[elkayem]

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/08/12/bc-fighter-jets-vancouver.html
Old news but.. I haven't heard them flying in the air until this week.

So I've been hearing them in Richmond, but I've been working. So everytime they fly by I'm in doors. :(
I really wanna catch a picture of them!!!

Has anyone been outside and got some shots of the jets flying by?:eek:

[thumper]

had a single one fly overhead in richmond on approach to the airport. no pics sorry... too busy covering my ears.... REALLY DAMN LOUD :o

someone here at work mentioned he saw one parked in front of a hangar at the south terminal getting work done on it... maybe you might get lucky?

[tonyvu]

they were flying by my house a couple days ago and i live right beside central park so its pretty loud.

[Jermyzy]

So that's what the sounds was...I was sleeping with my window open and I was thinking "holy crap, that's a loud plane"

[elkayem]

But it sounds soo fucking nice!!
To my ears, it's like you guys hearing an F1. Loud but it makes me :jiggy:

Thanks Thumper!! Maybe I'll go by tmr and see if I get lucky. :D

I'll post some pics for you guys if I catch them on camera!

[JSALES]

heard them just a few minutes ago and i live near central park as well haha

[elkayem]

heard them just a few minutes ago and i live near central park as well haha
I'm working at Parker place and I just heard 3 go by, 2 were right after each other.

[Great68]

Saw them flying over Victoria & the ferry terminal about a month ago.

[kchan]

man... i hear these everyday... its LOUD.. sounds good the first one or two.. but afterwards it gets so annoying especially when they wake you up around 9am - 11am

[unit]

i hear these all day long working in richmond i think they're f18s?

[124Y]

Yeah I've heard and seen these before....VERY fucking loud!
It's a cool sight though.

[bsftong]

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/08/12/bc-fighter-jets-vancouver.html
Old news but.. I haven't heard them flying in the air until this week.

So I've been hearing them in Richmond, but I've been working. So everytime they fly by I'm in doors. :(
I really wanna catch a picture of them!!!

Has anyone been outside and got some shots of the jets flying by?:eek:


Was gonna go on our building's rooftop and snap a few pics when they were taking off, but then my boss realized he forgot the key to go up there! Hopefully next time I'll be able to get up there!

[!Tigger]

i saw three too, at alderbridge take off...

two were beside eachother

[elkayem]

Yeah I've heard and seen these before....VERY fucking loud!
It's a cool sight though.

Hell yeah! I'm working with Clement(Mr. S2k last time we cruised with) and every day we hear them fly by, we're like. :eek:

i hear these all day long working in richmond i think they're f18s?

F-18 Hornets?!?!

man... i hear these everyday... its LOUD.. sounds good the first one or two.. but afterwards it gets so annoying especially when they wake you up around 9am - 11am

LOL Luckily, it doesn't wake me up. I only hear them in the afternoon during work.

Was gonna go on our building's rooftop and snap a few pics when they were taking off, but then my boss realized he forgot the key to go up there! Hopefully next time I'll be able to get up there!

Where do you work?

[Spectre_Cdn]

F-18 Hornets?!?!


yeah, cf-18's

They might have been leaving today, as they were only scheduled to practice on Tuesday and Wednesday (according to the news).

[- kT]

I was sitting on my computer one morning like 2 days ago and heard them approaching

Knowing what they were I went to my window

2 F18's!

[Harvey Specter]

I heard one a couple days ago around noon, it was loud as fuck.

[elkayem]

yeah, cf-18's

They might have been leaving today, as they were only scheduled to practice on Tuesday and Wednesday (according to the news).

I was sitting on my computer one morning like 2 days ago and heard them approaching

Knowing what they were I went to my window

2 F18's!

Fuck!!! :cry:
If you're right about them leaving then.:(

I have to wait until the Olympics?

They sound insaneee approaching!!!:eek:

I heard one a couple days ago around noon, it was loud as fuck.
Of course mann, they're twin engines.
They're able to travel at nearly Mach 1.7, that's over 1100mph.
Engines are bound to be loud.

But so sexyyy.

[wahyinghung]

The CF-18's are ancient planes..........where's the Super Hornet's and the F35's ?

[ac87]

heard them flying over my place at 5am a few days ago

[DemonsBlood]

yeah f18 are pretty oldschool... its all about the f35..i think its a lightning 2 or something........and f22 raptors = BEAST

[will068]

Anyone notice that the GPS signals were also blocked at that time ? My coworker was testing some GPS hardware and told me that he could not get signal.

[AznFlipOut604]

woke me up a couple days ago :(

[ghosty]

i see them all the time they fly over my armory all the time, sometimes slow down cause all the soldiers are outside

[NSXRboy]

saw these flying over the automall quite a lot. damn these things are loud

[thumper]

The CF-18's are ancient planes..........where's the Super Hornet's and the F35's ?

riiight... as soon as the 1000% tax hike needed to buy them goes thru parliament ;)

[MDMA]

they fly over my house atleast twice a day loud as fuck

[SolidPenguin]

And canadas also like the 8th country in line to get them, and 0 have been delivered so far.
Its probably gonna be a while

[CRX SiR]

yeah f18 are pretty oldschool... its all about the f35..i think its a lightning 2 or something........and f22 raptors = BEAST

Old school in a sense, but still badass, and with the upgrades we have been doing to them the past couple of years, still very capable. F22 are wicked machines but we will never get them, nor anyone else in the world thanks to congress. Ive read some great stuff on the F35, I just hope the single engine doesnt bite us in the ass (We always get 2 engine fighters so if one engine fails while out over the ocean or arctic, they can still get back to base safely rather then being forced to bail out.

[jimzilla]

we should of kept the avro arrow project. Now that was a killer fighter!

[drtran]

cf18s, flying out from cfb cold lake.

[Harvey Specter]

Anyone notice that the GPS signals were also blocked at that time ? My coworker was testing some GPS hardware and told me that he could not get signal.

I didn't notice this but it would make sense to block or scrambling signals if they're running anti-terrorist exercises.

[StealthFighter]

I was on westminister hwy on Thursday around 245. Heard aa jet, looked up and saw a beautiful CF-18. Even at 20+ years old, it's still nice.

[twitchyzero]

cf18s, flying out from cfb cold lake.

does anyone know how fast they usually fly from cold lake to vancouver? 5-10min?

im sure they'll have quite a few at comox during the olympics

[drtran]

does anyone know how fast they usually fly from cold lake to vancouver? 5-10min?

im sure they'll have quite a few at comox during the olympics

there will be some at comox, air canada also lending out one of their hangers at the airport.

[- kT]

cf18s, flying out from cfb cold lake.

^ Yup

@ elkayem - I have some photos of em from CFB Cold Lake from this year, not taking off or anything though. Just sitting outside and in the hangar

/edit

k here are some pics incase you guys are interested
i was stationed at cold lake some time ago so I got to see em pretty up close and personal
pictures were taken from where they're currently flying out of

http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs143.snc1/5295_125119436651_515161651_2889005_4727089_n.jpg
http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs143.snc1/5295_125119426651_515161651_2889004_5134183_n.jpg
http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs123.snc1/5295_125118926651_515161651_2888914_296187_n.jpg
http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs123.snc1/5295_125118936651_515161651_2888916_7354301_n.jpg
http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs123.snc1/5295_125119191651_515161651_2888963_5690751_n.jpg
http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs123.snc1/5295_125119176651_515161651_2888960_2210399_n.jpg
http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs123.snc1/5295_125119181651_515161651_2888961_4431706_n.jpg

[thumper]

can someone help me... i'm no expert at planes but isn't an F-18 designed to be a carrier-based aircraft? why would canada choose these if we are land-based?

that day that cf-18 flew over us in rmd, it had the landing gear down and we could see what we thought was the arrestor hook hanging out back :confused:

[bsftong]

Where do you work?

At the airport

[impactX]

can someone help me... i'm no expert at planes but isn't an F-18 designed to be a carrier-based aircraft? why would canada choose these if we are land-based?

that day that cf-18 flew over us in rmd, it had the landing gear down and we could see what we thought was the arrestor hook hanging out back :confused:

Time for a good read: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CF-18_Hornet

Coles Notes:
F-18 wins the competition because of its price and good availability for parts.

[CRX SiR]

I was on westminister hwy on Thursday around 245. Heard aa jet, looked up and saw a beautiful CF-18. Even at 20+ years old, it's still nice.

F18 and F15 i think are the most beautiful aircraft, but the A10 is gonna always be my fave! Those and 160th SOAR Little Birds. So badass



Edit: Love those Cold Lake pics. I rarely see more then 2 at a time anywhere, so seeing a bunch on the tarmac always looks great

[drtran]

^ Yup

@ elkayem - I have some photos of em from CFB Cold Lake from this year, not taking off or anything though. Just sitting outside and in the hangar

/edit

k here are some pics incase you guys are interested
i was stationed at cold lake some time ago so I got to see em pretty up close and personal
pictures were taken from where they're currently flying out of


nice, im currently posted there. doing OJT for aerospace control.

[jimzilla]

can someone help me... i'm no expert at planes but isn't an F-18 designed to be a carrier-based aircraft? why would canada choose these if we are land-based?

that day that cf-18 flew over us in rmd, it had the landing gear down and we could see what we thought was the arrestor hook hanging out back :confused:

from my understanding: the runways at comox and cold lake are close to 12,000 ft if not more whereas the runways at YVR are close to 10,000. So having the cables set up "helps" the jet to stop in a shorter distance due to a shortened ground roll and ground speed as it initially hooks

Also I dont think the CF18s have reverse thrusters like you see on the Air Canada/heavy airplanes, thus you need cables to slow down

[skyxx]

^ That pull of the hook makes your anus feel like it was shifted 6 inches away from your body.

[- kT]

nice, im currently posted there. doing OJT for aerospace control.

Then you'll know what I mean when I say that F18's roaring overhead is nothing new anymore :p

It sorta got old after hearing em everyday at Cold Lake

[HardBoiler]

There are 3 CF-18s based here based in YVR. Here's one of them on approach.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3481/3938175177_1793c145ef_b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3434/3938174789_a8ccc668b0_b.jpg

[Spectre_Cdn]

More this week...


Largest Olympic security rehearsal on tap this week
It's called Pegasus Guardian 3 and the Spartan Rings

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - Another round of pre-Olympic security drills kicks off in Metro Vancouver today. You can expect plenty of action in the air and on the water this week, as the 2010 Integrated Security Unit carries out its third and largest dress rehearsal yet.

The exercise, dubbed "Pegasus Guardian 3 and Spartan Rings," will feature police and military boats as well as aircraft. The task force will hold practices in Burrard Inlet, False Creek, along the coast, and in the skies above the Lower Mainland.
The drills are meant to prepare the unit for all sorts of emergency scenarios that could pop up during the games.
An even larger drill called "Exercise Gold" will be carried out in the first week of November.

[belka]

does anyone know how fast they usually fly from cold lake to vancouver? 5-10min?

im sure they'll have quite a few at comox during the olympics

Flight usually takes under 2 hours. There will be a "few" in Comox and Vancouver during the Olympics.

that day that cf-18 flew over us in rmd, it had the landing gear down and we could see what we thought was the arrestor hook hanging out back :confused:

It was the arresting hook mainly used for inflight emergencies such as landing gear, engine or brake issues. Its used where a quick stop is required for landing.


Jet over Whistler.

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd151/pushok85/Random%20Garbage/inter3.jpg

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd151/pushok85/Random%20Garbage/inter2.jpg

[nack]

nice photos of them flyboys, but you got to remember, the infantry soldier is the most important :D

[belka]

nice photos of them flyboys, but you got to remember, the infantry soldier is the most important :D

I hope the infantry soldiers enjoy tent city out in Cloverdale or whatever. I'll enjoy my clean, warm, DRY hotel room in downtown van.

[keitaro]

CP-140 Aurora (AKA P-3 Orion) was doing circuits at YXX today. I only noticed it while were shuffling CC-130s around to make room for some other aircraft. There were a few times that I thought it was another Herc coming back from post maintenance test flight.

Belka did you take those photos? Whats the tail number of the Herc your in?

[nack]

I hope the infantry soldiers enjoy tent city out in Cloverdale or whatever. I'll enjoy my clean, warm, DRY hotel room in downtown van.

nah man, we sleep in g-wagons :{D

[JD¹³]

There are a lot of misconceptions and bad info being posted here so I'll try to clear those up as my father is directly involved with these operations.

The Air Force has been running operations to prepare for the Olympics since the spring, the jets are just now being seen over Vancouver because prior to this the entire "system" under which they're now operting had to be assembled from scratch. My dad took part in the initial setup by flying low level highspeed operations to test the radar systems all over the country initially and now most recently in BC. The fighters are now here to test reaction times and so on. The F18's will be based at NUMEROUS airports across BC, and not just the lower mainland - most of which are classified for obvious reasons. I'd actually be surprised if there were any at Vancouver International as the local air traffic would make scrambling them more difficult than is necessary. On the burners they fly over 1100mph, so they're distance from the heart of Vancouver isn't a huge issue: they'll get there very quickly.

The Aurora's are submarine hunters and do a great deal of electronic warfare, which is probably why local GPS amongst other systems has been an issue as was posted. It's all testing and preparation for "the worst". If they wanted to the military could probably shut down almost every form of communication in Metro Vancouver, cell phones, internet, you name it. The Navy is also heavily involved and are ramping up their radar systems for the Olympics. My dad will be towing targets for them in the next few weeks to test their radars, cannons, and self-defense systems against both air targets and simulated cruise missles.

As for the F18 being a relic, you could call it that since the original design is over 20 years old but the jet is still one of the most dominant fighters in the air today. It's a multi-role fighter that can be heavily armed for air-to-air, air-to-ground, or both simultaneously. That versatility is why it's so popular, many different countries within NATO have the F18 as their primary fighter. The US Navy replaced the F14 Tomcat with the F18, and it's so versatile they will undoubtedly retire the A6 Intruder as well as it's simply obselete. The F18 can do it all, especially now that the Navy has the Super Hornet (30% bigger, more payload, more fuel). They're even looking into converting Super Hornets into mini-AWACS jets.

The F22 was kind of a stupid jet to build as the F35 was being designed pretty much in parallel with it. The Air Force pushed for the F22 to replace the F15 Eagle which it has now done but it's development is already terminated. The F35 is the new F18, it will do everything the F22 can but be more versatile thus the F22 being cancelled. Now someone posted about the Canadian Air Force being ghetto by only having standard F18's, no Super Hornet or F35's. Well here's why: the CF-18 is the absolute top-of-the-line standard sized F18. They've all been updated with the latest radars, weapons, electronics packages and so on. They've got "HUD-in-helmet" technology now that allows for the pilot to see the HUD on the inside of his visor so he'll always know what's going on with his systems. So if the pilot is looking over his shoulder and jigging around in a dogfight he'll always know his airspeed, altitude, what his weapon systems are doing, etc. That visor HUD automatically turns off if the pilot is looking straight through the normal HUD or down at his instruments, it's a slick system (but the lids cost $130,000+ each). And for all you movie buffs out there: Top Gun is a real elite fighter school and Canadians have won it a couple times in F18's against the F14/15/16. The Canadian Air Force is very capable :)

Instead of buying the Super Hornets, Canada decided to upgrade our F18's and wait for the F35. Yes, Canada has ordered them, and from what I've heard the number is pretty high. Australia will be one of the first to get the F35 as they haven't upgraded their F18's to the same level as Canada, and their F111 Ardvarks are TRULY ancient. Canada's in no rush because our jets are pretty much unchallenged in this region of the world with the exception of the United States. Russian fighters aren't going to be coming over the poles, though their revived Bear bombers have recently to test OUR reaction times and kinda say "Hey, look what we can do." Here's a picture of a Canadian F18 intercepting the old Cold War relic over the Arctic:

http://images.ctv.ca/archives/CTVNews/img2/20090227/450_TU95_090227.jpg

The F35 will come in 3 configurations. 1 with the vertical take off and landing capability for the US Marines (a config called STOVL) to replace their F18's and A8 Harriers, 1 with beefed up landing gear + larger wing and tail control surfaces for the NAVY, and 1 just "standard" jet for the Air Force to replace the F16. Canada will be getting the standard configuration. The F35 could quite possibly be the last manned jet fighter ever built as remote technology like used with the Predator's evolves (one of the reasons the A10 Warthog was just retired).

JTF-2 (Canada's SEAL/SAS/Delta Force equivalent) will be all over the place too. These guys are no slouch's either and have performed some of the most dangerous missions in Afghanistan to date. They also hold the record for the longest single-shot sniper kill in history @ over 2km's. They were recently heralded by top US military officials for their actions in Afghanistan.

Hope that helps clear some things up and provide some insight into our military :)

[rsx]

The security detail in Vancouver is somewhat of an overkill isn't it geez.

[rsx]

OOOH..
"But a pair of federal contracts and a security products conference arranged this week by Acklands-Grainger, the official safety equipment supplier for the Vancouver Organizing Committee, gave hints about the level of preparation going into emergency planning for the Games.

The federal public works department issued advance notice that it plans to award two directed contracts relating to 2010 security. One involves the testing for the Department of National Defence of two "passive coherent location radar" systems to fill in gaps in "existing national air surveillance pictures."

The contract is being given to Thales Canada of Ottawa and Lockheed Martin of Colorado and involves a three-month test of technology used to detect small aircraft flying at low altitude. Award documents say the government's plans "reflect the desire to evaluate the current state of commercial systems for rapid implementation into the field for events such as the 2010 Olympics."

There is no price attached to the documents."
Security contracts hint at level emergency planning for 2010 Games
Jeff Lee, Vancouver Sun, Friday, October 31, 2008

Money money money....money.

[belka]

Belka did you take those photos? Whats the tail number of the Herc your in?

Yes I did take the photo's and I don't remember what the tail number was since this was back in May.

They've got "HUD-in-helmet" technology now that allows for the pilot to see the HUD on the inside of his visor so he'll always know what's going on with his systems. So if the pilot is looking over his shoulder and jigging around in a dogfight he'll always know his airspeed, altitude, what his weapon systems are doing, etc. That visor HUD automatically turns off if the pilot is looking straight through the normal HUD or down at his instruments, it's a slick system (but the lids cost $130,000+ each).

We have no such helmets.

Instead of buying the Super Hornets, Canada decided to upgrade our F18's and wait for the F35. Yes, Canada has ordered them, and from what I've heard the number is pretty high.

We haven't ordered anything yet. The Fighter replacement agenda is on the table and is being discussed. What I've heard, directly from a very reliable source, is to look for an announcement on the purchase of new fighters in the early 2011 time frame.

Canada will be getting the standard configuration.

No, we will be most likely getting the F35C, the Navy version. It has a larger internal fuel capacity, a wing fold system, greater range and stronger landing gear, everything that we need.

[Spectre_Cdn]

And... they're back this week:

News1130 (http://www.news1130.com/news/local/article/20776--final-olympic-security-preparations-include-fighter-jets)



VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - The skies above Metro Vancouver will be filled with the sounds of CF-18 fighter jets this week.

Canadian Forces pilots are flying over Olympic venues as part of last minute preparations for next month's games. The test flights are designed to familiarize them with the area and with local weather conditions. The pilots are authorized to shoot down aircraft that violate restricted airspace but the military insists lethal force is purely used as a last resort.

[Mugen EvOlutioN]

pfff the game is lame and overated

[CP.AR]

They were taking off while I was at yaohan yesterday - boy did it sound so SEXY

[nack]

so who's going to go to the free DEADMAU5 concert at yaletown on the 19th?

alotta hot babes from everywhere (and since its all ages, ALOTTA JB'S AS WELL)

[Tegra_Devil]

id prefer to see a cf-18 rock enemy aircraft rather than watch womens aerials.....

[matter]

http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/6729/dsc00303vp.th.jpg (http://img8.imageshack.us/i/dsc00303vp.jpg/)

they make an awesome noise.

[Rich Sandor]

not quite an f18, but i'd take either one of these:

http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/photos/0/1/3/1407310.jpg

[- kT]

saw a pair today flying when i was near kwantlen in richmond

[The_AK]

saw 2 black military helicopters today in richmond

[nickmak]

saw 2 flying side by side over the cambie and jacombs (richmond) area this afternoon when i was at work. not VERY loud, but i definitely knew there were fighters flying over so i ran outside to look. when i worked on #3 road, it was MUCH louder. i remember they used to set off car alarms!

[Supafly]

saw 2 black military helicopters today in richmond

i saw them aswell...they appear to be uh1 hueys..:)
they're matte black.:thumbsup:

[!Tigger]

pics?

[hotong]

pics?

in for pics aswell

[nack]

i saw them aswell...they appear to be uh1 hueys..:)
they're matte black.:thumbsup:

there actually called Griffons
http://www.skycontrol.net/UserFiles/Image/MilitaryAviation_img/200608b/200608canadian-forces-SpecialOps-1.jpg

and look what i found :{D
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Seawall_soldiers.jpg

[Tegra_Devil]

^are you a sniper?

[nack]

^are you a sniper?

only on COD, but i found the pic on wikipedia

[seakrait]

The US Navy replaced the F14 Tomcat with the F18, and it's so versatile they will undoubtedly retire the A6 Intruder as well as it's simply obselete.
Intruders were retired in 1997. They were replaced by the F14s equipped with LANTIRN pods. EA6 Prowlers are still in use though they are to be replaced by the EA18G Growlers.

The F35 could quite possibly be the last manned jet fighter ever built as remote technology like used with the Predator's evolves (one of the reasons the A10 Warthog was just retired).
The F35 will actually eventually replace the A10, not the Predator/Warrior/Reaper drones.[/quote]

[Rich Sandor]

There are a lot of misconceptions and bad info being posted here so I'll try to clear those up as my father is directly involved with these operations.

I think you posted more misconceptions and bad info than what you corrected.

[dutch]

and look what i found :{D
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Seawall_soldiers.jpg

"on your left!" :)