F-18s at Boeing Field.

[gfw123]

Was just listening to the KSEA feed and heard some chatter about low flying F-18s under the approach path  for KSEA. They thought it was a helicopter or something at first.

Anyway, I went and checked it out and it looks like we will have some F-18 action (which is kind of rare around here) at KBFI this weekend. From the Museum of Flight at KBFI:

"On Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 29 and 30, a F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet is scheduled to be on static display at the Museum. The visiting carrier aircraft that has just returned from Iraq will be viewable from outside a fenced area in our East Parking Lot. The aircraft display is subject to change without notice due to a variety of factors beyond Museum control, including weather, mechanical difficulties, and air traffic control requirements."

--greg.

[Michael.C]

I live in Houston, very close to Ellington Field. It houses many NASA planes (including the Super Guppy and T-38's), military (MANY F-16's and -18's dot the base), and of course general aviation. It's really a great base to be so close to and to learn how to fly at!

Those military planes are a trip to watch! The gravity defying stuff they pull is just amazing. On of the greatest exeriences I've had is holding short of the runway after run-up waiting to be cleared to takeoff and have a couple F-16's roll by you taking off simultaneously. It really rumbles the frame of those little 172's!

[gfw123]

Those military planes are a trip to watch! The gravity defying stuff they pull is just amazing. On of the greatest exeriences I've had is holding short of the runway after run-up waiting to be cleared to takeoff and have a couple F-16's roll by you taking off simultaneously. It really rumbles the frame of those little 172's! :)

That sounds really cool. It really is nice to fly at a place like that. Here
at BFI we don't have any military hardware, but we do get a lot of the
large cargo planes ( FedEx, USPS, etc). It is fun to fly the pattern with
those! Well, they aren't really in the pattern but you know what I mean. :)

We have 2 runways here, I was on 13R doing touch and goes and had
just landed when I saw a DC-3 on 13L getting ready to roll. The tower
let us sit there while they took off. That was probably the coolest thing
for me so far.

--greg.

[Michael.C]

I love watching traffic land or takeoff on the runway parallel to you! That's pretty weird, though.. What was a DC-3 doing flying on a normal day (not at an airshow, etc.) Cool, though! Those are really beautiful planes.

Probably the coolest experience thusfar was coming in for a landing on 17R and Ellington (EFD) while a 757 was landing on 17L. It was an American airlines. We don't get any major airlines into EFD, so it was weird seeing it there. Turns out that it was the Chicago White Sox coming into town. (I assume many know that the Houston Astro's made it to the World Series against the White Sox..) Definitely a cool experience!

PS: Our home-field pride is so touching

[iowapilot]

I lived near EFD a few years back when my wife was student teaching. I used to plane spot there quite a bit back before I got back into flying and it was always a good time. I went to a few of those gatherings that the astronauts would have in that one hangar after returning from a mission.

One time I was out there spotting and President Clinton flew in on AF1. They parked up at the North end of the field. As I tried turning a way I wasn't supposed to from the middle entrance area I ran over a curb and blew the tire on my car. Needless to say, I missed seeing the Prez as I changed my tire like a schmuck. At least I didn't hit a fire truck and then veer off into the woods.

[gfw123]

I love watching traffic land or takeoff on the runway parallel to you! That's pretty weird, though.. What was a DC-3 doing flying on a normal day (not at an airshow, etc.) Cool, though! Those are really beautiful planes.

It owned by a company (or someone) and that is where they park it, there on KBFI. KBFI is kind of a strange place in that way. Paul Allen, of Microsoft, has his own hanger there as well. He parks all of his 'toys' in it. He has a couple 757s, a few twins and a privately owned f-18 (I believe, it is defiantly a modern fighter but I have only seen it flown once). His 'private' hanger is 171,000 square feet. :-) He also has a Challenger Jet in there as well. You can look in as you taxi past (on the small runway).

Probably the coolest experience thusfar was coming in for a landing on 17R and Ellington (EFD) while a 757 was landing on 17L. It was an American airlines. We don't get any major airlines into EFD, so it was weird seeing it there.

Just the opposite here. KBFI is 'Boeing' field after all! So, we have tons of big jets coming in for service and cargo. Right now 2 of the brand new 777-200LRs (longest range aircraft in the world) are being flight tested and they are up and down all the time there. So, its always wake turbulence this and wake turbulence that. :)

[Cessna172]

In regard to the post about Ellington Field from Michael C, the Air National Guard currently bases a number of F-16A's with the 147th fighter squadron. KEFD occaionally has aircraft on the ramps that are in en route on a cross countr, stopped for fuel and such. Some of the aircraft on field that I've seen consist of QF-4 Phantom Drones (on the field from Florida during some storm a couple of months back), C-130 Hurricane Hunters, Army Blackhawks, Canadian F/A-18s, and many others. KEFD also has NASA T-38 Talons (as mentioned by Michael C.) and a Super Guppy. KEFD also has a CGAS (Coast Guard Air Station) on field. They fly HH-65A Dauphins. I've also seen two Coast Guard C-130s on field (I don't know where they are from). The Wings Over Houston Airshow (which happened on a weekend in early October) had a static display that was very nice. They had a KC-10, KC-135, AV-8B Harrier, T-38 Talon (from Laughlin, the 87FTS), F/A-18, F-16, F-117, C-5 Galaxy, and many, many other aircraft including a HUGH warbird static display. They also had many flying displays, as well, including Tora, Tora, Tora (a Pearl Harbor reenactment, with pyrotechnics), and the Canadian Forces Snowbirds. They had an absolutly WONDERFUL F/A-18F Super Hornet Demo. Although I wasn't there on Sunday, I believe that they had a A-10 Warthog  demo. Anyway, with regard to the 147th ANG F-16s, the BRAC has made the decsion to retire the 147th's F-16s in effort to consolidate and to save money. Anyway, it's about time those F-16s are retired since they are A models, and are becoming obsolete. However, KEFD will be recieving a (or more) Predators, the UAV's. They will not be controlled from KEFD (probably somewhere far away, such as Nellis?). These proposed Predators are pretty bad consilations for the ANG's F-16s, but what can I do? Anyway, thanks, Michael, for recognizing KEFD!!!

Brian P.
Cessna 172S Skyhawk
West Houston Airport (KIWS)
www.westhoustonairport.com

[Michael.C]

I wish I had a private hangar like that, Greg.. jeez. I wish I had any hangar at all, as long as it had a plane in it. Give me a scream when they start test flying the 7e7's (787)!!

As Brian pointed it, the base is so neat to be around. So much diverse traffic comes in and out and if you're allowed onto the flightline, you can get some really good views of some really impressive planes. I saw a jet the other day (military) that looked very similar to a U-2, but obviously wasn't.. Not sure what it was. I asked around the base and no one seemed to know. It flew well, though!!

I'll have to look for IWS on my sectional and see if we can make a go there sometime. Only problem is that from EFD, we'd have to go a weird way to avoid the Bravo shelf..

[keith]

I took a trip in a DA-20 to meet a pilot from NAS Lemoore in northern California last year. I departed KSQL and flew to Hanford, just east of the air station.

On the return trip, I had flight following with Lemoore Approach, he vectored me to the south for an "inbound flight of four F-18's". I asked for their location, he gave it to me and I soon spotted them.  They flew over me from my 10-11 o'clock, maybe 2000-3000ft above me.  Not real close, but it sure was interesting seeing them from the air, rather than on the ground. It was also the first time I've had 4 hornets fly by and not make a darn sound.

[Cessna172]

Michael,

Whoa...sorry for the late reply. I completely forgot about my post about KEFD. Whenever I fly IWS-EFD, I make a straight out departure (if I'm using Runway 15) and I follow I-10 going east. I usually request a flight following from Dep/App. They lead me thru the "VFR corridor" in between IAH's and HOU's airspace.

Last time I flew EFD for a touch-and-go, I landed behind a "heavy". The callsign was Yankee22 heavy. It looked like a DC-10. Not a KC-10 because there wasn't a refuling boom. Although I really didn't "land right behind" the DC-10, I heard him on the radio talking w/ the controller, and I saw him parked on the ramp. Good thing, too, that I didn't land behind the heavy: that wake turbulence would have been wild.

I was hoping that the EFD tower controller would give me 35L because landing on short runway 35R is no fun. Besides, who knows how many F-16's have landed on 35L. Oh man...it was so cool!!

Anyway, definetly shoot by IWS; it's a great place to fly. And the FBO IS THE BEST around.

Cessna172
Home Airport: West Houston Airport (KIWS)
www.westhoustonairport.com