Navy Bombing Practice
By Jeff Moffitt
@moffittjc (128824)
Gainesville, Florida
March 19, 2016 5:53pm CST
Tomorrow morning, my son and I are going on a 3-day primitive camping trip in a nearby national forest. We've picked out what looks like a great spot on the map of the forest (with the help of a forest ranger), and we'll be excited to hike there and get camp set up.
One thing I thought was pretty cool is that there is a Navy bombing range right smack in the middle of the forest, about five miles south of where we'll be camping. I called the ranger station today to see if any Navy jets would be in the area over the next few days conducting bombing practice, but unfortunately there is no activity scheduled.
Growing up, I camped and hunted in the same forest with my parents, and one of the things I loved most about our trips was seeing the Navy jets flying over conducting their bombing runs. My dad was a Navy pilot in the Vietnam War, so he would always tell us kids exactly what jets were flying over, what bombs they were dropping, and the maneuvers they were flying to execute their training missions. I was hoping to get the opportunity for my son to see the Navy in action, but I guess we'll have to wait until another time.
Besides any of you who have been active duty, has anyone else ever had the opportunity to see our military in action in training missions?
9 people like this
8 responses
@cindiowens (5120)
• North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
20 Mar 16
I'm not sure if it is military now, but planes do fly low here. There used to be an air force base here.
3 people like this
@moffittjc (128824)
• Gainesville, Florida
20 Mar 16
I used to love going to MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida and watch all the F-15 and F-16 fighter jets take off and land. My favorite was whenever the giant C-5 Galaxy transport planes would fly in! Those things are huge!
2 people like this
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
20 Mar 16
@moffittjc Are you allowed to camp freely in the area or do you have to pay depth charges?
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128824)
• Gainesville, Florida
20 Mar 16
@Asylum Haha that's funny! We're free to drop anchor anywhere we please!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128824)
• Gainesville, Florida
20 Mar 16
The Navy base is in Jacksonville, about two hours to the northeast of the bombing range. When the aircraft carriers are in port at the Mayport base, they will send the fighter jets on training missions to the bombing range. Actually, in the very area where my son and I will be camping, a Navy fighter jet crashed a couple of years ago due to engine malfunction.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (128824)
• Gainesville, Florida
20 Mar 16
As long as we don't get eaten by a bear, or bitten by a rattle snake, we should have a great time! lol
@ElizabethWallace (12069)
• United States
20 Mar 16
No, and I think it makes no sense. Mixing spectators with dropping bombs sounds like a recipe for disaster to me. They practice to get better. I wouldn't want to be anywhere near the area. Yikes.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128824)
• Gainesville, Florida
25 Mar 16
The bombing range is actually very large, and the part where they drop the bombs is just in the middle. But I get what you're saying about not wanting to be anywhere near there. Interestingly, the entire forest used to be part of the bombing range, as there are signs posted everywhere warning of the dangers of unexploded bombs. My dad actually found one once when he was hunting. He notified a forest ranger who notified the Navy who sent out a team to remove the bomb.
1 person likes this
@ElizabethWallace (12069)
• United States
25 Mar 16
@moffittjc Yikes. All of the area around Camp Pendleton, south of where I live, is like that too. Even if they ever leave, it won't be safe.
1 person likes this
@ElizabethWallace (12069)
• United States
26 Mar 16
@moffittjc Yikes. You would think they would keep track of where the left explosives and have a "flag" on the property, sort of like what utilities do when they have pipes underground.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128824)
• Gainesville, Florida
20 Mar 16
My parents own some mountain property in the state of Colorado in the western US, and it is very near where the United States Air Force Academy is. Every time we vacationed out there, Air Force fighter jets would always be strafing our property. At first it was really awesome to admire, but after awhile it became quite annoying. It always scared the crap out of us, because they would be flying at treetop level darting in and out of the mountains and valleys. Because of the echo in the mountains, we could never tell which direction they were coming from.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (381773)
• Rockingham, Australia
20 Mar 16
@moffittjc It is a joke here, if a plane goes over a bit lower than normal, we always say 'I hope he's one of ours'. i can imagine it being a bit intimidating for you, especially if you couldn't tell which direction it was coming from.
1 person likes this
@VivaLaDani13 (60812)
• Perth, Australia
26 Jun 19
@moffittjc I can't say I've seen any type of Military in action expect for on TV or when I'm looking up things on YouTube. I do like watching it all and admire those who risk their lives but sometimes I feel uneasy as the Military is like a reminder to me of why we have them. I hope that makes sense.
Actually! While I'm thinking about it and not sure if this is considered watching them in action but I have seen jets fly by. Not very often really but it actually scares me every time because this loud booming sound comes out of nowhere and is so loud I freeze thinking a plane is falling out of the sky!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128824)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Jun 19
Those military jets are loud for one reason: power. They always startle me too when they fly by. It’s even worse when they break the sound barrier and cause a sonic boom.
1 person likes this
@Elizaby (6902)
• Pensacola, Florida
20 Mar 16
From time to time when I am at my Friday night meeting I hear bombing practice from the Air Force as their bombing range is nearby by. I also see some Naval training beyond all the flight training from time to time in the Sound and Gulf waters There are several bases in the region including a Marine base nearby in Alabama. And of course the Blue Angels train all the time here during their season after winter training in California (should see them fly in overhead tomorrow coming home)
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128824)
• Gainesville, Florida
25 Mar 16
I've had the honor to see the Blue Angels in action four times in my life. I've also seen the Air Force Thunderbirds once as well. I'm more partial to the Blue Angels and the Navy, but I'm a little biased since my dad was a Navy pilot! lol
1 person likes this
