We've had F22s and Apaches over north San Francisco Bay

[TomInTib]

since Operation Smarmy began. Yesterday we also had Blackhawks and Chinooks.

They do this every effing time one of these publicity stunts is launched.

We live 60 feet over the water and they come in right over our house.

This is going to be a beautiful weekend and I'm sure they will be a bunch of thrilled MidWesterner-type tourists on the Piers.

I can assure you they aren't winning any hearts and minds here in Marin County.

[TNDemo]

1. I've been hearing the wee hours of the morning flights

over my house, which is in the Fort Campbell fly path, this week. When they were deploying three years ago we had a couple of weeks of this. I could tell something was going on too.

[Redstone]

2. I always know when something is REALLY happening.

We live under the direct flight path from (another Air Force base) to Dover AFB. When something big is coming, I always see one or two pairs of MC-130s flying over at 500 feet, with only their formation lights on. About 11 at night.

I'd have thought it would be illegal for them to fly with only formation lights (no running lights), but they do it. I've seen it five or six times.

I didn't see any last night or the night before, so your show was just for show, just like Operation 33 Percent Pools.

Redstone

[TomInTib]

5. Ours are always for show. They only pull this crap for PR, here.

Sometimes when they are doing it a local guy who has a Japanese Zero (WWII) goes out and flies over the Yacht Club and Ferry Landing.

He has this thing that dispenses smoke and looks like he has been shot down.

It is absolutely great.

[Redstone]

6. I thought that guy with the Zero was down at Chino Airport.

Guess he moved it north, or someone restored another one. For quite a few years, the guy at Chino had the only flying Zero in the world.

Boy, that's a goddamn RIOT that he flies around and does the smoke while the AF is wasting fuel. I'd like to hake his hand!

Redstone

[TomInTib]

10. I was stunned the first time I saw him.

As a kid growing up after WW2, "Jap Zeros" were our imaginary targets when we played "War".

The first time I saw him, we were walking along the waterfront in Tiburon (where we live).

He came in over the hills from the direction of Mill Valley, came down low and then banked up sharply, hit some kind of compression release - BRRRRRAAAAPPPP - and released that smoke flume.

I will never forget it. We were all hollering and carrying on.

There were a bunch of old guys down here. You shoulda seen 'em. We are a very tight-knit community here and that was such a special moment, no words needed. We just all knew.

[DainBramaged]

3. Money for nothing and the kicks are free

How quickly they find the money to joyride to impress the proles while our mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, sons and daughters, die in the name of freedom. But for whose freedom do they die? Not ours. And not for the freedom of a land who waits to be free from us.

[Flabbergasted]

4. The real Question here Tom is do you have the Firepower to take them out

of the air?:evilgrin:

[TomInTib]

11. Read my reply to Redstone above.

[shance]

7. The Disaster Profiteers are eye-ing the west coast now are they?

If you see Rudy Guiliani hanging out anywhere, you might want to run for cover or better yet, stay very very close to him.

All kidding aside (I wish it wasn't true), these individuals could actually care less about winning hearts.

That means nothing to them.

Rendering American citizens fearful and immobilized so we won't fight them - that's what they want.

[rhymeinreason]

8. Do you think it had anything to do with Chertoff and the Gropenator

flying up to the Delta and then down to look at the port security in Oakland?

[TomInTib]

12. Maybe. Good point.

But I'll bet we will see them all weekend.

And welcome to DU, rhymeinreason!

[ScreamingMeemie]

9. We are constantly being woken up at 2-3AM by lowflyovers by the

F-16's and KC-135 refuelers here in SE Michigan. We're in the flightpath of Selfridge and it's irritating as heck. :hi:

[jody]

13. Are you sure about F-22? First operational squadron is at Langley AFB. n/t

[TomInTib]

14. Which other fighers have V-shaped tails?

I don't know much about planes - I was Navy.

We usually have F18s (I do know what those are), so when I saw these I started searching for pics on the computer.

The images of the F22 looked just like what I saw.

And those asses came in so low they shook our house. And we are about 60 feet over the Bay.

[jody]

16. They could be F-22s. I was surprised because the Langley VA squadron

hasn't been operational very long and the second squadron at Tyndall AFB FL has just begun receiving their aircraft.

[JesterCS]

15. Also Been hearing

alot of helicopters and jets lately. I live about 30 miles south of Wright Patterson AFB

[fed-up]

17. They're protecting the basketball games....or will say there was a terror

threat and they did such a good job of patrolling that they thwarted it.

More PR/propaganda crapola...

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

18. Is it Fleet Week or something?

F-18's have V-tails also, unless it's a different type of V-tail then what you saw...

[TomInTib]

20. Not Fleet Week, but I may be wrong about the planes...

I don't know nothing 'bout no airplanes.

Still...

[williesgirl]

19. With fuel prices, this PR is expensive! We ought to hold them

accountable.