My Mother in Law lives in Hampton and we go there several times a year. I can assure you that they still "shake your windows and rattle your walls". They may not be flying at supersonic speeds but they make plenty of noise. She calls it "the sound of freedom".

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Bill Wood - Retired Webmaster
My Personal Website
1998 Mercedes E430
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Only shake the windows, you say ???

When I first came over from the UK, I owned a house out in the country just north west of Anna TX.

A rather showoff of a pilot I had only just been introduced to, decided to do a high speed rooftop pass over my house one afternoon in a Lear 35. The air wave the aircraft was pushing, broke every window on the approached side of my house. It also left some of my curtains a bit in shreds. Glass was everywhere. I’d hate to see what an F-18 is capable of.

It was a good thing that I was out in the garden off the end of the house and away from that flight path at the time. Needless to say, I was rather upset with him.

What a rucker that man was.

Silly me, as I wound up marrying the bloody nut.

DJ

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1980 300D - Veggie Burner !

^^^^^Uh oh. He sure wasn't kidding when he said you look over his shoulder sometimes at his Mercedesshop postings, was he???!!

This could get really interesting. <raises eyebrow>

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

"Making a pass" ... gets a whole new meaning.

That was a good number of years ago.
Yet still, over the radio upon my departures from here, she will most often sign off with one of the following:

“Top rudder in the turns, babe !”
-or-
“Have a great (or safe) trip, sweety !”
-or-
“Don’t break any windows!”

That last one usually gets my reply: “Roger that, Wilica !”
(around here, Wilica is short for *****wilica, my cute and cuddly way of calling her a *****…............she hates it.)

She’s also lucky that I don’t post some of her “Not so favorable moments in aviation.”

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1980 300D - Veggie Burner !

Yep - Meant about $3,800.00 to me, as I recall.

But I did get ATC clearance first !!!

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1980 300D - Veggie Burner !

Blew him away!

Where I grew up out here on the Left Coast, our house was right on the flight path to Moffet Field. Back during the war in Nam, F4's where out at Moffet. When they would pop back in was they went feet-dry it shook the valley. Eventually they made them stop (what a bunch of whiners) Great memories for sure.

A few years ago at Reno an F-16 popped Mach 1. That was a hell of a day at the airshow! I wonder who got in more trouble, the pilot or the ground crew.. I imagine there was some finger pointing after he landed. The next day.. the airshow announcer made it very clear he would be making a SUB-SONIC pass. LOL. In 2006 an F-18 was right on the edge and the shockwaves blew dust off the hanger roofs.

As someone said.. that is the "..sound of freedom!".

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I'd pay extra at an air show to hear a sonic boom! Stupid kill joys, it makes to much noise, bah. Its the sound of freedom!

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