WIX Archives
...an intersting circumstance today
Posted by Rob Mears on Thu Feb 12, 2004 12:56:12 AM
In reply top OT: Tyndall AFB Fly Over posted by Rob Mears on Wed Feb 11, 2004 01:26:32 PM
I was traveling 'through' the extended areas of the base on Highway 98 today and happened up on the crash site of one of the drones used for target practice by the local fighter pilots. The controllers had apparently lost control of this one and it crashed only about thirty feet to the north side of the (public) highway. They were very lucky it didn't strike a passing vehicle!
It looked to have come down on a parachute, but the damage to the surrounding pine trees suggested it came down a lot harder than that. I had noticed the launch area to the south side of the highway the day before and snapped a couple of shots of the drones loaded into place on their launch ramps (they look kind of like little Me-262's). The distance from the highway to the coast line was only about 400 feet, and the drone launch area was located in this area with about a half-dozen launch ramps pointed out toward the gulf.
Tomorrow I'm planning on parking across the road and I hope to snap a photo or two of the drones launching out over the Gulf.
I posted a couple of shots of the drones from yesterday, and todays wreck site.
http://community.webshots.com/album/117823531zQXscv