There are several attractions when it comes to spending the good part of a summer housesitting and taking care of seven sled dogs in Alaska—most can probably come up with their own list of interests. For me it is the extra hours of daylight, and compared to the lower 48, the relief of mild temperatures at a latitude of sixty-four degrees north.
There is another attraction that I wasn’t counting on, and I’m somewhat reluctant to admit to it. I feel as if a priest should be present for what follows: It takes place every weekday morning at about 9:00 sharp—when fighter aircraft from Eielson Air Force Base fly over. As it turns out, they seem to fly straight over the property from their home base just south of Fairbanks. Sometimes they fly over in the afternoons too, but the morning exercises seem to be pretty consistent.
I grew up watching all kinds of aircraft fly over our house everyday as our home was under the final approach of the Akron Municipal Airport—this included the Goodyear Blimp too. Back then, fighter aircraft were rare, so when they did fly over, everyone stopped what they were doing to watch them overhead.
This morning between 9:00 and 10:00, I counted 28 fighter and attack aircraft fly overhead. I’m assuming they were all different ones. For the most part they fly out in waves of four—single file. I’m unsure what fighter aircraft they are. Even through my telephoto lens on my camera, it’s hard to really determine if they are F-15 Eagles, F-16 Falcons, F-18 Hornets, or one of the newer fighters like the F-35 Lightnings, but when I drove past the base on my way into town last week, I noted the Falcons and some other twin-tailed fighters sitting near the runway.
The other aircraft included in this daily aviation parade are the slower and quieter A-10 Warthogs. They are easy to identify in their straight wing profile and the twin engines near the tail and mounted on the side of their fuselage. The Warthogs typically travel in pairs—somewhat side-by-side, but with one trailing the other.
All of these aircraft are pretty high in the air by the time they get overhead and with the recent smokey skies from fires in Western Alaska, the view of each aircraft is mostly a profile. I’m looking forward to some clearer days when I can get a better look.
One day, some were returning to the base and traveling much slower and lower, so perhaps I’ll get some better images when (and if) that happens again. Lately, they have been returning to base just west of the property, but out of sight thanks to the tall trees all around—I hear them, but can’t see them.
As they fly over each morning, I find myself wondering about where they are going or how far they are going. And, even though it seems routine as they fly over everyday, I wonder how routine these flights truly are.
I was told the other day that since the war between Ukraine and Russia has started, the activity of these flyovers has increased.
On a related note, I heard on the radio this morning that since its release three weeks ago, the new Top Gun movie has grossed something like $700 million in tickets. I wasn’t really counting on viewing that flick anytime soon because it sounds like they used the same corny, formula as the first film—even another beach volleyball scene. That said, I might sneak into some theatre to sheepishly watch while blaming it on my new-found summer attraction during my stay in Alaska. I’ll never admit it if I do.
mdt1960 