Bomb Threats DL SWA effect ATL

MikeD said:
Yes. Their F-4 operations shut down in 2004, but the 2nd GAF Training Wing of their Training Center still does Tornado IDS training ops there.

Houston lost their F-16s in 2009 or so, as did many other F-16 units. Biggest F-16 base is still Luke AFB, with 6 squadrons that train F-16 pilots (was 9 squadrons at one time.)
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I more or less grew up on a US Army base in southern Germany. The Luftwaffe used to do training bombing runs on our base, usually in the middle of our school day. Such loud...so awesome.
 
MikeD said:
Yes. Their F-4 operations shut down in 2004, but the 2nd GAF Training Wing of their Training Center still does Tornado IDS training ops there.

Houston lost their F-16s in 2009 or so, as did many other F-16 units. Biggest F-16 base is still Luke AFB, with 6 squadrons that train F-16 pilots (was 9 squadrons at one time.)
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I can't keep up with anything. At least they still have the Tornados. I had no idea Texas lost their F-16's. That blows. So Arizona has the largest group then. Didn't know or forgot that. At my age hard to tell which it is. lol Thanks.
 
MikeD said:
I've always wondered, when fighter jets are scrambled to escort an airliner that reports and unruly pax, what exactly is the fighter jet going to do to assist, apart from the obvious? Be a witness?

I can see fighters sent to assist aircraft in distress. There was an interesting intercept over eastern NM back in the early 1990s...didn't make much news from what I remember.
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I don't think any of us up front are under any delusion that they're not there to shoot us down if the aircraft tries to brain itself into a building.
 
Derg said:
I don't think any of us up front are under any delusion that they're not there to shoot us down if the aircraft tries to brain itself into a building.
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Pretty sure they will. At least post 9/11. And I hate to say it, but I would hope they would, even knowing it may be me. I thought long and hard about it before I came to this side.
 
A Life Aloft said:
That's really funny, but true. I always picture the Captain taking the pax by the scruff of his neck and just smashing his face against a cabin window while the fighter rolls over and shows him his junk and the Captain saying, "See, see what chit you have caused us now you idiot! Now sit in your damn seat, eat your bag of nuts and shut the hell up "
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Bad time to ask for a diet coke and a snack pack of hummus?
 
A Life Aloft said:
I can't keep up with anything. At least they still have the Tornados. I had no idea Texas lost their F-16's. That blows. So Arizona has the largest group then. Didn't know or forgot that. At my age hard to tell which it is. lol Thanks.
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Texas Guard has the 149th FW. Clapped out F16's as a friend of mine put it...
I think they are in the San Antonio region.

I think the benefit is more for the mil pilots practicing intercepts.
As a recent instructor put it: "How long does it take you to put down the Xbox controller and be ready for taxi?"
 
Nark said:
Texas Guard has the 149th FW. Clapped out F16's as a friend of mine put it...
I think they are in the San Antonio region.

I think the benefit is more for the mil pilots practicing intercepts.
As a recent instructor put it: "How long does it take you to put down the Xbox controller and be ready for taxi?"
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San Antonio still has their F-16s, as they converted to a training mission a while back. Houston lost their F-16s and converted to Predator drones.
 
scooter2525 said:
Oh yeah, that mq-9 will do a great job at an intercept. :rolleyes:
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They just changed missions. Same with Fargo, Syracuse, Terre Haute, and a few other F-16 units I'm probably forgetting; as well as other aircraft units too. All surge work due to the recent wars. Which makes me wonder what they're going to be doing when the surge work is no longer needed........like currently. :)
 
MikeD said:
They just changed missions. Same with Fargo, Syracuse, Terre Haute, and a few other F-16 units I'm probably forgetting; as well as other aircraft units too. All surge work due to the recent wars. Which makes me wonder what they're going to be doing when the surge work is no longer needed........like currently. :)
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They do fine for the mission they are designed to do. Loiter for hours. But not replacing any intercepter.
 
scooter2525 said:
They do fine for the mission they are designed to do. Loiter for hours. But not replacing any intercepter.
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That's what I mean. These former fighter units changed missions completely. From fighter interceptor (and in cases of other units, tanker/transport) to now that of reconaissance. The Predators aren't replacing any fighter jets because these former fighter units no longer have that job anymore.
 
MikeD said:
That's what I mean. These former fighter units changed missions completely. From fighter interceptor (and in cases of other units, tanker/transport) to now that of reconaissance. The Predators aren't replacing any fighter jets because these former fighter units no longer have that job anymore.
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I get it.

I don't get it.
 
MikeD said:
The situation I was describing was related to me when I was based at HMN in the 117. Apparently, in the early 1990s, there was a 727 airliner headed to DFW (can't remember which airline specifically, think it may have been USAir) and was on J4 between EWM and INK eastbound when ATC lost comms with it. After trying various means to establish comms, ZAB decided to vector a pair of nearby fighters that were working in the Talon MOA, as no others were available. The fighters were Luftwaffe Tornado IDS out of HMN. So when the intercept was made, the pax and crew saw this.

Turned out to be nothing, but kind of an interesting situation to have Luftwaffe fighter jets intercepting a U.S.-registered aircraft over U.S. soil and airspace. :)

View attachment 30122 View attachment 30123
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Mike, I saw a Luftwaffe Tornado in the pattern at Kirtland last week!
 
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