Sp Ops Story

[SuperScout]

"So we are up in the mountains at about 0100 hrs looking for a bad guy that we thought was in the area. Here are ten of us, pitch black, crystal clear night, about 25 degrees. We know there are bad guys in the area; a few shots have been fired but no big deal. We decide that we need air cover and the only thing in the area is a solo B-1 bomber. He flies around at about 20,000 feet and tells us there is nothing in the area. He then asks if we would like a low level show of force. Stupid question. Of course we tell him, yes.

The controller who is attached to the team then is heard talking to the pilot. Pilot asks if we want it subsonic or supersonic. Very stupid question. Pilot advises he is twenty miles out and stand by. The controller gets us all sitting down in a line and points out the proper location. You have to picture this. Pitch black, ten killers sitting down, dead quiet and overlooking this about 30 mile long valley. All of a sudden, way out (below our level) you see a set of four 200' white flames coming at us. The controller says, "Ah-- guys-- you might want to plug your ears". Faster than you can think a B-1, supersonic, 1000' over our heads, blasts the sound barrier and it feels like God just hit you in the head with a hammer". He then stands it straight up with 4 white trails of flame coming out and disappears."

Cost of gas for that: Probably $50,000
Hearing damage: For certain
Bunch of Taliban thinking twice about shooting at us: Priceless


Have a nice day!

[Jerry D]

great Visual btw the greatest sight I ever seen on the Flightline was while stationed in Incirlick AB,TU. An Airforce C141 with only one passenger (an airman) and no cargo.Their destination was Rein Main AB. They told us in advance they were going to do a Bombing run on Take-off.Which is all 10 wheels up, low level pass over the runway on take off.Then at the end of the runway an almost vertical lift off! Was a site to see (fighter pilots do this all the time at airshows) and one that I have never witnessed again. I would have loved to have been on that flight and felt the G's that lucky airman got to feel definitely an E-ticket ride

[SuperScout]

While it was not done at supesonic speeds, I had an incident where a jet jockey did a favor for us after his bomb run. He had put in the full load of ordnance, and the FAC asked if the pilot could do his own BDA. I told the FAC to make the run NW-SE if possible as that was the "gun-target line" had we been calling in artillery, and it passed right over the bad guys' locale. The fastmover cranked it up about 2 miles out, and roared by in a low-level pass that really gave our guys a boost!

[David]

Being in communications we would always set up on the tops of hills or mountains. Sitting in my shelter one afternoon The loudest sound I have ever heard in my life exploded all around me out of nowhere. I almost shit my pants (literally) and flew out the door hitting the dirt face down, fully expecting to be engulfed in an explosion of flames and most definitely dieing from the experience. This was one of the few times during the war my body shook uncontrollably from fear.

After laying there a couple minutes, and realizing I was not dead for some reason, I rolled over to get a look at what had happened and saw nothing but blue sky and camouflage. A moment later a british war plane flew above my shelter close enough for me to see the pilot waving with the same explosion of sound accompanying his flyby as I had just experienced a few minutes before.

By now I could not really hear anymore but at least the shaking had stopped and I determined that if I ever ran across a British soldier out in that desert I was going to kick his ass in repayment for his countryman's antics

[Jerry D]

those were some great jet tales