Posted on Fri, Jul 8, 2011 : 5:03 p.m.
A-10 Thunderbolt aircraft fly low over Ann Arbor on Friday afternoon
By Cindy Heflin
A-10 Thunderbolt.
Air Force photo
The aircraft, part of the 127 Fighter Squadron based at Selfridge, near Mount Clemens, were on their way back from a training mission in Ohio, said Penny Carroll, public affairs officer for Selfridge.
The planes tend to fly low and slower than some other military aircraft, making them particularly noticeable to civilians, Carroll said.
Military aircraft will also be in the sky in the Metro Detroit area this weekend as part of the hydroplane races taking place there, Carroll said. Those are F/A-18 fighter jets.
Comments
blugoose
Sun, Jul 10, 2011 : 3:03 a.m.
I just thought it was Bob Lutz again in his MIG fighter trying to take my shingles off.
rauncheychauncey
Sat, Jul 9, 2011 : 10:26 p.m.
Looks more like a Puma to Me...
Elaine F. Owsley
Sat, Jul 9, 2011 : 2:24 p.m.
There is a large plane that flies over the Dexter area in the early morning hours, very low and loud. One night I looked out and could see the cabin lights it was so low. Shakes the house. Must be some kind of cargo plane with it's size. I too love the big old planes. My favorites, growing up were the Lockeed Lightenings, very avant garde - looking for those days.
lynel
Sat, Jul 9, 2011 : 12:53 p.m.
Too busy worrying about goldfish.
Adam Betz
Sat, Jul 9, 2011 : 10:21 a.m.
Wait....No complaints by anti-war Annarborites? Whoa!
walker101
Sat, Jul 9, 2011 : 5:05 a.m.
Pilot was looking for the Mayor.
Becky Williams Hall
Sat, Jul 9, 2011 : 4:48 a.m.
I missed the Thunderbolts, but what were those 4 planes I saw flying in formation near Packard and Carpenter last week?
asymptote
Sat, Jul 9, 2011 : 3:48 a.m.
nice plane!! I wish I could have saw it.
stunhsif
Sat, Jul 9, 2011 : 3:44 a.m.
They have flown at around 3000 feet over my house every saturday since late spring, why so late with the news ? More toward the Saline/Milan area so perhaps they have missed A2 ?
dave dykhouse
Sat, Jul 9, 2011 : 1:38 a.m.
the reason they fly low, slow and loud is they're grossly over-armored and hence relatively under-powered. thereby, they are also susceptible to shoulder launched heat-seeking missiles, an uncommon event in vietnam when they were developed for close air support . however, if you want to reduce a football-sized area of personnel or materiel to vegamite in a few seconds, this is your baby. meanwhile, they are best deployed at bases like selfridge where they can vigilantly protect us from canadian intruders, or venture out to air-shows / p.r. flybys with little risk of adverse outcomes from militant buckeyes. now, about the VTOLs...........
omniskeptic
Mon, Jul 11, 2011 : 1:55 a.m.
When you say VTOL, are you referring perhaps to that paragon of cost-effective, clearly - conceived aircraft design, the Bell / Boeing V-22 Osprey? If you fly in one, I salute your courage, at least, if not your risk management expertise. The V-22 is one of the few things Dick Cheney and I agree on. And just to clarify a bit, the reason the A-10 flies low and slow is that it was designed to, because it was designed, after the 1970 RFP, to be a cold war tank buster in the Fulda gap. Its armor and gun derive from that requirement. That it's also a good COIN plane is almost beside the point.
trs80
Sat, Jul 9, 2011 : 3:14 p.m.
Spoken like a true Couch Army Solider. Now drop and lift those potato chips off the floor.
stunhsif
Sat, Jul 9, 2011 : 3:49 a.m.
Quieter than an F-16 because they don't have "afterburners" and are at top speed very subsonic. They can turn on a dime and have excellent defenses against any pieces of crap shoulder launched garbage thrown at them. They are not at all over-armored as dave dykhouse states, they were designed that way as tank killers and bunker busters and are able to withstand massive hits from ground fire that would otherwise bring a lesser craft down.
mohomed
Sat, Jul 9, 2011 : 2:37 a.m.
It's not like these hogs are going to stay at Selfridge. They get used oversea's, their just housed and trained in MI. And they are much more quiet than the F-16 and other fighter jets.
Nephilim
Sat, Jul 9, 2011 : 2:33 a.m.
Maybe you could put a good word in for my friend's daughter who has spent 5 years of her life between Iraq and Afghanistan flying an A-10 in combat sorties. Im sure she would more than love to patrol the Canadian border for awhile.
dave dykhouse
Sat, Jul 9, 2011 : 2:05 a.m.
correction: "...football-field sized area...."
mohomed
Sat, Jul 9, 2011 : 1:27 a.m.
Oh, you were right, you were talking about the squadron, sorry Don't listen to a grunt like me, lol.
mohomed
Sat, Jul 9, 2011 : 1:24 a.m.
Oh, also we are the 127th AA News, NOT the 107th.
mohomed
Sat, Jul 9, 2011 : 1:28 a.m.
127th Wing, sorry we do have a 107th squadron.
mohomed
Sat, Jul 9, 2011 : 1:21 a.m.
I like these planes too but if you work munitions at Selfridge they are a lot more work than the F-16's we used to have. Especially processing the 30mm compared to the 20mm. I know the ground troops love these things though.
smokeblwr
Fri, Jul 8, 2011 : 11:52 p.m.
I believe they also did a flyover at the Fourth of July parade on Monday. I seen 'em.
KJMClark
Fri, Jul 8, 2011 : 11:33 p.m.
A10s rock! And I keep missing them! :-( I'll watch a warthog instead of an F18 any day. It's great the way they keep appearing in movies; first Transformers, then Terminator Salvation. Awesome.
Ignatz
Fri, Jul 8, 2011 : 11:11 p.m.
They flew right over me. I love those planes...built strictly for business.
Donald Wilson
Fri, Jul 8, 2011 : 10:37 p.m.
They flew over Ypsi on their way DOWN to Ohio a few days ago
Will Warner
Fri, Jul 8, 2011 : 10:33 p.m.
Sounds like victory.
WalkingJoe
Fri, Jul 8, 2011 : 10:11 p.m.
Thank you for telling us. I was in the house and heard a loud roar and all the pictures started rattling and of course blamed it on the kids down the street and their loud cars. Would have loved to see them fly over!
trs80
Sat, Jul 9, 2011 : 3:11 p.m.
Those darn kids, always causing problems. Poor old people, their life is so hard.
StrongFire
Fri, Jul 8, 2011 : 9:39 p.m.
These are awesome aircraft with the nickname of "warthog". I also wish we had more flyovers.
vicki honeyman
Fri, Jul 8, 2011 : 9:30 p.m.
I love that sound..reminds me of childhood in Detroit, listening to the low-flying planes....and the planes breaking the sound barrier. sounds like summer to me.