Quote:
Originally Posted by Snake Eyes
Never seen one that low that wasn't landing, but when I was a kid back in the 80's I got to watch one refueling in-flight from above in a commercial jet that was overflying on an intercept course somewhere in the PacNW. Our pilot was a reservist and told us that might be a once-in-a-lifetime photo op for most of us, so I snapped a pic.
|
The first one I saw I thought it WAS going down. But when it didn't and after talking to the farmer I was scouting (I was a field scout for an ag consultant) told me that was normal. I was in the area once or twice a week and saw one on most of those days. They flew so many feet over sea level, with the altitude higher than any of the surrounding terrain and jinked around the turkey farms as the birds did NOT like the big birds.
The NDANG 'Happy Hooligans' use to practice interception of those birds too. Smokin' F4 after a BUFF.. they called it Buff hunting lol.
What was even more impressive than a BUFF was a BOne doing the same thing, at about twice the speed, just under the sound barrier. I saw only one of them as it streaked over where I was sitting eating lunch. I saw a dot in the distance growing rapidly, then WHOOOSH.. I wonder if a guy could get a Stinger off on it from time I saw it till it was gone blocked by the bluff.