The ground was shaking........

[XS22J8R]

With military aircraft, the approach to landing is often louder and more earth shaking than the takeoff. A common technique is called the "break" where the jet or formation of jets approach the airport at around 1000 feet, throttles set to military power. Overhead the airport they rack the plane into a steep bank while reducing the throttle, and as they roll out into the downwind leg they are slowed down enough to extend the landing gear and start deploying the flaps and air brakes. Many times a jet would "break" right over my parents house which was like having an airshow in our backyard! Here is a video a guy who used to hang out all the time at the airbase in my hometown with his little kid made. His son has digitalized a lot of his dads old VHS tapes in recent years and posted them on YouTube. I was standing about 10 feet away from his dad taking pictures while he shot this video of a bunch of Tomcats came in for a refueling stop.

In this picture I took of one of the jets seen in the video, you can see the guy in the back seat waving at us.

 

[not so famous bob]

not with b 52`s , full

With military aircraft, the approach to landing is often louder and more earth shaking than the takeoff. A common technique is called the "break" where the jet or formation of jets approach the airport at around 1000 feet, throttles set to military power. Overhead the airport they rack the plane into a steep bank while reducing the throttle, and as they roll out into the downwind leg they are slowed down enough to extend the landing gear and start deploying the flaps and air brakes. Many times a jet would "break" right over my parents house which was like having an airshow in our backyard! Here is a video a guy who used to hang out all the time at the airbase in my hometown with his little kid made. His son has digitalized a lot of his dads old VHS tapes in recent years and posted them on YouTube. I was standing about 10 feet away from his dad taking pictures while he shot this video of a bunch of Tomcats came in for a refueling stop.

In this picture I took of one of the jets seen in the video, you can see the guy in the back seat waving at us.

View attachment 1626566

power at the off , coasting on the way in...

 

[XS22J8R]

I doubt the B52 lands with the power off, but possibly near idle with their large wing surface area.
We had B52s staging out of the base a couple years for a nearby airshow. I don't recall them being especially loud either coming or going. They are interesting to see takeoff as they don't really rotate to get airborne off the runway, rather they seem more to levitate!
On the other hand, a couple B1s staged out of the base one year for the Chicago airshow, and they were perhaps the loudest most earthshaking plane I've ever witnessed!

 

[68 Sport Satellite]

My hometown had a Naval air station in it and my parents house was about a half mile south of the base. The squadrons based there in my lifetime were reserve squadrons, and my the time I was around 10 they'd moved the A4 squadron out, leaving just anti sub, cargo and helicopter units at the base.
But there were transient jets coming and going on a regular basis, and during the Chicago Air Show weekend the military planes making appearances there like the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds would operate out of there.
The village was fairly affluent and most residents hated the base and the noise from the jets but I loved it! The jet noise would freak out our dog sometimes too. The sound of a F14 or F15 in afterburner would give me goosebumps though! I stubbed many a toe and banged my knees many times when I'd be home and hear the sound of a jet approaching for the "break" when landing, or taking off towards our neighborhood and would be running to the door to try to get outside in time to see the plane fly over. Eventually I got the idea to start trying to photograph some of the action and became an avid aviation photographer during the last 6 or 7 years the base was open before sadly it was closed in 1995.
Here are a few examples of what I saw from the backyard of my parent's house or from vantage points a short drive to the north end of the base.

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those photographs are BAD-***!
Thanks for sharing. Awesome photography.

 

[F4R/T]

Thanks for sharing guys! Way cool!

 

[Pedalpusher]

My hometown had a Naval air station in it and my parents house was about a half mile south of the base. The squadrons based there in my lifetime were reserve squadrons, and my the time I was around 10 they'd moved the A4 squadron out, leaving just anti sub, cargo and helicopter units at the base.
But there were transient jets coming and going on a regular basis, and during the Chicago Air Show weekend the military planes making appearances there like the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds would operate out of there.
The village was fairly affluent and most residents hated the base and the noise from the jets but I loved it! The jet noise would freak out our dog sometimes too. The sound of a F14 or F15 in afterburner would give me goosebumps though! I stubbed many a toe and banged my knees many times when I'd be home and hear the sound of a jet approaching for the "break" when landing, or taking off towards our neighborhood and would be running to the door to try to get outside in time to see the plane fly over. Eventually I got the idea to start trying to photograph some of the action and became an avid aviation photographer during the last 6 or 7 years the base was open before sadly it was closed in 1995.
Here are a few examples of what I saw from the backyard of my parent's house or from vantage points a short drive to the north end of the base.

View attachment 1626459

View attachment 1626460

View attachment 1626462

Nice pictures

 

[XS22J8R]

I don’t want to hijack the thread talking about my aviation pictures more, but will mention I spent a lot of time last winter scanning my old 35 mm negatives and slides, and then made some albums of the pictures. Here’s one album of the planes flying in and out of my ‘hood. That base had great places to photograph from! There’s more aviation albums in my Flickr site you can find if you wade through all the damn (lol) car show albums there.
NAS Glenview aircraft pictures 1991

 

[Sahara]

We were sitting in our garden in Mexico a few years ago. You could hear a small plane approaching, low.
This thing zooms right over us, super low. Like scary low. We were pondering this when a Blackhawk zoomed over, super low, in hot pursuit. Freakin’ cool. Ground shaking, indeed.
Saw on the news the next day they got the drug plane. First and only Blackhawk I’ve ever seen.

 

[j-c-c-62]

On the other hand, a couple B1s staged out of the base one year for the Chicago airshow, and they were perhaps the loudest most earthshaking plane I've ever witnessed!



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15? Years back had a B1 do a fly by down the beach at the Ft Lauderdale Air/Marine Show, pilot kicked at maybe 1000' and did a high thrust climb out into oblivion.
It was impressive. I will never forget.

 

[j-c-c-62]

Anybody explain what the military advantage is for planes taking off side by side?
They very often don't land that way. they don't take off on a carrier that way.
Seems like an unneeded risk IMO.

 

[hemi71x]

Well, on a carrier you can't take off side by side.
Can't be done.
But on a runway, if something bad happens, and aircraft have to get going quick, there is no reason why it can't be done that way.
When it happens, it's pretty much for training, and keeping pilots skill level up to snuf.

 

[not so famous bob]

I doubt the B52 lands with the power off, but possibly near idle with their large wing surface area.
We had B52s staging out of the base a couple years for a nearby airshow. I don't recall them being especially loud either coming or going. They are interesting to see takeoff as they don't really rotate to get airborne off the runway, rather they seem more to levitate!
On the other hand, a couple B1s staged out of the base one year for the Chicago airshow, and they were perhaps the loudest most earthshaking plane I've ever witnessed!

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didnt say they came in with their engines off or idleing , did say way down tho

I doubt the B52 lands with the power off, but possibly near idle with their large wing surface area.
We had B52s staging out of the base a couple years for a nearby airshow. I don't recall them being especially loud either coming or going. They are interesting to see takeoff as they don't really rotate to get airborne off the runway, rather they seem more to levitate!
On the other hand, a couple B1s staged out of the base one year for the Chicago airshow, and they were perhaps the loudest most earthshaking plane I've ever witnessed!

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didnt say they came in with power off, throttled way down , and adjusted as need be , dont read something into it that I didnt say