Author Topic: Air Force One in your sites  (Read 351 times)

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Offline Sourdough

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Air Force One in your sites
« on: August 07, 2008, 09:44:25 PM »
Heard on the news today that some clown had made a threat against the life of Obama.  I know this is serious, but I have to relate something that I find very funny.  You guys may get a chuckle out of it also.

As many of you know I lived in DC for three years.  Being from Alaska, there was not much for me to do down there.  We lived on Bolling AFB in the District.  Bolling is nothing but a housing area, with a few office buildings.  There is a skeet range on Andrews AFB, which is about a 15 minute drive around the beltway.  Every weekend I went to Andrews and shot skeet.  Now the Skeet range is near the south end of the runway.  The way the stations and houses are situated you actually shoot toward the runway.  On weekends there is no flying going on so it is not a problem.  One Sunday morning I was shooting a round of skeet and had just called for a bird.  As I got on the bird and was following it with the shotgun barrel, there is Air Force One, directly behind the bird.  Yes, I am looking down my gun barrel at the Presidents air plane.  Bill Clinton was on board.  Needless to say I missed the bird.  Talk about unnerving.  They have a rule there, if you miss, or if you just don't shoot, because AF 1 is in the background, they let you call for that bird again.

The distance is way too far for a shotgun to reach.  Everyone knows it, but it still just don't seem right.  In the three years I was there, I had that happen four or five times.  Never was able to shoot with the plane in the background.   
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Offline jhm

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Re: Air Force One in your sites
« Reply #1 on: August 08, 2008, 02:14:48 AM »
If you had ever had the oppertunity to go to the Grand in Vandalia Oh. and shot you would have had a lot of practice shooting when planes were in the background.   Jim

Offline Glanceblamm

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Re: Air Force One in your sites
« Reply #2 on: August 08, 2008, 02:24:06 AM »
Quote
Never was able to shoot with the plane in the background

Good Story & a good practice. I sure can see where having something like that in the background would be very un-nerving...gives you the heeby-jeevies even...I think that it stems from the good practice of never pointing a firearm at something that you do not intend to shoot!

I orignially thought that your subject read Air Force One in your States :-[...I think that it was close by last month as it was in St Louis but had some mechanical difficulties [sic]...I knew that it had flown into the University of Illinois Champain Willard airport a few years ago when Clinton was in office and the pilot got that front wheel off the pavement on to the wet sod which effectively got it stuck in the Mud  :o ;D ;D I seem to remember that the Media was fearful for the longevity of the pilots career in his particular job but nothing else was said about it. I have never personally seen this aircraft but place you as being one up on me as I am a great airshow fan.