Question for Boston DUers re: Stealth bomber flyovers

[redwitch]

Standing in front of Berklee Performance Center on Mass. Ave. Saturday morning when we heard an incredibly loud rumble. Looked up to see a stealth bomber flying over us. Very low, very loud. I saw it and at first had difficulty registering what the hell it was. I felt like I was in a sci fi film. Does this happen often? Yikes.

[MrScorpio]

1. Here, only during airshows

And they fly in at night


I just read, Boston....

Just giving the Virginia perspective

[redwitch]

2. They fly in at night to be stealthy right?

'Cause there sure as hell is no mistaking one. After your brain has a moment to reflect, that is. For a moment I was thinking Independence Day! :-)

[Recursion]

3. Counterintuitively, the matte black is best for daytime operations

An airplane flying at night is best disguised by a dull, milky blue-white. Go figure.

I guess living in DC/NoVa I'm used to bizarre aircraft flying over at all times of the day and night.

[redwitch]

4. I would find it hard to get used to seeing that fly over.

Especially so low.

[Recursion]

5. I'm moving to Boston this week; I won't miss the flyovers

Actually, when I worked in the USA Today building in Rosslyn, the planes coming into National were below my office, so they were flyunders at that point. But yeah, we do see a lot of military planes and copters all the time; they do training flights for Marine 1 that buzz the Washington Monument. But tall ships are cooler; does Boston still have those?

[redwitch]

8. Darned if I know, I was just visiting. I much prefer the tall ships myself.

Son #1 goes to Berklee. Flyunders would be very disconcerting to me too. I think I would feel just a wee bit confused and dizzy from that!

[Pied Piper]

6. I heard it, too

I live about a mile from Berklee. When I heard the rumble, I knew it was a flyover. I ran to my window, but I didn't see it. My next door neighbor ran out on his balcony at the same time.

I've seen a few flyovers here in Boston. The first time, I saw a stealth bomber fly over the crowd on the Esplanade on July 4th. I had no idea it was on the schedule and it nearly scared the shit out of me. The next time, I happened to be looking out my window towards Fenway Park - I think it was opening day of the World Series a few years ago. Anyway, I saw them coming before I heard them. They flew over the park and straight towards my building, then straight up into the sky. The racket was unbelievable!

[redwitch]

10. More than one would be very intimidating.

One was quite loud enough!

[Pied Piper]

17. There were actually three of them at the Fenway sighting

But they weren't stealth bombers. I don't know enough to identify them, but they sorta looked like the planes from "Top Gun".

[fed-up]

7. we had an F-16? small black jet fly over Chico, CA last week-don't know why nt

[redwitch]

14. Are you very close to an airbase?

I grew up in Jersey, not very far from McGuire Air Force Base. During the VietNam/Cold War era flyovers of all kinds were not uncommon. As a little kid I thought they were kind of cool. These days they just freak me out.

[bicentennial_baby]

9. Cape Cod Airshow last weekend

:)

[redwitch]

12. Aha! Thanks for clearing that up!

:-)

[bicentennial_baby]

13. No problem!

:)

[Balbus]

11. I guess it wasn't so stealthy after all...

[Recursion]

15. Somebody made a gag-gift of a "model stealth bomber"...

...that was an empty box.

But, yeah, these things don't have cloaking devices or anything, and if the enemy makes visual contact it's one of the worst planes in the world to be in. Last I heard if you go by shootdowns per missions flown its the least safe plane in the Air Force.

[redwitch]

16. Not so much, no.

:-) If someone had whipped out a theramin and started making those wierd outer space noises it would have been entirely appropriate!

[Liberal In Texas]

18. COOL! Wish I'd been there to see it!