The Speed Demon That Struck in the Wrong Place

On April 5, 1968, RAF Flight Lieutenant Alan Pollock lied to his squadron and took a 4.4-million-pound Hawker Hunter on a little detour. He expected to be arrested and court-martialed; his reputation forever tarnished. But he had to send the British government a message, and that was worth stealing a fighter jet. Pollock hugged the terrain with the Hawker Hunter transonic fighter to avoid detection. He reached Heathrow Airport and made a hard turn towards Richmond Park and the Thames. The Hunter’s revolutionary swept-wing design and Rolls-Royce Avon turbojet engine had broken the world’s airspeed record just some years back. Today, it took Pollock dashing toward London’s rapidly approaching skyline. He zoomed past Parliament, where lawmakers were ironically discussing noise reduction when the transonic roar made the walls shudder like jello. People ran out to see what was producing the deafening noise, trying to find it in the sky. Someone yelled: (QUOTE) “No, look down there!” pointing toward the jet skimming just above the Thames. Then, Pollock spotted his final objective, London’s Tower Bridge, straight ahead. It was time to deliver his message. He centered his Hunter and pushed to max speed, aiming to do what no fighter jet had done before… --- Join Dark Skies as we explore the world of aviation with cinematic short documentaries featuring the biggest and fastest airplanes ever built, top-secret military projects, and classified missions with hidden untold true stories. Including US, German, and Soviet warplanes, along with aircraft developments that took place during World War I, World War 2, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Gulf War, and special operations mission in between. As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Skies sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect and soundtracks for emotional impact. We do our best to keep it as visually accurate as possible. All content on Dark Skies is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. We are history enthusiasts and are not always experts in some areas, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us with corrections, additional information, or new ideas.