Boeing F/a-18 Hornet

[Flatiron]

Boeing F/A-18 Hornet jet aircraft flying about 25 feet above the water, creating a vapor cone. This is real, no computer graphics:

http://www.flixxy.com/low-pass-jet-flyby.htm

I bet there were some who didn't see it but heard it!

Edited January 15, 2008 by Flatiron

[JDoors]

Brings back some awesome memories.

I grew up in Chicago where they have an 'air & water' show every year. Since I lived by the lakefront and spent every spare moment at the lake I got to see all the practice runs.

Once, while standing on the beach I looked out over the lake and saw a plane headed right at me, maybe 20-30 feet above the water. It looked odd because the nose was tilted up something like 45 degrees, which I figured, once it got close enough to tell, it had to do to fly at such an incredibly slow speed (I'd never seen a 'warplan' go that slow before!). As it reached the beach, right over MY HEAD, it tilted straight up and disappeared into the sky. All I could see was the bright orange-yellow flames from the afterburners until those too disappeared overhead. I swear I felt the heat from those flames (though now I wonder if I imagined that).

Another time while walking along a stone breakwater, with the skyline to my left, a plane shot out from BETWEEN two buildings then out over the lake. (I find it hard to believe he had clearance to do that!)

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Edited January 15, 2008 by JDoors

[Flatiron]

Brings back some awesome memories.

For me too.

My Dad retired back in 71 from the Air Force after being in 20 years. I was around aircraft for 13 of those years and now live just a few miles from the largest helicopter training post in the U.S. It was at one time, may still be.

U.S. Army Aviation Warfighting Center and Fort Rucker

http://www.armyflightschool.org/rucker.htm

Another time while walking along a stone breakwater, with the skyline to my left, a plane shot out from BETWEEN two buildings then out over the lake. (I find it hard to believe he had clearance to do that!)

I was wondering the same thing about the guy flying that Hornet!

Edited January 18, 2008 by Flatiron

[JDoors]

Yeah, I wondered about that flight too, if there were no boats I might not have thought about it, but ...

Regarding helicoptors: Not sure where they're coming from but sometimes I hear helicoptors coming, go outside to watch, and I'll see from one to five black, unmarked helicoptors fly by. Now, who, exactly, is allowed to fly unmarked aircraft? Huh? And where are they coming from? Though I am by Chicago's O'Hare airport, I'm not "aware" of any covert operations there -- not that I would be aware of it, that'd kinda defeat the purpose of being "covert."