Planes circling at nigth for 2 months

[Beanstalk]

We live next to the largest military base in the world. That might have something to do with the planes.

This is a correct statement by this poster if they are referring to Air Force Base's. At least according to the U.S. Air Force Fact Sheet


96TH AIR BASE WING

Mission Statement: Provide the foundation for Team Eglin missions, deploy combat ready forces while delivering full spectrum support to the DoD's largest, most dynamic Air Force Installation.

Eglin Air Force Base - Fact Sheet (Printable) : 96TH AIR BASE WING

If the statement is Military Base inclusive of Air Force the correct information would be Fort Hood.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood

 

[jodiFL]

Eglin AFB, FL

Eglin AFB, Florida is the former home of the 39th Bomb Wing and 4135th Strategic Wing. The Eglin range, managed by the 46th Test Wing, is the largest Air Force base in the free world. Located east of Pensacola, its 724 square miles of land range occupies much of the Northwest Florida panhandle. Its 101,000 square miles of air space extends over the eastern third of the Gulf of Mexico, an area extending from the panhandle to the Florida keys. Seventeen miles of shoreline allow T&E in both a littoral environment and over a land-water interface.

from this source

 

[beachmouse]

The largest in the free world designation counts the Eglin test ranges over the Gulf of Mexico, which cover roughly the same number of square miles as the state of Minnesota and end somewhere just north of Key West.

That area is what makes oil drilling in the Eastern Gulf a lot more complex than what most people would assume.

 

[jodiFL]

The largest in the free world designation counts the Eglin test ranges over the Gulf of Mexico, which cover roughly the same number of square miles as the state of Minnesota and end somewhere just north of Key West.

That area is what makes oil drilling in the Eastern Gulf a lot more complex than what most people would assume.

It also is also the reason some elected officials (see hands across the beach thread) are bringing that discussion up. I think they are wanting the AF to do what they dont have the guts to do... Just say NO to drilling.

 

[Smiling JOe]

Haven't noticed the planes on a regular basis, but last night, coming across 331 bridge, on the north side of the Bay in the distance, I saw an unusual pattern of large bright lights which seemed to move quickly then as quickly, disappear. I've seen the exact same thing before in a similar location a while back. It was almost like looking into the exhaust of about 6-12 jet engines which hit afterburner, looking somewhat similar to fireworks, but it wasn't fireworks. I've also seen this over the Gulf in the past.

 

[GoodWitch58]

actually, andrews is larger. but, at the rate we're building at eglin things may very well change in the very near future. been looking at billions of dollars of work on all three panhandle bases with eglin having the bulk of that growth. its amazing how much is going on there. i have a room full of prints on proposed projects.

Andrews Air Force Base
The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition | 2008 | The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright 2008 Columbia University Press. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Andrews Air Force Base U.S. military installation, 4,279 acres (1,732 hectares), central Md., est. 1943. It is the chief military airport of Washington, D.C., as well as the headquarters for the air force's high-priority airlift command.



Acccording to this, Andrews doesnt even come close to the size of Eglin.
1 square mile = 640 acres.

 

[Geo]

Eglin is biggest
No Andrews
No Eglin
Andrews
Eglin
Andrews
Eglin

Any chance you guys can continue the pissing match using private messages?
Let's hear more about the mysterious planes.

 

[Alicia Leonard]

 

[DuneLaker]

Maybe it is not the Air Force, but the Army that has special new tactics operating over our Northwest Florida Emerald Coast. Or it could just be the new WalMart's strobe lights put in to service all those new Army personnel moving into the area. Here's story about new division from Air Force website.

Army special forces group to beddown at Eglin AFB

Posted 11/21/2008 Updated 11/21/2008

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11/21/2008 - WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- Air Force officials signed a record of decision Nov. 20 that begins the process for the Army's 7th Special Forces Group to beddown at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The group will be located west of Duke Field and the range will be on the east and west side.

"This was truly a joint effort on the part of the Air Force and the Army to agree on the best possible location for this special forces group," said Kathy Ferguson, deputy assistant secretary for installations.

The cantonment area for the 7th SFG includes operations and maintenance facilities, housing, dining facilities, and munitions storage and loading facilities.

Accommodations for their training requirements include range space and airspace and scheduling for associated training missions.

The cantonment area will include facilities for three SF battalions, a motorized SF battalion, a group support battalion, and the group headquarters. Approximately 5.1 million square feet of buildings and hard surfaces will be constructed from the year 2009 through 2011.

Most of the training will require the use of 13 ranges specifically designed for specific weapons training.

Either these ranges would need to be constructed or existing test areas would need to be reconfigured to provide the necessary facilities/assets, officials said. The training ranges are mandated by Army authorization, training and doctrinal documents for conventional army and special operations forces.

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[Lynnie]