Posted on 11/11/2022 8:23:23 AM PST by suthener
I'm posting a very rare vanity (in chat) about something that looks very unusual to me. I heard a very loud, low flying aircraft over my house a little while ago. I went out to see what it was but missed it. I'm surrounded by trees and have a relatively short window to see aircraft especially to the south where this one was. I looked at Flightradar24 but the aircraft was not visible on the website. This got my curiosity up and upon looking around on Flightradar24 I found a parade of KC 135 Stratotankers coming out of Oklahoma City flying southeast apparently into Florida. There are currently 6 of them in the air, but one is just a short distance from Oklahoma city indicating it just took off. I'm posting this to see if anybody has any insight as to why this might be going on, especially on a holiday.
Go watch Monkey Werx US on utube. He has a show that details stuff like this MWF around 1600 PST.
https://www.youtube.com/c/MonkeyWerxUS/videos
I found at least five US Navy P-8A Poseidon aircraft headed in the direction of FL over AL and FL.
Yep. That’s the most likely scenario.
Bears repeating!
Even if the question, itself, is more or less innocuous (because you refer to publicly known info), some of the answers it elicits might reveal more than is generally known.
Of course, if some FReeper with a military connection were to post a reply that divulged insider knowledge ("My son-in-law is a lieutenant on one of those Stratotankers, and he said that he wants only cold-weather clothes for Christmas...") or even only indulged in fanciful speculation ("I wouldn't want to be in their shoes when they're transferred to İncirlik later this year!"), it would be "on him." Still, it could hurt our cause.
Regards,
You are right re KC 135 tankers.
“returning to MacDill,” the most possible reason for the flights heading to Florida.
“Of course, if some FReeper with a military connection were to post a reply that divulged insider knowledge”
I’m asking a question based on information on a public website. If someone starts spouting classified information based on my question that’s on them, not me. Also, if this were a classified flight, do you think the aircraft would be transmitting flight info? They have the option not to.
Someone here will know where they are based. More than likely somewhere in FL.
Offutt recently reopened for Air Force traffic, after having to rebuild runways due to flooding a couple years ago. LOTS of very noisy aircraft flying around here, the past 2-3 weeks.
Currently tracking my wife on her way to Salt Lake City. And I was only fun when I was cool. That was back when I listened to Parliament/Funkadelic.
“I found at least five US Navy P-8A Poseidon aircraft headed in the direction of FL over AL and FL.”
I didn’t see those. I guess T.B Yoits in comment #8 was right. They all evacuated due to the hurricane.
The Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex (OC-ALC) at Tinker AFB could be the closest base with the most available flightline parking space. The Air Force also prefers to temporarily relocate aircraft to bases that already support the airframe in case they need to do any repairs or maintenance while away. There are other considerations such as towbars, ground support, wash racks, air-stair trucks, etc.
For example, fighter and trainer bases that don't support transient aircraft won't have k-loaders (vehicles to roll aircraft pallets on and off). The KC-135s and the KC-10s have a more stringent requirement in that they need the k-loaders that extend higher to reach the cargo deck than the ones for the C-5s and C-17s. The KC-135s have a high cargo deck compared to the low decks of the C-5s and C-17s.
Just sharing some Air Force trivia on Veteran's Day.
A pair of them is flying nose to tail over Greenville Mississippi right about now (10:55 a.m. Central Standard Time) headed east-southeast directly from Oklahoma City area
Good stuff. "Maggot Brain" rocks.
I saw them once in the Cotton Bowl around 1979 over Juneteenth. 60,000 brothas smokin’ weed and passing out and a few hundred crackers. But I did get to see the Mothership land.
My exact words. Why are you quoting me to me?
[...] it would be "on him."
Also, if this were a classified flight, do you think the aircraft would be transmitting flight info? They have the option not to.
You did more than just report what information you had gleaned from a public source. You confirmed it with what you had heard with your own ears! Eyes and ears on the ground! That's something that an military intelligence officer in Moscow would give a lot for!
I wonder if, in the event of a crisis, U.S. military planes are ordered to switch off their transponders, but the public website continues posting information - bogus information, intended to distract and confuse the Enemy?
Regards,
Probably a group that left Florida (Avon Park and McDill) earlier in the week for Oklahoma to avoid damage by the hurricane are now returning home.
Yes I remember seeing those floods. Didn’t follow up to see that they closed for that long. Thanks for the info.
Flights ASSET32
ASSET33
ASSET34
ASSET37
ASSET38
The lead 2 are past the panhandle and descending along the west coast of Florida looks to be destined to N of Tampa
Yes, they’re most like returning after evacuating for the hurricane.
Coincidentally there is a presidential 737 from Oahu that just touched down at Tampa
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