Aircraft Practice nr Coleman Bridge on 123.5

[n4jri]

Heard aircraft this afternoon doing something in a 'practice area' 2200-2500' above the Coleman Bridge between Gloucester & Yorktown. Was checking in with someone, possibly Wmbg/NN Int'l, on 123.500. Didn't get there in time to see them, and I only caught parts of the transmissions, but one a/c ID's as 'Cessna' plus what sounded like a tail #. Looked sectional chart for that area and found no indication of the freq as an advisory, CTAF, etc. Generally speaking, I normally hear gliders & balloons on 123.5. Anybody know the deal?

73/Allen (N4JRI)

 

[Eugene]

123.500 is an air-air frequency, usually reserved for gliders/hot air balloons but I am sure can be used by light civil aircraft. Only speculation but there is a flight school at Williamsburg and a Rental aircraft at Patrick Henry (Newport News-Williamsburg) from Curtis Eads Flight School in Suffolk, so it may have been a check ride and they were doing maneuvers over the bridge. The altitude is right for that. Also practice formation flying or aerial photography off another aircraft.

Eugene KG4AVE

 

[n4jri]

What surprised me was the general nature of the conversation, as if someone were monitoring on the ground. I shoulda glued my scanner to the freq, but the Arleigh Burke was at YNWS and I was hoping to catch something. When I heard 'Cessna' it also made me wonder about a flight school. Is Embry-Riddle still at Langley?

73/Allen (N4JRI)

 

[Larry51]

I'm showing 123.5 as "Pilot training, lighter than air aircraft and ballooning." It's also called an "air-to-ground common." I believe I got that from 47CFR.

 

[n4jri]

Was down again today, and caught a photo of the plane. They treat the freq like a CTAF. Transmission begins with the words "Newport News Traffic" and ends with "Newport News." The plane announced it was transiting Practice Area 2 from south to north at 2500'. It entered the area from the south just east of the Coleman Bridge, and went west of the bridge as it moved northward. Caught a photo and looked up the tail #. It's a Cessna 172 registered to Rick Aviation, the FBO at Patrick Henry. The photo on the webpage is looking out the left window at the piers for Naval Weapons Station & Cheatham Annex.

Now I'm curious about Practice Area 1. According to my slightly aged Washington Sectional chart, there's nothing special in that area. Appears to be outside the Class D airspace for both PHF and Eustis, and is outside the area covered by the Norfolk Insert. Nothing significant except Yorktown as a visual reporting point.

73/Allen (N4JRI)

 

[KG4LBJ]

Hmm, any chance this might be related to nearby Camp Peary? Years ago, when I was living nearby, I used to occasionally hear parachuting activities with a ground contact on 135.xxx. (I believe they were using a Casa 212 aircraft) Memorable because one Spring season there were high winds and the students were landing all over the place along the Colonial Parkway. Ground Ops was complaining about having to retrieve them.

 

[maus92]

"Practice areas" are not required to be charted, however they can be. Areas that are heavily used for the activity are candidates for charting for safety reasons. Most "practice areas" are uncharted. 123.5 is probably used by aircraft of a flight school who might have multiple aircraft in the area at the same time to coordinate activity, and maybe the school rep on the ground to keep track of their students. Other aircraft transiting the area would probably not know the freq is in use.

 

[n4jri]

Hmm, any chance this might be related to nearby Camp Peary? Years ago, when I was living nearby, I used to occasionally hear parachuting activities with a ground contact on 135.xxx. (I believe they were using a Casa 212 aircraft) Memorable because one Spring season there were high winds and the students were landing all over the place along the Colonial Parkway. Ground Ops was complaining about having to retrieve them.

If I remember right, I think their airstrip was on 135.975, and they're certainly in the neighborhood.

73/Allen (N4JRI)

 

[n4jri]

Picked up a clearer transmission on Wednesday. a/c addressed the ground as "Newport News Radio"--although I believe a while back, another plane addressed the ground as "Newport News Traffic"

73/Allen (N4JRI)

 

[freqhopping]

"Traffic" would've been referring to the other planes in the pattern.