Tinfoil Hat Time

[SPKrazy]

I was out at my son's soccer game and saw 15 F-16's taking off from the 188th ANG in Ft. Smith Arkansas.

I've lived here 15 years and have NEVER seen that many take off at one time.

Exercise? War gaming? Getting ready for deployment?

Just wondering what's up.

[BOSSHOG]

1. ANG drill weekend??

Air Show?? Airstrikes against Oklahoma? I'll be up your way next week. Heading to Fayetteville, planning on taking old Highway 71. Gotta restock my Hog Paraphernalia on the way to the in laws in Kansas.

[SPKrazy]

5. Maybe They Were Protecting The pResident Who Was In Oklahoma Today. n/t

[SPKrazy]

7. Be Careful On Old 71

Especially between Texarkana and Fort Smith.

71 to Fayetteville is a beautiful drive without the trucks now that the interstate is there.

as to air shows- no, the air show was a month ago

[Quakerfriend]

2. I can't believe you are saying this. Just yesterday @ 3:30 pm

EST three fighter jets roared over my house. My 9 year old and I were so scared we thought it was an earthquake! This has never happened here before.
They were extremely low to the ground and appeared to be barely clearing the tree tops.

I live 13 miles North and west of Phila and a similar distance from a small base in Horsham, PA.

[Arkansas Granny]

3. I heard them going over, but didn't count them. It did seem like

more than usual. I don't think I have ever seen more than four to six in the air at any one time. Kinda unusual.

[SPKrazy]

4. I Counted Because The Soccer Field Is Right By The Airport

15 took off.

I did hear them flying later (I think)after I got home. (I live on the other side of town from the airport so I don't know how many came back, or if they did.

[SPKrazy]

6. Anyone Else Seen Any Extra Military Activity?

just curious

[BrotherBuzz]

8. Dead on the West Coast

I live under the flight approach to a major West Coast AFB. C-5's, C141's, C130's, C17's, KC-10's and KC-135's are common most days, yet today is unusually quiet. Zip.

Whoops, a KC10 just pasted, :shrug:

[DemoTex]

9. This is interesting (BRAC)

In its 2005 BRAC Recommendations, DoD recommended to realign Fort Smith Municipal Airport (MAP) Air Guard Station (AGS), AR. DoD would distribute the 188th Fighter Wing’s (ANG) F-16s to the 144th Fighter Wing (ANG) Fresno Air Terminal AGS, CA (seven aircraft) and retire the remainder (eight aircraft). As part of a larger recommendation that would also realign Luke AFB, AZ, DoD claimed that military value, coupled with homeland defense, was the predominant reason for these recommendations. The Air Force recommendation would realign 15 aircraft from Fort Smith (110) to Fresno (87), which would support the homeland defense Air Sovereignty Alert mission. Additionally, this recommendation would help align the eight different F-16 models across the Air Force. Finally, this recommendation would make experienced Airmen available to support the new ANG flying training unit created at Little Rock Air Force Base, AR.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/usaf/188fw.htm

Looks like 15 F-16s was the total number for the 188th FW. Maybe seven F-16s were re-deploying to Fresno, and the remaining eight were headed for Davis-Monthan, AFB, at Tucson (mothball fleet).

[SPKrazy]

10. They Also Were Going To Move A-10 Warthogs To Ft. Smith

don't know what ever happened to either of these stories (F-16's or A-10's) as there are no Warthogs here, and if the F-16's were leaving for good it would have been all over the news as this community fought hard to keep the 188th active, and for realignment not to mean phasing out.

[SPKrazy]

11. Question Answered-Retiring Colonel's Last Flight

was on the news last night at 10

retiring Colonel of the 188th took his last flight with the squadron.

[originalpckelly]

12. Last night I heard a bunch of military jets go somewhere from Buckley AFB

did anyone else here that in this neck of the woods?

[ScreamingMeemie]

13. I live right beyond the borders of Selfridge and they were doing

flyovers at @ 3AM yesterday morning...Which is what they were doing right before we went into Afghanistan...BUT, they run a lot of supply missions out from there. It's common occurence to see they all day long every day here.