It's the sound of freedom, Orrin, and I am privileged to have them flying over our house this weekend. The cats are not so sure....It is interesting to watch them weave in and out of the buildings. They fly so low you can see them turning their heads.

Never been near a stealth jet, but at Memorial Day 3 years ago, the Hawaii Air National Guard sent a section of F-15s to fly over the ceremony at low altitude. They kicked in their afterburners as they crossed and I thought then, and still think, that if we did that over most of the cities of Islam, they'd behave better.

That's how Bill Whittle became a pilot, age 5 the afterburners kicked in and it was love at first sight.

He sacrificed, studied, few girls, applied to the academy, IIRC, and his eyesight wasn't 20-20.

Harry:

Afterburners, and Mach 1.3, would be about right.

When I was stationed with the 3d Marine Aircraft Wing in El Toro, I pulled Officer of the Day duty about once a month, answering the phone at Wing HQ after hours. I once got a call from an irate resident of Irvine, complaining about the helicopter flights over his home at night. Announcing with much self-importance that he was a doctor, he demanded to speak to the Commanding General. Being as polite as I could, I told him that I wasn't going to wake up the general, but that I would log his complaint in the book.

I told my replacement about the call the next morning. He told me how he responded to such calls: he'd say "That's the sound of freedom, baby!!", then he'd hang up.