How a Rogue RAF Pilot Flew Under London's Tower Bridge for the First and Only Time
Did you know that a UK pilot once flew a Hawker Hunter jet right underneath London's Tower bridge for the first and only time? His name was Alan Pollock and in 1968 he went rogue and took a ride with just such a jet into London city.
Pollock was a flight commander in the UK's Royal Air Force's number one squadron and had grown up amidst the fighter pilots of World War II. So what possessed him to fly a Hawker Hunter jet into London city and particularly through London's Tower bridge?
In the 1960s, the Royal Air Force was dwindling. Long gone were its glory days and that is something that troubled Pollock. Then came the 50th anniversary of the founding of the organization and nothing was being done to celebrate this glorious day.
So Pollock decided to do something himself and essentially highjacked one of the Hawker Hunter jets to take a leisurely trip around London city and underneath London Tower bridge.
What happened when he got back from his trip? How did the Royal Air Force and the UK respond to his act of rebellion? Was Pollock ever allowed to fly again? This video answers all these questions and more.