Military Jet's Fly-By Scares Illinois Town

The Associated Press ^ | FEBRUARY 14, 2003

[Willie Green]

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use.

GENESEO, Ill. (AP) — As a military plane swooped over an Illinois town, frightened residents called police, but a relative said later that the pilot just wanted to impress his grandmother.

Witnesses said Maj. Whitney Sieben made at least four low passes and performed loops and barrel rolls Thursday over Genesco, a town of 6,400 in western Illinois.

Sieben said he had permission from air traffic control to deviate from his flight plan. He said he was flying about 350 mph and never dropped below 2,000 feet.

His aunt, Kay Sieben, told The Dispatch of Moline that he ``wanted to do a flyover for his Grandma Sieben.'' He was accompanied by a smaller plane flown by his uncle, state Sen. Todd Sieben.

Windows rattled, homes shook, and residents poured into the streets downtown. Local law agencies said they received about 100 phone calls.

``One woman was in tears, wondering what was happening,'' Henry County Sheriff Gib Cady said.

Maj. Sieben, a flight instructor with the Oregon Air National Guard, made the flyover while on his way from Denver to an Air National Guard base in Springfield to complete instrument proficiency training.

``I had an extra 10 minutes of fuel so I decided to fly down around my hometown,'' he said.

He said that though the country is on alert for terrorist activity and potentially on the brink of war, residents shouldn't have been frightened.

``If anything, it should make them feel good that military pilots are out and about,'' Sieben said.

The Defense Department, which is handling the case, did not immediately return a phone message requesting comment.

[TomServo]

Welcome to Oprah Nation.

[Portnoy]

Whose Jets did they think they were??? Iraqs?

This is just crazy. We have become a nation of wimps.

[El Sordo]

CLM - Career Limiting Maneuver

[Joe 6-pack]

``One woman was in tears, wondering what was happening,'' Henry County Sheriff Gib Cady said.

Sad to see how some people react to the sound of freedom.

[First_Salute]

We could stand some close passes; send them this way.

[Lee Heggy]

Military pilots have been doing such stunts forever. In 'The Right Stuff' Chuck Yeager tells of a similar thing he did over his hometown. I don't believe there was any crying. This nation needs to pull up its pants and turn the ball cap around and get with the program.

[weaponeer]

``One woman was in tears, wondering what was happening,'' Henry County Sheriff Gib Cady said.

Uh, there's an airplane flying overhead?

What a nation of wimps. When I was in California, everytime there was an little earth tremor, thousands of citizen would call 911. Why?

[RightOnline]

Had been known to put on an impromptu "air show" myself, back in the day. :) No one bitched. It's career limiting, as pointed out above.......if you're caught.

Hell, I used to regularly buzz Hearst Castle and scare the tourists...:)

[KarlInOhio]

All will shudder in fear before the power of the Oregon Air National Guard. Is this the largest settlement of the French in the US?

[ArrogantBustard]

One woman was in tears, wondering what was happening,

What's happening? It's called a free airshow, ya dumb broad! You're supposed to point at the sky and shout "Ooooooh!" "Ahhhhhhh!".

[weaponeer]

Hell, I used to regularly buzz Hearst Castle and scare the tourists...:)

Heheheh. You probably used to fly right over my place. I was at a little weapons testing lab just to the NE of San Simeon called Fort Hunter Liggett.

[RightOnline]

Nope, I avoided military airspace when hot-dogging........self defense, ya know. :)

[Jerrybob]

Jelly for back bones.

[arly]

sounds cool to me I wish his grandma lived next door to me I would love to see the free airshow myself!

[ken5050]

speaking of air shows....have you seen anything about the proposed US boycott of the Paris air show?

[banjo joe]

This nation needs to pull up its pants and turn the ball cap around

That's one for my scrapbook, and will be repeated by me!

[Centurion2000]

CLM - Career Limiting Maneuver

CLM is when you burn out the sherriff's radar with the ECM gear in an A-6 ..... or fly under a bridge with one ....

[Ouachita]

``One woman was in tears, wondering what was happening,'' Henry County Sheriff Gib Cady said.

It's the sound of Freedom, you idiot!
We had a pair of A-10s flying around over my little town earlier this week. Saw a few of my neighbors outside checking it out, but nobody was crying about it.

Pretty cool!

[Enemy Of The State]

Control, this is Goose requesting a fly-by.

Control: uuh..Goose, thats a negative. No Fly-by

Whooooooosh..

[Enemy Of The State]

We used to do that to the mexicans quite a bit while servicing the electronic systems on the flight deck.

[TomServo]

Had been known to put on an impromptu "air show" myself..

While in the USAF, I regulary requested what we called "bubble checks". I can't recall any pilots ever turning my request down. The best one was while stationed in Alaska, I asked for and received, a "bubble check" from an F-4 pilot.

On a Sunday..

At 5:30 AM.

The pilot came in extremely low. I sensed he knew how to have some fun with it, too.

While the Commander and some civilian staff weren't too pleased and came running at me, my supervisor laughed his ass off.

[Hatteras]

A few weeks ago, I was driving up I-85 between Henderson, NC and the Virginia line (Lake Gaston). Up ahead in the distance (I saw a shimmering light...sorry, couldn't resist), I noticed what appeared to be a large bird/buzzard doing some slow circling. As I got closer it broke out of it's circle and started going verticle! It climbed for a few seconds and then it leveled off, approaching me, I noticed the wings began flairing back as it accelerated. It was an F-14 Tomcat and as it blew by me and off to the west, the noise drowned out the stereo. It had to be some jock out of Oceana who thought he'd run by home for a few seconds.

I always get a... well, you know, when I see that stuff!

[Hatteras]

"...or fly under a bridge with one ...."

I spent a little time up around Solomon's Island on the Chesapeake Bay right across the Pax River Naval Air Station. I used to hear rumors of jet pilots flying under the Rt.4 Bridge crossing the Patuxent River. True? It's a tall bridge, I don't know...

[lorrainer]

We could stand some close passes; send them this way.

After 9/11, we had no planes in the air. When the WANG (Wisconsin Air National Guard) wing started to make runs from Madison to Chicago, they'd go over our house. I cried a little, because I was PROUD and REASSURED.

[2Jedismom]

I would have been out there cheering like crazy!

[Western Phil]

There used to be a former Navy carrier pilot at work. He told the story of being on a training flight somewhere out west. He flew very low over a notch in the hills (mountains), looked down and saw a Basque shepherd on a horse with his dog and herd of sheep. His curiosity got the best of him & he had to go back. This time all he could see was the shepherd sitting on the ground, looking up & shaking his fist.