8 ms·

I live on a farm very close to this area. All the B-2s are based at nearby Whiteman Air Force Base. They fly over often -- one even fly over my farm today abou

by msisk6 5y ago

I live on a farm very close to this area. All the B-2s are based at nearby Whiteman Air Force Base. They fly over often -- one even fly over my farm today about an hour ago. This one was probably on final approach during the summer when the winds are usually out of the south and was probably about 2,000 feet above the ground.

_the_inflator 5y ago
Yes, nice comment. I remember being part of the staff of NATO's only MIG squadron during military service. People considered a MIG within NATO a sensation, while I was simply bored. I saw them every day in droves. ;)
- KptMarchewa 5y ago
  Poland still operates MIG-29s, as well as extremely outdated Su-22. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_Air_Force#Current_inventory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_Air_Force#Current_inven...
  - zhan_eg 5y ago
    Well, when talking about NATO countries, MIGs and older aircrafts - Romania and Croatia still operate MIG-21s [1] :) And MIG-29s are present also in the Bulgarian [2] and Slovak [3] airforce too. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-21#Current_operators https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-21#Curren... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgarian_Air_Force#Current_inventory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgarian_Air_Force#Current_in... [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slovak_Air_Force#Current_inventory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slovak_Air_Force#Current_inven...
  - neurotech1 5y ago
    The Romanian MiG-21s [0], Polish MiG-21s (when in service, before retirement) and MiG-29s along with the Bulgarian MiG-29s were upgraded to NATO standards. The primary upgrades were the radios and IFF transponder. I'm not sure if they all included It is widely rumored that certain spare parts for NATO MiG-29s are actually made in US, from sources initially supporting the Adversary training missions of the 57th Wing Nellis AFB and US Navy Adversary training missions, including TOPGUN department. This is primarily for the MiG-29 and Su-27 fighters. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-21_variants#Upgrade_programmes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-2... [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/57th_Wing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/57th_Wing [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Aviation_Warfighting_Development_Center https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Aviation_Warfighting_Dev...
- mc32 5y ago
  Apparently prior to getting their hands on a MiG-25 from a defector who took one to Japan, many in the western military and intelligence communities envisioned it to have super avionic powers (that persisted for a long time in the civilian sphere). They thought it was agile and fast. What they didn't know is that it could only sustain those speeds for short spurts (else the engines suffered from metal fatigue due to temperature) and the maneuverability they envisioned from the geometry proved to be false (it had a very wide turning radius)...
mvkel 5y ago
Curious: ever hear any sonic booms?
niix 5y ago
This is amazing!
tylerflick 5y ago
I was about to say, I grew up about 10 minutes from here and they were a common sight. Always thrilling to see. IIRC Whiteman has an air show every year where you can get "up close" to them.
- rootusrootus 5y ago
  The best air show I've ever been to was at Will Rogers World Airport in OKC. I figure some of it must be the proximity to Tinker, but also other bases in the area. Back in 95 (could have been 96, but not any later, as I left the area late that year), they brought a B-2 to the show, flew it around the airport for a while, landed it, waited a while so people could get take as many pictures as they wanted, then took off and flew it home. At the same show, they brought an F-117, did the flyby, and landed it. Then taxi'd it over to a static display area so people could get close. I was able to walk underneath it and touch it. As a young airman, I was absolutely floored. And this was in 95 or 96, so we were still really impressed with how exotic these planes were.
cossatot 5y ago
Yeah I remember being thrilled seeing them while canoeing on the Gasconade when I was a kid in the 90s. I believe that we saw one refueling behind a KC-10 in the air as well.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
akie 5y ago
Seems like you're right - there's one parked on (indeed) Whiteman Air Force Base right here https://goo.gl/maps/x8738SicBvtSPqmR6 https://goo.gl/maps/x8738SicBvtSPqmR6
- ccozan 5y ago
  Omg, are they sooo huge? I just realised how big they are for the first time in my life. What a sight! [edit] 172ft = 52m wingspan!
  - AviationAtom 5y ago
    They have pretty big appetites, they eat a lot.
  - msisk6 5y ago
    They don't really seem that big in person. And they're amazingly hard to see from any distance since they're essentially just a thin flat airfoil. Here's a not-especially-good video I just uploaded of one flying over my farm from this summer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyXSuFj0naQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyXSuFj0naQ
    - thieving_magpie 5y ago
      Beautiful place to live.
    - invalidusernam3 5y ago
      Off topic but wow your farm is beautiful
    - jimmyed 5y ago
      +1 to your farm's beauty. Would you be open to hosting me for a day or two there?!
  - 01100011 5y ago
    I was blessed by a low flyover in Lancaster, CA back in '94 or so. It's absolutely stunning to have something that big and that quiet glide over you.
gshubert17 5y ago
Whiteman AFB is about 20 miles south and a little east of the plane in this image.
troutwine 5y ago
I grew up in the south of the state but I remember them flying overhead when I was a kid now and again. Always stood out like a sore thumb, left a particular contrail too as I recall.
ilamont 5y ago
Do you think you could obtain video of base's plutonium isolation module? (sorry, couldn't resist obscure early Simpsons reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8s4AvjnPFk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8s4AvjnPFk)
scyzoryk_xyz 5y ago
Have you ever visited the „Clock Nook”?

by msisk6 5y ago

_the_inflator 5y ago

Yes, nice comment. I remember being part of the staff of NATO's only MIG squadron during military service. People considered a MIG within NATO a sensation, while I was simply bored. I saw them every day in droves. ;)

KptMarchewa 5y ago
Poland still operates MIG-29s, as well as extremely outdated Su-22. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_Air_Force#Current_inventory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_Air_Force#Current_inven...
- zhan_eg 5y ago
  Well, when talking about NATO countries, MIGs and older aircrafts - Romania and Croatia still operate MIG-21s [1] :) And MIG-29s are present also in the Bulgarian [2] and Slovak [3] airforce too. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-21#Current_operators https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-21#Curren... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgarian_Air_Force#Current_inventory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgarian_Air_Force#Current_in... [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slovak_Air_Force#Current_inventory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slovak_Air_Force#Current_inven...
- neurotech1 5y ago
  The Romanian MiG-21s [0], Polish MiG-21s (when in service, before retirement) and MiG-29s along with the Bulgarian MiG-29s were upgraded to NATO standards. The primary upgrades were the radios and IFF transponder. I'm not sure if they all included It is widely rumored that certain spare parts for NATO MiG-29s are actually made in US, from sources initially supporting the Adversary training missions of the 57th Wing Nellis AFB and US Navy Adversary training missions, including TOPGUN department. This is primarily for the MiG-29 and Su-27 fighters. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-21_variants#Upgrade_programmes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-2... [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/57th_Wing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/57th_Wing [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Aviation_Warfighting_Development_Center https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Aviation_Warfighting_Dev...
mc32 5y ago
Apparently prior to getting their hands on a MiG-25 from a defector who took one to Japan, many in the western military and intelligence communities envisioned it to have super avionic powers (that persisted for a long time in the civilian sphere). They thought it was agile and fast. What they didn't know is that it could only sustain those speeds for short spurts (else the engines suffered from metal fatigue due to temperature) and the maneuverability they envisioned from the geometry proved to be false (it had a very wide turning radius)...

mvkel 5y ago

Curious: ever hear any sonic booms?

niix 5y ago

This is amazing!

tylerflick 5y ago

I was about to say, I grew up about 10 minutes from here and they were a common sight. Always thrilling to see. IIRC Whiteman has an air show every year where you can get "up close" to them.

rootusrootus 5y ago
The best air show I've ever been to was at Will Rogers World Airport in OKC. I figure some of it must be the proximity to Tinker, but also other bases in the area. Back in 95 (could have been 96, but not any later, as I left the area late that year), they brought a B-2 to the show, flew it around the airport for a while, landed it, waited a while so people could get take as many pictures as they wanted, then took off and flew it home. At the same show, they brought an F-117, did the flyby, and landed it. Then taxi'd it over to a static display area so people could get close. I was able to walk underneath it and touch it. As a young airman, I was absolutely floored. And this was in 95 or 96, so we were still really impressed with how exotic these planes were.

cossatot 5y ago

Yeah I remember being thrilled seeing them while canoeing on the Gasconade when I was a kid in the 90s. I believe that we saw one refueling behind a KC-10 in the air as well.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

akie 5y ago

Seems like you're right - there's one parked on (indeed) Whiteman Air Force Base right here https://goo.gl/maps/x8738SicBvtSPqmR6 https://goo.gl/maps/x8738SicBvtSPqmR6

ccozan 5y ago
Omg, are they sooo huge? I just realised how big they are for the first time in my life. What a sight! [edit] 172ft = 52m wingspan!
- AviationAtom 5y ago
  They have pretty big appetites, they eat a lot.
- msisk6 5y ago
  They don't really seem that big in person. And they're amazingly hard to see from any distance since they're essentially just a thin flat airfoil. Here's a not-especially-good video I just uploaded of one flying over my farm from this summer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyXSuFj0naQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyXSuFj0naQ
  - thieving_magpie 5y ago
    Beautiful place to live.
  - invalidusernam3 5y ago
    Off topic but wow your farm is beautiful
  - jimmyed 5y ago
    +1 to your farm's beauty. Would you be open to hosting me for a day or two there?!
- 01100011 5y ago
  I was blessed by a low flyover in Lancaster, CA back in '94 or so. It's absolutely stunning to have something that big and that quiet glide over you.

gshubert17 5y ago

Whiteman AFB is about 20 miles south and a little east of the plane in this image.

troutwine 5y ago

I grew up in the south of the state but I remember them flying overhead when I was a kid now and again. Always stood out like a sore thumb, left a particular contrail too as I recall.

ilamont 5y ago

Do you think you could obtain video of base's plutonium isolation module? (sorry, couldn't resist obscure early Simpsons reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8s4AvjnPFk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8s4AvjnPFk)

scyzoryk_xyz 5y ago

Have you ever visited the „Clock Nook”?