The military base where you drive over the runway

Bonus things that didn't fit into the video: the aircraft aren't stored in hangars, but in caverns tunneled into the hillside! And if you want to get really close to the jets, there's a second, much narrower crossing over a taxiway to the caverns. They're not taking off at high speed there, though.

I love that the pilot felt the need to point out that 100 take offs equals 100 landings.

It is very satisfying how there's a car coming through perfectly timed to Tom's gesture at 0:30

No cameras, microphone or sound system will ever do justice to the amount of noise generated by explosive, jets, rockets etc. those that have experienced it know what I mean.

So surprised and happy to see that pilot, I was in the military with him :) Hope he's doing well :)

The best part for Tom is surely the fact that apparently a lot of people trust him enough to get close or participate in cool things

Props to the camera guy for that amazing tracking shot keeping the fighter jet on one side of Tom as he watched it take off. The focus being on the aircraft with Tom in the unfocused foreground was also so cool looking.

I just cycled over the Gibraltar one this week and it was so cool! I was warned to absolutely not stop cycling for any reason on the runway which I found a bit odd considering people were literally walking across just fine, but either way, it was super cool to do it at least once

As part of my mandatory military service i was stationed at this airfield. I crossed this runway at least twice per day to transport troops and it was always nice to watch the jets start while waiting at the barrier. What's even more fascinating than this public road crossing the runway is the massive hangar that is dug into the mountain (on the other side of the runway) where all the jets are stored and protected from bombardment. The size of it is really unbelievable, there are literal kilometers of tunnels. I think some parts of it have been declassified recently and it would probably make for an awesome video if Tom ever gets a chance to visit it.

I'm always in awe how loud fighter jets can be. Standing that close you feel your insides vibrate like your heart is beating 300BPM across your whole body.

Ah, Meiringen Airbase. I used to work there as an F/A-18 Avionics technician. My flat was in one of the houses near the diagonal taxiway, right in front of the waterfall you see at 0:12. What a lovely time that was. I'm not allow to tell you details but you would not believe the size of the mountain caverns they store the airplanes in.

I don't usually notice how good the camera work in Tom's videos are but the camera work in this one was absolutely amazing

I walked over the gibraltar one.. the "pedestrians, do not stop walking" message when a plane comes in and the barriers ahead of you start to close.. certainly encourages people to keep walking... it's nuts. I would be surprised if they stopped people walking over it though even if they've finished the tunnel

Tom is a historian. He records curiosities, listens to all the unsung heroes of modern times and shares it with the world. He may not realizes it, but he writes the history for generations to come. This has unbelievable value. It is those seemingly small tidbits that complete the picture. Thank you.

I accidently crossed this runway in 2008 when playing tourist with my brother. We were trying to get closer to the waterfall in the background of one of the shots, and when driving towards it, I suddenly realized that I was on a runway! It was actually the road that crosses the approach at the western end, but it was still a bit of a trip to suddenly realize that we were on a military runway, so we left quickly!

Yes I’ve heard of this before. I’m an automation operator and this was one of the exercises we have to automate on a Siemens touch panel.

And funny enough, in the german „Emsland“, close to the city of Jever, there is the „Jever Fliegerhorst“, a military air base where a train track crosses the runway. The railway itself is decommissioned but you still can see the full track on google earth!

For anyone who saw on the second aircraft "STBY 121.50," "STBY" means "standby" and 121.50MHz is the international radio frequency known as "Guard." If an aircraft is in distress, the pilot(s) will usually tune to that frequency. Most aircraft and air traffic control facilities are tuned to 121.5 to listen for any aircraft in distress.

If you are a fan of fighter jets on small alpine air bases, I can recommend the Zigairmeet in the canton of Glarus. Its only every three years or so, but 2023 is one. The sight and noise of fighter jets showing off their maneuvers in a narrow valley is just so incredible!

I've never heard an F-18 take off. But living near an airport, a former RADAR station, and across a strait from one of the main Norwegian Air Force bases, being used to F-16's and passenger airlines, I have to say the F-35 I heard last summer was the weirdest, loudest thing I've ever heard - and the sound just "vanished" after a little while. Really strange experience.