F-18's at KAPA

TAC Air has (or used to have) the contract with the Navy for refueling. The Canadians might have decided that APA was a good choice for a stop-over. Those jets really don't have cross-country range without refueling.
 
"...no word on why their here" LMAO
I wasn't aware that they had to inform the local news of their intentions.
 
slow news day eh?

We stop through Buckley all the time going to and from Fallon and the East Coast on the USN side, and I don't think that has ever made the news. Probably going to Nellis or something. I don't know if Green Flag has foreign AF participation but I think there is one going down soon.
 
One Canadian F/A-18 performed at the Jones Beach airshow this year.

Due to sequestration, there were no US fighters present.
That was the strangest airshow I've ever attended.
 
35 AoA said:
slow news day eh?

We stop through Buckley all the time going to and from Fallon and the East Coast on the USN side, and I don't think that has ever made the news. Probably going to Nellis or something. I don't know if Green Flag has foreign AF participation but I think there is one going down soon.
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The news report on FM radio this morning mentioned exercises in the area but offered nothing substantive like working with ground forces at Carson or playing air-tag with the boys from Buckley.

Anyway, TAC-Air was prolly cheaper than stopping by Buckley...

The Navy training guys used to go to BJC on x-c's out of Texas. Neat to watch the 'hawks missed approaches at how-ever-many-knots-more-than-some-little-bug-smasher. They didn't climb fast but they did move fast.
 
Clark1961 said:
The Navy training guys used to go to BJC on x-c's out of Texas. Neat to watch the 'hawks missed approaches at how-ever-many-knots-more-than-some-little-bug-smasher. They didn't climb fast but they did move fast.
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Yeah, the T-45 was a pretty good cross country machine, aside from not having any sort of autopilot (sucks on long legs in the FL's). The good thing was they have ILS, which the Hornet does not, which can be no bueno doing cross countries state side.
 
Hank S said:
They'll be at KRMG tomorrow, but Rome, GA is a long way from Colorado, maybe not for a twin jet. Then again, they should have been practicing today. The plan was the Thunderbirds, maybe next year.

Any other airshows closer to the Rockies?
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They probably aren't taking 12 F/A-18s to one airshow...

Prolly an exercise somewhere in Nevada as 35AoA suggested.
 
At PUJ last weekend.
 

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35 AoA said:
slow news day eh?

We stop through Buckley all the time going to and from Fallon and the East Coast on the USN side, and I don't think that has ever made the news. Probably going to Nellis or something. I don't know if Green Flag has foreign AF participation but I think there is one going down soon.
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Word is that the USN guys like KAPA better because they're on per diem if the land there vs KBKF. ;)
 
denverpilot said:
Word is that the USN guys like KAPA better because they're on per diem if the land there vs KBKF. ;)
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I've actually never been to KAPA, just BKF. Actually, we normally stop at KCOS so we don't have to deal with Denver commercial traffic and weird things like STARS that single seat aircraft without any of the waypoints tend to avoid :) The per diem rules change all the time, but they are relatively restrictive right now. Unless you are ferrying aircraft for a detachment, generally cross countries these days are "no cost" anyway, as in the govt pays for the gas, but you pay for food/lodging/etc. And if you are ferrying a jet, you probably aren't staying the night anywhere but your final destination. It only takes 4-5 hrs of flying time to get from coast to coast so there really is no need.
 
Would have told you guys sooner but didn't see this post until now. The Canadian F-18s were headed down to New Mexico for a month to do training down there and then they were headed back up to Canada. Tac air does have a military fuel contract now so millitary traffic has been coming into KAPA a lot recently. The day after the Canadians left the VX-9 vampires rolled into town and they told me about how they came to kapa because KBKF is official business only right now due to runway repairs ( it will be like this until late 2014). They also told me that most the fighters stopping for gas or over night in Colorado are going to kapa and grand junction due to the fact that they are trying to avoid KCOS because the runway is falling apart and they are worried about damage to there aircraft.
 
OrbitalArk19 said:
Would have told you guys sooner but didn't see this post until now. The Canadian F-18s were headed down to New Mexico for a month to do training down there and then they were headed back up to Canada. Tac air does have a military fuel contract now so millitary traffic has been coming into KAPA a lot recently. The day after the Canadians left the VX-9 vampires rolled into town and they told me about how they came to kapa because KBKF is official business only right now due to runway repairs ( it will be like this until late 2014). They also told me that most the fighters stopping for gas or over night in Colorado are going to kapa and grand junction due to the fact that they are trying to avoid KCOS because the runway is falling apart and they are worried about damage to there aircraft.
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Interesting. Runway seemed fine back in September. Maybe snow/ice/clearing of all of the above wore it down or something.
 
Osprey was at KAPA on Friday. No idea who/why but always interesting to watch.
 
OrbitalArk19 said:
Would have told you guys sooner but didn't see this post until now. The Canadian F-18s were headed down to New Mexico for a month to do training down there and then they were headed back up to Canada. Tac air does have a military fuel contract now so millitary traffic has been coming into KAPA a lot recently. The day after the Canadians left the VX-9 vampires rolled into town and they told me about how they came to kapa because KBKF is official business only right now due to runway repairs ( it will be like this until late 2014). They also told me that most the fighters stopping for gas or over night in Colorado are going to kapa and grand junction due to the fact that they are trying to avoid KCOS because the runway is falling apart and they are worried about damage to there aircraft.
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First post........:yes:

Welcome to POA....:cheers:
 
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