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General Forums => Aces High General Discussion => Topic started by: stephen on June 30, 2009, 05:07:46 PM

Title: Tyndall AFB Upgrade...
Post by: stephen on June 30, 2009, 05:07:46 PM
Im an electrician, and this week i've been replacing the lighting at Tyndall air force base... we have F-15's and 22's here!!!

Next week I work inside of a hanger that keeps 4 raptors permenatly at the ready, 24 hours a day..., and to tell you guys the truth im drooling at that thought..lol
The guy in the engine shop withheld a good bit of information about the pratt and whitney 119's they currently support for the Raptors, but MY GOD its awsome to be in the same area as so many cutting edge fighter planes... AND today I saw a Raptor with the radar dome removed.....!!!

I was invited to take a look at the newer engines, but I declined as it was obviouse to me that I would be raving about it online...

The Raptor is an AWSOME plane, and the sheer power of the thing obviously has never been reveald at any airshow.
My God im glad we live in america, the damn Soviets have no hope of reproducing the technology that goes into this plane, and im proud to be given even this small glimps into our armed forces potential...

Sadly the F-15's are being drawn down here, and by 2010 the last flight of eagles should be leaving...
The smell of JP-8, and the roar of f-100's and 119's fills my ears all the day long....,and dispite my bosses cackling...., I cant help but to rush out the door and watch them fly off the runway at full after burner.
Even have a drone squadron of F-4's here, and they are the loudest of all... Man I love my job, lool


Title: Re: Tyndall AFB Upgrade...
Post by: Kazaa on June 30, 2009, 05:18:17 PM
Need an apprentice for a couple of days? :D

I dare you to try and sit in one. :aok
Title: Re: Tyndall AFB Upgrade...
Post by: stephen on June 30, 2009, 05:19:30 PM
I am the apprentice lol... :aok
Title: Re: Tyndall AFB Upgrade...
Post by: iaqmya on June 30, 2009, 05:49:55 PM
You ever think that the fact that a State side base has aircraft on alert, in a hanger, just might be on the classified side?

That it just might be something some people did not know about, but now might?

Just my two cents worth.
Title: Re: Tyndall AFB Upgrade...
Post by: Strip on June 30, 2009, 06:44:43 PM
You ever think that the fact that a State side base has aircraft on alert, in a hanger, just might be on the classified side?

That it just might be something some people did not know about, but now might?

Just my two cents worth.

Thier have been planes on 24 hour alert for decades....

Not a small secret.
Title: Re: Tyndall AFB Upgrade...
Post by: Rino on June 30, 2009, 07:07:51 PM
     Tyndall is the primary USAF Interceptor training base and has been for decades.
The alert birds may be for training.  The QF-4s certainly are  :D
Title: Re: Tyndall AFB Upgrade...
Post by: steely07 on June 30, 2009, 07:08:32 PM
Lucky bugger!!!!!
Title: Re: Tyndall AFB Upgrade...
Post by: shreck on June 30, 2009, 07:10:04 PM
Thier have been planes on 24 hour alert for decades....

Not a small secret.

Air superiority fighters on alert in country? I don't think so, strategic assets in US on alert--> yes!
Tactical assets---> no!

When I was in pacific we had only 3 jets on 24/7 alert in Osan korea, and those were for protection of U2 and SR71!
Title: Re: Tyndall AFB Upgrade...
Post by: Strip on June 30, 2009, 07:19:16 PM
Air superiority fighters on alert in country? I don't think so, strategic assets in US on alert--> yes!
Tactical assets---> no!

When I was in pacific we had only 3 jets on 24/7 alert in Osan korea, and those were for protection of U2 and SR71!

Yes tactical assets.....what do you think scrambles when we have planes that go in the wrong areas? At MacDill you can see some hangars from civil areas plain as day.
Title: Re: Tyndall AFB Upgrade...
Post by: Gary26 on June 30, 2009, 07:22:45 PM
The Raptor will be at the Air Show in Rockford, Il in August, :x
http://www.flyrfd.com/airfest.html
Title: Re: Tyndall AFB Upgrade...
Post by: MORAY37 on June 30, 2009, 08:13:49 PM



My God im glad we live in america, the damn Soviets have no hope of reproducing the technology that goes into this plane, and im proud to be given even this small glimps into our armed forces potential...





Soviets?  Did we time warp back to 1985 without my knowledge?

 As well, those jets are probably 45 minutes away from takeoff at any point, maybe more.
Title: Re: Tyndall AFB Upgrade...
Post by: spacer on June 30, 2009, 09:35:25 PM
Stephen we should meet up!  I am retired from the AF here in Callaway.  I don't have any connections anymore at the base, its been too long.  LOL  The squadron I retired from deactivated several years ago.
Title: Re: Tyndall AFB Upgrade...
Post by: FiLtH on June 30, 2009, 10:01:14 PM
 When I was in I was on a SAC base, and you really had to watch what you said.
Title: Re: Tyndall AFB Upgrade...
Post by: HighGTrn on June 30, 2009, 10:31:42 PM
Awesome!

I had a pilot "slot" back in the days when I was an AFROTC cadet.  Got to take the stick in T-37s and 38s for two weeks at Euro-Nato Joint Jet Pilot Training at Sheppard AFB.  Then in my junior and senior year, got to have stick time in the Viper and 15E.  Of all of these, I really liked the 16 the best.  Man that thing can fly.  It does things which are absolutely amazing.  They say its like flying the broom because you sit so far out of the airplane.  I got real sick the first time I went up in one.

Now, as badass as the Viper is, the Raptor outclasses it in every way.  In the immortal words of Patton (at least from the movie).. "I actually feel sorry for those Hun bastards"... That is, I feel sorry for anyone who has to go up against one of our trained and very talented Raptor drivers.  I saw a documentary where it pitted a Raptor against a dozen (I think it was 12.. it was alot) jets ranging from the 15s to 16s.  The Raptor pilot killed everyone one without ever being in any danger himself.  Truly amazing.  Next time someone says that Asia or other countries are producing more technical kids than we are, tell them to go to hell.
Title: Re: Tyndall AFB Upgrade...
Post by: Agent360 on June 30, 2009, 10:49:20 PM
I live in Destin. About 60 miles west of Tyndall. Eglin AFB is here.

Yes they do have alert aircraft at Tyndall and here at Eglin. It's public knowledge. They scramble to keep civilian aircraft out of the missile test ranges and out of the closed airspace over the Gulf of Mexico. Tyndall has a missile test wing based there. Eglin used the range to practice dog fighting etc.

BTW, stephen if you see guys wearing black berets, driving blacked out suburbans and wearing no insignia its best to stay away from them. Those guys are different from the "security police". They guard classified areas. If you see any of them around an area you are working in or show up and just watch you it's best to NOT do anything but your work. Don't talk to anyone while they are there but your fellow workers. These guys can and will take you into custody (rather violently at that) and haul you off without ever saying a word to you. You end up being interrogated and held for at least 24 hours before they let you go.

I saw a civilian contractor smart off to one of them once. He was doing some construction work on base. Seems this guy didn't like them standing around asking some of the workers questions about what they were doing in that area. So the guys start ignoring them then tells one of them to get away from them. I think he thought they were just some dumb privates screwing with his crew.

Welllll they weren't privates. The snatched that dude around, slammed him on the ground, and cuffed him. Next thing you know a blacked out suburban screeches up and 4 guys drop out with rifles and immediately "secure the area"...as in everybody on the ground face down and they all got boinked in their head with rifle barrels. They yanked this guy off the ground, dragged him to the suburban and they all drove off just leaving all the other guys laying on the ground. I happen to be on the flight line at Eglin awaiting an airtransport patient (used to be a paramedic).

I have also run into them before near closed areas on the Eglin reservation while hunting. They didn't do anything to me other than roll up in the suburban and speak out of the siren and tell me to "leave the area immediately". So I just fig I was near a test site or something. I walked to my truck...the whole time they just sat there. I decide to drive off to another area and keep hunting. They follwed me the whole time. I stop they stop. I turn they turn. I got nervous and just decided to go home. They followed me the whole time until I got off the reservation.





Title: Re: Tyndall AFB Upgrade...
Post by: Ciaphas on June 30, 2009, 11:05:57 PM
Agent,

(--humbly corrected--). I don't doubt they showed up and I don't doubt that they jacked that guy and his buddies up. It's a simple concept. If you are challenged on an Air Force base and you fail to answer the challenge and furnish proof that you have a valid reason for being in the area that you are in or even on the base in general you will be reported as an unidentified individual on base. If you at that point you are taken in to custody and you so much as flinch they will serve you a concrete sandwich with a side order of M-16.

I remember back before Tyndall received the F-22, things were not as strict until you went to the alert facility. Back then they had F-16s (block 15) I think they have block 25's now. I used to go over to the alert side to borrow F-16 sling kits. I would stand just outside the wire and trip the silent alarm just to get the alert guys all worked up. Anyway it was all in good fun and after the 7th or so time I went TDY there the alert guys knew who I was and the alarm tripping turned in to a game for us.

 :rock
Title: Re: Tyndall AFB Upgrade...
Post by: HighGTrn on June 30, 2009, 11:40:15 PM
Agent,

Those are OSI agents (Office of Special Investigation) the Air Forces version of the FBI. I don't doubt they showed up and I don't doubt that they jacked that guy and his buddies up. It's a simple concept. If you are challenged on an Air Force base and you fail to answer the challenge and furnish proof that you have a valid reason for being in the area that you are in or even on the base in general you will be reported as an unidentified individual on base. If you at that point you are taken in to custody and you so much as flinch they will serve you a concrete sandwich with a side order of M-16.

I remember back before Tyndall received the F-22, things were not as strict until you went to the alert facility. Back then they had F-16s (block 15) I think they have block 25's now. I used to go over to the alert side to borrow F-16 sling kits. I would stand just outside the wire and trip the silent alarm just to get the alert guys all worked up. Anyway it was all in good fun and after the 7th or so time I went TDY there the alert guys knew who I was and the alarm tripping turned in to a game for us.


 :rock

Funny.. As my saga continues... After not making it to light school, I was recruited into AFOSI (Class 98B) and became credentialed agent in April 98.  I can tell you that AFOSI agents don't wear black berets and are rarely uniformed (except maybe overseas when deployed or during some exercises).  As for roughing up someone on base, we usually let the cops do that work.  Its tough getting mud off wool suits.   :D 

Don't know who these guys are but they really sound like normal SPs performing special duty to me.
Title: Re: Tyndall AFB Upgrade...
Post by: 100hooch on June 30, 2009, 11:51:01 PM
Congrats on the limited access, Stephen!  Kinda makes your short hairs quiver don't it?

I used to work at Wright-Patterson, always a big kick to get in where the rest of the world couldn't go.  I used to always watch the weather for hurricanes hitting the SE, because they fly the entire inventory of anything remotely in the path of the storm into WPAFB.  You talk about the biggest, baddest parade of high tech kickass!  That and some hellatious pilot parties until the storm passed.
Title: Re: Tyndall AFB Upgrade...
Post by: Ciaphas on July 01, 2009, 12:02:18 AM
Quote
black berets and are rarely uniformed

There is a group of security forces that used to fly with cargo aircraft and protect the aircraft and its cargo assets when in a hostile country. I can't for the life of me remember the groups name.  If it's not these guys then it is a safe bet to say SWAT but if SWAT showed up there is a good chance that there is more to the story than what you saw and or are telling.

I've seen OSI agents in many uniforms and have dealt with OSI on a few occasions. All I can say about them is they usual get what they want.


When I was at Shaw AFB we had a bad storm rolling in and they (wing king) decided that we were going to launch for life. We ended up sending out about 80% of our aircraft and pushed everything else in to hangers. That was an awesome sight. The pilots performed about a 5 minute pre-flight function on the aircraft and then they were off. They were launching two at a time with about 5 seconds between each set of aircraft. During the same storm while we were pushing jets and AGE equipment in to a few hangars lightening was beating the heck out of the runway and surrounding areas. Everyone on the line was bugging out to what ever shelter they could find. I remember our group commander coming over the radio telling us to get our butts back out to the line to finish removing the equipment. He got trumped by our wing king. Nice thing about the command post it's connected to the giant voice.

 :aok

Quote
As for roughing up someone on base, we usually let the cops do that work.  Its tough getting mud off wool suits

well this is true. One of the run ins that I had with OSI was a bit odd. The Senior agent, assuming he was the senior agent as he played the part well. decided that my house needed to be tossed. So he went through the hoops to get permission from the different agencies on and off base. I got in the OSI mobile (Ford Torus) and we headed to my house. This dude was speeding the entire way, not a just 5 or 10 over but about 15-20 over the limit. He was asking me all sorts of questions about my family.  It was my first run in with OSI and one that I will never forget. If anyone was wondering why my house got tossed all I can say is a brand new LT though the smelled pot smoke on me and a buddies clothes. He sure did feel like a dip tard after it was all said and done. He quickly PCA'd to another unit. 

the point: none


 :aok
Title: Re: Tyndall AFB Upgrade...
Post by: Gary26 on July 01, 2009, 12:27:23 AM
http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20090630/sc_livescience/whatsupersoniclookslike
Title: Re: Tyndall AFB Upgrade...
Post by: froger on July 01, 2009, 01:44:37 AM
we giving away government secrets?

loose lips sink ships.....

got any pix?

jk
Title: Re: Tyndall AFB Upgrade...
Post by: stephen on July 02, 2009, 05:50:21 AM
There are areas with red lines, and the ongoing advice about crossing them is "don't......, and if you do accidently step or fall over one, its best to lay down on the concrete, because your going to end up there anyway..."
Title: Re: Tyndall AFB Upgrade...
Post by: Ciaphas on July 02, 2009, 07:52:52 PM
I haven't been tp Tyndall in a few years but when I was last there the red lines where super sun faded and the ECP's were barely visible. I've almost crossed the red tape a few times. Most places put up concrete barriers to prevent POV and GOV's from entering the flightline except at a designated ECP.

When i was at Cannon AFB (New Mexico in 1998) we had an avionics girl get jacked up by the Security Forces. They acting quick fast and in a hurry! I don't think we had barriers there either.
Title: Re: Tyndall AFB Upgrade...
Post by: Agent360 on July 02, 2009, 08:51:32 PM
hehe. I forgot to mention the red lines.  Yea don't cross them either. or else. I saw a guy, who was a "joker" type on our DMAT team ..he thought it was all a joke at the SAC base we landed at. While we were walking to the other building he started walking on the other side of the red line....next thing you know he getting a "concrete sandwidtch". He showed up a few hours later with scraped knukles and some road rash on his face. He said those guys aren't kidding.

Look fellas, I have lived around here all my life. I have known and met may "mysterious" characters. All I know is what I saw...and yes there is more to the story...but what I said is enough to get the picture.

as for the OSI, yes it was probably them working with the security forces. But I can tell you I have personally seen camo uniformed "personall" wearing black berts with NO INSIGNIA and carrying m14's driving blacked out rides...usually suburbans. For all I know they were secret service, delta force or any number of bad bellybutton mf.

Title: Re: Tyndall AFB Upgrade...
Post by: Ciaphas on July 02, 2009, 10:03:14 PM
I'm not doubting you, uncle SAM has a plethora of special units that it can use to do just about anything it wants to. I hate being at airfields that do not have a clear restricted area defined.. it makes life complicated. When I was in England we had a few British nationals jump the fence. They didn't make it to far with crew chiefs, security forces and the MOD chasing their tails.  We even had around 13 people stow away in a food delivery truck. The sad part is they got access to the base but were caught about 20 minutes after they entered. There for a while we were told that we had to follow any intruders because the MOD said we could not take action against them, that quickly got overturned after they found a guy riding a bicycle in between a row F-15E's... 
Title: Re: Tyndall AFB Upgrade...
Post by: Tr1gg22 on July 03, 2009, 03:45:41 PM
You ever think that the fact that a State side base has aircraft on alert, in a hanger, just might be on the classified side?

That it just might be something some people did not know about, but now might?

Just my two cents worth.
what do u think we pay taxes for? There are always aircraft on alert for your protection :O Hey now I think the last person who did not no we had armed forces ready for our country's protection will sleep better tonight  :rofl