F-18 in Champaign/Mahomet, Illinois

[15_off]

I live in Mahomet, IL (just outside of CMI) around 4:30pm an F18 hornet circled our town about three times at a fairly low altitude. He was alone, he then did a circle south of town before heading toward Willard Airport (CMI). The local news station website put a call in to ATC and they did not know why it landed there (or were not telling).

Anyway, it is very, very rare to see a Hornet in these parts, let alone have one circle the town 3 or so times at low altitude.

Anyone have any insight??  ATC recordings from CMI today?

I assume the Hornet had mechanical problems and needed to land..

Thanks!

[15_off]

Follow Up:

The local news website says it is a pilot who is in town to recruit and attend a wedding....

Sounds like the "recruiting" trip is an excuse to fly the Hornet to the wedding!!  Not a bad way to travel!!

 

[Robin Rebhan]

Funny that you mention this. Couple weeks ago an F-18A Hornet landed here at KALB after doing a few low level flybys in the area.
I was on the road near the airport so of course my wife and I stopped at the FBO "Million Air". The pilot was giving his family a tour of the plane. One of the family members hit the UHF ELT switch while seated in the cockpit and caused quite a stir at the control tower. The signal quickly located the F-18 at Million Air.
I asked if I could get a look at the plane and was quickly and not too politely turned down.
Odd that an F-18 would be parked overnight at a civilian FBO when there is a National Guard Black Hawk base with security on the East side of KALB.
With fuel prices and the economy the way it is, I am not sure this is a good way to spend tax dollars. More so leaving multi-million dollar fighter plane on the ramp at local FBO with no security.

[KSYR-pjr]

Odd that an F-18 would be parked overnight at a civilian FBO when there is a National Guard Black Hawk base with security on the East side of KALB.
With fuel prices and the economy the way it is, I am not sure this is a good way to spend tax dollars. More so leaving multi-million dollar fighter plane on the ramp at local FBO with no security.

Now, now...    Let's not make something out of nothing.  I have been Million Air at the Albany airport and it is just as secure as ExecAir and Landmark Aviation at Syracuse.  ExecAir has been host to many current and past warbirds, including F/A-18s, F-16s, Army helos of all types, and even B-17s and B-24s. 

Security at Syracuse and Albany are an unscalable fence surrounding the entire airport, a locked FBO after-hours, and constant patrol by local police officers.