Weird stuff

PDBusa

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No, I'm not losing it. First time I saw it my buddy did as well. Two what looked to be commercial jets flying due north in tandem like one was re-fueling. They went directly overhead at about 7,500-10,000 feet.
I am about 75 miles east of JFK and LaGuardia airports. i was about to just let it go as that was strange, but again today I saw them. It was from a different angle and they definately looked to be flying close enough and in a formation to refuel. They were both similar sized 2 engine jets similiar to a DC-9 I think. Too high to see markings. Anybody have any good speculations?

#1 I have never seen a commercial jet fly due north here before. Well, not since 9/11, and those were military patrols.
#2 why would they in flight fuel so close to major airports?
#3 I don't think commercial aircraft can fuel in flight.
#4 Who would be training in that type of aircraft?
 
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maybe it was a kc-10. would they re-fuel another kc-10 or similiar sized aircraft?
And why over land in a high traffic flight path when there is a whole Atlantic Ocean just a few miles east?


BTW thanks for pics.



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maybe it was a kc-10. would they re-fuel another kc-10 or similiar sized aircraft?
And why over land in a high traffic flight path when there is a whole Atlantic Ocean just a few miles east?


BTW thanks for pics.
Yes they can refuel each other... if they were doing it that low it could have been for a number of reasons... 1st on off the top of my head is Air Show somewhere, or they could have been doing an actuall mission, refueling aircraft for the eastern seaboard protection... and one more.. and now that i think of it... it sounds best... they were probably refueling the aircraft escaping the path of Ernesto... what you saw was probably KC-10's refueling C-17's from Charleston cause they got hit HARD with rain!

No problem on the pics!!
 
The last time we saw them was a few weeks ago, and I don't think there were any storms around.
I may be off on the height. They were about the same height as approaching aircraft for airports within 75 mile range. I'm thinking that's between 7500-10000 feet?
Next time hopefully I'll get a pic. of them.
 
The Air force has a small number of 777's they use for long range personnel transport. I see one coming into Beale every Tuesday at noon. You may be seeing one headed for SW Asia.
 
The Air force has a small number of 777's they use for long range personnel transport. I see one coming into Beale every Tuesday at noon. You may be seeing one headed for SW Asia.
777's?? First i've heard about Air Force using 777's. Plus, they cant be in-flight-refueled... I was stationed at Beale myself, worked on the U-2's out there, pretty lonely out there in the rice patties! Good riding up in the mountains going towards Reno on I-80 though...
 
Commecial jets don't have the gear for in-flight refueling. It was probably a pairof KC-10's. They look like a commercial DC-10 without passenger windows. Flew in one once. It was better than flying Untied.
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OR Could have been a 55th Wing Recon/Airborne command and control. Jstars, Rivet Joint, Cobra Ball Etc... All based on 707's from the ground they look just like any other big Ole' honking commercial jet. Also the E4 AirBorne Command center is Air-Refuelable.

So there is a large number if Military spec Jumbos in service that have Airial refueling capability. Oh and of Course AWACS...

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Still kind of weird though. With all the ocean around here, why over a populated land mass and in area of high traffic commercial flight paths
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Agh yes Rev my brother you are onto something......
Correct NO commercial airlines have refueling capability! It would be considered a Mid-air collision by FAA standards! But, there are 6 commercial looking Big aircraft that can..
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VIP/SAM Fleet



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Probably Not Commercial,

could be ANG out of Gabreski on a training mission
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I don't think so. I'm right on the approach/landing path and have never seen anything other than lear jets and the c-130 in and out of there. So, I'm still
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Keep an eye out Glyn, both times were right before sunset.
 
sounds interesting , probably a drill of some sort , either that or sombody is smuggling fuel in to avoid the high price of fueling up on long island, sort of a pirate gas station in the sky ?
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