"Six One Bravo turning long final for Three-Four, Full Stop".
It is a crisp October Saturday morning, hours before the CAF Airsho. A distant roar and high pitched whine penetrates the house. We hustle outside, knowing that Commemorative Air Force planes are either arriving or practicing in the area that morning. Rare vintage aircraft sometimes line up with the runway and practice manuvers high overhead or shoot approaches.
We look far to the south, just in time to see two tiny specks on the horizon trailing faint plumes of smoke. The smoke trails abruptly grow thicker. Two specks heading almost straight at us start to get bigger, sunlight glinting off the canopies.
Fifteen seconds later, two F-16 fighter jets shoot over the south fence northbound, directly on the centerline of runway 34. Trailing rooster tails of dust in their wake turbulence, they blast by barely 50 feet off the ground, immediately followed by an ear-splitting crack and roar that shakes the very bones.
How fast are these dudes going? One one thousand, two one thousand, three one thousand, four one thousand, five one thousand, six one thousand, and they roar over the north fence, 5280 feet away.
A six second mile. Not quite to the sound barrier, but snuggling right up against it. Ten miles a minute. White contrails form on the wingtips from at least 6 g's as they pull up hard. The view up their tailpipes glows bright orange as they go to full afterburner.
The jets stand on their tails, still accelerating upward into the clear blue sky, penetrating deep into the controlled airspace around MAF, then complete the Immelman at almost FL200, tiny specks gleaming in the sunlight straight overhead as they roll out southbound.
A Bates Field theme two-stage multi that includes a view of both Midland and Odessa simultaneously along the way. It is quiet so you can hear muggles coming down the roads for about 2 miles.
Stage 1: At the coordinates given, park and look to the south at a large sign. If you have 20/20 vision you can read it without binoculars. If you have less than that, bring binoculars or spotting scope.
Copy the number on the sign mmmnnnn.
Stage 2:
Latitude = 31°46.711" + 00°0m.mm0" = final latitude
Longitude = 102°13.016" +000°0n.nnn"= final longitude
Look north with binoculars straight down the runway in the distance. You are standing about where the jets shot across the highway, looking at Bates Field from the perspective of treetop level terrain following flying.
Imagine zipping across the fence and over the bottomlands at more than 600 mph, then another mile and down the length of the runway between all the houses, as any residents sleeping in that morning are jolted awake.
New FTF prize, log, pen