I used to work on them in flight test, Hill AFB, Utah. We took them apart and put them back together and did test flights to make sure they worked right. Then they would go back to their country or state. I mainly worked on F-4’s. I got to do some engine runs in the hush houses on night shift. I got to sit in three different thunder birds. They are a superior aircraft, and low budget too. Functional test flights were fun to watch. The test pilot would hold the runway for as long as he could building up speed. Then he would go straight up till the jet was ready to stall then roll over inverted to keep from passing out. It’s the safest way to fly a jet that was taken apart and put back together again. The high altitude gives them more time to respond to any master caution warnings or in flight failures. We were the only base to do Depot maintenance on them world wide, along with F-4’s and all landing gear. That was a long time ago back in 85.
Seems like that ad might leave something a little extra in the shorts 
They seem to use our local airport for a lot of military training/fuel stops. C130s, chinooks, blackhawks and the occasional fighter jet or 5. Fun to see if you can time it right. Most of the time you just hear the roar as they disappear into the sky.
I read an interesting story on how they moved F14’s from the US to Iran (back when relations were good). The flight across the Atlantic sounded like it sucked. They would land them in Europe and then continue on to the Middle East. They still have them operating today…i think they still have F4’s too.
Yes, that is an interesting story. They had the f-16 too, and so did Afghanistan. A lot of nations fly or flew the F-16. I have an Air Force poster that shows the 16 painted up for each Nation. It’s from the 80"s, so I’m not sure who all fly them now. I know the crews came to the states to learn how to operate them. Here is what google has to say about the 16. I see they say Iran feel short on budget for it and they don’t list Afghanistan, but they are in my poster.
Back in the mid 90s I worked in NC for awhile. Nothing like a fighter jet buzzing you out of no where at a little higher than tree top height!
Back in the late 60’s and in the 70’s they used to fly out of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan beyond the speed of sound over my grandparents cottage. The sonic booms felt like they were going to blow the windows out. If you did happen to see them coming they gone in seconds, like two!
I would only put them on the paper plate. Some people like to take their free dinner and the plate too. 
I lived in Warren, heard them all the time when i was a kid. I’m an Air Force brat, My dad retired with 23 years in, 2 wars and was a POW/MIA for 3 years 4 months. He was in the Bataan Death March. The battling bastards of Bataan, no mama, no papa, no Uncle Sam. He actually was in longer, but since he didn’t reenlist when he was a POW, they don’t count it, only gave him half his pay for the time when his enlistment ran out. I wish I could sue for that money, it would be millions by now. Only he can, and he left us in 2003.
Man I agree, that’s criminal…!! Surely that’s been changed.
Let’s hope so, he also earned a Silver Star, but the officer and the two witnesses, didn’t make it, so no SS. He didn’t care They gave him 4 bronze stars. He fought from December 8th 1941 till sometime in March 42 when ordered to surrender.
I still have the newspaper articles about him being MIA from his hometown newspaper in Coaldale PA. His family didn’t know he was alive until a letter arrived in 1945. He wrote it from the ship bringing him home. He stayed in the service and was also in the Korean War. He retired when they transferred him to Japan in 61 (I was 4 years old), he said he spent enough time there and retired instead. As a POW he was shipped to Japan to work in the forced labor camps. He was a great dad. I was blessed.
We use to have an airshow here (Deke Slayton Airfest) around Father’s day and we got to see some pretty cool planes right from the driveway. Saw a F117 the one year (it flew here from New Mexico, did about 2 or 3 passes and flew back!)…and the one year i think they got 2 B2 bombers to fly up here from i think Missouri…do a few passes and go back…i suppose its all flight time…and they get to show off. I still think the A10s they had here once (a pair of them) were the coolest planes…they would fly super low/slow… I know many people who go to Oshkosh and really enjoy it.
I’ve seen the Blue Angels a bunch of times.
I live near Selfridge ANG base, and they have shows every year. Once a plane crashed and almost hit the crowd. I lived next to the Tank Arsenal in Warren and on armed forces day the big attraction was them running over a car with a tank. I never got tired of seeing that!
my sons a Marine and works on the new F35s. stationed at yuma, az. supposed to go on a boat in aug.
when loring afb was open up here they would buzz us like that. was ice fishing one time with my grandfather and we were laying on the snowmobiles resting when a shadow went over us. before we could sit up the sonic wave hit us! scared the crap out of us! the pilot banked around , tipped his wing and hit the afterburners. couldn’t have been more than 50ft. above us on the 1st. pass!
a true patriot! my friends grandfather was a Marine that fought in iwo jima. managed to keep his m1911 45 acp pistol which he passed down to his grandson. what a neat piece of history! we go out and shoot cans with it occasionally.
My father always wished he’d kept his [the army’s] Speed Graphic camera
We used to get together for what was called commanders call. The whole squadron would meet to have a meeting with the upper commanding officers. After they were done they always showed Air Force Now films. Films of like the A-10 flying over a battlefield blowing up tanks. They remind me of a dragon fly. They have a 30 mm Gatling gun. The rest of the fighter jets shoot 20 mm. They were really cool to watch. That gun gets red hot! They can only shoot burst of shots and stop, or it will also stall the plan too. The films were always something to look forward to because they made great films. They showed you from the pilots view and from away. A few years back when the Blue Angles were practicing for their show at Selfridge ANG base I was working in a large subdivision about fifteen miles away called Partridge Creek. The sub was just getting started at the time and was mostly all dirt with roads for about 2,000 house to be built. The Blue Angles were using the area as their turn around point. They were turning around right above me about 300’ up. You could see the pilots as they turned. The jets were completely sideways. 300’ sounds high but in person it seems like it’s tree top level. We didn’t get much work done. We couldn’t stop watching them.
My neighbor has a beautiful nectarine tree with tons of nice fruit. I picked a few to show you guys and to eat
I picked a few green in case I wasn’t invited back.
Too good to be true! Soooo beautiful.