[Blue Ghost]

Originally Posted by carelm

When I was at Ft Irwin for a training exercise, our convoy got buzzed by an F-111 that was either supersonic or real close to it. I was in an M577 command vehicle and it shook as he went by. Pretty impressive shock wave.

Most excellent. Is the M577 amphibious by any chance?

[carelm]

Originally Posted by Blue Ghost

Most excellent. Is the M577 amphibious by any chance?

Yes, but I never personally tried it. It does have bilge pumps and some shrouds over the tracks. You steer it the same way you do on land, with the tillers controlling the tracks.

[Blue Ghost]

The ultimate "yacht" buzz

A friend new the guys in that battlegroup when this vid was made. Great stuff

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mb_7X_PUDk

[ychtcptn]

We had a P-3 circle us a few time last year on our way north, I was wondering why he was circling us, until I found out the girls were on the top deck sunning topless! With one of the stews he didn't even have to get to close to see them

[Blue Ghost]

Originally Posted by ychtcptn

We had a P-3 circle us a few time last year on our way north, I was wondering why he was circling us, until I found out the girls were on the top deck sunning topless! With one of the stews he didn't even have to get to close to see them

Very cool

I had a friend who was a P-3 sonar operator, and during their down time at base in Japan they used to flash fry hot dogs on the radar aerial. One hot dog per antenna, nearly close the nose cowl all the way. Turn on the radar for a fraction of a second, and those dogs were done at taxpayer's expense. Why? Because everytime they did that, they had to replace that said same aerial.

Here's another Yacht view of a Hornet buzzing the boat-crowd.

Blue Angels Low Level Super Sonic Fly-By - YouTube

[CR CRUISER]

As a young lad in the late 50's, I was intrigued by airplanes and especially military jets. Some friends and I would ride our bikes out to Downsview Airforce Base and sit outside the fence off of the end of the runway.

Some days there were only a few planes to be seen, mostly prop driven. And then one day we could hear and see a white jet fighter taxi to the far end of the runway. With a roar that shook the earth it started its take-off. It passed directly overhead at about 50 feet with the noise and air pressure just about flattening us to the ground. I didn't realize until many years later that we had witnessed one of the last flights of the Avro Arrow.

[Blue Ghost]

Wasn't that the Vulcan bomber from "Thunderball"?

[carelm]

Originally Posted by Blue Ghost

Wasn't that the Vulcan bomber from "Thunderball"?

They were two different planes as I recall. The Avro Arrow was a design exercise for the CAF that never made it to production. It was supposed to be a Mach 2 capable aircraft. The Vulcan was a subsonic bomber. Both aircraft were delta-winged though.

[Blue Ghost]

Originally Posted by carelm

They were two different planes as I recall. The Avro Arrow was a design exercise for the CAF that never made it to production. It was supposed to be a Mach 2 capable aircraft. The Vulcan was a subsonic bomber. Both aircraft were delta-winged though.

Ah, that's why I got so confused. They sure do look alike.

[Seafarer]

Originally Posted by Blue Ghost

For you worldly yachting types; have you ever been buzzed by a jet off of a carrier? Has a Tomcat or Hornet ever picked you up, or spotted you, and put on a small show or something?

We were buzzed by a number of F-14s but only because we were out when they were testing DFCS in the F-14D SuperTom back in the 1980s - so they were just following orders. My uncle was the DFCS engineer and had the final sign-off before any F-14 flew its maiden or refit test flight. Got up close to a lot of Navy experiments over the years.

Looking the other direction, we also had the Nautilus broach off our bow. I was a young pup, and I believe it was just before she started her last tour prior to decommissioning... so it had to be late 1970s. Swamped our bow and I recall everyone aboard thinking we were sunk in the Long Island Sound for sure.

[Capt J]

If any of you guys want to be the ones doing the buzzing, there's a MIG 21U for sale on plane trader with 130 hours SMOH for $95k. It's capable of Mach 2 and will definately make maintaining a yacht look cheap

[Blue Ghost]

Seafarer; that's a very cool story. The D version of the mighty cat gave it new life. Still a very capable air frame, but a little too visible on modern radar with all her curvy surfaces.

The last few days have seen some close shaves with Tomcats, Hornets and yachts over San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate. Tomorrow I'll be out there by the yacht club near Chrissy Fields, munching on fast food and waiting for the air show.

Come one, come all

[Blue Ghost]

This weekend is Fleet Week along the San Francisco waterfront. Tons of events going on in the city itself too. Lots of yachts and fighter aircraft of all sorts.

[mwagner1]

WOW...some of these stories bring back some great memories, if not on water, of the Thunderbird's. From grades 2-10 I lived in Universal City, a suburb of San Antonio and also home to Randolph AFB. Randolph is still, to the best of my knowledge, a major flight training facility (T-38's I think but could be something else newer as that was over 30 years ago)...anyway, my best friend at that time had a dad who was stationed at Randolph and we went on to the base quite frequently...I will never forget seeing the Thunderbird's practicing there for an upcoming airshow or watching the other monster planes roaring up and down the runway....those were certainly more care free and enjoyable times..

Cheers,

[thebighawk]

Took my Dad for a float trip down the Little Tennessee River before dam was built. As we were floating under a bridge, a jet flying through the canyons joined us. Besides scaring the crap out of us, and being wayyy to close, exhaust almost turned us over.
At least a US plane!