I like WW-II planes. But...
Working on a naval air station, you sort of get an air show every day. The planes always approach the air field in that uniquely military procedure called the “break turn”, where two or more jets fly up the runway heading in formation, at high speed, then “break off” at two or three second intervals, making 180 degrees turn to down-wind, thereby separating themselves sufficiently to land one-by-one at a safe interval. The delightful part of this display, from the ground, is the amazing range of auditory sensory immersion that takes place. As they approach the field at high speed, the sound you hear, influenced both by the Doppler effect, and that the exhaust is pointing away from you, is a high pitched whine from the engines themselves. If you're standing at the right spot, on a line perpendicular to the circle described by the subsequent break turn, about half way through the circle, you get to experience a pitch descending, multi-phased, deep whistle that I can best describe by saying “eeeewwwwhhh”, you know, like the ladies say when they see a bug get squashed. Go ahead, say it, it's ok, “eeeewwwwhhhh”... That's what it sounds like! But it doesn't just stop there. It transitions, as the plane begins to point away from you, to a low pitched, thunderously “base-heavy” component that literally shakes the ground, and you, from inside your chest. Damn that's good stuff!
Oh, the planes? EA-6Bs and EA-18Gs at NAS Whidbey Island, WA.
Working on a naval air station, you sort of get an air show every day. The planes always approach the air field in that uniquely military procedure called the “break turn”, where two or more jets fly up the runway heading in formation, at high speed, then “break off” at two or three second intervals, making 180 degrees turn to down-wind, thereby separating themselves sufficiently to land one-by-one at a safe interval. The delightful part of this display, from the ground, is the amazing range of auditory sensory immersion that takes place. As they approach the field at high speed, the sound you hear, influenced both by the Doppler effect, and that the exhaust is pointing away from you, is a high pitched whine from the engines themselves. If you're standing at the right spot, on a line perpendicular to the circle described by the subsequent break turn, about half way through the circle, you get to experience a pitch descending, multi-phased, deep whistle that I can best describe by saying “eeeewwwwhhh”, you know, like the ladies say when they see a bug get squashed. Go ahead, say it, it's ok, “eeeewwwwhhhh”... That's what it sounds like! But it doesn't just stop there. It transitions, as the plane begins to point away from you, to a low pitched, thunderously “base-heavy” component that literally shakes the ground, and you, from inside your chest. Damn that's good stuff!
Oh, the planes? EA-6Bs and EA-18Gs at NAS Whidbey Island, WA.
