Has anyone noticed low flying military aircraft and what sounds like mortars or other high explosives this afternoon? I saw a Blackhawk about 200 feet above Burke Centre Parkway and the FXCO Parkway and have been hearing the low thumping noise of explosives for the past hour. I called 911 and they told me that there are military exercises going on in the area, but could not confirm where or for how long.

I see blackhawks and marine one go back and forth to Ft Belvoir all the time. You have to realize the sheer amount of military installations in this area. Anacostia Naval Air Station, Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Andrews AFB, Bolling AFB, Quantico Marine Corps, Ft Meyer, Ft Mead, Ft AP Hill, Ft Belvoir, Indian Head Naval Surface Warfare Center, US Navy Webster Field, etc. That's just in Norther VA Souther MD. Not even touching Norfolk or Newport News where the atlantic fleet is headquartered and other stuff in VA.

I know for a fact that their were military drills going on all day... got tons of calls about it....

Mofo Wrote:
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> I see blackhawks and marine one go back and forth
> to Ft Belvoir all the time. You have to realize
> the sheer amount of military installations in this
> area.

Sure, but this seemed different...flying at very low altitude rather than what you might expect from a VIP transport and I would suspect that the flight paths for training evolutions would be a bit less conspicuous.

alyson Wrote:
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> I know for a fact that their were military drills
> going on all day... got tons of calls about it....


are you a 911 dispacher?

Lester Burnham Wrote:
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> Mofo Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I see blackhawks and marine one go back and
> forth
> > to Ft Belvoir all the time. You have to realize
> > the sheer amount of military installations in
> this
> > area.
>
> Sure, but this seemed different...flying at very
> low altitude rather than what you might expect
> from a VIP transport and I would suspect that the
> flight paths for training evolutions would be a
> bit less conspicuous.


I was referring to the VIP transports simply as there is always a shitload of DOD activity around here. I don't know why anyone is surprised in the least if they hear combat exercises going on bases around here. I mean we do have a lot of targets of opportunity and high value targetsin this area any foreign gov/bad guy would be highly interested in. Shit maybe they were doing a nuclear contingency plan for an Iranian nuke. You read the washington post article about how a LOT of stuff is being moves to Winchester or more specifically out of a 50 immediate fallout radius of DC? Aberdeen proving grounds does lots of testing of new goodies too and used to have a bunch of chemical weapons.

I heard they are doing more than talking about it they are actually moving property out there. Something must be up. If it is typical fed operation they won't be able to keep it a secret.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/25/AR2006122500637.html
Attachments:

that picture, is that really 50 miles?

Looks about right to me....

I have a 50-mile radius map of the area on my wall here, and it has the same area covered.

Lester Burnham Wrote:
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> I called 911 and they told me that there are
> military exercises going on in the area, but could
> not confirm where or for how long.


You called 911??....for what?? send a cop to chase a speeding Blackhawk?....lmao

The 50-mile map is a little misleading... fallout takes a route based on wind and other factors. It isn't like that entire area will be exposed to fallout.

Not sure about the copters, but the FCPD has an old range nearby the location you mentioned; the range is adjacent to the FOP building near the intersection of Popes Head Road and the parkway. The police often detonate explosives they've collected/confiscated over time there. You can often hear the explosions as far as University mall.

MBF Wrote:
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> Not sure about the copters, but the FCPD has an
> old range nearby the location you mentioned; the
> range is adjacent to the FOP building near the
> intersection of Popes Head Road and the parkway.
> The police often detonate explosives they've
> collected/confiscated over time there. You can
> often hear the explosions as far as University
> mall.


The explosions were much more noticeable than the copters and I probably would not have noticed them at all if my dogs were not behaving like it was July 4th. If I had to guess, the sound was coming from the south, but Popes Head and FXCO Parkway could be a possibility, too. The noise lasted for at least 90 minutes and sounded a lot more like a live fire exercise.

So if a nuke oges off in DC, i guess that means that we wont die if the widn is right? So the new way to prep for a nuclesar attack is to...

bust out the box fans?


As I usually say in relation to a thread such as this, run to Annandale HS.

As I usually say in relation to a thread such as this, run to Annandale HS.

What does that mean?

TheMeeper Wrote:
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> As I usually say in relation to a thread such as
> this, run to Annandale HS.
>
> What does that mean?


Older FFX schools (built in the 60's) have fallout shelters.

Annandale High School was built in 1954.

I'm giving away my age, but I remember home bomb shelters for sale in parking lots in the center of Annandale in the late 50's, early 60's. They looked like the undergournd gasoline storage tanks like are used at gas stations only with a entry/exit tube welded onto it. They looked like miniature submarines.

I don't remember much about the interiors...except that they were WAY COOL, at least to a 10 year old kid.

They sold a few of them....and I wonder how many are still in the ground in Annandale's older neighborhoods?

DUCK AND COVER!

bomb shelters for sale in parking lots in the center of Annandale in the late 50's, early 60

That's funny, duh, I wish you had pictures of that. It's also funny knowing that people back then had just as much fear in them as they do today. The evil in the world was out to get them back then, and it still is today.

Maybe we could set up shop in that same parking lot and sell some 'anti-terrorist' gadgetry that folks will laugh at in 40 years.

This time we'll take pictures.

>
> The explosions were much more noticeable than the
> copters and I probably would not have noticed them
> at all if my dogs were not behaving like it was
> July 4th. If I had to guess, the sound was coming
> from the south, but Popes Head and FXCO Parkway
> could be a possibility, too. The noise lasted for
> at least 90 minutes and sounded a lot more like a
> live fire exercise.


Quantico has an impact range. Depending on the type of artillery or mortars they are using, you can hear it for miles. That is most likely what you heard. They also use it for aircraft bombing occassionally. I heard it also and it was definitely coming from the south, the area of Quantico. Ft Belvoir doesn't have an impact range, so it wasn't from there. Larger scale operations then will go to AP Hill.

I think the surface warfare center at Dahlgren has a bombing range as well.

duh Wrote:
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> Annandale High School was built in 1954.
>
> I'm giving away my age, but I remember home bomb
> shelters for sale in parking lots in the center of
> Annandale in the late 50's, early 60's. They
> looked like the undergournd gasoline storage tanks
> like are used at gas stations only with a
> entry/exit tube welded onto it. They looked like
> miniature submarines.
>
> I don't remember much about the interiors...except
> that they were WAY COOL, at least to a 10 year old
> kid.
>
> They sold a few of them....and I wonder how many
> are still in the ground in Annandale's older
> neighborhoods?
>
> DUCK AND COVER!



You can enjoy your steel tube that is a few inches thick. MEanwhile, i will go to Anandale or Edison ( I think there are a total of 4 schools with shelter, any more info on this?) and if a nuke hits, I will not only be in a shelter but will alos have several tons of concrete and steel above me, just in case.

I think there are a total of 4 schools with shelter, any more info on this?) and if a nuke hits

You are assuming that you'd survive the blast effects of a nuclear bomb. Shelters won't mean shit if you're in a place that gets vaporized or blown to bits by the blast pressure. Alot of shit would catch fire too, I wouldn't trust those bomb shelters.

Mountain View Alternative High School, formerly Centreville elementary, also has a bomb/nuclear fallout shelter.

KeepOnTruckin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> duh Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Annandale High School was built in 1954.
> >
> > I'm giving away my age, but I remember home
> bomb
> > shelters for sale in parking lots in the center
> of
> > Annandale in the late 50's, early 60's. They
> > looked like the undergournd gasoline storage
> tanks
> > like are used at gas stations only with a
> > entry/exit tube welded onto it. They looked
> like
> > miniature submarines.
> >
> > I don't remember much about the
> interiors...except
> > that they were WAY COOL, at least to a 10 year
> old
> > kid.
> >
> > They sold a few of them....and I wonder how
> many
> > are still in the ground in Annandale's older
> > neighborhoods?
> >
> > DUCK AND COVER!
>
>
>
> You can enjoy your steel tube that is a few inches
> thick. MEanwhile, i will go to Anandale or Edison
> ( I think there are a total of 4 schools with
> shelter, any more info on this?) and if a nuke
> hits, I will not only be in a shelter but will
> alos have several tons of concrete and steel above
> me, just in case.

Thet were more than steel...they were buried pretty deep in the back yard. I would think they would offer more protection than an above ground building. But once your food and water ran out....I guess you would have to come out and get radiated. I still wonder if there are still some of those things buried in peoples' back yards?

Do those schools still have the yellow and black signs with the radiation symbol, or whatever they were?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/07/2007 12:52PM by duh.

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