F/A-18's at LaGuardia

[Van_Hoolio]

I was boarding my commute home today around 6:45 and was treated to the sight of a few F-18's taking off:

The pics with the time stamp are from Maxine, Comair CVG FA. I copied them from her SD card over to my laptop on the flight home. The others are from my older and crappier camera.

 

[Van_Hoolio]

 

[JumpWake]

Cool. I don't fly to LGA, are military planes common there?

 

[MikeD]

Cool. I don't fly to LGA, are military planes common there?

Very doubtful. But this is another area where the USN/USMC FAR trumps the USAF: Cross Country policy for tactical aircraft. Trying to get a USAF fighter off-station for an XC is akin to pulling teeth.....gotta go to a military field, preferably an AF field. Civilian fields are usually not doable, mainly due to security requirements, need for the aircraft to be secured, etc, etc.

USN/USMC on the other hand seems to be FAR more liberal with XCs, as you'll see their tactical aircraft at many civilian fields. So long as the field has appropriate runway length, govt contract JP/Jet-A, you're pretty much good to go. That's why you'll see F/A-18s at LGA or PHX parked at Cutter's ramp. You'd NEVER, in any normal XC sense, see that with an F-15, A-10 or other USAF aircraft.

Difference is in philosophy between the services. AF is all about "if we don't say you CAN do it, assume you can't." AF gives you a VERY short rope tied to a noose, so the littlest screwup, and you hang yourself. USN/USMC is along the lines of "if we don't say you CAN'T do it, you can.....just don't foul it up." They give you a very long piece of rope, also tied to a noose...that way, if you do manage to hang yourself, you REALLY had to screw up to get to that point.

 

[derg]

OMG OMG OMG MikeD said "Liberal" anic:anic:anic: this liberal bias must be stopped!

Just kidding, and now, back to your regularly scheduled website...

 

[rd757]

Very cool experience! Nice catch as well! I see Blackhawks from time to time at KOSU, also we get a few fighters swinging by YIP occasionally. Most just go over to Selfridge.

Thanks for posting!
RD

 

[PGT]

Cool pics!

About a month ago I saw an F/A-18 Hornet at Elliots in DSM.

Summer of '07 I saw an A-10 at Signature in DSM:

 

[tlewis95]

Cool!

I parked my 152 next to a set of F18s at RFD one time. USMC birds.

 

[blee256]

Very doubtful. But this is another area where the USN/USMC FAR trumps the USAF: Cross Country policy for tactical aircraft. Trying to get a USAF fighter off-station for an XC is akin to pulling teeth.....gotta go to a military field, preferably an AF field. Civilian fields are usually not doable, mainly due to security requirements, need for the aircraft to be secured, etc, etc.

I think AF in general has a lot more rules. I am currently deployed to the AOR and we cant take any pics of the ramp. But we went over to the army side where they have Helos, and they were like you can take as many pics as you want.

AF is very strict on standards and stuff. Apparently the war doesnt go on if you were black socks opposed to white socks with your PT gear.

 

[MikeD]

AF is very strict on standards and stuff. Apparently the war doesnt go on if you were black socks opposed to white socks with your PT gear.

Don't get me started on the AFs stupidity of reflector belts and PT uniforms tucked/untucked. Tall about a service with zero identity and zero sense of true mission from the many shoe clerks in the force.

You deployed as a FF over there?

 

[JEP]

Don't get me started on the AFs stupidity of reflector belts and PT uniforms tucked/untucked. Tall about a service with zero identity and zero sense of true mission from the many shoe clerks in the force.

You deployed as a FF over there?

standards, schmandards......they had the best food. we ALWAYS went over to Hickam to eat instead of the galley that was right behind the barracks it Pearl Harbor....

 

[youngflyer]

There were three ANG f16s from Vermont at SYR yesterday. They basically parked at the FBO, ate lunch at the dinosaur BBQ, fueled up and flew back to Vermont! Is there some requirement for cross-country flying? Sorry about the soft photo, the heat glare produced by their engines make it tough to get a sharp image.

 

[DC10FlyBy]

Awesome! I was treated to watching soe C-130's take off in SGF when I was there for my job-shadow!

 

[Table Two]

I have seen the F/A-18's at LGA a few times. Probably setting up to overfly a stadium game in the NYC area?
I bet they just wanted to shoot the Expressway Visual 31 :rawk:

 

[Qgar]

Yesterday WAS Opening day at CitiField (the new home of the NY Mets). Probably did a flyover during the opening ceremony. Not that I watched--I HATE the Mets. (huge Yankees fan, though!)

 

[Nick6485]

Nice pics. Last month when I flew into LAS there were two F/A-18's at the hold short line waiting for me to land. The first guy didn't use burners , but the second guy just cracked the burners...made my day.

 

[juan valdez]

God bless the Marine Corps

They give you a very long piece of rope, also tied to a noose...that way, if you do manage to hang yourself, you REALLY had to screw up to get to that point.

Very true. You may get leeway, but God forbid you messup.

Don't get me started on the AFs stupidity of reflector belts and PT uniforms tucked/untucked. Tall about a service with zero identity and zero sense of true mission from the many shoe clerks in the force.

You deployed as a FF over there?

Don't get me started on the Corps' PT uni. I mean really, reflecor belts in a combat zone? AF bases always seemed way more lax to me. I guess the grass is alwasy greener.

 

[juan valdez]

Oh yeah

Awesome pics and even better avatar pic

 

[kaudbron]

I took this in LGA awhile back there were two of them parked at Signature. This wasn't the first time I've seen them at LGA.

 

[CN94559]

damn I love the F/A-18!