NoWingsAttached
Unobtainium Member
- Joined
- May 21, 2006
- Messages
- 4,871
- Location
- Columbia, SC
- Aircraft
- Air Command Tandem w/ Arrow 100hp; GyroBee w/ Hirth 65hp; Air Command Tandem w/ Yamaha 150hp
- Total Flight Time
- >350
If you've followed my threads you know that I have had some interesting military aircraft encounters. In Carrollton, I had my first encounter while returning to CTJ in my Air Command Tandem CLT with a vintage Huey, and Blackhawks were always coming and going from there, out of Dobbins in Marietta.
This year, things really heated up after moving to Savannah when I encountered and flew side-by-side with the famous B-17, "Nine-O-Nine", with only a hundred feet of separation in my Air Command Yamaha Tandem.
Then, as posted later in that same thread, I reported flying a Blackhawk pilot around Savannah in the Air Command Yamaha ("the Wicked") when we encountered a Blackhawk Lima in the air, and did several pirouettes from about 100ft radius apart!
That helo was on government time/fuel, and the Army tower reportedly asked the pilot, "WHAT are you DOING out there???" We all got a good chuckle out of that one, as we rotated around and around together, down to about 100 ft MSL.
Hardly a day goes by that I don't see Chinooks, Kiowas, and/or Blackhawks flying directly overhead at 150-200 ft when I am at my hangar here. We are in their routine flightpath from Hunter AAFB and another reservation just southwest of here, and they are required to fly over us at midfield to avoid problems with our GA operations.
http://www.rotaryforum.com/forum/sh...ight=close+encounters+of+the+b-17+kind&page=2
After leaving my hangar today, heading to a customer's job sight, I was passing Savannah International Airport when I caught sight of a dozen Norhthrup SF-5B Freedom Fighters landing, in pairs and threes!! GA and commercial flights were nowhere to be seen, so obviously there must have been a NOTAM in effect. I tried to find a good vantage point to watch them come in. (example photo below)
When I thought they were all finished, I left to get to work...when, just down the road a piece, I saw what looked to be two F-18 Hornets, with the twin tails angled apart, unlike the straight up twin tails of the F-15s. I pulled off to the side of the road, got my camera ready, and realized as they approached closer, these were F-22 RAPTORS! Just as I raised my camera to get some video, a semi pulled up behind me and I had nowhere to get out of his way, so although I enjoyed the sight of these bad boys landing in strong winds, at slow approach speeds, wobbling and correcting all over the place, almost on top of me just 50 feet high, I got no video to show for it.
I found the Driveway for Gulfstream, just around the corner, and pulled my Durango off the side of the road at the end of the RW approach, and did get footage of three F-16 (What I call the Porsche of the fighter jets) landings.
I'll post some pics and vidz.
Thought some of you might like to share in my latest military aircraft close encounters, once again.
It got me thinking while driving home tonight: I wonder how many other gyrocopter pilots we have out there who have had the pleasure of sharing close airspace with warbirds and military helos? I have never read anything else like these reportings on here, so I am beginning to wonder if this is only happening to me?
I hope some other gyro pilots have some stories to share about their encounters with military aircraft lane: while flying their gyrocopters, even if this report today, about the fighter jets, is not a gyrocopter encounter.
lane:
This year, things really heated up after moving to Savannah when I encountered and flew side-by-side with the famous B-17, "Nine-O-Nine", with only a hundred feet of separation in my Air Command Yamaha Tandem.
Then, as posted later in that same thread, I reported flying a Blackhawk pilot around Savannah in the Air Command Yamaha ("the Wicked") when we encountered a Blackhawk Lima in the air, and did several pirouettes from about 100ft radius apart!
That helo was on government time/fuel, and the Army tower reportedly asked the pilot, "WHAT are you DOING out there???" We all got a good chuckle out of that one, as we rotated around and around together, down to about 100 ft MSL.
Hardly a day goes by that I don't see Chinooks, Kiowas, and/or Blackhawks flying directly overhead at 150-200 ft when I am at my hangar here. We are in their routine flightpath from Hunter AAFB and another reservation just southwest of here, and they are required to fly over us at midfield to avoid problems with our GA operations.
http://www.rotaryforum.com/forum/sh...ight=close+encounters+of+the+b-17+kind&page=2
After leaving my hangar today, heading to a customer's job sight, I was passing Savannah International Airport when I caught sight of a dozen Norhthrup SF-5B Freedom Fighters landing, in pairs and threes!! GA and commercial flights were nowhere to be seen, so obviously there must have been a NOTAM in effect. I tried to find a good vantage point to watch them come in. (example photo below)
When I thought they were all finished, I left to get to work...when, just down the road a piece, I saw what looked to be two F-18 Hornets, with the twin tails angled apart, unlike the straight up twin tails of the F-15s. I pulled off to the side of the road, got my camera ready, and realized as they approached closer, these were F-22 RAPTORS! Just as I raised my camera to get some video, a semi pulled up behind me and I had nowhere to get out of his way, so although I enjoyed the sight of these bad boys landing in strong winds, at slow approach speeds, wobbling and correcting all over the place, almost on top of me just 50 feet high, I got no video to show for it.
I found the Driveway for Gulfstream, just around the corner, and pulled my Durango off the side of the road at the end of the RW approach, and did get footage of three F-16 (What I call the Porsche of the fighter jets) landings.
I'll post some pics and vidz.
Thought some of you might like to share in my latest military aircraft close encounters, once again.
It got me thinking while driving home tonight: I wonder how many other gyrocopter pilots we have out there who have had the pleasure of sharing close airspace with warbirds and military helos? I have never read anything else like these reportings on here, so I am beginning to wonder if this is only happening to me?
I hope some other gyro pilots have some stories to share about their encounters with military aircraft lane: while flying their gyrocopters, even if this report today, about the fighter jets, is not a gyrocopter encounter.
lane:
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