FB-111 Pilot recalls when flying at Mach 1.2 at 200 feet during a Red Flag exercise he blew out the windows and a door of a Winnebago

[TBO]

FB-111 Pilot recalls when flying at Mach 1.2 at 200 feet during a Red Flag exercise he blew out the windows and a door of a Winnebago type RV that got lost into a restricted area

https://theaviationgeekclub.com/fb-...type-rv-that-got-lost-into-a-restricted-area/

[tous]

Few things beat standing out in the desert and having several aircraft (F/A-18E) fly over your head at 500 feet  AGL (above ground level) at MACH 1.5. (around 1200 MPH - 2000 KPH.) 

 

[Batesmotel]

I’ve had some real low flyovers by F-4s but they were all subsonic. I wish I had experienced a supersonic flyover. 

[tous]

Hard to do in CONUS.

It's against FAA regs except for some military airspaces.

What I remember the most was not the sonic boom, but how fast 1200 MPH is when you are standing still.

I knew what bearing they were on and they began as small dots in the sky and in less than a heart beat, they were past me and small dots again.

About two seconds later comes the boom, then a few seconds after that, you hear the engines whining from aircraft that already went by and are out of sight.

[Walt Longmire]

Back in my early logging days, jets from McChord air base would use rocks in the ocean off the coast of the Rez for live practice. Huge shell casings would wash up on the beach after storms. It was decided no more live ammo and then paint was used. Then even that was stopped. I'm certain there were times our logging equipment became mock targets. Was fun to watch them practice and dog fight. Sonic booms and all.

[tous]

McDonnell Douglas shared the Lambert St. Louis International airport with the commercial airlines, so seeing F-4s (Air National Guard) F-15s, F/A-18s and AV-8Bs  launching, recovering and flying around was an everyday occurrence.

The F-4Js with the old  GE J79 engines that left huge trails of black smoke made watching them even better.

And they were loud!

There was never a doubt when F-4s were on final or launching: ear-splitting roar and two black streaks in the sky.

 

[janice6]

1 hour ago, tous said:

McDonnell Douglas shared the Lambert St. Louis International airport with the commercial airlines, so seeing F-4s (Air National Guard) F-15s, F/A-18s and AV-8Bs  launching, recovering and flying around was an everyday occurrence.

The F-4Js with the old  GE J79 engines that left huge trails of black smoke made watching them even better.

And they were loud!

There was never a doubt when F-4s were on final or launching: ear-splitting roar and two black streaks in the sky.

 

I was there on business one time and staying at the hotel damn near at the end of the runway.  I stood in my room watching the places take off right at my hotel.  The passed right over me but I couldn't hear a sound.  the hotel was soundproofed to the extent that you couldn't hear a plane at takeoff right over you, also the windows were sealed.  

I was watching the IIRC, The AV-8B Harrier II was off in a corner by itself.  It rose in the air a very short distance and proceeded to make turns on its axis while stopping at apparent compass rose headings. 

It was amazing that in a low cross wind, the plane was stationary but turning about on its on axis and stopping every1/8" of a complete rotation.  it would stop completely still then make a quick short partial turn again to the next position.  I watch this for some time.  I was quite impressed at the control exhibited by the pilot.

[tous]

Lambert used to have an outdoor observation deck attached to the terminal.

It was usually crowded.

I have told the story before about when we were testing an AV-8B in a field at the edge of the airport near a major road.

Caused a huge traffic jam when folk got out of their cars to watch.

First thing we did to the Harrier -- replace the Lucas electrics. 

 

 

[tous]

The Harrier and AV-8B Harrier II had a major weakness common to all VSTOL aircraft of the era: it was strictly subsonic.

Heck, a World War II P-51 or F4U could just about catch up to them.

The AV-8B was designed and intended for the Marine Corps as a close support/ground attack platform where, like the A-10,  supersonic didn't matter.

But, like helicopters, such aircraft don't last long in the air over the battlefield if the other guys have fighters on station.

 

[gwalchmai]

I had a dorm room across from the flight line at Malmstrom for a while in the 70s. It was some kind of hub, I guess. BUFFs didn't use it but just about everything else did. Very busy at all hours. FB-111s were the LOUDEST of all.

[Al Czervik]

I'll bet that scared the crap out of ol' Walt and Jessie. 

 

Back when I was a kid, T-38s busted mach over our place all the time.  Right after the boom, every pissed off pheasant in the area would squawk.  We'd get F-4s and an occasional F-106 do the same.  

One memorable flight was a loose 4 ship of F-104s on the deck flying down the river.  Pops was at the O-club a day or two later and heard all but the lead aircraft required new engines due to the amount of sand ingested, and 4 guys needed new asses.

I had a buddy in the western desert area that used to laugh about "bouncing cows" back in his F-4 days.  He said on low level training operations, they would find a cow herd to bust mach over and the cows would look like popcorn as they would jump straight up as the shockwave hit them.  I didn't find it too humorous.  They would also take turns seeing how much water they could slosh out of stock tanks.  He went on the brrrt a lot of stuff in sandbox 1.

 

 

[Walt Longmire]

Back in 98 I watched the Blue Angels in Seattle. I was on an upper floor in Swedish Hospital, and they put on a show flying right between the sky scrapers at eye level. Of course no sonic booms, but as they turned you could see the vapor form over the wings and see the pilot inside.

[tous]

12 hours ago, gwalchmai said:

I had a dorm room across from the flight line at Malmstrom for a while in the 70s. It was some kind of hub, I guess. BUFFs didn't use it but just about everything else did. Very busy at all hours. FB-111s were the LOUDEST of all.

Are you still allowed in Montana?

 

 

[railfancwb]

Not military…

I remember the one time I flew commercial into San Diego. A day they were coming across the city to land and taking off across the ocean. I could look out windows on either side and see skyscrapers rising above the plane. 

[gwalchmai]

On 5/25/2023 at 7:32 PM, tous said:

Are you still allowed in Montana?

 

 

They require a two-day notice before I visit.

[Paul53]

My mistake. Sorry.