Military Jets - Airspace

[MtPJimB]

http://m.wyff4.com/news/officials-e...FF News 4&utm_medium=FBPAGE&utm_source=Social

In this article there is a quote. It says, "Sonny Massey, air traffic manager at the Greenville Downtown Airport said the jets flew into the controlled airspace at the airport without warning and 'scared everyone to death.' An official at Greer Approach, which monitors air traffic control for the area, said jets pass through the area all the time flying low and training on maneuvers."

Are military jets required to contact Tower when entering Class D airspace?

 

[EvilEagle]

Yes, we are required to comply with (nearly all) normal FAR requirements/rules/regulations. There could be a special situation with a signed letter of agreement that allows a certain unit to transit D without calling, but that would be a rare occasion.

Many fighters don't have a moving map display - makes it tough to dodge the class D's when flying low and VFR. That's why most of us don't do it.

 

[Velocity173]

I don't even see a VFR route (VR97) that's anywhere within 10 miles of GMU. I would think that if they did have some crazy LOA with GMU, at least the airport manager would know about it???

In Germany, Tornados used to fly thru our Class D without calling doing 400 + kts and a couple hundred feet. Used to "thump" us in flight as well. We really didn't mind though.

 

[Shepherd]

When the SR-71s were flying out of Eglin AFB, Florida, back in the 1970's, there were a bunch of special rules in place to accommodate them. Not being required to talk to the tower under certain circumstances was one of them. They also didn't fly the pattern. When they were going out or coming in EVERYTHING got grounded or out of their way.

 

[EvilEagle]

I don't even see a VFR route (VR97) that's anywhere within 10 miles of GMU. I would think that if they did have some crazy LOA with GMU, at least the airport manager would know about it???

In Germany, Tornados used to fly thru our Class D without calling doing 400 + kts and a couple hundred feet. Used to "thump" us in flight as well. We really didn't mind though.

I thought the same thing - to be clear I was just saying that it could happen, not that this was the case. We all make mistakes, even those of us going real fast.

 

[Velocity173]

I thought the same thing - to be clear I was just saying that it could happen, not that this was the case. We all make mistakes, even those of us going real fast.

Oh I completely understand. I always used to marvel at how you guys stayed ahead of the aircraft at the speeds you travel. Especially climbing out IMC single pilot and trying to join up with the flight. Here I was in my IFR training barely keeping track of were I was traveling at 100 kts.

 

[poadeleted20]

Oh I completely understand. I always used to marvel at how you guys stayed ahead of the aircraft at the speeds you travel. Especially climbing out IMC single pilot and trying to join up with the flight.

Even the Thunderbirds were known to screw that up. Two-person crews are a lot more effective at ensuring safety in night/all-weather low level operations, which is why the Navy chose after a lot of flight testing not to utilize the A-7E in that role. Note that the Navy/USMC only do that these days in the 2-seat F/A-18D/F models with a WSO in the back seat. Likewise, the USAF only does that in the F-15E and B-1 which have enough folks to manage all the tasks in that environment.

That said, the air-to-air community still does radar trail departures with single-piloted aircraft like the F-15A/C and F/A-18/A/C/E (and, I imagine, the F-22/35) -- but at least they're climbing away from the ground when they do it. Having done that in 2-seaters, I don't see how they do it without the pucker factor being more than I could stand, but perhaps their better avionics make up for the lack of a second set of hands/eyes/brain.