Worked for DoD/USAF at Tinker AFB in '86-'98. I was in IT, mostly engine tracking systems, so no hands on AC stuff. But I'd walk through the shop at lunch where they were rebuilding engines, machining parts, etc. Fascinating to see.
I've always been a huge aviation buff, and at the time there was an ANG unit flying A-7's (aka the SLUF) and later F-16's out of there. I'd sit in the parking lot after work and watch them come and go.
We had depot maintenance facilities there for a lot of different AC, so you'd see all kinds of stuff. Mostly B-52's, KC-135's and -10's. And the occasional F-15 or B-1, which was *AWESOME*! You could tell from inside the building when a B-1 was taking off -- the whole place would shake! And those pilots treat it like a fighter. No more was the nosewheel off the ground when they'd yank it straight up and out of sight, full burners.
We even had the space shuttle stop to refuel a couple of times when they used to land them in CA and haul them back to FL atop that 747. We had one of the Air Force One 747's in to be repainted once too.
In the late 80's I did some computer training with another org on base that worked on a secret project. They would only answer the phones using their first names and had flashing red lights on the ceiling whenever anyone without clearance was in the area. But the funny thing was, there were posters of F-117's on the walls, people wearing t-shirts with F-117's on them, and models of them on their desks. This was about the time that the Air Force acknowledged their existence, and there wasn't much doubt what these guys were working on.
