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>They didn't go fly a low level training mission or something along the way? Usually these sporting event fly-overs get a "real" mission added in so it looks like they are not just out cruising around[/quote]<
And wasting the taxpayers hard earned dollars. :D
On the AF side of the house, for an event of this magnitude they probably just flew-in and flew-out - most likely hitting up a tanker or two along the way.Originally Posted by moose135
They didn't go fly a low level training mission or something along the way? Usually these sporting event fly-overs get a "real" mission added in so it looks like they are not just out cruising around
On the AMC side of the house (and I believe on the ACC side as well), generally speaking the approval authority for any flyover/airshow static display rests with the OG/CC. Many times - especially if a group/cc is going to send a crew on the road for a few days to sit static at an airshow (and especially if he/she has to cover their TDY costs) - he/she will have some stipulation that some sort of training has to be accomplished to somewhat justify letting them go (i.e. AR or something). This is especially true for the reserves who are more limited on hours/training periods etc... But, this isn't a regulation or anything. We'll send jets to do local flyovers frequently and/or airshows with no "training" attached to it. It all comes down to availability and priority... On the heavy side of the house, where a normal "local" sortie is anywhere from 5-8 hours, to burn a crew/jet for an hour event of the lowest priority with nothing else attached to it, doesn't make much sense, so you may see a flyover on either the front or back end of a local.
This flyover was more than likely directed by a 3 or 4-star somewhere, so there was probably no training associated with it. You'd want to minimize the risk of breaking or anything happening that would cause you to miss the flyover. Nothing worse than having to answer to the big boss on why you didn't show by saying "well we broke on the way while we were out playing around/or had the jet configured to go out and play afterwards". They may have even had another B2 blocked off on the ground at Whiteman for this mission in case the first broke.
Now on the Navy side, at least what I was explained by some of my Navy counterparts, the opposite is true. In order for them to do an airshow, or flyover, they HAVE to get some kind of training done along the way.
I was thinking the same thing.. I would have loved to see the reaction to Joe by the fans... I think it wouldve choked more than a few people up...
>The fleet is based at Whiteman Air Force Base in western Missouri, good chance it flew straight from there.<
How are these fly-bys coordinated? Do they have a military person with a radio on the ground?
Yes. They will typically have another pilot on-site with a radio, talking to the airplane.
I would LOVE to listen to that radio conversation to hear how that's planned. I always wondered the same thing myself.
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I just came across this vid of a B-2 flyover of a Yanks/Sox game in 2006, appears to be shot from the rafters where the lights are, and after the anthem starts you hear a guy saying "slow it down, slow it down, we got 20-25 seconds left." Pretty sure he's talking to the B-2 since the anthem music is prerecorded and can't be slowed down.
Looking at the All Star Game vid, it seems that Sheryl Crow's slow ass version of the anthem caused the B-2 to arrive a bit early.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We have a small problem.
All four engines have stopped. We are doing our damnedest to get them under control.
I trust you are not in too much distress. —Captain Eric Moody, British Airways Flight 9
Yea basically the guy on the ground is just talking with the aircraft and giving it information on what is happening on the ground. Its a pretty mundane conversation.
The guy on the ground will also many times give slight corrections like "come right, come left" or the like. But the primary purpose of the ground guy is to make sure the flyover is timed just right.
>Yes. They will typically have another pilot on-site with a radio, talking to the airplane.<
That is what I figured. I've listened in on a number of "Inspectors Funerals" for NYPD officers killed in the line of duty and they have an NYPD Aviation officer
on the ground talking to the lead pilot giving him info on how much time they have before they need to come in. Many times the ships have to circle for awhile
since the ceremonies always run over. Sometimes you might have copters from other agencies in the fly-by (Nassau, Suffolk, State) and it's pretty cool hearing
the lead ship giving instructions to the other copters.
>I just came across this vid of a B-2 flyover of a Yanks/Sox game in 2006, appears to be shot from the rafters where the lights are, and after the anthem starts you hear a guy saying "slow it down, slow it down, we got 20-25 seconds left." Pretty sure he's talking to the B-2 since the anthem music is prerecorded and can't be slowed down.<
[youtubeww.youtube.com/watch?v=vpGVIh8Jqxk[/youtube video. There is actually a lot of space up there by the lights to walk around, not a narrow catwalk like I had thought.
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