Posted: 11/26/2015 7:01:42 AM EDT
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On Tuesday this week while flying from SAV to IKV at FL 240, Chicago Center pointed out traffic over Central Missouri and told me to get my camera out. My FO and I both grabbed our cell phones and spotted a flight of three B2's and a single KC-135 South West bound and 1000' below us.
Center never did say the type or altitude, just the general direction and distance and of course we did not respond with any "in sight" identifying info. Too bad the photos were at best blurry dots...wish I could have taken at least one decent photo of the formation. I suspect I'll never see that sight again. |
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While riding jumpseat about a month ago I got to see one of those up close. It was flying head-on with us. The FO first spotted a black "thing," and the three of us spent the next few seconds trying to figure out what it was. Nothing on TCAS. Suddenly it banked to it's right, showing the distinctive B2 profile, and a solid white diamond popped up on the TCAS screen. It zipped by us on out left, and as soon as it was past us, it disappeared from the TCAS. |
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On Tuesday this week while flying from SAV to IKV at FL 240, Chicago Center pointed out traffic over Central Missouri and told me to get my camera out. My FO and I both grabbed our cell phones and spotted a flight of three B2's and a single KC-135 South West bound and 1000' below us. Center never did say the type or altitude, just the general direction and distance and of course we did not respond with any "in sight" identifying info. Too bad the photos were at best blurry dots...wish I could have taken at least one decent photo of the formation. I suspect I'll never see that sight again. I've seen more interesting aircraft while transitioning the Truman MOA than I could shake a stick at. B-2s refueling. F-22s refueling. F-16s... F-15s... A-10's... Whiteman AFB airspace packs a fair amount of excitement for such a sleepy little town. |
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I've seen more interesting aircraft while transitioning the Truman MOA than I could shake a stick at. B-2s refueling. F-22s refueling. F-16s... F-15s... A-10's... Whiteman AFB airspace packs a fair amount of excitement for such a sleepy little town. Quoted:
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On Tuesday this week while flying from SAV to IKV at FL 240, Chicago Center pointed out traffic over Central Missouri and told me to get my camera out. My FO and I both grabbed our cell phones and spotted a flight of three B2's and a single KC-135 South West bound and 1000' below us. Center never did say the type or altitude, just the general direction and distance and of course we did not respond with any "in sight" identifying info. Too bad the photos were at best blurry dots...wish I could have taken at least one decent photo of the formation. I suspect I'll never see that sight again. I've seen more interesting aircraft while transitioning the Truman MOA than I could shake a stick at. B-2s refueling. F-22s refueling. F-16s... F-15s... A-10's... Whiteman AFB airspace packs a fair amount of excitement for such a sleepy little town. If you're transiting it VFR while active, that constantly creates unsafe situations for us. Legal, I know...but very fucking dangerous. |
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Long ago, down by COS, I got overflew by 3 RAF Tornadoes, a L1011 and a F-117. Flying out of Germany a few years ago the controller asked us if we'd be willing to participate in a German Air Force interception exercise. Naturally, we agreed. Was pretty sweet. 
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I've seen more interesting aircraft while transitioning the Truman MOA than I could shake a stick at. B-2s refueling. F-22s refueling. F-16s... F-15s... A-10's... Whiteman AFB airspace packs a fair amount of excitement for such a sleepy little town. Quoted:
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On Tuesday this week while flying from SAV to IKV at FL 240, Chicago Center pointed out traffic over Central Missouri and told me to get my camera out. My FO and I both grabbed our cell phones and spotted a flight of three B2's and a single KC-135 South West bound and 1000' below us. Center never did say the type or altitude, just the general direction and distance and of course we did not respond with any "in sight" identifying info. Too bad the photos were at best blurry dots...wish I could have taken at least one decent photo of the formation. I suspect I'll never see that sight again. I've seen more interesting aircraft while transitioning the Truman MOA than I could shake a stick at. B-2s refueling. F-22s refueling. F-16s... F-15s... A-10's... Whiteman AFB airspace packs a fair amount of excitement for such a sleepy little town. I can pick up that area where I'm at. The radio is non stop at times. I have 16 BC780XLTs searching in parallel to get as much as possible. The B2 radios are horrible, full of all sorts of artifacts and reverb. |
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If you're transiting it VFR while active, that constantly creates unsafe situations for us. Legal, I know...but very fucking dangerous. Quoted:
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On Tuesday this week while flying from SAV to IKV at FL 240, Chicago Center pointed out traffic over Central Missouri and told me to get my camera out. My FO and I both grabbed our cell phones and spotted a flight of three B2's and a single KC-135 South West bound and 1000' below us. Center never did say the type or altitude, just the general direction and distance and of course we did not respond with any "in sight" identifying info. Too bad the photos were at best blurry dots...wish I could have taken at least one decent photo of the formation. I suspect I'll never see that sight again. I've seen more interesting aircraft while transitioning the Truman MOA than I could shake a stick at. B-2s refueling. F-22s refueling. F-16s... F-15s... A-10's... Whiteman AFB airspace packs a fair amount of excitement for such a sleepy little town. If you're transiting it VFR while active, that constantly creates unsafe situations for us. Legal, I know...but very fucking dangerous. As a person who did a chunk of his training near it, and instructed near it, I avoid it. Very hard to VID traffic at nearly all altitudes. |
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As a person who did a chunk of his training near it, and instructed near it, I avoid it. Very hard to VID traffic at nearly all altitudes. good to know - i've been training in Columbia/Jeff City, and the private check ride will start from Boonville, so i'm suspecting the DPE will want the route planned that would take me through the MOA. |
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If you're transiting it VFR while active, that constantly creates unsafe situations for us. Legal, I know...but very fucking dangerous. Quoted:
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On Tuesday this week while flying from SAV to IKV at FL 240, Chicago Center pointed out traffic over Central Missouri and told me to get my camera out. My FO and I both grabbed our cell phones and spotted a flight of three B2's and a single KC-135 South West bound and 1000' below us. Center never did say the type or altitude, just the general direction and distance and of course we did not respond with any "in sight" identifying info. Too bad the photos were at best blurry dots...wish I could have taken at least one decent photo of the formation. I suspect I'll never see that sight again. I've seen more interesting aircraft while transitioning the Truman MOA than I could shake a stick at. B-2s refueling. F-22s refueling. F-16s... F-15s... A-10's... Whiteman AFB airspace packs a fair amount of excitement for such a sleepy little town. If you're transiting it VFR while active, that constantly creates unsafe situations for us. Legal, I know...but very fucking dangerous. I saw most of that stuff from the comfort of my cushy seat at high altitude. As op experienced, sometimes KC Center gives you a heads up, sometimes they don't. But I did transition that airspace vfr a lot back in the day. Hard not to when you base your 172 in Sedalia, go to school in Warrensburg and shoot half you practice ILSs at Whiteman. When a hot MOA encompasses all of the airspace over your head you learn the sector control frequencies and how to see and avoid. What else can you do? |
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good to know - i've been training in Columbia/Jeff City, and the private check ride will start from Boonville, so i'm suspecting the DPE will want the route planned that would take me through the MOA. Quoted:
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As a person who did a chunk of his training near it, and instructed near it, I avoid it. Very hard to VID traffic at nearly all altitudes. good to know - i've been training in Columbia/Jeff City, and the private check ride will start from Boonville, so i'm suspecting the DPE will want the route planned that would take me through the MOA. Is that Sam Dyer as the DPE? |
| Had center point out the space shuttle one night. We were crossing the Gulf heading over to somewhere in south Florida, when center says the shuttle will be passing overhead in about 20 minutes. We asked where it currently was, and he said overhead Seattle. Sure enough 20 minutes later, it went streaking by, a couple of hundred miles above us. |
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Is that Sam Dyer as the DPE? Quoted:
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As a person who did a chunk of his training near it, and instructed near it, I avoid it. Very hard to VID traffic at nearly all altitudes. good to know - i've been training in Columbia/Jeff City, and the private check ride will start from Boonville, so i'm suspecting the DPE will want the route planned that would take me through the MOA. Is that Sam Dyer as the DPE? I used to take all my students to Marshall to ride with Sam. Great guy. Is he even a DPE or flying at all anymore? I sort of assumed he'd be retired or medicaled out by now. |
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A guy I used to shoot the shit with took this from a KC-10, he was the boom operator. He took quite a few other near pics too. 
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Dave: I had a Buff go under us a couple months ago. Pretty spectacular! Hope you're well, and Happy Thanksgiving. I had a Buff go under me when I was at 1000agl in my Stearman many years ago in SE Montana. I could see them a long way off and they must have seen me also, there were about four faces plastered in the windshield looking up at me looking down at them. The shock wave was not bad with them 500' or so below me at 400kts. Pretty exciting to have a Helicopter back in town, even if it's just for a short while. Is Norm doing checkouts? |