Waco and Georgetown: Do you notice nearby Fort Hood? (San Antonio: construction, contractor)

[Sunderpig2]

In other words, if you live in those towns, do you see or hear signs of Fort Hood being nearby (military planes overhead, military vehicles going through town, etc.) Just trying to get an idea of how far Fort Hood's presence extends outward from the Killeen area.

[TexasHorseLady]

I work in Georgetown and don't notice it so much there, but live east of Jarrell, about 15 miles north of Georgetown. We live in a helicopter flight training zone so sometimes see or hear helicopters flying overhead, sometimes fairly low (doesn't bother us or the horses/cows at all). When Fort Hood is doing artillery practice we can hear the booms and sometimes the windows rattle. Again, not a problem for us - sort of like distant thunder except the first time I heard it I knew it was NOT thunder.

[ChristieP]

Military vehicles stay within the base most of the time. They don't do exercises in civilian areas. It will be rare to see them off post.

Fort Hood has a small airfield but since it's an Army base, they primarily fly cargo/passenger planes, not the loud fighter planes.

As the other poster mentioned, you will be able to hear the artillery and gunnery ranges!

[Trainwreck20]

Years ago, there were 'problems' with Ft. Hood soldiers traveling to G'town and 'causing trouble' around Blue Hole and a few other places. Seems to have all been taken care of somehow, though....

[texas_nightowl]

Nah. Georgetown and Waco will be fine. It's been some years, but I've lived both in Georgetown and Salado. Never noticed anything in Georgetown. In Salado (like Jarrell as TexasHorseLady says) you would notice artillery practice. Waco should be fine too until you get somewhere between McGregor and Gatesville to the west.

[texasdiver]

Here in Waco there is no sign whatsoever that Fort Hood exists.

Back when George W Bush was in the Whitehouse we would get occasional military planes and helicopters overhead when his entourage was next door at the Crawford Ranch. Here in south end of Waco we can also hear the rumbling roar when SpaceX is testing rocket engines over in McGregor. And we sometimes get military aircraft overhead when L3 communications in Waco is testing planes. They are a military contractor and aircraft company in north Waco.

But Fort Hood? No sign it even exists.

[Sunderpig2]

All great posts and helpful information. Thank you.

[TamaraSavannah]

I'm down between Austin and San Antonio and, oh yes, one notices it.........................but then again, you have to be tuned to be aware of it.

For example, I know when a C-130 is in the area because I recognize that drone of the engines. Now, I don't know if those fly out of Hood Army Air Field (t'was certainly a surprise when one landed there in the 70's since he came out of the clouds, saw a field with the near orientation of what he was expecting, and came right on in. He was talking to Gray Tower but landed at Hood) ......but they do, or they did, fly out of Gray Army Air Field which is also part of Fort Hood. It's now the Killeen-Fort Hood Regional air port on the maps but it's a 10000 foot runway and during the Cold War, was big enough to be able to move troops to Europe......and was an alternate field for B-52s. ...... but that's history.

Back to the question, I frequently hear C-130's and those are frequently heading south, so I imagine they are going to an air base in San Antonio. I haven't heard a C-5, though, in a very long time.....and once again, my ear is tuned for hearing that. On the side point, it's been a while since I've heard any fighters or jet trainers, perhaps about a year, but they, too, fly over this central Texas region.

There will be helicopters, count on it, such as Blackhawks and Chinooks overhead, but don't think I've heard attack birds for a long while..........but once again, my ear is tuned to pick those up. On I-35, one will occasionally see military truck convoys. Where they are going can be unknown but they are certainly military.

Central Texas is military.

[rusty2006]

Fort Hood won't bother you in Waco. There used to be some plane traffic out of the old James Connally airbase (now TSTC) from the aircraft mechanics program. I'm dating myself perhaps.

I do remember some annoyances with convoys on the highways moving slowly.

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by rusty2006

Fort Hood won't bother you in Waco. There used to be some plane traffic out of the old James Connally airbase (now TSTC) from the aircraft mechanics program. I'm dating myself perhaps.

I do remember some annoyances with convoys on the highways moving slowly.

Dating yourself perhaps? Connally Air Base closed in 1968. When Bush was president they would use the runway at TSTC for Air Force 1 and the marine helicopters that would run him and his entourage out to the Crawford Ranch. These days the runway is mostly used by L3 to bring planes in and out of Waco for refitting and when they test planes they have been working on. But it is hardly an annoyance of any sort. They aren't flying loud fighter jets out of there.

As for convoys. I've been driving up and down I-35 on a semi-regular basis for about the past 15 years. There are a lot of annoyances about driving on I-35 which are mostly due to construction and traffic. Sometimes you see military vehicles on the road, yes. But I've never been in a slowdown of any sort that was CAUSED by a military convoy.