OT: Sorties

Well, it looks like we are getting ready to invade somebody. Just had two fighter jets rumble over the house at less than 200 feet. Have not seen this action in a few years. They didn't seem to be out for a joy ride.

Greg

Where?

I live in South East Az. The A-10s use this valley to practice and train. It has been fun to watch them dog fight each other, evading and shooting flares for the last 17 yrs that we have lived here. They also have some plywood tank mockups on a small hill that they practice runs on. I have had them fly over our house low enough to see the pilots face. Sadly, that is coming to an end. The A-10 is being retired. I will really miss them.

From what few military stories I have read, the A-10 was the aircraft boots on the ground liked to see coming the most.

Sad to see it go.

Didn't think A-10s went A2A. The Air Force wants to get rid of that bird because it's not shiny enough for them. They want the air to air stuff and let the other services duke it out over the air to ground mission. They claim the new multi-role fighters have better capability to engage ground targets but I don't believe them and I can't see how their multi-role birds are as hard. I haven't seen an armament chart or T.O for the new birds but I suspect most of their air to ground capability is smart or enhanced weapons. The 30MM cannon on the A-10 was unique and was a relatively cheap way to inflict damage on hardened ground targets. The slow speed gave it greater loiter over the target, but it was hard enough to resist most ground stuff. And having that thing hovering around shototing stuff at will was unsettling to the enemy. I was Air Force, one of my Cousins was Army and served on a M-1 crew, we ran into each other about a year before Desert Shield/Storm and he was bragging how his tank was so bad-@ss and could take out anything in the sky. When we met again after the gulf war he admitted the A-10 scared the heck out of him, if they found you it didn't matter what kind of tank you were in you were gone if that's what they wanted. I was impressed with the A-10 but never got to work them, the only tactical aircraft I was assigned to were F-16s,F-15s, F104s (foreign duty assignment) and some BAC tornadoes but with those Birds we were around more to help the Brits and the RSAF, wouldn't go lead or hands on unless there was a pretty big goof up.

Can't remember the exact numbers, but I read somewhere that it cost some $35 Billion a year to operate 260 (?) A10's. BUT- it also cost about $35 Billion for one multi-purpose F-35. The Air Farce has some hundreds on order.....Somehow, I just can't get my hands on the facts that the F-35 is a better deal......

When they were based in Battle Creek, they had a reserved practice area just north of us in Mecosta county. Sometiomes got carried away, and they continued their dog-fights over our area. Plus the to and from right over us. Kind of unnerving, when running an open station tractor, and suddenly get a low level flyover right overhead from a direction not in your attention range. Sudden roaring, and sometimes the tractor even shook! Now have been moved to Selfridge, and we don't see 'em anymore. A-10 may not have been the hottest number in the hangar, but impressive all the same.

They fly over my house all summer going to a base about 40 miles away from me they fly about the same height

Back in the 60's the fighter jets would roar over our heads when we were sitting on our cabless tractors in the field, always coming from behind. I'd darned near need clean underwear afterward. The other day they were flying overhead again here in NWIA. Jim

Must be 7 years ago I was trimming the new base housing at Offutt Air Force Base,near Omaha. It was August, and the air show was that weekend. The Thunderbirds were practicing. One flew over so low I did not hear it until it was PAST me! That was startling! Took a long time for the ticker to settle down!!!

OmahaGreg, Somewhere around 35yrs ago B-52's used to fly out of Offutt and head our way on low level runs practicing trying to fly under the radar. Our neighbor right across the road had a 70' harvestore silo that they would fly on the other side. There were times that all I could see behind the silo was the nose and the tail. Cheap thrill for me.

I get Warthogs here as well. I've also been filled with pride when one day I happened to look up and a see a B-2 Stealth bomber returning to Whiteman AFB.

Here in NY we have Fort Drum and used to be Plattsburg AFB, used to see them practice all the time. They also practiced low level flight in the Adirondack Mts.
One time, I think 1990, I was skiing at Gore Mt with a friend and we got off the chairlift skied to top of a slope and stopped for a minute, then what I think was a C130 came right up the slope and I was looking the pilot in the eye. No Joke! That's how close they were. Very cool. Bet they were having fun.

We may well be getting ready to defend ourselves, although I doubt the people in charge think that way. North Korea and South Korea are lobbing rounds at each other, the Soviet Union appears to be reborn, China is stronger than ever and peoples subs are turning up in places they shouldn't be able to get to, or where a few months back. Figures that now is the time another round of "gut the military" is going on.

Like the old peace-nik song says, "When will we ever learn?..."

If the Air Farce wants out of close air support, fine, let them get out of it. The USMC has a lot of pilots that understand the concept of putting fixed and rotary wing aircraft right on top of a bad guy and the US Army has some pretty nasty rotary wing support platforms.

The A10 is a great airc'ft.Seems to me we should be makeing more to replace losses/attritions.Not a fast bird but deadly.The old joke was that it had a calender for an air speed indicator.
As for "A2A"-any time 2 military pilots are up and anywhere near each other,"A2A" will happen.If only 1 guy(or gal) is up ACM is going to take place.
Now isn't the time for the USA to be gutting the military.With what is going on with Russia,Iran,N Korea and China , the next fracas isn't going to be a brush fire war.

LOL! I live just a few miles from Ft. Drum and I was running a tractor and a S-717 forage harvester. The 717's are loud in the first place and I got buzzed by a warthog. Never heard him coming until he pulled out right over my head. Scared the Bejabbers out of me and just about shook me off the tractor. He made a second pass, banked over me and waved. He had his mask off and had a mile wide grin. I waved, shook my head and grinned back. He waved again and was off.

Saw the Blue Angels at the Dayton air show back in the mid-90s. While one was flying across in front of the crowd with the replica of the Wright Flyer showing off their low-speed capability, another one came in from the other way at high speed, and while everyone had their heads turned watching him, another came quartering in from behind. Scared the crap out of everyone.

(quoted from post at 15:17:09 04/02/14) LOL! I live just a few miles from Ft. Drum and I was running a tractor and a S-717 forage harvester. The 717's are loud in the first place and I got buzzed by a warthog. Never heard him coming until he pulled out right over my head. Scared the Bejabbers out of me and just about shook me off the tractor. He made a second pass, banked over me and waved. He had his mask off and had a mile wide grin. I waved, shook my head and grinned back. He waved again and was off.

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Don, where are you? I'm north of Gouverneur.

(quoted from post at 06:48:05 04/02/14) We may well be getting ready to defend ourselves.

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I don't see any Soviet, North Korean or Chinese military equipment lined up at a US border.
Seems right for the US to invade and fight. Have the Soviet Union or China move some support equipment into any of their allies nations . Then the complaining starts "when the shoe is on the other foot".

(quoted from post at 08:56:36 04/02/14)
The A10 is a great air craft.
Now isn't the time for the USA to be gutting the military.With what is going on with Russia,Iran,N Korea and China , the next fracas isn't going to be a brush fire war.

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The A10 is outstanding, in particular those with the latest upgrades.however as previously stated they are not new, shinny nor put big bucks in defence contractors pockets.
Obammy is cutting back the military for a couple of reasons . The US is beyond broke financially and can not afford the expense. Elections are coming up and abundant votes need to be bought with tax payer's welfare programs.
If crude oil wasn't bought and sold around the world with US dollars. The dollar would have collapsed years ago .

(quoted from post at 04:33:25 04/03/14)

(quoted from post at 06:48:05 04/02/14) We may well be getting ready to defend ourselves.

Click to expand...

I don't see any Soviet, North Korean or Chinese military equipment lined up at a US border.
Seems right for the US to invade and fight. Have the Soviet Union or China move some support equipment into any of their allies nations . Then the complaining starts "when the shoe is on the other foot".

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A Russian Navy ship just visited Cuba for the first time in years. Russian subs are showing up well inside what used to be our 'holy waters", Russian bombers have been brushing US airspace for over a year now just like they did in the Cold War. There was a blurb about something the Chinese did a few months back that was very provocative and North Korea fired on a Japanese naval vessel. The US is no longer the Big Dog in the world view. The status is changing.