View Full Version : Cool Sight in the Sky Today
I'm not sure what they are, but they were definitely together, high, and fast.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=227977&d=1775776232
Steve1979
04-09-2026, 08:45 PM
Depending on if you have an Air Force Base or Air National Guard base close by in the state, could be F-15’s or F-16’s.
Once in awhile out here, we will get the above planes and F-18’s heading south at high speeds, very loud.
Depending on if you have an Air Force Base or Air National Guard base close by in the state, could be F-15’s or F-16’s.
Once in awhile out here, we will get the above planes and F-18’s heading south at high speeds, very loud.
I had a front row seat to countless F16 flyovers from my home in Colorado. What I saw today was much larger. They were headed north west over central Missouri. I'm thinking they could have been B1-B Lancers.
TrackDay17
04-09-2026, 10:15 PM
Papa, download FlightRadar24 on your phone, if they are transmitting it will tell you what aircraft they are.
I"m in an area where a lot of planes fly overhead to land at MCI (KC's main airport) and MKC, the old downtown airport.
I see lots of stuff fly over especially when Chiefs or Nascar races are going on.
One week we had A-10's doing laps overhead every evening.
PNWTim
04-09-2026, 10:24 PM
Yeah, those are definitely military, could be B1-Bs coming out of Dyess AFB in Texas. Heading towards the sandbox I suspect.
Steve1979
04-09-2026, 11:22 PM
For a B-1, I would expect to see at least 2 contrails, if not 4 depending on the altitude. Not sure what your camera zoom was, but I would still stick with a fighter of some type.
Well, I'll likely never know for sure what they were, but it was pretty cool to see.
rthomas98
04-10-2026, 08:38 AM
I live really close to the willow run airport and they have an airshow once a year that my house gets buzzed with. Here is some pictures from two years ago when the blue angels were there.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=227991&d=1775828122
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=227992&d=1775828122
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=227993&d=1775828122
gbranham
04-10-2026, 08:52 AM
Were they headed southwest from you? They might've been headed to Whiteman AFB, or maybe they had just left there.
Greg
J R Jones
04-10-2026, 12:01 PM
Major Brian Schul SR-71 Blackbird pilot speed check:
https://forums.sassnet.com/index.php?/topic/269950-the-ultimate-ground-speed-check-tales-from-the-blackbird-sr-71/
I was stationed on Okinawa while Brian was recovering from an F4 crash in Vietnaum. He went on to fly the Blackbird and I spoke with him last at Reno during the air races. Pilots are the best.
He did professional photograpy after the AF. Brian passed about a year ago in Iowa.
One does not see SR-71s when they are airbourne.
jim
Were they headed southwest from you? They might've been headed to Whiteman AFB, or maybe they had just left there.
Greg
They were headed north west from me in Mexico at very high altitude ... not likely headed to Whiteman.
Major Brian Schul SR-71 Blackbird pilot speed check:
https://forums.sassnet.com/index.php?/topic/269950-the-ultimate-ground-speed-check-tales-from-the-blackbird-sr-71/
I was stationed on Okinawa while Brian was recovering from an F4 crash in Vietnaum. He went on to fly the Blackbird and I met him at Reno during the air races. Pilots are the best.
One does not see SR-71s when they are airbourne.
jim
My wife and I were on Tory Station and watched the Habu take off from Kadina every week.
J R Jones
04-10-2026, 02:30 PM
My wife and I were on Tory Station and watched the Habu take off from Kadina every week.
In 1968 North Korea captured the Pueblo spy ship and threatened S Korea. USAF cycled F106 squadrons to Osan on alert and DMZ patrol. During our tour, N Korea shot down a EC121 (Superconnie) and F102s were scrambled. They did not have anything for MIG21s. Our F106s were called in too late, we charged them at Mach 2.2 but they got over their air defences before we got a shot.
Osan was so much at risk we set-up at Naha Okinawa for major maintenance. The Naha runway went under repair and we had to commute to Kadina for work. We were hangered next to the Blackbirds. Everything stopped when they taxied out.
I loved Okinawa, we toured as far north as Nago and Half Moon Bay. The annual fair in Kadina was interesting especially the Habu / Mongoose cage matches. We had only seen Habus drapped around the dancing girls in Namanui.
jim
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