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I did that up the Rhine river (under bridges) in my T-Bird.

As a strong supporter of National Parks, Ron Dick would appreciate his ability to capture some of the great aspects of the Grand Canyon, like more extended beautiful beaches that are not present today. :0) I am glad, as I'm sure he would be, that flight restrictions exist today, but am also glad to see this video.

Great video and look at the GC but would enjoy it a lot more without that obnoxious music, which adds nothing to the experience.

Get rid of that music. Ruined the whole video.

I agree with Daniel.

While I actually like Satriani's music, that and the fake jet woosh both greatly detract from some amazing footage.

Sometimes, less is more.

We took our C-141 down into the canyon back in the 80's.

Video With Music, Options:
- People who like the music can listen to it.
- People who don't like the music can mute the sound on their computer.

Those were the days! Thanks for sharing this amazing piece of aviation history and family footage. Gave me goosebumps.

Maybe someone could re-cut this with Surfin' Bird as the soundtrack?

Yea, the music ruined the video. Should have worked up authentic sound to this. Joe S. is good but his music has no place here.

Did in a 141 eh! cool I am a former 141 crew chief.
I met AVM Ron Dick once. One very fine gentleman he will be missed. We are blessed that his words are in print and on film.

I'd love to have the source video in order to de-interlace it.

Re: "Surfin' Bird" ....I'd much rather hear the Trashman's "Malaguena" as back-drop -- perfectly sublime.

After resigning from the RAF on the eve of my 39 th birthday I flew a shorts belfast up the full length of the canyon [one mile down ] as the crew sang happy birthday.Hows that for a birthday present?

Thanks for posting. What a fun ride for someone who usually rows a raft or operates a motor rig. Interesting to see all the beaches. They simply do not exist any more. Things were just as unregulated on the river back then as well. Probably for the greater good things tightened up a bit.

everything's cool as long as there isn't some other clown flying in the opposite direction! these kinds of testosterone fuelled antics are the reason for flight restrictions and rules. Wonder how many "top guns" bought it in the canyon trying to prove they had brass balls and ice water in their veins at tax payer expense. 'Nuf said.

Reminds me of floating in the Lower Canyon on a commercial raft trip in the early 1970's, we heard a jet coming but didn't see it until we looked LOW enough. It was an F4 Phantom only 200-300 ft above the river, and as he passed over wing up we were looking through the canopy and the pilot WAVED! Sort of blew us away.

Another Grand Canyon boatman.

Returning to Norton AFB from an airdrop TNG mission in NC, I navigated a C-141B down, in, and through part of the canyon, circ 1980. Flew IFR east of Tuba City, canceled IFR, assumed VFR, descended into the canyon south of Tanner Canyon Rapids (on Google Map) and flew down river (west bound) at altitudes well below the canyon rim. Passed by the South Rim Visitor Center about 1,500 feet below the rim of the canyon. Climbed back to enroute altitude, assumed our IFR clearance on to KSBD. All this, while in radio contact and coordination with, Air Traffic Control at LA Center.
I have 35mm photos showing the south rim off the left wing of the aircraft. At 280,000 pounds we were never inverted (that’s upside-down, Chris) or banked at 90 degrees following the canyon walls like Flt Lt Dick, but I could have airdropped a team of SEALS on any beach along the river that they wanted to descend on.

Excellent music track for this video courtesy of guitarist Joe Satriani. RIP Ron Dick and thank you to Ron's family.

Have to agree with the music comments...anything from the period would've made this video. It seems that ever since Top Gun, no one can post-produce an aerobatic aviation video without the obligatory "rock-n-roolll-dude!!!" soundtrack, heavy on the guitar (and I like Satriani too), low on the quality. Can't we just move on?

Chris Gartner: I'm sure to you every Military Pilot or Aviator is viewed in your eyes as a "Top Gun" and "doing these testosterone fueled antics". You obviously have no clue what 'Training Flight' means. Let me explain. A training flight is one in which is approved so that military training can be conducted. A low level training flight then (or now for that matter) can be done as long as it meets the training syllabus requirements. The U.S. Military abides by its training and operational standards. Some are equal to the FAA's standards and some are not. Some in fact are more restrictive, some less. While it can't be done today in the Grand Canyon, back then it could be. To be an effective military pilot, proper training is flown and is necessary for peacetime and wartime. Not all pilots are future Attack or Fighter pilots, but all Pilots and Aviators (even future Cargo pilots) are trained in Low Level flying. (This includes Fixed wing and Rotary airframes)


I guess with Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, etc., you would want our Military Pilots/Aviators flying near the enemy day or night in full view.

Thank GOD for our Military and Pilots and Aviators who have the Balls and Nerves of Steel to train, fight and fly!

this is a great video so amazing pilot.

Great video and this was prior to all of the advantages of today's terrain following radar system. Every military pilot has to train for mission requirements. In South East Asia in the late 1960's many pilots came back to base with elephant grass stains on both wing surfaces along with tree limbs, bamboo and other assorted vegetation after providing close air support when needed. There are a lot of grunts still alive because the pilots trained like this and thank God for their "testosterone fueled antics" it saved lives. Sorry Chris Gartner but you got it wrong but then I guess when all of your fight experience comes from the cinema or your X- box what can one expect. Sure wouldn't have wanted you on my wing in the A1 where the missions required low level precision flying, close air support means close, or be the C-130 driver who flew LAPES missions supporting the Marines at Khe Sahn. Patton said train like you fight.

It's been a long while since I visited this site and I am really pleased to see that people are still enjoying the footage. I put the movie together to show during my remarks at the celebration of Ron's life in 2008 and, at the time, I warned the people there that the music sound track was my choice (Ron would probably have picked opera!).

It had nothing to do with what others choose as background for similar videos (or Top Gun etc) but probably had everything to do with me once playing guitar in heavy metal bands :) I looked at the footage and immediately knew which track I would use. The jet sounds are of course not fake as someone commented, but they are not from a T33 either. There was no soundtrack at all on the original 8mm movie clips as the clockwork Kodak camera our family used back then had no mic. If there had been recorded sound, it would have been without drama, as there is no doppler effect from inside the aircraft - so it would have been a continuous white noise.

So - for those of you who are purists and would like to see the film in it's original form, hit the mute button - but the soundtrack had the desired effect at the end of my long remarks about Ron at the celebration - everybody woke right up and watched!

Best wishes all. Gary

I did this in a Beech Bonanza in about 1970,then landed at Page, Arizona. What a thrill; my wife was a little tense.

Did this as number 4 in a 4 ship straight wing F-84 flight out of Luke in 1953. Lead was Bud Seiler, a Luke instructor, who called Center and advised of our intent--no problem. Can't remember the names of the other two guys. Number 4 in a Hog was a lot of hard work!

John,
you are one hell of a guy to have flown number 4-box- in that canyon! Could not fully appreciate the view, I bet it was turbulent too.
Regards, Dick -F 86, elsewhere at that time, and still flying.

I fly a F/A-18 and did that faster then the speed of sound and it was 10x funner than that and you can see it on this web site www.fa18 in the grand canyon.com.au

i flew my mooney about 1500 ft. below the rim upon departure from the grand canyon airport, and went east to the point of the little colorado river then up to my flight plan altitude. what a site.

The real fun time was meeting someone coming from the other direction...

Thank you Ron Dick and family! As former flier (little one-engine recreational aircraft), it was a heart-warming delight to take a run down the Grand Canyon in a Jet! I wish the camera had been in the nose of the aircraft, eh? Blessings and Gratitudes, Doc Meek, http://www.docmeek.com

As usual, excellent video was trashed by loud noises some call rock music. While I don't imagine the intercom or radio exchages would have been recorded even some piped in jet engine sounds would have been better. Another video I saw was of WWII fighters and bombers. Instead of being able to hear the songs of the Merlin engines I clicked on mute to eliminate the distraction. Those who love the sounds of the engines be they piston or turbine prefer to hear the actual sounds of the aircraft to electric guitars at the threshhold of pain. But it's the same at the Thunderbird and Blue Angel airshows; those putting it on cater to the younger crowd instead vets like me with 1,500 hours in F-4 Phantoms. I know. Hit the mute button. I already said that's what I did so save your breath.

Another trick back then was to drop down low into Death Valley . . . . just so the altimeter would show a negative(an ex-RCAF crewman)

I agree the video was very nice, but the music was a ruiner. My ears are still bleeding.

Loved the video and the music.

Has any body seen the Movie where two F-15's from Luke AFB are flying in the GC? Smithsonian Inst. Filmed it back in 1982?

I think "Walking Distance" by the Buzzcocks would have been better background music.

I am so proud; Ron was my cousin. However I agree the music does nothing for the video.