Nice suprise on Friday.

[wolfee]

So I was doing the temple square thing on Friday with my wife and kids in Salt Lake City. On the way out of the visitors center, when I heard music to my ears. I scanned the sky to the west and saw a big shiny B-17 flying low, and in a right hand turn towards the airport.
I looked at my wife and said I knew I heard something out of place flying around. She looked at me and rolled her eyes and said we are not going to the airport!!!.

[JET1]

I saw and heard that too

looked like an airport flyby then it departed to the east....didn't see who it was...but ..... thanks!

[Leo]

Re: Nice suprise on Friday.

Sweet! I love surprises.
My wife has learned over the years and now when we pass an airport she will gently reach over and grab the steering wheel as she knows my eyes are no longer on the road!

[Outer6]

Re: Nice suprise on Friday.

About 30 years ago I was a rookie police officer. I was being trained by my Sergeant. We were parked in an out of the way parking lot and he was jotting down notes on my daily progress (or lack of progress depending on the day!) when I heard the roar of the Merlin low and fast. I nearly tripped over my baton getting out of the car as the Mustang flew over. I yelled something about a Mustang as I bailed from the car. When the Mustang was finally gone I returned to the drivers seat and my Sgt was looking at me very wide eyed and somewhat unsettled! I apologized and said that happens when certain high powered planes fly by, especially low and fast. I love those "nice surprises"!

[Wingnut]

Re: Nice suprise on Friday.

While driving on a nearly deserted highway between Lone Pine and Death Valley a couple of summers ago, a buddy and I were buzzed by a C-130--very low and very fast. Not a racer or a recip. but cool nonetheless!

[Leo]

Re: Nice suprise on Friday.

My dad used top have a place between Landers and twenty-nine palms. His was the only cabin for a couple miles in each diraection and he had trees around (irrigated) which is a rarity out there. Planes heading into the range out there used his place as an IP. It was awesome!
My favorite was one day at Lake Comanche in the Calif. gold country I heard a merlin and had "This Is It" fly over no more than 50' above our heads. Did it several times that day. Everyone with us (including the kids) thought I had lost my mind jumping up and down every time...

[wingman]

Re: Nice suprise on Friday.

You know -- all sorts of good stuff happens in the area bounded by Lone Pine, Death Valley, and China Lake. I've been strafed by a pair of F-18s (close enough to fill my rear view mirror), seen low level B-1s and V-22s, and had a QF-86 doing rolls up Highway 395 at no more than 4-500 feet AGL. Neat country down there...

Neal

[sierra fox]

Re: Nice suprise on Friday.

I've been hunting and camping off 395 for over 40 years and have had several similar experiences, lots of them between Bishop and Independence. We used to deer hunt out of Bodie Campground and do most of our hiking and on Bodie Peak and Potatoe Peak, i remember as a kid being so awe'd by the view from Bodie, you could bee all the way to the other side of Mono Lake, we used to see Crusaders, Phantoms and Corsairs playing around down in the valley and often times would scale the sides of the mountains, on a couple occasions they aimed right for us, i always used to think that since we had orange vest's on that they really did use us as targets, who knows, fond memories to be sure. Another very impressive sight when i was about 10 was driving south on 395 near Lone Pine and watching a B-52 drop down very low and hang there parallel to the highway and pitch up and out, never forget the 8 black smoke trails those produced....as you say.....always a nice surprise