*OT* Living Near Military Bases

Blaine · Post by **Blaine** » Sat Mar 21, 2009 3:07 pm

I love hearing the big guns and MaDuce's thump-thump from the Fort across the road and a couple miles up, the AFB will send the big C-17s and fighters overhead for a show every couple days...All the helicopters, too

...I can't believe people write the papers bit**ing about this. I might be biased, being retired Army AND a great fan of projecting power, but I think that's the Sound of Freedom and it makes me proud to be/have been a part of it.

jnyork · Post by **jnyork** » Sat Mar 21, 2009 3:19 pm

We live 2 miles from USMC Air Station Yuma. The big CH-53's come over our house at about 100 feet or so, we can wave to the crew members. Also have CH-46's, Huey Cobras, Harriers (VERY noisy). I really enjoy seeing them, and the noise doesnt bother me a bit, it's the sound of me not having to take my wife downtown to get her fitted for a burka.

Only thing that really bothers me is that I am now too old and decrepit to suit up and be up there with them.

bigbore442001 · Post by **bigbore442001** » Sat Mar 21, 2009 3:23 pm

Not everyone feels that way. I know here in Massachusetts there was a big stink over the deployment of A-5's at Westover AB in Chicopee. When the base was built the area was all farmland and mixed woodlots with few people. Then it got invaded by suburbanites and they started to complain about the noise issue.

TedH · Post by **TedH** » Sat Mar 21, 2009 3:33 pm

I love seeing those military aircraft in action. I look forward to every Memorial Day when our local airport has the "Salute to Veterans" airshow. They always have some of our new hardware and some old stuff.

http://www.salute.org/index.shtm

jeepnik · Post by **jeepnik** » Sat Mar 21, 2009 4:53 pm

The military has pretty much moved out of this area, with the exception of one "Air Force Base". But that has something to do with space and missles and has no "hardware". The Coasties have exercises every now and then, but MaDuce is about the biggest thing they use, and then with blanks. We do see quite a few Coastie helos, and the Marine's sometimes have helo's flying by. I think there out of Pendleton. I usually see them flying north.

As to those that complain, you always have those that make noise, but when the bad times they are the first ones crying for help.

Post by **Chuck 100 yd** » Sat Mar 21, 2009 5:03 pm

The sound of FREEDOM!!!

rjohns94 · Post by **rjohns94** » Sat Mar 21, 2009 5:05 pm

I always thought it was the sound of freedom

JohndeFresno · Post by **JohndeFresno** » Sat Mar 21, 2009 5:15 pm

I miss seeing the big B-52's - the rush of sound as they took off, the illusion of the silver monsters floating in slowly on final approach - at Castle AFB in Modesto. I would see them when I traveled on Highway 99, to or from the State Capitol; and I felt a great deal of pride and security in seeing these global peacekeepers always aloft. During the Clinton era, Castle was one of the many bases that was "affected;" and combined with the aging fleet, we no longer enjoy the presence of these big birds in the sky.

But I sure liked to travel that stretch of 99 for a great many years, looking for evidence of our supremacy and security.

jeepnik · Post by **jeepnik** » Sat Mar 21, 2009 5:37 pm

JohndeFresno wrote:I miss seeing the big B-52's - the rush of sound as they took off, the illusion of the silver monsters floating in slowly on final approach - at Castle AFB in Modesto. I would see them when I traveled on Highway 99, to or from the State Capitol; and I felt a great deal of pride and security in seeing these global peacekeepers always aloft. During the Clinton era, Castle was one of the many bases that was "affected;" and combined with the aging fleet, we no longer enjoy the presence of these big birds in the sky.

But I sure liked to travel that stretch of 99 for a great many years, looking for evidence of our supremacy and security.

Hey, ever watch a BUFF take off? Wonder why the wings flex? It because if they don't flap their wings, they'll never get off the ground.

BlueStateSaint · Post by **BlueStateSaint** » Sat Mar 21, 2009 5:51 pm

I had the chance to see a BUFF on a NOE mission in the Adirondacks--from above the aircraft. My college was having an ROTC exercise on some land they used to own in the Adirondacks--said land was on the edge of a lake, and the lake was right in the middle of a USAF NOE training corridor (the 52s were out of Griffiss AFB in Rome NY). I heard this thing coming while standing on the top of the hill (1400'), and turned just in time to see it go across the reservoir at about 100'-200' AGL. (The joke was that we seniors had called in air support.)

Modoc ED · Post by **Modoc ED** » Sat Mar 21, 2009 5:52 pm

The area we live in is right next to the least populated area of the United States. As a result, the Air Force National Guard from Klamath Falls, OR do all their flying exercises over our area -- simulated dog fights, etc.. I like to stand out on the property watching them. Sometimes when out shooting ground squirrels in the fields, they put on quite a show.

The hell with those that don't like it.

txpete · Post by **txpete** » Sat Mar 21, 2009 6:24 pm

BlaineG wrote:I love hearing the big guns and MaDuce's thump-thump from the Fort across the road and a couple miles up, the AFB will send the big C-17s and fighters overhead for a show every couple days...All the helicopters, too ...I can't believe people write the papers bit**ing about this. I might be biased, being retired Army AND a great fan of projecting power, but I think that's the Sound of Freedom and it makes me proud to be/have been a part of it.

ditto here I am not far from ft hood and I can hear the "sound of the guns" at night.
pete

C. Cash · Post by **C. Cash** » Sat Mar 21, 2009 9:41 pm

You bet! Love to hear the Mini-guns most of all, or the Avenger Cannon on a Warthog.

Post by **Ysabel Kid** » Sat Mar 21, 2009 10:17 pm

+3 on the "sounds of freedom" - from the finest military ever to have graced the planet!!!

Me? I'd like to slap the living S#@t out of any limp-wristed liberal complaining about our military practicing the skills that will protect them and protect freedom!

Mustang 22 · Post by **Mustang 22** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 11:11 am

One of my biggest pet peeves are these pantywaist idiots around my part of the world. Fort Lewis, in western Washington, has been where it is for a hundred years or more. Thousands of people in this area get their income, in one way or another from this post and McChord AFB next door. The "Sound of Freedom" has been present in this area for the whole time. But it never fails, one of these idiots will will buy property close to the Fort then gripe because of the noise. They write in the gripe section of the local newspaper trying to drum up suport for their cause. They should be down on their knees in thanks to the people on post that need to train up prior to deployments and support them in every way

creosote · Post by **creosote** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 2:52 pm

I live two hundred yards from the fence of "B" range at the China Lake Naval weapons Center in California.
I have watched so many interesting activities from my front porch that include:
watching the nav lights on aircraft as they make bombing runs that start very far up and the then seeing the bombs impact in the dark of night and waiting for the
sound to reach me.
Seeing the white hot streak of light as air to ground rockets are fired at targets at night, usually on tv they show those rockets in slow motion, in use they are really moving.
One morning as I was leaving for work I thought my car engine was making a strange noise, when I got out and lifted the hood I realized my car was ok, the
noise was the miniguns from the gunship out on the range .

On the downside I was working on the 110 volt electrical system on a travel trailer one sunday morning with my old bald head in a tight space when the E.O.D. guys set off some ordnance and caused me to bump my head a good smart whack.
I have often seen them setting off charges and that is maybe a mile away.
its an interesting place to live.

piller · Post by **piller** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 3:51 pm

As a former Army Infantry soldier, I have to admit to liking the sounds of the ordnance going downrange. It reminds me that there are others doing what I did for love of country.

Bogie35 · Post by **Bogie35** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 4:37 pm

I can remember as a kid waking up on Saturday morning and hearing the percussions of mortar training at Fort Jackson in Columbia, SC. I remember thinking how safe I was because of that power. If someone attacked us, they were REALLY gonna get it!

It is indeed the sound of freedom!

bogie

HATCHETTJACK · Post by **HATCHETTJACK** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 6:00 pm

i drive truck and take a shotcut through fort bragg every once in a while.... when they are playing war games ive went around a corner and had an apache helicopter staring me down

pretty cool sight....

1894 · Post by **1894** » Mon Mar 23, 2009 8:44 am

BlueStateSaint wrote:I had the chance to see a BUFF on a NOE mission in the Adirondacks--from above the aircraft. My college was having an ROTC exercise on some land they used to own in the Adirondacks--said land was on the edge of a lake, and the lake was right in the middle of a USAF NOE training corridor (the 52s were out of Griffiss AFB in Rome NY). I heard this thing coming while standing on the top of the hill (1400'), and turned just in time to see it go across the reservoir at about 100'-200' AGL. (The joke was that we seniors had called in air support.)

Seen the same thing at our camp in the Adirondacks , except I was directly under it. Low enough I couldn't see both wing tips and the open bay doors looked like our two story camp could fit inside. Miss those low NOE days. And the Buffs

Ron Macy · Post by **Ron Macy** » Mon Mar 23, 2009 1:55 pm

One of my most thrilling sites ever was on the interstate while driving across Missouri. My daughter and I saw Warthogs hedgehopping back and forth across the highway. Beautiful.

Jayhawker · Post by **Jayhawker** » Mon Mar 23, 2009 5:14 pm

I grew up about 20 miles from Ft. Riley, KS and remember the distant booms from their artillery exercises. I would've loved to be able to go watch!

Now I have to be content to listen for the sound of overhead planes from nearby Miramar. It's just not as interesting.

Hillbilly · Post by **Hillbilly** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 12:00 pm

Back in the 60's we lived walking distance from Lake Michigan in Southwest MI. I'd been out in what is now Grand Mere State Park chasing rabbits behind the dune line. I worked up to the crest of a dune so I could see the lake... and to my suprise... found myself looking DOWN on a USAF jet flying north along the beach... he broke left (out over the water) before he could get up to St Joe (about 7 miles north)

I sorta miss driving across Florida north of Lake Okeechobee too... we used to see USAF F-4's working low level runs on the range out there... I stopped on the shoulder of the road more than once and just watched.

We see a few helios heading back to Ft Sill and AWACS going into Tinker...from the house here in OK

Jeff

66GTO · Post by **66GTO** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 3:12 pm

BlaineG wrote:I love hearing the big guns and MaDuce's thump-thump from the Fort across the road and a couple miles up, the AFB will send the big C-17s and fighters overhead for a show every couple days...All the helicopters, too ...I can't believe people write the papers bit**ing about this. I might be biased, being retired Army AND a great fan of projecting power, but I think that's the Sound of Freedom and it makes me proud to be/have been a part of it.

You would love living here in Northwest Florida. I grew up hearing the hum of prop planes and sonic booms of jets.

We have Pensacola NAS (home of the Blue Angels, who fly right over my house on training flights), NAS Whiting Field (helicopter training), Eglin AFB (it used to be a SAC base but now is used mostly for weapons testing), Tyndall AFB (F-22 fighter squadron), and Hurlbert Field AFB (home of the C-130 Spectre gunships).

The C-130 gunships are my favorite. They are the big 4 engine turboprops that orbit a target and lay down fire from 20 mm gatling guns on up to 105 mm howitzers. I hear them letting loose at night. A great sound! This is what they train for (kicking some Taliban butt!) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsA9VtQ_uLg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1nFtbiz ... r_embedded

shdwlkr · Post by **shdwlkr** » Fri Mar 27, 2009 3:38 pm

Here in the desert I live 30 miles from an air base and we see there stuff and the local National Guard fly by. Have been on the expressway that runs by the base when the F16's do a scramble and they are low when they go over the highway and very loud. Wished I could thumb a ride sometimes.
No it is more scary when there is nothing in the air like 9-11-01 when the skies where empty of anything for a few hours.
I am former Army and yes I like to see and here 155 howitzers and ma deuce talking and then you have plastic and demo cord to play with yes it is fun to see it used but am to old to play anymore.

Mokwaw · Post by **Mokwaw** » Fri Mar 27, 2009 6:09 pm

I don't live near a military base, but the Indiana Air Guard has a station in Ft. Wayne. Usually once or twice a month there will be a pair of A-10 Warthogs come scimming the tree tops over my place, I love the sight of these guys and always wave if I'm out in the yard. I suspect they are using the dam at the reservoir for "target" practice. What a rush it must be to fly one of those machines.

AJMBLAZER · Post by **AJMBLAZER** » Fri Mar 27, 2009 6:13 pm

The Blue Angels come up here even numbereds year during the summer for Cherry Festival. Increasingly after every visit the local newsrag gets a whole section of cry babies complaining about everything from the cost to the noise to the "unjust show of aggression". WTF ever...

The A-10's from the MI ANG in Battle Creek, MI used to fly over my folks' place as I was growing up. They'd be doing NOE stuff down low and you could see them trying to maintain a specific height over the hills and valleys.
Then again we were also under one of the legs at GRR in Grand Rapids so I grew up used to aircraft flying overhead all day.

Blaine · Post by **Blaine** » Sat Mar 28, 2009 1:37 pm

AJMBLAZER wrote:The Blue Angels come up here even numbereds year during the summer for Cherry Festival. Increasingly after every visit the local newsrag gets a whole section of cry babies complaining about everything from the cost to the noise to the "unjust show of aggression". WTF ever...

The A-10's from the MI ANG in Battle Creek, MI used to fly over my folks' place as I was growing up. They'd be doing NOE stuff down low and you could see them trying to maintain a specific height over the hills and valleys.
Then again we were also under one of the legs at GRR in Grand Rapids so I grew up used to aircraft flying overhead all day.

Well, yeah....just think of all the starving terrorists in ragland. You could buy a lot of camel liver for the cost of that JP4

Rusty · Post by **Rusty** » Sat Mar 28, 2009 1:50 pm

When they used to have a fighter wing at McDill in Tampa it was common to see a flight heading towards the Avon Park Bombing range right in the center of the state. When I was outside and heard a formation go over I'd always look up and then say to who ever was around, "I hope those are ours." You'd be surprised at the looks I got like they'd never thought of that part before.

new pig hunter · Post by **new pig hunter** » Sat Mar 28, 2009 2:29 pm

I guess I'm a more sensitive kinda guy ..... when I was doing reserve Seabee duty near Norton Air Force Base in San Bernadino during Desert Storm, I stayed in on-base quarters and never got any sleep. The near-constant scream of the engines on the big transports most all day and night jangled the nerves and many of us couldn't get any of that deep REM sleep.

It was really something to stand out on the flight line and watch all the activity, but when it was time to sleep, well, that changed our attitudes a bit. After a couple days of that we were more or less zombies. Talking to the flight line guys, they said it took about a week to "push through" the zombie phase. Those guys were awesome in what they were doing, day in and day out.

Cheers,

Carl

AJMBLAZER · Post by **AJMBLAZER** » Sat Mar 28, 2009 2:46 pm

Yeah, you get used to it. I was stationed at MCAS Miramar for over three years 98-01 and you just sorta stopped noticing the noise until you went home on leave or any place far enough away from base that it wasn't always there.

I worked on the runways running the arresting gear. I had F-18's at full burn roaring by me many times a day...we didn't think much at all of the noise from one at distances greater than 1000 feet.

jeepnik · Post by **jeepnik** » Sat Mar 28, 2009 3:43 pm

We used to have the Huskies on 24 hour alert. That meant we usually worked 24 on 24 off. We'd be able to sleep at night if we had no emergencies. That meant you were in a building on the flight line. After a few weeks, you could sleep like a baby, even with the Thuds taking off. Those single engined afterburning jets were loud.

Bear 45/70 · Post by **Bear 45/70** » Sat Mar 28, 2009 3:52 pm

jeepnik wrote: ..............even with the Thuds taking off. Those single engined afterburning jets were loud.

Where were you stationed with the F-105s?

jeepnik · Post by **jeepnik** » Sat Mar 28, 2009 5:17 pm

Bear 45/70 wrote:
jeepnik wrote: ..............even with the Thuds taking off. Those single engined afterburning jets were loud.

Where were you stationed with the F-105s?

Saw some at NKP, Thailand. At George AFB, California, there was a squadron that rotated back just before I went to Spain. Pretty much all Phantoms there.

Bear 45/70 · Post by **Bear 45/70** » Sat Mar 28, 2009 6:06 pm

jeepnik wrote:
Bear 45/70 wrote:
jeepnik wrote: ..............even with the Thuds taking off. Those single engined afterburning jets were loud.

Where were you stationed with the F-105s?

Saw some at NKP, Thailand. At George AFB, California, there was a squadron that rotated back just before I went to Spain. Pretty much all Phantoms there.

All the 105s at NKP were TDY. Korat and Takhli was where the main 105 wings were stationed. I TDY'd to George several times in 1970 and 71 for our squadron's pilot training all the way from McConnell AFB in Kansas (FYI C-130 suck for air transport). I had to rough it when we went to George. Stayed at the Roy Rogers Inn every time we were there. It was almost as bad as our quarters when we TDY'd down to Eglin AFB, Florida. Had to suffer thru a motel room on the beach on the Gulf. Now luxury was my first tour to Korat in 1967, we had to lived in 12 man hooches and had house girls to wash our clothes and shine our boots and make are beds. God we knew how to suffer in the USAF.

txpete · Post by **txpete** » Sat Mar 28, 2009 6:32 pm

zoomies

Bear 45/70 · Post by **Bear 45/70** » Sat Mar 28, 2009 7:19 pm

txpete wrote:zoomies

Hey!, after a year at Korat RTAFB (Royal Thai Air Force Base with F-86's no less), Thailand they sent me to Riverside, Kalifornia (that many liberals about sent me into depression) then 9 months later sent me right back to Thailand to Takhli RTAFB then the bastards sent me to the Godless land of Kansas. The only time I ever zoomed was on a couple of test flights of an F-105G Wild Weasel and an F-105F Ryan's Raider. It was a kick in the pants.

jeepnik · Post by **jeepnik** » Sun Mar 29, 2009 4:58 pm

Bear 45/70 wrote:
jeepnik wrote:
Bear 45/70 wrote:
jeepnik wrote: ..............even with the Thuds taking off. Those single engined afterburning jets were loud.

Where were you stationed with the F-105s?

Saw some at NKP, Thailand. At George AFB, California, there was a squadron that rotated back just before I went to Spain. Pretty much all Phantoms there.
All the 105s at NKP were TDY. Korat and Takhli was where the main 105 wings were stationed. I TDY'd to George several times in 1970 and 71 for our squadron's pilot training all the way from McConnell AFB in Kansas (FYI C-130 suck for air transport). I had to rough it when we went to George. Stayed at the Roy Rogers Inn every time we were there. It was almost as bad as our quarters when we TDY'd down to Eglin AFB, Florida. Had to suffer thru a motel room on the beach on the Gulf. Now luxury was my first tour to Korat in 1967, we had to lived in 12 man hooches and had house girls to wash our clothes and shine our boots and make are beds. God we knew how to suffer in the USAF.

So wait, let me get this straight. You were in Thailand, did you get to NKP? You were at George, and we were both at Eglin. I was there in the 76-77. Who's following who around? You tell me you spent any time at Torejon, and I'm going to wonder?

Bear 45/70 · Post by **Bear 45/70** » Sun Mar 29, 2009 7:54 pm

jeepnik wrote: So wait, let me get this straight. You were in Thailand, did you get to NKP? You were at George, and we were both at Eglin. I was there in the 76-77. Who's following who around? You tell me you spent any time at Torejon, and I'm going to wonder?

You would have to follow mw around.
No NPK
Korat = Jan. 1967 to Jan. 1968
Takhli = Nov.1968 to November 1969
Eglin = TDY twice, May 1971 and May 1972
George = TDY twice, Nov 1970 and August 1971
Discharged Dec 1974

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