A Question for Military People

[suitcase_sally]

I don't live near a military base, but every so often this plane flies overhead and I am trying to fiqure out what it is.

I can't get a picture of it because it's so fast, but here is the discription:

It flies very low and goes from horizon-to-horizon in about 10-15 seconds. By the time I hear it coming, it's gone. I saw it one day last summer and it has wing tips that point upward.

Anyone know what this is?

[FarmboyBill]

Most planes have winttips that point upwards nowadays, Even commerical planes have them on some of them. The Harrier was the fastest when I was in Red Eye Stinger Unit. But you wouldnt/couldnt have seen it.

[sammyd]

the harrier is pretty slow as far as military jets go around 700 mph maybe.

[FarmboyBill]

Ive never saw one flying. WQhen I was in the army, They had us take a simoulation course. They had a 1/2 round silo, the inside of which was a screen. It was around 12ft tall. Various silouwet?s of plains woulc come up on the screen and we were supposed to shoot them down. When the Harrier came up, it came up like a hilocopter, straight up. They said, if we hadnt got it riseing, when it took off, we wouldnt see it.

[Old Vet]

A UFO? here are a few of the military jets siliowets http://www.bing.com/search?q=Militar..._date=20111224

[suitcase_sally]

No, not a UFO (in the common sense of the word). I've seen them, or at least one. It looked like a banana, standing on its end, with rotating lights. (Take me away, now).

[NickyBlade]

Is it loud? We live on a military base and sometimes I hear planes that if I didn't know better (and since I don't ever hear an explosion after they go by) I would think they were missiles! Loud and fast.

Never seen what it is... guess I am a lot of help. lol

[suitcase_sally]

hmmm...Old Vet, the more of those I look at, the more confused I get.

The plane isn't very big. I once lived in Charleston, SC, and they had C5A Galaxy's there. That's a big plane.

[suitcase_sally]

It's not really all that loud until it's right overhead, then it just screams. It doesn't do any good to try to jump to the window to see it. By the time you hear it, it's gone.

I just can't fiqure out why it's here. DH says he see them at our cabin and there are usually two of them together. They always go in the same direction (southeast of us). No bases here.

[rideatrail]

Probably a C-17

[coolrunnin]

can it be the F-16. Falcon?
http://www.google.com/search?q=f+16&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

[Ed Norman]

Out here in the middle of nowhere, we get both Navy and Air Force fighters from several bases in surrounding states. They buzz through here at high speed and play in the peaks of the mountains. It's a good show if you are lucky enough to see them. You usually hear the first one when he rattles past, then look back a mile or so to see his wingman. I was up in a high saddle last fall and one came right over. Like 200 feet over. I jumped out and waved at the second one. He veered off to the side just a little and wagged his wings at me, I could see him looking down at me. In the winter in a deserted huge valley, I have seen them at extreme low level, doing all sorts of slow speed high angle of attack maneuvers. I once had a cargo plane drop down and set up for an emergency landing on the highway I was on. He got to power pole height then cleaned up and went back up. I enjoy the shows. One day a few years ago a big cargo plane shook the whole little valley and town. Turned out some kid in the National Guard was a crew member and was saying hi to his friends. Good for him.

[big rockpile]

We have Warthogs training all the time by us. Their not real fast but pretty low.

big rockpile

[aixsponsa]

My husband is a career infantryman and he supposes it could be an F-15.

[tinknal]

Bear in mind that military planes have virtually unlimited range due to air-to-air refueling. My guess is that these are routine training flights.

BTW, WIHH the Blackbird is a spyplane, not a fighter.

[tinknal]

Bear in mind that military planes have virtually unlimited range due to air-to-air refueling. My guess is that these are routine training flights.

BTW, WIHH the Blackbird is a spyplane, not a fighter.

[FarmboyBill]

The F-15 is an OLD fighter. It was getting old in the mid 80s when I was last in. If your just now noticeing it. It likely isnt it. If I remember rightly without going and finding my aircraft recognition book. Isnt the F-15 the Fighting Falcon?? I think were selling them to other countries to get rid of them..

[Ed Norman]

The F16 is the Fighting Falcon, the F15 is the Eagle.

From wiki:

The Eagle first flew in July 1972, and entered service in 1976. The F-15 is expected to be in service with the U.S. Air Force past 2025...

United States Air Force operate 254 F-15C/D aircraft (222 in the active Air Force and 32 in the ANG) as of September 2010.

[EDDIE BUCK]

Around here I see the Osprey most often and they are flying in pairs.Its loud and not very fast.Sounds like a flock of helicopters,lol .The fighter jets around here,when you hear them,they are already gone,but you still gotta look..

Those terrorists over yonder that get bombed,never hear the jet that takes them out,because when the jets sound finally arrives their ears ain't working no more.Heres a bunch to look at.You might see it here http://www.allposters.com/gallery.as...FYbe4AodXGtDXA

[FarmboyBill]

Than theres the F4 Phantom, the warthog. I used to date her lol