Today’s been a very aerial day … first the Guardian One helicopter, then the C-17 over Elliott Bay, then two fighter jets loud and low just before dusk (we were under the awning at the high-school football game so could only hear, not see, them, and they weren’t on tracker). People at the Mariners’ game confirm it was a pregame flyover (here’s a pic).
ADDED: In comments, Jason uploaded photos including this one, plus a link to video.
Pretty sure the most recent jets were F-14s, but I’ve been wrong before.
F-14s were retired from the military back in 2006. I am sure there are a few flyable museum airframes around but they would be doing flyovers at air shows not sports events. These were for sure F/A-18 aircraft.
Some photos and video
Video (OneDrive)https://1drv.ms/v/s!ApUdU6OAfr5RrZ81G1bgRlih8pTX6A
Probably EA-18 Growlers out of Whidbey. Electronic countermeasures attack version of FA-18 Super Hornet. F-14 Tomcat was replaced by FA-18 Hornet and Super Hornet.
You are almost certainly correct. Two engines, twin vertical stabilizers angled out by about 10 degrees, distinctive swept horizontal stabilizers, no sweep to trailing edge of wings…matches perfectly with EA-18 photos. Good call!
L O U D. Our daughter came outside where I was working and asked why the house was rumbling. I said “what? I can’t hear you”
We are so fortunate to have these stunning creations in our backyard. I get chills every time I hear or see them. Makes me proud to be an American.
Whidbey residents get chills too … from the ear-splitting noise those jets frequently bombard them with.
I’m sure it was there before you were. It’s no secret there’s an active military base there.
Why is jet fuel being wasted, ultimately at taxpayer expense, for sports flyovers? We have serious economic problems and this is a flamboyant extravagance. We can’t get natural gas hookups to heat our homes economically because it’s ” bad for the environment” , yet government officials and the military and billionaires can waste ultimately billions on crap like this! And citizens are literally freezing and starving and living on the streets.Shameful!
oh brother…of course. I was waiting for something like this. Put a smile on your face
Because if someone thinks an issue is important, and you don’t, they’re just “unhappy,” right, Bob?
Military aircraft fly for training every single day, this sortie was over the game instead of elsewhere. Do you think the pilots get proficient at flying while sitting in the barracks back at base playing charades? What about all the flight training time for commercial pilots, would you have a problem flying on vacation with an untrained flight crew?
These hours of training are logged no matter where they go. Why don’t you complain about the times they’re just flying and not just over a game?
The low-altitude and unwelcome thunder that disrupted humans trying to get a little evening peace at Lincoln Park, as well as scaring dogs and wildlife- was unwelcome. And, according to Jet Fighter magazine, if these are E-18s, they cost minimum $10,000 hour to be airborne. Who is paying for that – the Mariners? Even if they do, the (huge) indirect costs are still paid by us. So – if you are one to complain about govt. wasting tax money – this is a hard one to ignore. They also burn an obscene amount of fossil fuels while in flight. Speaking for myself and all people who are looking at a dire future due to the radical weather effects our own past behavior has brought to our doorsteps; I guess we have learned nothing so far – or at least are not willing to act on what we know – even the easiest things in order to to course correct. NYC is drowning this week and there isn’t room here to list the related disasters just in 2023 resulting in a loss life of billions $. Ironically, the military is well aware that climate change is a one of the biggest threats to our national security. Jets not only emit an enormous amount of carbon emissions, but they pollute in 3 other ways – that all affect CC, but also all terrestial animals including us, marine animals (especially in the Sound) , our drinking water and the entire food chain. Still not on board? The particulates they emit on every flight greatly increase the chance of stroke, heart attack, and respiratory disease for all of us and our children. Honestly, is all that suffering and is worth a 2-second-long spectacle over a stadium? I am patriotic as anyone, get that the aircraft industry is part of our economy and culture, and that they are very fun to see / watch. But it’s a new day and this kind of arrogant, selfish activity in the name of our own entertainment is unfathomable. (The parable of Nero comes to mind.) When I think of the Mariners going fw – our team – I’ll be reminded that they, (and us encouraging the behavior), are continuing to be part of the problem – not the solution.
Again, training hours regardless of locale are going to happen and if you have such an issue with aircraft pollution make sure you never fly commercial anywhere either ok.
Lmao relax. Imagine a world where we didn’t have these things to protect our citizens. Not everything can happen on your schedule.
Protect “who” from “what,” exactly? Seems to me the last conflicts have zero to do with protecting Americans and everything to do with protecting the interests of the “state-within-a-state,” the military industrial complex.
So the Mariner’s (and Seahawks) play a heck of a lot of away games. They don’t take the train to get there. Pro teams have an incredibly bad carbon footprint as far as traveling goes. So should we get rid of pro sports, leisure and business travel because that’s a heck of a lot more wasteful than a short distance fly by that help training and recruitment of the armed forces?
Just so everyone knows, all military aircraft and I’m pretty sure commercial aircraft operate with a cost per flying hour, such as the amount quoted above. This number accounts for all the costs to include labor, maintenance, and fuel (these are the big ones) etc and are budgeted for the entire year. This is how the military funds flying hour accounts and is managed to the dollar in those units… In the military, pilots have a minimum number of hours to fly, these include night, NVG, over water nav, cross-country, take offs/landings, check ride, bombing, etc. So when you see a military aircraft overhead, it’s not a joy ride for a pilot/crew, it’s a legitimate flight associated with a training proficiency, extra benefits when they get to include a flyover to show American air power.
There’s a lot more to complain about in private corporate jets that come in and out of Boeing field than this military sortie.
Sorry, comment time is over.
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