Fighter Jets over/near Lexington, Va

[svfire1]

I have a question: Every couple days there will be fighter jets that fly over the area of Buena Vista, Va. Buena Vista is in the Shenandoah Valley North of Roanoke. I was driving down Interstate 81 and so them flying close to the ground as if they just took off in the area of Raphine, Va. Can someone tell me where these Jets are base at and flying from? And also what frequiences do they use?

Thank You in advance.

Kristopher L. Bageant
SVFire1 - Lead Photographer - Shenandoah Valley Fire
VA140 - Dispatcher - 1st Responder Wireless News

 

[BM82557]

There are many possibilities as to where the aircraft are from and what freqs they are using. What type of fighters are you seeing? F-16's, F-18's etc

 

[svfire1]

I cant see them..... I hear them.... Im guess that they are F-16 but I cant be 100% sure. I just moved down here and they fly along the Mountian every couple days.

Kris

 

[trainman111]

Well, there could be a couple possibilities. There is a very high possibility that what you are hearing is an Air National Guard Unit from one of the surrounding states. Virginia Air National is located in Richmond (they are in the process of moving to Langley AFB), but the usually go out over the ocean to practice. It would be great if you could get a visual of the aircraft, because once you can describe what it looks like, it gives us a much better chance of figuring out where they are from. I'm not sure that there are any MOA's (Military Operation Areas) near you so I'm not sure what they would be flying so low for. Try and see if you can get a visual sometime of the aircraft. As of right now, it seems like it could be anything.

Nick

 

[Gonzowerke]

A year and a half ago, the Wife and I were driving to Roanoke to pick up our puppy from the breeder. We decided to get on the parkway down there and somehow got turned North.
As we were cresting a ridge. I heard the sudden thunder of a jet I did not hear approach because it was on the other side of the ridge. I only caught a glimpse through the trees, but it was an F-18. It had canted stabilizers, and those funny wing roots that extend to the intakes, and stubby wings, so it was not a 15.

Probably practicing attack runs in mountainous terrain like they have in..........say North Korea? or Afghanistan?

Gonzo out.

 

[midnightcaller]

Do a search from 230.00 am megs to about 400.00am megs maybe you well be able to hear them

 

[CORN]

Probably on one of the many VR (low level) routes the military uses. Some put the a/c litterally snaking thru the mountains.

 

[BMT]

Check for a MTR in that area.

BMT

 

[svfire1]

I Found This

AIR FORCE DROPS PLAN TO INCREASE FLIGHTS OVER HIGHLAND COUNTY
The Air Force on Thursday withdrew a plan to drastically increase the number of fighter jet training flights over a sparsely populated area of western Virginia and eastern West Virginia.

The plan to increase the flights from fewer than 70 to as many as 2,268 a year had drawn protests from residents who said it would hurt tourism, reduce the value of vacation homes, cause cattle to stampede and literally scare flocks of turkeys to death.

``The Air Force's environmental assessment was fatally flawed,'' said U.S. Rep. Robert Goodlatte. ``It did not consider the huge impact that these flights would have on the local poultry and livestock industries, the environment, local tourism, or most important, the quality of life of the folks who live there.''

The military's environmental assessment, conducted in June, concluded that the increasing noise and jet emissions would do no significant harm to the plants, wildlife and air quality and have no impact on recreational use of the land.

The Evers Military Operations Area includes most of Highland County, Virginia's least populated county, and parts of adjoining counties in Virginia and West Virginia. Most of the jets that would have flown over the area would have been F-15s from Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, whose pilots need to practice flying below mountain ridges to hide from enemy radar.

BUT THIS IS DATE 1997..... So I Guess I Anwsered my own Question......

 

[freqhopping]

There are a few routes in that area.

 

[gcgrotz]

They are frequent visitors up here in Greene County too. Also Buckingham and Nelson, I was on a mountain top in Buckingham Co and they flew by below me in the valley. The peak has been logged so you get GREAT views up there. I remember farmers in Buckingham would complain that it scared the cows.

I'm not sure about the VNG assumption, but I do know and have verified that some of them are Navy jets up from Norfolk/VaBeach. They used to fly A-6s (back when they still had them) over the gap in the mountain where rt56 crosses into Nelson County at night and follow the terrain down into the Rockfish valley. Look on the map where it says Nuclear Power Plant and right below that is a beacon called MOL (Montibello) and you'll see those lines crossing the mountains, that's where I'm talking about.