If you don't feel protected...

[D2Cat]

when you see one of these fly over, you'll probably never feel protected!

Flying out of Whitman AF base.

 

[85Hokie]

I was lucky enough to see one of those live as it flew over a college football game.

It was silent and out of this world !!

 

[Daren Todd]

I was lucky enough to see one of those live as it flew over a college football game.

It was silent and out of this world !!

I had one fly over me while on the interstate near an airforce base. It was coming in for a landing on a runway super close to the highway.

It came in from behind me so all of a sudden it was right there!!!! And really low!!!!

Surprised the daylights out of me maybe caused a mini stroke

 

[Trapper Bob]

My farm sits under airspace that the F-16s use to practice their dogfighting. It is pretty cool to watch them. You can always hear them, but seeing them is kinda hard sometimes.
I’m not sure which airbase they are coming from.

 

[Flintknapper]

For something I can 'SEE' flying over.....I'll take an A10 Warthog. Which is ill advisedly being phased out (big mistake IMO).

 

[GreensvilleJay]

idiots here,finally got the Lancaster flying again.....
and we're still flying P-3 Orions.....!!!
I prefer airplanes with props,they just sound 'better'... same as steam locomotives vs diesels.

 

[NCL4701]

Back in the late 80’s when I was on a cable laying crew we got a show from a pair of F14’s dogfighting low enough we could see them about 80% of the time. All of us, including the boss, stopped and watched until they left. Lasted quite a while.

By far the most memorable experience with our military aircraft was a little closer. About 20 years ago I was working at the coast after some hurricane or other. There’s a laser bombing range in southern Dare County in a desolate swampy lowland. From what locals told me after this, it’s primarily used by the Navy as they’ll park a carrier offshore and make runs at the range from the carrier. I did not know this at the time.

I was going from Manteo south on 264 toward Englehard in a Chevy Astro van (company owned). Where this happened, 2 lane road with the Atlantic Ocean about 100 yards to my left, a ditch big enough to qualify for a river back home to my right with no one and nothing for miles. I was running a little over 100 mph, (not recommended) because that’s as fast as the Astro would go, when I see out of my peripheral vision this little plane coming from my left. It was running really low, about the same level as those little prop planes that tow the advertising signs at the beach, but there were no tourists here so I actually pay it some attention. It was coming in fast and if we both continued it was going to time out for it to cross right over top of me. I was not excited about adding turbulence from whatever this thing was to an Astro at 105mph or whatever and I couldn’t go faster so I slowed down for it to cross in front of me.

This thing that I’m about 90% sure was a F-18 crosses the road a couple hundred yards in front of me at “I can see the pilot” height running like a bullet shot out of a gun. I thought, “That was weird, it was totally silent and zero turbulence even though that was awfully close.” Instantly I realized what was coming and laid hard on the brakes to finish stopping. I was almost dead stopped when the sound and turbulence arrived to damn near knock the van into the ditch (where it would have sunk in 15’ of water). Looked to the right out of curiosity as I was stopping. By the time the sound arrived, the plane was a little silver blip in a deep blue sky on a bright sunny day.

As I resumed my trip, I was thinking with it running obviously well above speed of sound if that was coming after you, the only way you’d know it was coming (aside from detection system such as radar) would be to happen to see it coming. If you did see it, you have maximum about 4 seconds to react before it arrives (probably less before whatever ordinance it fires arrives), and by the time anyone hears it coming, it’s gone and whatever target it had is no longer there to hear anything.

One of the locals told me after that notices are put out well ahead of time when they’re using the range and they’re all used to it. Not much traffic on 264 in that area and that’s the only area potentially impacted where people might be.

 

[Biker1mike]

For something I can 'SEE' flying over.....I'll take an A10 Warthog. Which is ill advisedly being phased out (big mistake IMO).

A-10's used to come over the hunting camp by Fort Drum. Tree top level doing close ground support. I would hate to be on the wrong side of that gatling gun.

 

[The Evil Twin]

For something I can 'SEE' flying over.....I'll take an A10 Warthog. Which is ill advisedly being phased out (big mistake IMO).

The Thunderbolt (Warthog is its nickname) is one of my favorites. There is a AF base in WV they fly out of to do training runs in the Appalachians. They'll drop to the deck and run drills through the valleys. It is pretty cool to watch.

 

[lynnmor]

The Thunderbolt (Warthog is its nickname) is one of my favorites. There is a AF base in WV they fly out of to do training runs in the Appalachians. They'll drop to the deck and run drills through the valleys. It is pretty cool to watch.

For years the Warthogs trained over my head where they would follow the Susquehanna River, perhaps for visual only flying. I don't see them regularly anymore, maybe they are indeed being phased out.

When I do see fighters fly over it kind of saddens me knowing those brave, highly skilled folks are being commanded by you know what.

 

[The Evil Twin]

For years the Warthogs trained over my head where they would follow the Susquehanna River, perhaps for visual only flying. I don't see them regularly anymore, maybe they are indeed being phased out.

When I do see fighters fly over it kind of saddens me knowing those brave, highly skilled folks are being commanded by you know what.

They haven't been dropped yet. The first round is scheduled for this fiscal year. 15-18 units are to be mothballed. Increasing until 2028 when they are all to be gone.

Air Force seeks more A-10 cuts, wants them all retired in 5-6 years - Breaking Defense

The Air Force has been asking Congress for permission to mothball the aircraft for years, which lawmakers approved in fiscal 2023. The FY24 budget is likely to ask for more retirements.

breakingdefense.com

 

[FattyArbuckle]

A-10s were the last to fly out of local base before they closed it. We were in the pattern and they always flew low and slow right at us and started their turn over our barn. It never got old watching them.

 

[fried1765]

For something I can 'SEE' flying over.....I'll take an A10 Warthog. Which is ill advisedly being phased out (big mistake IMO).

Sadly,.......the politicians (and military brass) have decided to phase out the A-10.
I have never flown it, but friends will be very sad to see it go.

 

[Daren Todd]

My farm sits under airspace that the F-16s use to practice their dogfighting. It is pretty cool to watch them. You can always hear them, but seeing them is kinda hard sometimes.
I’m not sure which airbase they are coming from.

Our home was on the flight path the big cargo planes going in and out of the Jacksonville air base.

Same with work. They were higher over the house. But circle pretty low over the shop in Little Rock getting lined up for the runway. Usually there are three of them flying close formation.

 

[Flintknapper]

A-10s were the last to fly out of local base before they closed it. We were in the pattern and they always flew low and slow right at us and started their turn over our barn. It never got old watching them.

Yep.

I lived in Louisiana for a couple or years (near Slidell) and there is a Joint Reserve Base near there. The A-10's would routinely fly over the area Low & Slow. When driving on the interstate you could see them pop up over the tops of the pines and then parallel the highway as if pursuing the vehicles. Of course they were actually hundreds of feet up (if not a thousand) but low...for sure.

They are remarkably quiet until they catch up with you. Then they would suddenly peel off or just go straight up (and I do mean straight up). Incredibly maneuverable aircraft. There would 3-4 of them at a time flying over the area. They would seemingly be out there practicing for an hour or so....then be gone.

 

[skeets]

A shame really, get rid of the warthog because it aint sexy, and have nothing to take its place

 

[Tughill Tom]

We get the F-16's out of VT-ANG and HN-ANG getting seat time over us all the time. Great fun to see and try to find them when they turn and almost burn.
Also a lot of Rotary Wing out of FT Drum, moving to and from the old Air Force base in Rome.

 

[Lencho]

We won’t match the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) man for man. We need technology/armament advantage.

 

[bbxlr8]

I'm originally from Delaware and the N/S highway goes VERY near the end of the runway at Dover.

I have been under landing C5As that were so close overhead that they appeared too slow to fly due to their immense size. There is nothing I can compare it to! The main contingent was there for many, many years

 

[skeets]

Talk to anybody that has been inthe middle east,, that brrrrrrrrrrrrrap of an A 10 has saved a lot of young men and women,, Kinda reminds me of Puff the Magic Dragon,,, low slow and deadly