Originally Posted by
franklin_m
There's another group out there flying low too: military aircraft on what are known as Military Training Routes, also known as VR, IR, or SR routes. They're depicted on sectionals, but route widths are not (can be ten miles either side of centerline). I've never flown SR routes, but have flown lots of VR and IRs. Altitude is below 500' and speeds are 360 KIAS and higher. We typically flew them at 420-480.
You ain't kidding.
I used to live on a farm that was a couple of miles from the Charlotte city limits. It was on the exact top of a hill. The old farmhouse was surrounded by ancient oaks, 5 of them. This was in the 70s. One night after the family was in bed one HELLACIOUS THUNDER blew right over the house. My little girls were terrified and out of their beds and into ours in a heartbeat. I went straight to the yard to see where that jet plane had crashed. Just in time for the next Phantom to come over. I saw it coming up the power line and was positive it was going to hit the oaks. It was maybe a minute behind the first one. It shook dead limbs out of those trees the first plane hadn't.
It turns out those two F4s were very close to a minute separation. At least a week or so later the next 2 were. I wrote down the times both shook the trees (and the house, and my 2 little girls). That farm is now inside the city limits. My girls often tell about those planes at family gatherings.
Yes, the military looks at altitude from a different perspective. Although I greatly doubt those jets were on a MTR.