Well, Airlink has addressed concerns shared on social media and forums about the low altitude of two aircraft during a formation flyby over Cape Town’s DHL Stadium. The flyby was part of the build-up to the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Series between the Springboks and New Zealand’s All Blacks. According to Airlink, the flight required careful planning and rehearsal, as it involved flying low at around 150 knots.
FlightRadar24’s analysis of the aircraft’s ADS-B altitude data showed the planes flew less than 50 feet above the stadium’s highest point. The lowest recorded ADS-B altitude was 50 feet above mean sea level at standard pressure. After adjusting for local atmospheric pressure, it is estimated the aircraft’s altitude to be between 205 and 210 feet above mean sea level. With the DHL Stadium near sea level and its structure reaching about 164 feet, FlightRadar24 calculated the aircraft's clearance over the stadium at between 41 and 46 feet.
The flyby featured two Airlink Embraer aircraft, the green E190 ZS-YAE (MSN 19000456) and black E195 ZS-YDE (19000088), which were liveried in the colours of the competing teams and carried the official Tour logo.
