MacDill AFB Activity

Anyone else in the South Tampa area notice a Lot of activity coming out of MacDill AFB the past 3 days. There have been A-10's and F-15's flying in and out of there during the day and night very frequently. I know that base is home to refueling planes not fighters and it is not a base for training. I noticed today at around 12:30pm an A-10 take off, then a white plane that looked like a public passenger plane, then an f-15 after that.

I don't live in the area, but this might be why you are seeing an increase in flights.

www.amc.af.mil...

Hope this helps. It's likely that the aircraft based at MacDill are just coming and going for Exercise Red Flag. Although I'm sure someone will come on this thread and say they are bombing Cubans in bathtubs, or strafing the Rio Grande.

I don't think it is that since redflag is all the way in Nevada. As of last night they were still flying in and out. Two F-15's kindly took off at 9pm. I think I saw 4 of the blue angles flying out of there yesterday around 5:30pm. Probably an air show somewhere and they are all just stoping by.

Jacksonville airshow coming up as is some show in Pensacola....

google "airshows" for database and calendar....

I live in North Tampa and I've heard alot jets going over lately.

Also, alot of high altitude jets flying south. one after the other.

Isn't this the week we're scheduled to assinate Hugo "Boss Hog" Chavez???




Just kidding....

If these planes are leaving and not coming back then I would think that something is going on. They would be moved forward in order to service wings operating in annother theatre in an area like the middle east I assume.

Atlantic Strike IV Joint training operation has been going on all week. I think it is taking place at Avon Park Florida and the planes are flying out of MacDill.

Here is the link www.af.mil...

The same day that you posted this originally we began hearing alot of weapons tests or "live-fires" going on around the Eglin AFB reservation just north of Ft. Walton Beach, FL. This was also the first time I ever saw more than one two-ship formation of F-22's. I estimate there were at least 4 pairs of F-22's zooming around along with several F-15E's.

Oh by the way, the booms from the weapons testing have been occurring nightly up until last night.



W.E.S.B

[edit on 4/11/06 by Wild_Eyed_Southern_Boy]

Originally posted by RcapTampa
I don't think it is that since redflag is all the way in Nevada. As of last night they were still flying in and out. Two F-15's kindly took off at 9pm. I think I saw 4 of the blue angles flying out of there yesterday around 5:30pm. Probably an air show somewhere and they are all just stoping by.

Isn't MacDill one of the real big ferry bases. (Don't know the current term, WWII it was called Ferry Command.) So it might have been transporting jets for the exercise in Nevada?

Its not WW2 anymore, and military aircraft are now jet powered, there is no such thing as "Ferry Command". There are such things now as Aerial refueling to allow aircraft to cover long distances, without long journeys taking weeks to get planes somewhere.

US Central Command is at Mc Dill though. But usually when you see large numbers of aircraft, more than usual, its typically some kind of exercise.

Originally posted by firepilot
Its not WW2 anymore, and military aircraft are now jet powered, there is no such thing as "Ferry Command". There are such things now as Aerial refueling to allow aircraft to cover long distances, without long journeys taking weeks to get planes somewhere.

US Central Command is at Mc Dill though. But usually when you see large numbers of aircraft, more than usual, its typically some kind of exercise.

Yes and I was simply stating I do not know the modern air force term for whose responsible for getting these so called "jet powered aircraft" from Point A to Point B, so why do you have to be a rude #### about it new blood? Does aerial refueling seem cost effective to you since you are obviously a pilot? Not to me.

Now that that is done, my point exactly; CENTCOM, increased flights, exercise.....why the attitude then?

Aerial refueling is not being cost effective it is about being EFFECTIVE. Aircraft get there much sooner, can carry more, and gives increased range.

For fighters, it is imperative they get aerial refueling, in order to get enough gas to make it to the target and back.

The air show in Pensacola will be the Blue Angels. I plan on going to see them this weekend. When they do their air show I get a great view from my father in laws house.

RcapTampa is correct. I live in Tampa and have seen all sortf of fighters (A-10s, f-16s, f-15s, and some AC-135s). Thay are training for Atlantic Strike IV, a military training exercise similar to Red Flag at Nellis.

I lived right outside MacDill AFB for 3 years. In fact my house was lined up directly with the runway.

This activity is not unusual at all. I recall it happening before around this time of year. Happens again mid spring.

Well then, does anyone have any idea when the airshows will return to Macdill I miss those airshows. I use to go every year before the wars put a halt to them.

I live right next to the Stadium so the only thing I ever hear at night are helicopters. Those jets would not even be flying around this part of town.

its a V.I.P that inspects and evaualtes this AFB reports were showing that a change in assinging fifghters to this AFB was due around 6 years ago

Special Agent
MDIA
AU/US

First of all, you're wrong. MacDill Air Force Base is the location of all the Atlantic Strike exercises that occur every year. Evaluations for Air bases don't involve aircraft taking of and doing excercises. They would be in an office, where military officials evaluate wether or not the base is efficient based on statistics.


Secondly, I doubt you are a Special Agent. You have no idea of the protocol of base evaluations and apparently you have the grammar of a third grader. I would think special agents in both the Australian and the American military would have a basic grasp of spelling and punctuation.


Ranchy