Grant beefs up Selfridge ready alert status

[MacombMonitor]

Write up in today's Detroit News...should make for some interesting Mil-Air monitoring in the near future!

Grant beefs up Selfridge ready alert status

New designation means base is on duty around clock for any and all emergencies.

http://www.detnews.com/2005/macomb/0505/27/B05-195196.htm

 

[doogman23]

A-10's from Battle Creek

Week before last, I was out cutting the lawn and the A-10's were arriving from Battle Creek. Was a nice clear day too so...

Radio traffic has been hot lately and I'm loving it since I am not to far away from Selfridge in Warren.

Keith

 

[MacombMonitor]

What do those A-10's sound like? I heard they have somewhat of a unique sound to them.

There has been talk about Selfridge becoming the Hqtrs for Homeland Security. That would be nice!

 

[doogman23]

A-10's Sound...

Yeah, they do sound a bit different then the 16's. The 16's have a lower pitch sound due to the engine they use.

The A-10's have a high pitch "whine" since they use turbofan's mounted in the back and on-top. Pretty distinct, at least to my ears.

Certainly quite a bit of activity right now overhead, I am in the Schoenherr/14 mile rd area and you can hear alot of "roaring" coming from the northeast, once and a while you can see em a little high. Also notice alot of "larger" aircraft coming from southwest, probably Battle Creek starting their transition?? Either way things should get interesting around here for us milscanners!

Homeland Security HQ would be REAL nice!

Keith

 

[bigreddawg76]

Also, when the A-10's fire their 30MM cannon it sounds like a HUGE amount of flatulence . We live 6 miles from an Air-to-Ground gunnery range that A-10's frequent. It's awesome!

 

[MacombMonitor]

I hope I don't hear the guns, as we do not have a target range in the area! :shock:

 

[doogman23]

Quick...duck!

Hhaa....yeah...we start hearing the "flatulence" around here and we better be ducking!

Sheesh...must be nice to be around all that action though.

Keith :lol:

 

[bigreddawg76]

Re: Quick...duck!

Hhaa....yeah...we start hearing the "flatulence" around here and we better be ducking!

Sheesh...must be nice to be around all that action though.

Keith :lol:

Yeah, pretty cool. At night they pop flares as they pull out of their "bombing" runs. The only problem lately was a few month ago when a DC ANG F-16 was setting up for a strafing run and strafed a local school. Good thing it was 9:30 at night and no kids were there. A few years ago a NJ ANG F-16 crashed after the pilot ejected after suffering "spatial disorientation", but that hit unoccupied woods. All in all it's pretty exciting when they're active. Lots of MilAir activity.

 

[doogman23]

school strafing

Yeah, I remember that story. I guess at night, in a unfamiliar area (this being a DC pilot) it might be a little confusing, but he had to have info as to the coords that he was firing at...and I doubt that a school would be that close to a ground gunnery range.

That brings me to a good questions though. Around here in Macomb County with the A-10's now being housed here as well as the existing F-16's, I wonder where they will be doing their ground range exercises? Unless they have to fly a ways to an existing one...

Keith

 

[bigreddawg76]

Re: school strafing

Yeah, I remember that story. I guess at night, in a unfamiliar area (this being a DC pilot) it might be a little confusing, but he had to have info as to the coords that he was firing at...and I doubt that a school would be that close to a ground gunnery range.

Actually the school is closer to the range than my house. It is on the oposite side of a county highway and the Garden State Parkway. The investigation found that due to a software glitch the trigger used to fire the cannon was also the trigger used to fire the laser they use to get distance to target when the master arm switch was in the "arm" position. They have since fixed it.

 

[doogman23]

beta

So he must have been using a "Beta" version of the trigger software!

Sorry, just to funny that something so deadly can be missed by the engineers. Hahah..

Ah...anyway, at least nobody got hurt.

Keith

* Yaesu VR-500

 

[dtravers]

Where are you hearing all this activity I have a lot of selfridge freqs already. What am I missing?

 

[doogman23]

Selfridge activity

By activity, I am talking about actually seeing the planes overhead.

As far as the comms chatter, that has been up to on the usual freqs, tower, approach, etc. I have not had the time to hunt for the air-air by callsign lately, but there is plenty of freqs and updates here:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MilAirCommsChat/

Keith