Just saw 2 F-14's flying over Austin texas, what are the laws?

Darn, I missed it. I love it when they do that, usually a large sponsor at a UT (Hook 'Em) football game or a festival will pony up the money to pay for one, around 50,000 dollars last I heard. It probably highlighted the finale of the SXSW film fest. Though, who knows, perhaps it was a chase of sorts..............

Originally posted by myremill
hi i live in ayrshire scotland and yesterday i saw a passenger plane with 2 millitery jets beside it and one behind it must be full of soldiers heading for libya !!

These planes looked like they could fly peaty high. I dont know why they wouldn't be flying high.

they can do whatever they want as long as it is not negligent. So basically anything....its called Government immunity and its in every 100 level law class....Looks like somebody needs some school

They wear flying low and slow,(they could have been going allot faster) but they wear LOUD, my ear drums wear beating. I just dont understand why they would fly so low, it was almost as if they wear looking for something on the ground. When i was in arizona i remember seeing them all the time but they would never fly low, you couldn't even hear them. Why scare the population when we just shot a bunch of missiles at Libya? Some people said that they think it could be flying to Libya i dont think so, why would they be in Texas? They would be taking off east at the coast.

OP, I'm sorry if you've already answered this-- I may have overlooked. Which direction were they coming from, and what direction were they headed? Only asking b/c yesterday, a steady stream of loud aircraft going from N-NE over my house towards south, or SE. I noticed because the usual path of aircraft over my house is from SE to West, or North to South. It always seems so, anyway. But yesterday, constant drone of engines overhead going a different way, it seemed like. Loud and slow. I definitely don't know my aircraft! What was the path of those two you saw overhead?

reply to post by sabbathcrazy


Up until very recently, I lived directly under a flight line to Pope AFB from some of the other bases in North Carolina. It was not at all uncommon for us to have jets and helicopters fly over our home and property at all hours of the day and night. There was a river basin a mile or so behind our property and it wasn't uncommon for them to fly helicopters out to the basin, drop off Special Forces troops, then pick them up a few hours later a few miles away.

The most awesome sight I had was when a trio of stealth bombers flew over the house in full stealth mode. They were flying low and slow with no lights whatsoever on. I never heard them until they were right over the house. The sound was indescribable. The only reason I could see them was because they blocked out the stars as they passed overhead.

So basically, military jets can indeed fly over civilian areas. The only restriction is that they can't break the sound barrier without good cause (responding to a potential threat or the like).

I live in Round Rock and I saw the two fighter jets as well. I saw them fly over about 5 times in about 7 minute intervals which tells me they were holding a flight pattern until time to fly over and event here in Austin somewhere. I grew up in Dallas and they used to do the exact same thing over my house there until it was time to fly over either Texas Stadium or The Ballpark In Arlington. It's cool because you could see them flying in a circle above you and then you could go inside to watch them on TV fly over the sporting event right at the end of the National Anthem.

In answer to your question, "What are the laws?" Airplanes must stay above 1000 feet above ground level (AGL) over populated areas, 500 feet AGL over rural; areas. There may be noise abatement ordinances or procedures at any given airport. It is not illegal for planes to fly at what you may perceive as a low altitude.

F-15s, by the way, if that's what they were, are fighters as opposed to attack aircraft like the A-10 (Warthog). They probably weere not looking for something on the ground as thei usual mission is to engage airborne targets. Just FYI.

All remaining F14's are stored at the 355 fighter wing's Air Force Base in Tucson. Except for the ones in Museums.They are not flown as far as I know. that base consists of mostly A -10 a squadron of F16's.

From what I read they were and are still extremely capable. The f18 super Hornet is cheaper to build and maintain. In my Opinion next to the obvious F22 The F14's the baddest fight plane the US has ever put in the sky. A top speed of Mach 2.4 Still the Fastest US fighter ever made. According to the site I was reading yesterday Sorta the M1911 handgun of fighters.

Jerry

I wonder if it had anything to do with what I saw. I live in S. Austin, but today I was at my mom's which is between New Braunfels and Seguin. This is what I saw. I've been "into" planes my whole life and never saw anything like what i saw this evening. Here is my post

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Coming from a military controller, they are supposed to maintain 1000 feet over crowds or obstacles, circumstances pending. Did there happen to be any events in Austin possibly for a fly-by? At any rate, most military installations have specific letters of procedures or letters of agreements with the city, land management so on and so forth...

As for the CO giving them a slap on the wrist when they get on the ground, if they are VFR, not talking to any controllers, and noone bothers to report it, then no slap for them.

We have a pretty expansive range where I am and have heard stories of jets buzzing cars at 500ft.

Maybe not in the rule book, but pretty cool to say the least!

thats nothing when i visit my mom in cold lake (canada) they wake you up at 9 every morning flying in formation like 5-7 of them right over the house, but after 3 days you get used to it, becomes natural

Somethings going on. Yesterday I saw two Apaches flying fairly low and a few military jets in the past week, to high (jets) to identify model. Although not much, I've never seen that much action in the 18 yrs I've been in the area. People are seeing a lot of out of the norm military aircraft action right now.

Originally posted by myremill
hi i live in ayrshire scotland and yesterday i saw a passenger plane with 2 millitery jets beside it and one behind it must be full of soldiers heading for libya !!

You saw the Canadians transiting the UK on their way to Italy to take part in the Libyan conflict. The Canadians deployed an air refuelling tanker and CF-18 Hornet fighter bombers.

www.ayrshirepost.net...

TJ

reply to post by schuyler


The F-15Es are primarily ground attack aircraft. That is why they are called F-15E Strike Eagles. The F-15Es have a primary mission of ground attack and close air support and that includes tactical nuclear weapons. They have an air-to-air capability, but that dedicated task carried out by the air superiority F-15C variant.

en.wikipedia.org...

en.wikipedia.org...

TJ

There is an authorized low level training route just West of Austin. I have flown it many times. Enchanted Rock is within the corridor and I have flown over it fast and low.

Or it could have been an authorized flyby. We do them all the time for sporting/outdoor events.

Could have been any number of aircraft, but not F-14's for all the reasons stated above. Probably not F-15's, as none are located close by. F-16 and F-18's are stationed around the area. As are T-38's.

Unlikely anyone was doing anything wrong.

reply to post by Aliensun


The Texas Air National Guard 149th Fighter Wing fly F-16's out of San Antonio. The F-16 only has one vertical stablizer though and one engine.

saw an f -16 here over colton ca yesterday not too sure but the air is very bad everyone has some sort of throat illness going on...... getting concerned /"\