I don’t know what the military guys have as regulations for low on their training flights. When I left high school I went to work for the Forest Service for two years. My area was the Challis National Forest. I spent a great deal of time in and around the South and Middle Forks of the Salmon River. Nearly every weekend we would see hear and get 6 or more two man teams of F16’s flying the canyons. Every time they were below the rim.
There are specific low level routes. The F 111's out of Mtn. Home used to make bombing runs on Anderson Ranch Dam all the time. They would come screaming up the canyon and pop up and over the Dam. There is also a low level route along US 93 that runs from Idaho thru Nevada. I've been buzzed more than once. Nothing quit like seeing an F 16 coming at you at a couple hundred feet above the road.
I used to live not too far off from PDX Airport, shared with PANG Base, with E/W runways. I could hear and see the F-15 take offs. One summer afternoon I was out mowing the lawn. I heard one then two take off, stopped to watch as they flew west. Three then took off, followed by four. Four rose into the air, and made a rapid turn to the east at tree top level. The tops of my cedar tress were right at 100/120 ft. As he went over I could see his his visored face thru the cockpit and feel the heat from the afterburners as he continued around and placed his aircraft back on the ground. Whatever the reason was, he wanted back down quickly. Never seen or experienced such before.
I think if they had just called it the “Falcon” it would have been better. Calling it the FIGHTING Falcon sort of implies there must be other versions, the Nesting Falcon, the Negotiating Falcon, the Surrendering Falcon....ya know, it’s got an F as the first letter of its designation F-16, so we already know it’s a Fighter, I think adding “Fighting” is kind of redundant.
There is a museum in Melbourne (Oz!) where you can climb into one of these, in the cockpit. Nice aircraft.
Ultimate Stealth, F-117S ?
Not a fighter but a great supersonic bomber! B-58 Hustler. My dad was stationed at Bunker Hill AFB in the 60's and we watched them take off and land. LOUD!
Never even heard about this one, but no, this wasn’t it. The one I was referring to happened sometime around 94/95. The aircraft had some sort of mechanical issue I would presume. This guy never even made it up to go around the pattern.
My 95 year old Dad has great stories flying 2nd seat bomb/nav during testing of this. Mach 2 wasn't just possible it was routine.
No problem. A while back I said that nice military aircraft aircraft images were just fine in this thread. It has evolved.
