This turboprop buzzed the summit of Snowmass on Saturday afternoon (8/16) around 2:45PM. It felt like he passed between the summits of Snowmass and N Snowmass, though looking at the photo he was probably a bit above. Still, it was darn close. I saw him swing around over by Cap, though I am not sure how close he got there. Anybody on Capitol at the time?
I'm guessing lots of folks have summit flyby stories - let's hear 'em.
summit flyby stories
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Doug Shaw
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summit flyby stories
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Shawnee Bob
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Re: summit flyby stories
About a month ago, a military plane (C-130, I think) flew west of Torreys, banked around the south side of Sniktau and headed toward the ridgeline on the north side of I-70 when I was up on Sniktau. Dude was having some fun! Cutting it pretty close climbing over those ridges.
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bob863
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Re: summit flyby stories
don't have any photos...i used to be in a running club that routinely ran in the Yosemite National Park area...one of our members flew in the CA National Guard...
he always flew out of formation....he "buzzed" us when we were sitting on the top of Half Dome...another time he dropped his jet down on a lake where we were running....at the end of the lake there were two very tall pine trees very close together....he managed to tilt his jet 90 degrees and flew through the trees side-ways...
P.S. as a former Airborne Ranger, I have made many military jumps out of C-130's (among other military aircraft)..
he always flew out of formation....he "buzzed" us when we were sitting on the top of Half Dome...another time he dropped his jet down on a lake where we were running....at the end of the lake there were two very tall pine trees very close together....he managed to tilt his jet 90 degrees and flew through the trees side-ways...
P.S. as a former Airborne Ranger, I have made many military jumps out of C-130's (among other military aircraft)..
Last edited by bob863 on Sun Aug 17, 2014 9:43 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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cabininthewoods
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Re: summit flyby stories
Well I have never been buzzed while no the ground but I have been in a plane that flew by Mt. Sneffles a couple years ago. I don't think most of the people on the ground realize how in control the pilot is and how much closer they could get without even being worried..
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Dan_Suitor
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Re: summit flyby stories
Couple years back, I just got to the summit of Elbert and a single engine private plane buzzed the summit. He got within 50ft of the summit, real close and real cool. He only did it once, and I did not get a chance to get my camera out to take a picture. I posted about it on the forum and got some feedback on other buzz by encounters. http://www.14ers.com/forum/viewtopic.ph ... lit=buzzed
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Re: summit flyby stories
Yesterday, I was on the summit of Belford heading down to the saddle between Oxford and Belford, and there were 2 C-130's flying really low in the valley between Harvard and Belford/Oxford. Coolest thing I have seen to date on a 14er.
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flyingmagpie
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Re: summit flyby stories
I was on the summit of Longs once, and everyone up there got buzzed by a biplane that flew low over the peak and waggled its wings. It was a two seater, an open cockpit, and we could see both the pilot and the passenger clearly. They were wearing goggles.
From another vantage point in the Park, I once watched a glider fly up into the Chasm Lake cirque, climb in a vertical maneuver, then peel over and glide out back down the valley.
I believe it is illegal to fly over the Park like that, in both instances. But it was daring, and fun to watch.
Not on a 14er, but on a fishing trip in the Sangres, I have twice watched jet fighter aircraft come up the Rito Alto Lake drainage from the San Luis Valley and pass over the narrow cleft that the Rito Alto Trail takes over to San Isabel Lake. The pilot tilted one wing up, one wing down to pass through. It is quite startling to be nearby and watch that. I didn't hear either jet until they were very close. I think the jets were F-16's, but they were there and gone so fast I didn't have time to catch a really good look.
From another vantage point in the Park, I once watched a glider fly up into the Chasm Lake cirque, climb in a vertical maneuver, then peel over and glide out back down the valley.
I believe it is illegal to fly over the Park like that, in both instances. But it was daring, and fun to watch.
Not on a 14er, but on a fishing trip in the Sangres, I have twice watched jet fighter aircraft come up the Rito Alto Lake drainage from the San Luis Valley and pass over the narrow cleft that the Rito Alto Trail takes over to San Isabel Lake. The pilot tilted one wing up, one wing down to pass through. It is quite startling to be nearby and watch that. I didn't hear either jet until they were very close. I think the jets were F-16's, but they were there and gone so fast I didn't have time to catch a really good look.
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Jim Davies
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Re: summit flyby stories
I experienced a fighter-jet flyby on Sneffels that was so close I could see the pilot.
On Eolus, we saw these two circle around for a few minutes. They looked like military cargo planes, maybe C130's (although we have those around the Springs and these looked different somehow).
On Eolus, we saw these two circle around for a few minutes. They looked like military cargo planes, maybe C130's (although we have those around the Springs and these looked different somehow).
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Re: summit flyby stories
Yep those are definitely C-130's and the ones I saw yesterday were following each other just as close!Jim Davies wrote:I experienced a fighter-jet flyby on Sneffels that was so close I could see the pilot.
On Eolus, we saw these two circle around for a few minutes. They looked like military cargo planes, maybe C130's (although we have those around the Springs and these looked different somehow).
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dwoodward13
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Re: summit flyby stories
Back on July 16th I believe, me and my dad saw 3 B-2 stealth bombers following closely making coordinated turns while fishing at Ute Lake in the Weminuche. Having been out of civilization for 4 or 5 days, and with the Malaysian 777 aircraft having been shot down in Ukraine, we had no idea what we might have got involved with. They disappeared behind the ridgeline before I had a chance to grab the camera.
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geojed
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Re: summit flyby stories
1.5 wks ago when I was climbing Democrat with my two boys, 2 F-16's came cruising right through the Kite Lake valley and over the pass doing maneuvers along the way. They were prob about 14500' elev at the time. My boys thought that was about the coolest thing ever!
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Doug Shaw
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Re: summit flyby stories
Almost forgot about this one!
Back in the early 2000s I had a military Huey swing by level with the lookout tower on top of Devil's Head. That was cool - unlike a fixed-wing they were going slowly enough that you could see them coming, and watch them go, versus "What's that sound? There it goes..."
Back in the early 2000s I had a military Huey swing by level with the lookout tower on top of Devil's Head. That was cool - unlike a fixed-wing they were going slowly enough that you could see them coming, and watch them go, versus "What's that sound? There it goes..."
