F-15's Scrambling Over Reagan National Airport in DC

FAA ^ | February 25, 2002 | Eyewitness Report

[codebreaker]

3 F-15's scrambling overhead in attack formation.

General direction over the National Cathedral...

[CommiesOut]

Looks like mission accomplished.
click!

[ken5050]

Now that the Washington Monument is reopened, Michal Rennie and Gort will be landing on the Mall shortly....

[JimVT]

This close to the ground?

????????????????

[MadRobotArtist]

Yes they can. Now if we can only get the Airforce to paint them pink, and make their exhaust from the engines make rainbows, they'd be perfectly fabulous!

Okay, now that I've passed my liberal moment... Let's ROLL!!!!

[billhilly]

Relax. These airplanes have bneen flying around the clock since September 11, 2001. A "scrambled" aircraft is one that has been launched for the purpose of interdiction, observation, escort, engagement, etc. Most aircraft just "take off."

[Gothmog]

What do you mean by cheese shaped? Is that like echolon left, right or backwards?

[buzzcat]

F-16s probably from the ANG unit at Dannelly Field. I live near Boston under the inbound flight path to Logan Airport. Whenever I look up and see a 767 screeching low towards the airport, I get chills. Oddly, I once lived under the flight path of Dannelly Field - I loved looking up at the commercial and ANG aircraft coming and going. Talk about "new normalcy..." Oh...War Damn Eagle!

[gridlock]

Actually, I'm asking: are they flying a loose-deuce, finger-four, Thach Weave, echelon left, echelon right, WHAT?

So, what does this have to do with ESCHELON?

[Poohbah]

If you can't SPELL "Echelon," quit trying to do conspiracy theories about it...

[Stefan Stackhouse]

I don't think the Olympic attendees would make any blip on the normal ebb and flow of people entering and leaving the country. And besides, most would exit from the west coast. Russia, China, Japan and even Scandanavia are better served from the west coast in terms of distance form SLC

In terms of shear numbers, you are right, but they are a high profile, high value target, justifying increased security.

[CGASMIA68]

Thank you....
"Scrambled" refers to "Now launch the rdy AC"..
so just because some "num-nuts" on the ground observes a formation does not indicate those AC were "scrambled".

[gridlock]

You mean there's another spy network named Echelon?

Is that what makes them thar CONTRAILS?

[Wil H]

I don't believe there is 75,000 foreigners all leaving SLC en masse, the Airport couldn't handle it in one day, besides, I doubt if many are hubbing through JFK or Washington. No one in their right mind uses JFK For an international connection if it can be avoided, SLC is a Delta Hub with direct flights to Lodon, Frankfurt, Paris Rome, etc, Other connections are likely to be through Atlanta, Cincinnati, Dallas and Chicago - Unless as I said before, they are travelling West or North (Great Circle) to China, Russia, Scandanavia, or Japan

Either way, I dout if you will see but a few hundred in New York.

[Tennessee_Bob]

SPACE MOOSE!

[HiJinx]

How about the triangular shaped lights flying high overhead in the desert night, silently passing, returning every 20-30 minutes? It's spooky, I tell ya, I'm thinking it's the Aurora...

[Pharmboy]

Ladies and Gentlemen...The Eagle.

[Pharmboy]

Never bring a knife to a gunfight, and if you can, bring a loaded F-16 Falcon...

[chainsaw]

Reports also of unusal changes in pasanger airlines approaches, is this normal?

It's normal when the wind changes.

[glock rocks]

excellent. thank you.