STADIUM FLYOVER HAS SOUTH AFRICANS TALKING

In the wake of the Springboks 33-26 defeat of the All Blacks 33-26, all eyes have been on Airlink’s flyover of the DHL Stadium in Cape Town.

While local publications have notably praised the stunt, international media houses have criticised the pilots’ actions. Some social media users have even accused South Africa of attempting to “copy” the US, despite South Africa’s long-running pre-match rugby tradition.

Another social media user shared a clip of a stadium flyover in the US.

@ZizinjaAbelungu tweeted: “Now I understand why America is so jealous of our jet flyover. What is this?”

In the comments section, others agreed…

@TshegoKgoedi_: “You need binoculars to see it.”

@King_Konde: “That’s not a flyover, that’s a plane just flying by.😂”

@suurman012: “Is that a kite?”

SAFETY FIRST

Meanwhile, Airlink has set the record straight on the backlash to the DHL Stadium flyover, revealing that the stunt had come with “careful planning and rehearsal” and “experienced pilots”.

The official account of Globa Statistics Wire also shared: “The South African Civil Aviation Authority reports 40 years of zero commercial airline fatal accidents. With an ICAO safety compliance score of 95.12%, SA ranks 1st in Africa and 8th globally, ahead of the USA, proving its airline infrastructure rivals the world’s most advanced networks”.