AC-130-J Ghostrider
 

My recent move put me just a mile west of Hurlbert AFB. A Ghostrider base. Last week I was watching an AC-130-J flying the pattern for over a half an hour. It was flying a right hand pattern and I was on the down wind leg side of the flight. When it banked, I could see the main gun just below the trailing edge of the wing. When it did it's last touch and go, it went out over the Gulf of Mexico to the southwest. It came back to land for the evening about 45 minutes later. Most nights, I can hear the faint bombing practice in the evening. I got to see a V-22 Osprey takeoff while I was out on an errand too! Neat-O!

This was written just over a year ago.

http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/th...bomb-1584518199

So, you're no longer in New Hampshire?

Quite a killing machine. Too bad we live in a world that makes them necessary. Reminds me of the opening scenes of 'Terminator'.

Use to live in Niceville, FL back in the mid to late 1960's (when my dad was stationed at Eglin AFB just before his retirement), the few times we drove past the end of the runway at Hurlbert AFB we seem to see mostly C-123's in those days (yes, the C-130's were there too). Great area to live if you love to do military airplane spotting.

I always thought the C-123's looked like 2-engined versions of the C-130. Apparently they had a pretty bad reputation, according to some of the guys who had to fly on them. Seems they flew about like C-130's with two engines :)

Doug

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Yes, the later version of the C-123's were outfitted with jet engines on each wing to improve their take off capability. Where we lived in Niceville, our subdivision was right where most of the military aircraft began their landing approach to one of the main runway at Eglin AFB. I could sit out in my front yard and watch one airplane after another coming over (often pretty low) all day long. At night time, the engine exhausts of the C-123's had plenty of flames shooting out as they flew over our house. I think the C-123's were retired from service shortly about 10 years later (around 1980).

Yep, that's right. My third time living down here. I don't like it down here but when my lady gets handed a high paying job with bennies, you go where the money is.

I enjoyed that link more than most.

Jerry

We were looking to live in Niceville, better schools, but couldn't find anything decent or inexpensive. I'm in Mary Esther in a townhouse built about 20 years ago and very affordable.

Being an AF brat, I always do military airplane spotting. Also, I'm surrounded with Military Personal and they are all very nice including the service man who plays his music soooo loud in his car I can hear and see him bouncing down the street!

When you are done, come to CA and fly more than you can afford. :)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...-theorists.html

Here's a link to Aldrin's travel documents from his moon trip. The government has a paper for everything.

Jerry