Well That was Strange!

[DanG]

As I was sitting before the Dodge wheel enjoying an evening beverage yesterday, I was suddenly engulfed by the sound of an approaching aircraft.  Almost immediately, a large jet of the airliner type appeared, flying extremely low.  Right on his tail, in close formation was another, identical plane.  These guys were no more than 500' high and about 200 yards apart, way too low and close to be civilians.  I've been wracking my brain trying to figure out what a pair such as this would be doing that would require that sort of behavior.  The planes were large, chubby looking things with wing-mounted twin jet engines and looked like 737s.  Do any of you Air Force types have any ideas?? ???

[sandhills]

Can't help you there DanG but one time a fighter jet dropped his extra fuel tank off in our pasture while they were playing above our place, my cousin actually saw it happen, I really doubt this was a planned thing, kinda scary walking up to something that looks like a bomb and has a bunch of electrical wire hanging out of it  :D.  I kept it, always thought that fuel pump could be used for something........and my wife thinks I'm a hoarder :

[Ron Wenrich]

Just what kind of beverage were you enjoying???   :D

[Bibbyman]

We are apparently in the routine flight path of the Missouri air national guard.  We are often shaken out of our house by an assortment of helicopters flying tree top high over our house or actually below the level of our house in the valley in front.  But no big airplanes. We did have some kind of large plane fly low near us that had what looked to be a large radar disk on its back.

[OneWithWood]

A couple of times a month a pair of what I think are C-140s (look like the old C-130s only bigger) come in just at tree top level.  The planes are from the Kentucky air national guard returning from practice runs at Atterbury, or so I am told.  I dread the day one of them clips a tree and cartwheels down.  You can hear them coming for miles and everything shakes when they fly overhead.

[Roxie]

I don't know the answer to why, but I know that exactly what you are describing happens here routinely.  We are close to Dover Delaware and Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland.  We've always chalked it up to practicing flying below radar, and they are always in pairs. 

[Ianab]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_C-40_Clipper

US Airforce and Navy are operating a military version of the 737 as a general transport aircraft.

I'm guessing that they train to fly them low (Terrain Hugging) to avoid radar and anti-aircraft defences. I've seen the local air force fly C130s in exactly the same way, although less than 500 ft. Gives you a heck of a fright when you are cutting hay on a tractor and don't hear them sneak up behind you.  :D

Ian

[sawguy21]

I was driving across south east Oregon, nobody around for miles, when I heard a strange noise from the truck. Oh great this is not a good time or place. >:( It got louder the truck shook then it was gone.  ??? I looked at a map later, there was a nearby AF base. Must have been a fighter jet or two on a low level run.

[snowstorm]

i saw on the news last nite where a maine warden service plane landed on interstate 95 in traffic. they said it lost power and had to come down. a min later it shows them putting gas in it then taking off. just ran outta gas????

[DeepWoods]

Ten years ago or better I was sitting in my boat fishing, and an F16 came over just above the tree tops.  By the time I realized what it was, it was on the other side of the lake and just about out of sight.  At least now when I here them coming I know what it is and don't get the snot scared out of me as much.  They fly out of Duluth, which is about a hundred miles away.

[pigman]

Maybe Big Brother is using larger drones. Dan, was the beverage you were drinking legal? :-\

[SwampDonkey]

When we would fish salmon on the Upsulquitch River here in NB, on occasion a pair of fighters would fly low down the river valley. They would have been from one of our own CFB bases that have since been closed up. The river is small with a deep cut valley with steep sidewalls and many 90 degree bends in the river bed. Now mind you, it's not a stretch of river that is open to the public, it's reserved fishing by lottery draw. So we were not fishing there all summer, we only had 3 days each summer that we put in for. So these guys must have been running the river a lot.

[dchiapin]

possibly C-17? Since you are pretty close to Eglin AFB, they where probably flying a low level run before deploying their cargo at Eglin.
When I was a crew chief on C-141 in the late 60's we did a lot of low level runs in tight formation. A lot of the times before deploying an air drop of either paratroopers or palletized cargo over a small airfield.

[thecfarm]

When I worked for the state we stopped at a pinic area for lunch in Rangley Maine. they practice low flying drills in that area. We was sitting there and head this loud woosh and a plane. We all thought that was odd.Than BOOM and I do mean BOOM. That will scare you too.  :D

[SwampDonkey]

Should hear it rumbling down a deep river valley. :D

[Ianab]

possibly C-17?

He did say Twin jet.. So unless he'd had too much refreshment   :D

If it looks like a 737, sounds like a 737 and is military, it's a C40. ;)

[Slabs]

Seems VR-58 over at NAS JAX has a fleet of C-40s.  They may be your culprit.

[dchiapin]

DanG said twin jet engines, to me that means four engines ..o..
The C-40 only has 2 engines. one on each side.  .o.

[GAB]

Sandhills:
Last I knew there were 300, 370, and 600 gallon exrended range tanks that could be mounted to an F-16.  If the tank you have is one of those it might have my design fuel sensor(s) inside it.  Some of the wires were for the fuel sensors so that the pilot would know when it was empty.  Gerald

[Chuck White]

Could have been a couple of KC-135's.

That is a military version of the Boeing 707.

They are the old Air Force in-flight refuelers.

Don't know for sure if any of them are still in service!

[DanG]

I guess we'll assume they were C40s, since they looked so much like a 737, with one fat jet on each wing.  I'm familiar with most military types, except for those civilian types that have been adopted.  I just couldn't figure why they would be low-level in that kind of aircraft.  I'll look up the C40 and see what they're used for.  Thanks for confirming that I ain't crazy. 8) :D :D

[Texas Ranger]

Nah, not crazy, maybe a bit titched, but, nothing like a lumbering B-52 going over head at some where between 500 and thousand feet when your marking timber in the God awfuls in Texas.   Anything bigger than a Cub makes me look. air_plane

[wwsjr]

I live about 40mi from Columbus AFB which has a pilot training wing. A Military Operating Area (MOA) is designated on a northeast to southwest direction over my place. Usually there are 2 or 3 T38's in formation passing over several times every day. They appear to be flying at 500 to 1000 feet. Kind of noisy at times, never know when to expect them. When I was sawing with the Cat 51 on mill, the noise would be much louder than the mill. Many times the planes will be directly overhead in formation. My horses and llamas never seem to notice to flyovers.

[Warbird]

Just what kind of beverage were you enjoying???   :D

 

[DanG]

I know it comes as a surprise, but I do consume an occasional mildly alcoholic beverage.  It helps to counteract the stress of my daily half-hour of work. ;D