Libya?

I'm not finding a lot on the interweb about it. Any word on what we're doing about it?

Because to me it sounds as if something's going on.

I live near a training airbase and while I never hear hear more than the occasional over flight by fighters and a flight of helicopters about once a month, I have been constantly over flown at low altitudes by a large number of fighters since early this afternoon.

Tread lightly

I'll be over in the kitchen, having a slice of pie.

How could this possibly be political?

I get about 4 over flights a week at pretty high altitudes usually at lunch and at dinner time. Apparently they get to play a little on the last flight of a shift and when they get a little hot they come out as far as my home, but it's high and except when they are in afterburner it's not really noticeable.

Now, I can't even watch TV there are so many of them and they are so low and fast.

I realize that none of the planes I'm hearing are headed that way, but maybe the pilots are tuning up.

Dallas/Ft. Worth, is it a reserve base? Carswell field USMC/USN base?

Could it just be yearly training? Sound legit if you typically only hear it once a month and now have heard it for a week or more.

Also, could be that a squadron is getting activated for a deployment for Afghanistan.

fast_eddie_72 wrote: I'll be over in the kitchen, having a slice of pie.

Apple? I'll bring the vanilla ice cream to put on top.

Anti-stance wrote: Also, could be that a squadron is getting activated for a deployment for Afghanistan.

Carswell.

There's a little step up for deployments, but that's usually when we hear the helicopters.

This is the first time in 5 years I've heard anything like this.

Just the facts:

A 50-strong Marine detachment is in Libya guarding the main embassy in Tripoli and protecting US citizens in Libya. Warships are also on their way:

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/09/marines-libya/

The FBI is leading the investigation into the Benghazi killings:

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/09/military-benghazi-fbi/

Libyan authorities have arrested 4 suspects in connection to the Benghazi attack:

http://news.yahoo.com/libya-makes-arrests-over-deadly-benghazi-attack-official-175308342.html

There's also rumors unarmed recon drones are or will be hunting for the attackers:

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/383644/20120912/drones-libya-consulate-attack.htm

Well, I am assuming they are F18s, as to whether or not they are Navy or Marine Corps you would have to see the markings on the spine or vertical stabilizers.

VFA - Navy
VMFA - USMC

Are they flying low and slow and at night? They are doing carrier quals. E36 M3 sucks when they do that, its loud and last alot longer than regular touch and gos.

I was never on a reserve base but at MCAS Beaufort, when a squadron was goin on a float for 6 months, they would have carrier qual sessions and it would be at night... and on Thursdays no less...

Is there someplace else in the world heating up?

I get to see all kinds of neat jets since Lockheed is there as well. Some great acrobatics too.

So far earlier today we saw and heard a great number of transports, or lets say multi engine large planes. Normally there's only 1 or 2 who are doing touch and go's for hours and they never come this far out so I never see or hear them unless I go into town. This has been multiple sizes and types that we never see here.

We've also had flights of up to 6 fighters at a time, whereas normally we never see more than 4. Even then it's a mixed bag of jets with many from around the world.

Flights are still going on and we never see or hear jets after hours, except when some big wig is flying in and that's definitely not a fighter. Tonight I've been having low level, pretty fast flybys every 15 minutes or so with at least 2 different types of jets. One engine is much higher pitched than the other. Usually there will be several of the high pitched ones flying together.

The lower, more muscular sounding jets come by one at a time, never in formation. They have a single flashing red light that resembles a big brake light that appears to be centered on the fuselage.

I miss living near military air bases.

Lockheed has probably little to do with all the activity. When I moved to Atlanta, I basically moved across the street from Dobbins AFB where Lockheed builds(used to build) the F22 and the C130. In 8 years, I had probably seen 8-10 F22s flying around and maybe a 100 or so C130s.

What you are talking about is definitely more to do with a reserve squadron either doing some extensive training(which I doubt) or prepping to go somewhere. I wouldn't limit it to Lybia, that was 2 days ago, what you are talking about takes alot more time to put together, especially with a reserve group. We were prepping gear for the Iraqi war for a month or two from what I remember before the war actually kicked off. They called it "Operation Sandbox".

Active duty squadrons are not going to come to that base to train. For example, at MCAS Beaufort our active squadrons did weapons training in Georgia and carrier quals on base.

It really could just be a rotation for a reservist squadron or group for a float to Afghanistan.

Anti-stance wrote: It really could just be a rotation for a reservist squadron or group for a float to Afghanistan.

Don't think it's a regular rotation because it's never happened before. A rotation would be on a more or less regular basis. I've got friends at Lockheed and few customers that work on the base so maybe I can find out tomorrow.

This was spooky because it was so concentrated, so many different planes, so many planes, lasted so long and has never happened before. They appear to have stopped in the past 5 minutes or so.

I'm way out, they go over a lot of residential to get to me, that is presuming they are going around to base each time.

this thread is interesting and controversial.

lock out!

As a boy I lived about 35 miles from Pope AFB. This was way before the 24 hour news cycle. We could tell when things were heating up abroad by the greatly increased military air traffic overhead. We also got a clue when my Dad, who worked at Ft. Bragg, started leaving for work before milking time & coming home after milking time.

I should have probably prefaced this with the point that while I was in the USMC airwing, I have zero experience in the fleet of being around reservist or knowing anything other than the average civilian would know about their duties. Two guys from my Cryo school did end up there in Fort Worth, which was apparently the dream station as an active duty Marine. But that is about as close to reservist I got.

But with that said, I really would have a hard time believing an event that happened 2 days ago would result in the activation of a reserve squadron for the said event. There are plans for these kinda deals that active duty squadrons are prepared to handle. They are actually on duty and typically on a float ready to deal with these scenarios.

Now I got out in 2003, but we had somewhere between 5-7 F18 squadrons on our base going through the typical rotations. There were always 4 squadrons on our base at any given time. These guys trained daily.

Now, could these guys be getting called up for something you and I have no idea about? Very well could be. But, keep the tinfoil hats rolled up for a week.

Your Lockheed buddies will probably know the scoop better than any of us.

I was told that during Desert Storm the base was a hotbed of activity too, but that is before my time out here.

All quiet on the Western Front, for now.

You do realize lots of people are ACTUALLY thinking (not just postulating) that Israel is ready to hit Iran, right?

E36 M3 could go down. YMMV.

HiTempguy wrote: You do realize lots of people are ACTUALLY thinking (not just postulating) that Israel is ready to hit Iran, right? E36 M3 could go down. YMMV.

This is more or less what I was thinking. These guys could be training for something like this as the second or third rotation for something like that.

Speaking of which, paging Dr. Hess... Dr. Hess to the ethnic foods isle please...

carguy123 wrote: How could this possibly be political?

One politician didn't do enough, another politician lipped off when it wasn't his turn, most politicians have opinions other than ours, and no matter what your opinion is; someone will be pissed in 3 - 4 posts.

I get confused with words like Troll, flounder etc. so I don't use them; I sound like your Grandma saying "Duuuuuddde!" But I do know when the QueenDork is riled.

HiTempguy wrote: You do realize lots of people are ACTUALLY thinking (not just postulating) that Israel is ready to hit Iran, right? E36 M3 could go down. YMMV.

A lot of what I've read/heard suggests it will even happen before the election.

I really worry about what might happen if the radicals storm an embassy and the Marines kill a bunch. That will result in very bad things all over the world. This could be the beginning of a huge conflict.