For the Aircraft Lovers

[Jinxter13]

What was it that made you look and go Gee Whiz!!!...Man oh man just look at that!!, capture your imagination and hold you spellbound.

For me I was standing in my front yard heard this sound and knew it wasn't a prop, not really sure I looked up following the sound, about 15-20 seconds later I found it and it was not where the sound was..It was a USN F-4B ( I think) all Phantoms were gray/grey way back then in the early '60's I don't remember the markings clearly, just that it was grey overall and had a black nose. I could see the crew this one had to be no higher than 300ft( probably higher; wide eyed kids tend to guess wrong), back then when folks heard sonic booms and jet noise they were glad to know that we had them and they were keeping us in our overall comfort zones. Anyway I could see that it had a two man crew, later that same year I was on a trip to Austin and passed by Bergstrom AFB, when SAC owned it and saw some BUFF's from just outside the fence. They looked like they had their own zip code. I couldn't tell if they were painted or bare metal all I remember is they were shiny and BIG!!. The total awe and emotion of those two sightings are something that will go with me from here to the great beyond :D .

Edited July 17, 2011 by Angels49

[Les / Creative Edge Photo]

Seeing CF-104 Starfighters at an air show and hearing that glorious sound the 104 made. To me as a kid there was nothing like it. Simply wonderful sounds from the most beautiful fighter jet ever penned IMO. :wub:

[indydog]

For me there is one event that still gives me goosebunmps when I think about it.

It was about 1968, I was 6 or 7 and we were living at WPAFB (Fairborn actually). This was during the height of the Cold War when they still had regular alert flights. One night, my dad, my brothers and I were out fishing at a lake on base. It was dark, but I don't remember the exact time. I was standing on the end of a floating dock when, all of a sudden, there was a low distant rumbling. The water started to get ripples in it and the ground began to shake. I ran back to my dad and he said "Relax... watch". He pointed to the runway some distance off to our left.

As I turned and looked, a B-52 came out of the darkness at full takeoff power. With all 8 engines leaving a flaming trail, it passed by and rose into the air. I watched it for quite sometime. I can still remember the rumbing noise and feel the heat and pressure wave as it passed by.

At that moment, I said to myself "I need to learn more about those things" and I have been hooked every since.

Edited July 17, 2011 by indydog

[blunce]

Watching the SR-71 take off over my house on a regular basis, followed soon after by a pair of sonic booms. Never forget the way it made my chest and the windows rattle as it went over head. I miss those days of hearing sonic booms.

[jminer]

Growing up in the area around Offutt AFB, I remember being on the playground at school and seeing NEACP (now called NAOC), Looking Glass, many KC and RC-135's, T-38's, and even the occasional F-111. But by far my most memorable moments were sitting in class and looking out the window to see a B-52 coming in for a landing with the flaps down, gear down, landing lights on, and smoke pouring out of the engines as it came right overhead. I think the only thing that excited me as much as that was seeing a B-1B in the same configuration, wings out, flaps down, gear down, and roaring overhead. Makes me smile just thinking about it now. :D

Justin

[B-17 guy]

I'm a bomber guy but that shreiking, whistle sound that a mustang makes, my god, goosebumps every time.

[Dndieje]

The one I'll never forget happened sometime early June 1993.

I admit I had to Google the date but the event is still very clear in my mind :D

On the 8th of June 1993 the USAF deployed eight F-117 Stealth Fighters from the 415th TFS to Gilze-Rijen Air Base in The Netherlands for an exercise.

At the time I lived about 25 Miles west of the airbase and the arrival was a big event in the press.

This was not long after the 1st Gulf War where the F-117 had reached almost mythical status and Gilze-Rijen being a fairly "rural" base at the time this was quite something.

I believe it even made the national television news.

Because the news reports stated that the aircraft would operate mainly in the evening and I was working the late shift that week I resigned myself to the fact that I would never get to see these beauties for real.

Then on the last day they were supposed to be there it happened.

I was bumming around the house waiting to get to work, drinking coffee.

It was a beautiful day, the back door and all the windows were open, and I heard a strange sound outside.

The sound of jet engines was nothing out of the ordinary, Gilze-Rijen still had its resident 314 Sqn flying NF-5 at the time, but this was different.

I ran outside and right over my head (and I mean RIGHT over my head), at a very low altitude two F-117 flew over in a very tight formation.

The wingman was slightly to the right and slightly behind the leader.

They were black, they were sleek, they were sexy and if someone had shouted "the Martians are attacking" I would have been inclined to believe them !

It was almost as if they had thought 'if he can't come visit us, we'll go visit him'.

Even after all these years, a massive THANK YOU to the 415th for an unforgettable fly-by

[ixgr1]

-got to be a B-52 again,

Low and dirty fly-by for RAF Honington in 1981 - totaly unsedualed and out of the blue (i was walking my dog alone at the time). First time I saw a Buff, but I knew wat it was even before I'd seen it. Magnificent experiance for a 12 year old kid !

Close second is the whole world being shaken apart by an RAAF F-111, in full dump and burn at an airshow in Melborne.

[richter111]

Kadena AFB Okinawa Japan, full power take off of an SR-71

[Lucien Harpress]

Much as I like the props, what comes to mind is the first time I saw an F-16 at an airshow. Specifically that punch in the chest as she flew by in full afterburner.

[A-4Silverfox]

Tinker AFB, 1957 airshow, three vics with three B-36's each came in with the low vic at 500 feet. The earth was actually trembling as they went over the crowd. And the sound was indescribable.

[phantom]

Back when I was a cadet , trip on the Nimitz when she still had that "new carrier" smell.

Edited July 18, 2011 by phantom

[kg4kpg]

Two events I remember most that I think are my favorites, first back in the mid 80's at an air show in Amarillo and I saw an F-15 cruise down to the end of the runway just above the ground then seem to stop, point up then blast into the sky straight up until it was out of sight. Next was in 2008 when I saw the F-22 live for the first time. The whole demo was the most amazing thing I've ever seen done by an airplane.

[Wolfgun33]

Hmmm. Not sure what year it was but I remember as a kid seeing the T-birds preform at Randolph AFB in San Antonio, Tx. Nothing like seeing the F-16 in full display. That and seeing the T-38's and T-37's flying around Randolph.

[drhornii]

Years ago....I was working communications at an airshow and in the early morning, well before the show opened a B-25 made a high speed pass. Next to me was a WWII vet that was also a volunteer. When the Mitchell passed by, he stood very still and then I noticed a small tear run down his face.

The flyby was cool but watching him was priceless.

Edited July 18, 2011 by drhornii

[mako_leader]

While standing with my wife to be right underneath a Pig and feeling the heat on my face as it does a dump and burn and sets off every alarm in the car parkbehind me was magnificent, many years ago at Temora I was able to rush out to the fence just as the MkVIII Spitfire was starting up.

I was within an arms reach behind the rudder, and took a big deep breath just as the first cough of exhaust reached me. The sound of the crackle, the warmth and smell of the exhaust, the sight of the flames from the ports dancing in the wind of the whirling prop, ah yeah...........

Edited July 18, 2011 by mako_leader

[Jay Chladek]

For me, it was Randolph AFB in 1982 (I think, it could have been 1983). The RAF were doing the last US tour of a Vulcan bomber and this massive thing was doing chandelles, half loops and I believe a split S. Hearing those four Olympus turbojets putting out a loud throaty roar just stuck with me (GE powered Tomcats have a similar deep base pitch in their engine roar as well). It was impressive seeing something THAT big manuever like that.

[Aaronw]

In 1996 I was working my first season on a Forest Service engine crew. We were working a roadside fire along Highway 50 near Kyburz, CA. I was hiking 2 more hose packs up the steepest hill I had ever seen (or so it seemed) when I heard a big prop plane flying low. I stopped on a rock to find the plane and when I looked down saw a single tail B-24 (PB4Y2) come around a ridge flying below me to make a retardant drop.

[William G]

ahhh,

Many years ago I am guessing in 72 or 73.

My family and I got to see the Blue Angles at Whidbey Island.

The sound of the F-4J's as well as the sight of those sleek blue birds was all it took for we to become addicted to Jet Fuel and the whine of the engines.

William G

[cvrle]

A Mi-24 test flight - a nap of the earth run down the runway, some 2 to 4 meters off ground. I was standing right at the runway edge, at the helicopter pad. I've always loved aviation, but that was just... Wow!

A close second would be a Mi-8 test flight (on board for this one) when the pilots rolled the bird almost the full 90° port and starboard. Never in my right mind expected that!

[geedubelyer]

Great thread Clif.

For me there have been many Coly How moments but the first that I remember was watching an English Electric Lighning blast down the runway at ground level before standing on it's tail and heading straight up on full afterburner. Absolutely astonishing! :wub:

[Charlie Cheetah]

Seeing CF-104 Starfighters at an air show and hearing that glorious sound the 104 made. To me as a kid there was nothing like it. Simply wonderful sounds from the most beautiful fighter jet ever penned IMO. :wub:

Similar story for me also. Was a CF-104 making a sneak pass from behind the spectators area at a fairly low AGL and fairly high rate of speed, left quite an impression on my mind and my ear drums too. I forget the exact year, it was in the mid 70's I was probaly 7 or 8 years old at the time.

[TonyR]

Hi,

My defining moment was many moons ago while just a teenager working at a Co-operative, in a small Welsh village in what was then the county of Carmarthenshire. My job was working in the rail sidings loading 1cwt bags of coal from a railtruck. Whilst standing on top of this truckload of coal, I could hear a strange musical note growing in volumn & turned around in time to have three Hawker Hunter jets at what must have been no more than 3-400 ft blast right over my head & into the distance .... Having experienced the famous 'Hunter Howl' that close is something that really sticks in the memory!. :wacko:

Tony R

[Neo]

For the Aircraft Lovers

Humm i think your got the wrong forum :P lol

I have to say my absolute favorite is the F-14 Tomcat

when i lived in the Caribbean(on a sail boat) we hear one morning a mayday on the SSB radio and couple minutes after i saw 2 tomcat flying low and fast on the baring towards the position herd on the radio. later on a navy hopper (sea king? not sure) followed in the same direction.

Great stuff good memory

Cheers

Neo

Edited July 18, 2011 by Neo

[Bigasshammm]

I've got a couple cool ones. At the Cleveland Air Show right at the end of the runway sat the William G Mather which is a retired Lake Erie coal ship that has been turned into a museum. (It's since been moved a little further away from the runway but still a good seat) During air show weekends they sell tickets where you can sit on the deck of the ship and watch the show. There's usually about 150 people so there's no crowds, you get indoor restrooms, and they have food which is always excellent, Brats n dogs and such. Anyway a few years back when the F-14 demo used to come every year there was one instance where on the 14's highspeed pass it went past the rear of the ship and was actually lower than the deck. Was an awesome sight.

Also further back in the memory banks also at the Cleveland airshow when I was probably 10 or 11 I remember we used to sit out in the parking lot. (Before the Mather was there and basically the same location they eventually put the Mather) You could sit right out on the edge of the water and not have to deal with the crowds of the show. I remember vividly a B-1 going by at full blast and you could see the fire rings coming out of the engines. Then you were blasted by the noise and as others have pointed out all the car alarms went off. Awesome.

For a more recent one up until last year at the little tiny Kent State airport they have an "Aviation Day" every year. Well one of the guys who graduated from Kent State and learned to fly there was an F-15 pilot and he and a buddy who worked in the Pentagon apparently (what I've heard) arranged every year to have 2 F-15s do flybys for the show. Being that this is in the midst of tons of houses and local traffic they were never cleared for high speed passes so they were always slow low and usually dirty passes. But at the end of the runway sat a golf course which we would walk out and stand on the green of hole no 10 and as they passed the end of the runway they wold pull up into a steep climb and bank off to circle around to do it again. You could literally feel the heat from the engines and the flag on the flagstick would shoot straight up in the air. I remember another year we went into the show and managed to "sneak" out next to the runway with the one pilot's family and the mother was telling us how her son had commented once about the people on the golf course and that they were "crazy."

Sadly the 15s don't come anymore :(