Curse You Blackhawks!

@moffittjc (118197)
Gainesville, Florida
January 27, 2018 11:58am CST
I was just sitting here relaxing and enjoying a nice quiet Saturday when a squadron of Blackhawk helicopters came screaming over me at treetop level, startling me and practically giving me a heart attack! It's not as bad when they fly over at a high altitude, because you can hear them coming from miles away. But when they are flying at the lowest level possible, they can sneak up on you and give you quite a scare! Why in the world would they even fly that low over populated areas, knowing that they are probably scaring the wits out of everybody below them? Oh well, at least it wasn't a squadron of fighter jets flying over at super-sonic speed! Hope all of you out there in myLot land are enjoying a peaceful Saturday!
25 people like this
25 responses
@bunnybon7 (50975)
• Holiday, Florida
27 Jan 18
not bad all things concidered these days. yes i know how that is with the military planes. we lived about 3 miles from Luke's Air force base in Arizona and sometimes it was scary loud. also even worse on air show days because a few times a year they put on air shows on holidays for the public.
3 people like this
@bunnybon7 (50975)
• Holiday, Florida
28 Jan 18
@moffittjc yes and when one breaks a sound barrier its quit disturbing. they did have beautiful fire works from the base we could see outside our sliding glass doors in back and watch from comfort of home. 4 thof July, new years, memorial day, etc.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118197)
• Gainesville, Florida
28 Jan 18
@bunnybon7 I used to drive up to Jacksonville from Gainesville on the 4th of July to watch the fireworks shows there. All four Navy bases, the City of Jacksonville, the City of Neptune Beach, and the City of Atlantic Beach would all shoot off fireworks within a very close range of each other. I could sit in downtown Jax and see 7 different fireworks shows! It was awesome!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118197)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Jan 18
There was one time many years ago when an entire squadron of B-52 bombers flew over. Never seen that happen before, so it freaked everybody out. Not only were they loud as hell, but just the fact of seeing so many bombers in the sky made people think WWIII was about to break out. Turns out they were all flying into MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa.
3 people like this
@Kandae11 (53596)
27 Jan 18
They were probably looking for something or someone.
3 people like this
@moffittjc (118197)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Jan 18
Well they haven't found me yet! haha
2 people like this
@dodo19 (47034)
• Beaconsfield, Quebec
27 Jan 18
That would have given me a heart attack. They should have been flying at a higher altitude.
1 person likes this
@dodo19 (47034)
• Beaconsfield, Quebec
27 Jan 18
@moffittjc If something major is going to happen, I think you guys will hear about it soon enough.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118197)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Jan 18
I agree. Unless they were doing some urban warfare training (which I continually hear that they're doing more and more of lately). Maybe they are trying to prepare for when our country collapses in ruin.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118197)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Jan 18
@dodo19 I'd rather sleep soundly at night knowing that nothing major is going to happen! haha
1 person likes this
• Pamplona, Spain
29 Jan 18
I know well sort of know the feeling you had there. I am out there in the back and the Military Jets fly very low sometimes enough to be able to fly in one window and out the other (just kidding). The racket they make is deafening to say the least and the fright not so much now as I have gotten used to them and don´t scare me like they did. So this is for them and them that frightened you.
1 person likes this
• Pamplona, Spain
31 Jan 18
@moffittjc Not far from one its starts just across the Road from there round abouts and stretches for miles around.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118197)
• Gainesville, Florida
2 Feb 18
@lovinangelsinstead21 Oh wow, so you are pretty close to one! Just yesterday the military helicopters were back, this time flying back and forth over my head at a very low altitude. Either they were delivering supplies or troops to somewhere nearby, or picking up supplies or troops from nearby. But I still find it interesting that all of a sudden they are doing lots of military exercises in our city. Maybe they are practicing for urban warfare.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118197)
• Gainesville, Florida
31 Jan 18
Do you live near a military base?
1 person likes this
@andriaperry (116876)
• Anniston, Alabama
27 Jan 18
Why? Because they can
3 people like this
@FayeHazel (40250)
• United States
29 Jan 18
That's funny. At first I thought you meant a football team. (wait, that is a football team, isn't it?) They're probably doing because they know it's bothering people on the ground. Ha.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118197)
• Gainesville, Florida
29 Jan 18
The Blackhawks are actually a hockey team! The Chicago Blackhawks!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118197)
• Gainesville, Florida
29 Jan 18
@FayeHazel Well, at least you guessed it was a team of some sort! haha
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40250)
• United States
29 Jan 18
@moffittjc Ah. Hockey. Well I was close. (not really) lol
1 person likes this
• United States
27 Jan 18
They wanted to creep up on you to check what you’re doing Is there a base or landing area nearby for them to be that low?
1 person likes this
• United States
28 Jan 18
@moffittjc Ah gotcha ! Just casually visiting the area, maybe or like you said some refueling! Hahah. But it could also be training too?!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118197)
• Gainesville, Florida
28 Jan 18
@infatuatedbby I'm sure it was training related. It was just very unusual to see an entire squadron of helicopters. Usually when we see military helicopters, it is a lone helicopter flying overhead.
1 person likes this
• United States
28 Jan 18
@moffittjc Gotcha! It's common here we have a couple bases. :)
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61050)
• United States
28 Jan 18
That can be very disconcerting to be sure. Or maybe it got your heart pumping, not such a bad thing lol
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61050)
• United States
29 Jan 18
@moffittjc Ain't that the truth lol
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118197)
• Gainesville, Florida
31 Jan 18
@BelleStarr Hey, I haven't forgotten about us meeting up for lunch! I've just been crazy busy lately,, and out of town or working just about every weekend! I'm hoping things finally calm down after about two more weeks!
@moffittjc (118197)
• Gainesville, Florida
28 Jan 18
It definitely got my heart pumping! Normally, I wouldn't mind, but inevitably the loudest noises always come right as I am about to nod off to dreamland in a nice weekend nap!
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (454850)
• Switzerland
28 Jan 18
We hear the drones of the border police time by time, they are noisy and fly low because they search to see if there are illegal immigrants coming into Switzerland.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (454850)
• Switzerland
28 Jan 18
@moffittjc During winter, with the windows closed it's not a problem, but during summer sometimes I hear the drones at night.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118197)
• Gainesville, Florida
28 Jan 18
I have never seen or heard any drones before, which is surprising, because there is a drone manufacturer here in my city that builds them for the military. They must test them on a military base somewhere after they build them here.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118197)
• Gainesville, Florida
28 Jan 18
@LadyDuck Are they loud and obnoxious, or is the sound of those drones soothing?
1 person likes this
@bluesa (15023)
• Johannesburg, South Africa
28 Jan 18
I loved it when we lived close to an air force base, they used to wake me up on a Saturday morning breaking the sound barrier. Sorry the Blackhawk helicopters caught you by surprise like that though. I hope you had a lovely Saturday evening. :)
1 person likes this
@bluesa (15023)
• Johannesburg, South Africa
30 Jan 18
@moffittjc, lol, no, they were not supposed to, but they did often break the sound barrier, even though they got into trouble, and when I heard the sonic boom, I always laughed my head off! Haha, nothing wrong with a quiet day inside while it is raining outside..I would snuggle in with a good book instead of clean home though, but, usually I end up cleaning too. lol
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118197)
• Gainesville, Florida
31 Jan 18
@bluesa If I had a good book to read, I would have definitely traded house cleaning for reading! I just didn't have any new books at home to read!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118197)
• Gainesville, Florida
28 Jan 18
I hope you're being sarcastic about the sonic blasts waking you up on Saturday mornings! haha I had a nice relaxing Saturday evening. Just finished running some errands and grocery shopping this morning. Looks like it is going to rain, so I think I'll just stay inside and do some house cleaning. Yay me!
1 person likes this
@DianneN (246452)
• United States
29 Jan 18
I wouldn't have enjoyed that too much! Are you sure they weren't looking for you? lol
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118197)
• Gainesville, Florida
29 Jan 18
Well, if they were looking for me, they didn't see me, because I gave them the middle finger and a few choice curse words, and they just kept going!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118197)
• Gainesville, Florida
30 Jan 18
@DianneN I was just helping them pinpoint my location. You know, in case they want to see my middle finger up close!
1 person likes this
@DianneN (246452)
• United States
29 Jan 18
@moffittjc Ha Ha! That should teach them a thing or two!!!
1 person likes this
@cintol (11278)
• United States
12 Feb 18
I used to love watching them fly over our house in Colorado, we saw those and the jets all the time.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118197)
• Gainesville, Florida
12 Feb 18
I love watching military fighters and helicopters when I know they are around and I can expect them, but in this case it was sudden and unexpected, since we don't usually get a lot of military activity here in the middle of the city.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118197)
• Gainesville, Florida
14 Feb 18
@cintol Haha, I still run out the door any time I hear a military jet or helicopter! I just love watching them fly over! Two very memorable times were when a squadron of B-52 bombers flee over one time, and also when a squadron of Ospreys flew over. Man, those were fun to watch.
1 person likes this
@cintol (11278)
• United States
13 Feb 18
I understand, we had what my husband called a "stealth" go over our house one day and it was on the tree lines, very low and we never heard it coming. I love watching them as well and my grandson would run out the door if he heard them.
1 person likes this
@Courtlynn (67002)
• United States
28 Jan 18
That sounds very loud and scary.
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@moffittjc (118197)
• Gainesville, Florida
28 Jan 18
Very loud. Not scary so much, but startling.
1 person likes this
@Courtlynn (67002)
• United States
28 Jan 18
@moffittjc Ohh. gotcha
1 person likes this
@YrNemo (20272)
13 Feb 18
Thought there were supposed to be some laws against that sort of activity (not your hiding, but those Blackhawks' flying low activity.)
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118197)
• Gainesville, Florida
14 Feb 18
They're the military, they can do whatever they want! lol I was reading not too long ago about panic that ensued in downtown Fort Lauderdale when hundreds of people started calling into local law enforcement that we were being invaded. It turns out the military was conducting training where their Blackhawk helicopters were flying into the city at roof-top level, heading straight to Fort Lauderdale city hall (a 6-story building), and then raising up and landing on the roof of city hall, before taking off again. Right before the incident, they notified the Broward County Sheriffs Department of what was taking place, but did not forewarn anyone else since it was top-secret training.
1 person likes this
@YrNemo (20272)
14 Feb 18
@moffittjc Thanks for explaining. You are right then, the military does have that sort of 'right' I think.
1 person likes this
@rebelann (110754)
• El Paso, Texas
27 Jan 18
I can't tell the difference tween BlackHawk or just plan Army copters but we get them here a lot, mostly they fly pretty high but once in a while they're low and when I asked a friend of mine(a vet) he told me they do that when they're looking for criminals. I'm so glad I haven't seen them do that here. Come to think of it, they probably can't anyway cuz we don't have many trees and I'm wondering if they'd get caught in the electric lines if they tried?
1 person likes this
@rebelann (110754)
• El Paso, Texas
28 Jan 18
You're probably right about the maneuvers @moffittjc maybe they're practicing in the event they'll be in another war
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@moffittjc (118197)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Jan 18
I'm used to see a lone Blackhawk flying around pretty much on a daily basis (which in and of itself is weird, because why is the military flying a helicopter over our city on a daily basis unless the were up to something?), but it's highly unusual to see an entire squadron flying over at such a low altitude. My best guess is that they were flying to our airport either to practice maneuvers, or to stop and refuel before heading back on their journey.
1 person likes this
@jstory07 (133739)
• Roseburg, Oregon
28 Jan 18
They should not fly low over populated areas.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118197)
• Gainesville, Florida
28 Jan 18
Especially when there's an entire squadron of them! It felt like we were being invaded! lol
1 person likes this
@JESSY3236 (18760)
• United States
2 Feb 18
Yeah I have heard some (I think airplanes or helicopters) here that fly real low. It scares me thinking the house is being attacked.
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@moffittjc (118197)
• Gainesville, Florida
3 Feb 18
My first thought is not of being attacked, but that there must be something wrong and the helicopter or jet is about to crash. Just because it's unusual to have such things fly so low to the ground! Growing up, I lived near a major airport, and our house was right under the takeoff and landing flight patterns. Those low jumbo jets landing or taking off would shake our house, and I always had the fear of one of those big planes coming down on top of our house; I guess it's a fear which has survived in me even into adulthood.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (323652)
• Rockingham, Australia
27 Jan 18
It's not 7am here yet but we've had a helicopter go over quite low too. I hope there hasn't been an accident on the highway although that is the most likely explanation.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118197)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Jan 18
We have too major hospitals here in my city, and they serve as level 1 trauma centers for the state, so medical helicopters are constantly flying in and out all day and all night long. Those helicopters are much quieter than the military helicopters, so you learn quickly to tune them all out. I barely notice when the medical helicopters fly over, but it's an entirely different story when the military ones fly over.
1 person likes this
@Elizaby (6901)
• Pensacola, Florida
28 Jan 18
When you live near or in a miltary town you learn to get use to it
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@moffittjc (118197)
• Gainesville, Florida
3 Feb 18
That's true, but I don't live near any military bases, so it's kind of weird and unsettling to see so much military activity going on here.
@nela13 (55684)
• Portugal
16 Feb 18
Ohh, they probably fly that low because they simple want
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118197)
• Gainesville, Florida
16 Feb 18
I agree! Who is going to stop them? They are the military, they can do whatever they want! haha
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