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| An Air National Guard F-16 drops away after refueling over Manhattan yesterday. Air National Guard KC-135s refuel fighters in the air wherever and whenever they are needed.
There you go! |
Posted on 01/04/2002 2:41:29 PM PST by psalm37
About 30 Minutes ago, 6:10-ish Eastern Time I was outside and noticed three aircraft flying South. I'm inside the Beltway, in Northern VA (about 10 miles from DC); I'd guess these aircraft were not actually over DC, but close.
The lead aircraft was lit up like an airliner at low altitude, the other two were definitely CAP aircraft, with just white blinking beacons (one each). The CAPs came up behind the airliner at high speed then backed off to match speed with it. Then the CAP to the left sped up and came so close to the airliner that I could not distinguish which was which. I never heard any engine or other noises because they were all too far away, and at this time of evening, rush-hour traffic is in full swing - lots of ambient sounds.
Next they all started turning to the left and straightened out heading North-Eastward. At this time either the airliner or the CAP closest to it showed a new light, which was very intense, and looked yellow/orange. At this point I would have been looking at them from the rear and left. I watched this scene, including the new, intense, yellow/orange light for another 10-15 seconds before I lost sight of them in the trees.
At first I wondered if this was a mid-air re-fueling, with the brightest light being used for visibility purposes, but I wonder if they would re-fuel like that at such low altitude, and over such a highly populated area.
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| An Air National Guard F-16 drops away after refueling over Manhattan yesterday. Air National Guard KC-135s refuel fighters in the air wherever and whenever they are needed.
There you go! |
Your blood-brain barrier obviously filters out Beltway smog and inane drivel from liberal Da$$holes.
By the way, if you use of "we" means that you serve, then Thank You, and Hooaah!
Could it be that the cow from Kung Pow: Enter the Fist was causing a ruckus on the plane?
Does that include the reading lights of sleeping passengers? :-)
While putting out the garbage cans too. (post 24)
Agreed. I've got excellent spacial perception, but (except for the season) I wouldn't swear that they weren't fireflies.
Also, I scanned backward to understand why you might think I'd been offended - I've got nothing. However, If my reply seemed abrupt, I'm sorry.
Now that's an interesting idea, and quite possible. My recollection is that it looked like a bright light shining in my general direction, but it could also have been glare or a lit-up part of the airliner.
37:1 Do not fret when wicked men seem to succeed! Do not envy evildoers!
37:2 For they will quickly dry up like grass, and wither away like plants.
I too voted for RR at my first trip to the voting booth!!
Yes. Every single one. And the bathroom lights.
And if there is any Lite beer on board, it must be held to the window.
It was a tossup between that and something from Ecclesiastes - Solomon goes on and on about how meaningless everything is.
I voted for Ronald Reagan's second term. I recall someone (Limbaugh?) remarking (at the time) that Reagan was capturing the hearts and minds of young voters. I agree(d).
Height = energy = good, for aircraft in general, and ESPECIALLY for fighters. And I second the observation that they would normally be at higher altitude, and the reason why is in my equation above.
Someone was getting checked out. Hope it was just a squirrelly radio or something like that.
OMG! Too funny!!!! I almost spit my beer all over my laptop (that is a very unlady-like thing to do).
I couldn't help but notice that you did NOT put away the RECYCLE bins.......Hmmm maybe if you recycled, things like this wouldn't happen....:)
I'm about 3 miles off the end of that runway at Belvoir.
You caught me in a little hyperbole. Really though, prior to the low-down, dirty, rotten, *#!@% terrorist attacks, I barely paid attention to air traffic, unless I went to Gravelly Point (right at the end of DCA's main strip) to watch them take off and land. After the attacks, I noticed EVERYTHING in the sky.
Seriously though - these days they shine a lot more lights than before.
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