Context:
In September 1989, a Belgian Air Force mechanic named Ronald Van Ruyseveldt stole an F-16 fighter jet from Ørland Air Base in Norway during a NATO exercise. Even though he wasn’t a pilot, he managed to start the engine, take off, and fly for about two minutes before the plane crashed into a barn near the village of Brekstad, killing him instantly.
The event caused a major scandal and led to questions about security and safety procedures at military bases. Van Ruyseveldt was experienced with F-16 maintenance, which helped him get the jet airborne, but he clearly had no flight training to control it. It remains one of the only times in history someone successfully took off in a stolen fighter jet.
P.S.
The YouTube video in the image is actually really good
https://youtu.be/rlPxkUFmkqo?si=5QNwF4evEMTCdjlS
It’s an amazing cover of a Clanker shitpost
by Shekel_Hadash