Hmmm,
I've been stationed at Willow Grove and I can tell you traffic surges because you have multiple reserve units of all 4 branches there. Hello drill weekends and two weeks a year??

You are also approaching the end of the fiscal year. The Air Force and Navy, with predominantly large budgets have to use that money or they will not be able to ask for the same next year. (big biz with uniforms)

Now for the So Cal post. I am on Camp Pen and I beg to differ about your air traffic. We are constantly adapting due to "noise complaints". People move next to a Marine base and expect it to be quiet. Troops are constatntly rotating in and out for Iraq and sometimes there is a surge in traffic for those movements. I will not violate OpSec and say when wand where but it happens and not when its convenient for everyone.

Not to be the nay sayer but the country is at war and the troops must constantly train. Those units near their deployment time will "suddenly" get busy as they train for their proficiency at the current tactics to defend and attack.

"Oderint Dum Metuant!"

Originally posted by drumist69
I've noticed similar patterns here in western NC over the years. We get a lot of cargo planes and helicopter training flights using the Asheville airport nearby. Also, leading up to the last invasion of Iraq (Enduring Freedom...), I was playing in a band which traveled extensively throughout North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. We noticed some pretty massive convoys of hum-vee's and other equipment in desert paint at the time. I was telling my band-mates it was coming, and they blew me off until it happened!

Any truck drivers in here notice convoy movements on the highways in the past few months? Probably not, since anything with Iran would not be land-based at first...just bombing and missile strikes.

I go to Western Carolina university, and I have personally seen on multiple occasions, AH-1's doing maneuvers over our campus. And I mean low level, I've seen one directly overhead, and it couldn't have been more than 100-150 feet. It was sweet to watch. I was also told by a professor when I asked about it, that they also use the Ramsey Center(our Basketball Arena) as a practice target for bombing. But I was unable to verify this on the internet. Anyone know anything about this?

In reply to your question, AH-1's don't bomb.
They shoot rockets, missiles, and guns. Using your court as a range (????) Not likely. You would definitely know if they were doing any shooting nearby. One hell of a "whump!"
Of course the campus may occasionally allow them to land as part of an exercise. (we land at high schools all the time).
If you're in western NC then you may be familiar with a couple of the bases on the coast.

I would have to say it's not much much. I'm not familiar with the Army units in your area, only the other branch flying Cobras.

Originally posted by Zaphod58
KC-130s? They don't follow Air Force One around. There is NOTHING that a KC-130 could do to provide security. I think you're confusing them with the E-4 and the Gulfstream IV they started using more recently. A KC-130 couldn't keep up with Air Force One, or carry enough cargo to be useful. A KC-130 is just a C-130 with two extra external fuel tanks to refuel helicopters.

The C-130's carry the president's ground vehicles around. His armored SUV's and such. So yeah, they don't necessarily follow him, but they do precede his arrival.

lol, as I was reading this thread a apache/cobra felw over, never seen one of those before. About 4 months ago I there were probably a fly by of a formation of blackhawks, I had them scheduled out every Saturday and snapped some pics, they;ve been gone for a while but I agree with the thread title that there is definitely increase in heli traffic



now 3 chinooks in formation the opposite way flew by, creepy.

[edit on 9/8/2007 by racerzeke]

Skidz is the only guy in this thread, that has a clue as to what's going on, and how things work around this time of year. He's spot on about the FY.

Th majority of the "increased traffic" you guys are noticing is due to the end of the FY coming this october. Units are trying to use up their flight hours, engine hours, etc...

Anyhow, another serviceman sends his regard, Skidz.
PM me if you ever wanna shoot the chit.

Originally posted by Wildbob77
Before the first Iraq war, my wife and I noticed that the C-5 were flying over our house about every 5 minutes. It was pretty amazing.

I didn't notice it for the buildup to this war.

Well that certainly suggests a logistical operation of some kind, C-5's don't usually wander around with empty cargo bays.

Any more unusal military movements somewhere?

helicopter activity is a sure sign for me.
even here in bulgaria i saw a military chopper fliyng by some river very low.but that dosnt mean nothin

Originally posted by Skidz
In reply to your question, AH-1's don't bomb.
They shoot rockets, missiles, and guns. Using your court as a range (????) Not likely. You would definitely know if they were doing any shooting nearby. One hell of a "whump!"
Of course the campus may occasionally allow them to land as part of an exercise. (we land at high schools all the time).
If you're in western NC then you may be familiar with a couple of the bases on the coast.

I would have to say it's not much much. I'm not familiar with the Army units in your area, only the other branch flying Cobras.

I should have been more specific about the practice runs on our arena. I meant by bombers and fighter-bombers. The arena is huge and wouldn't be a challenge for cobras to hit. Theres never been shooting that I've seen or heard but I think they meant it is used for targeting training? I don't know, I'm just trying to figure it out.

A little unrelated but when I was wrestling in Atlanta, I was living in Marietta, and nearby is a Air Reserve base, and I saw three F-22's doing constant flyovers.
Coming from a military family (would be active myself but sadly I'm a diabetic) I can tell that the military trains continually. I actually thought it was cool, but I never knew a C-5 could actually take off until I saw the giant monstrosity lift into the air. I used to park outside the bases security perimeter and watch the F-18's land and takeoff, it was pretty cool.
Beign the ( I think I got this right) the 94th Transport Wing, I saw loads of BlackHawks, and C-130's and the occasional Star Destroyer, I mean C-5 Galaxy fly over head.
WHether that means this is preparing for war, I don't know. But didn't Washington himself back when he was prez advise the country to always prepare for war?
By the way, this was all back in May-August 2007.

I cant believe I didnt see this thread sooner. The military helicopters have been flying like crazy around here for 6 weeks now. Sometimes the apache's have really creeped me out with some of the drills they have been doing (im assuming they were drills) they would go in circles down low where their noses were looking twards the center at all times, Im assuming they were practicing searching for whatever. It is very intimidating.....to say the least. There have been chinooks everywhere too. Granted we see a lot, considering we are north of Whiteman (between Whiteman and KC), but it has never been anything like this.

Well i live in upstate NY, and im used to seeing the occasional military aircraft. Mainy A10 tank busters. Flying low and slow, like they are supposed to. But in the past few months large military planes around the size of c-130s have been populating my sky. It seemed to start in the summer. I was at a local bar and one of these big c130ish things screamed very low over head. And its been more frequent from there, mostly fighter jets and the c130s or whatever they are called.
Recently tues i got a phone call from my mom who was wondering if there was like search and rescue going on, because she noticed the planes the day before and that day they were still flying over. Then the next day, wends, sure enough another big planes screamed over my house. And finally yesterday A large helicopter with no distinctive markings, so probably not a comercial craft, flew in a low circle over the area, only to come back and do the same thing in the evening. My father told me they were maybe looking for pot plants, but then speculated that this close to the frost he would be surprised if people still would have things out. As he maintains a garden, and was boasting about his carrot, and tomato harvest this year. I wonder if the flying noise makers will be back today? the day is early.
Definately a bit irksom. To quote from Firefly "Its getting awfully crowded in my sky..."

great thread i wish i had seen this sooner also...

i used to live near DC and when you live somewhere youre entire life you do get used to the rythm of things and you realize when it is not correct...even subconciously.

before september 11th happend i would be woken up at all hours of the night hearing heli's off in the woods. now it is normal to see them every once in a while, but it was everynight for about a month and a half before the attack. im a light sleeper...i know hahah.

anyway a week before the attack an pair of f-16's flew extremely low over my highschool while i was at after school track practice. all this stuff made such an impression on me that when the attack happend on the 11th, i told my parents i thought that the government must have known something about the upcoming attacks, even though back then i believed the official story. now i know that they knew...

anyway i moved far far away from DC (thank goodness), so i rarely see a military jet anymore, but my message is DONT DISCOUNT the people who live near major bases because they know the rythms and they know when activity is getting suspicous...

...keep reporting guys

There's activity over here in Utah from a National Guard base.. Multiple formations. Tons of Apache and Blackhawk activity. More so than I've ever seen before. Definitely weird.

I've seen Chinooks flying all over the place down where I used to live.

Before 9/11, however.

[edit on 17-9-2007 by Sytima]

It's funny this post happened today... I noticed a few Blackhawks headed towards Olmstead AFB on my way to work this morning. I don't see them too often in the area they were, and it piqued my interest. Probably completely routine though
Olmstead is home to the 193rd SOG, mostly elint EC130's, but they get deployed regularly... They fly daily, and you can see their birds day and almost every evening. No noticible increase there either.
Fort Indiantown Gap is right down the road too (I-81), and they have one of the more active live fire ranges for the F16's and A10's on the northeastern corridor... always active! Nice fireworks shows.
Haven't noticed anything unusual on the roads, but they have been loading trains at the Navy Depot all week (the fence borders my yard.) Tomorrow in daylight I'll try to snap a few pics off and post them, but it's been mostly boxcars... I better shave first, or I might get questioned.
Man, I just can't get away from the military- I'm a doggone civilian now!
I'm sure skidz and microcosm are right on target: end of FY. Gotta use it or lose it...

[edit on 17/9/07 by cbianchi513]

I've lived in Las Vegas,NV for 30 years and have only noticed them maybe once but last week was an experience that even had all the neighbors coming out to see why their house was shaking only to see two large black copters fly right over and head out to Nellis and I'm about 24 miles away.