Trip to Grayling Range R-4201.
Trip to Grayling Range R-4201 STEELGATE
08-06-09
When I left work Wednesday, they told me to come in at 8:00am on Thursday. So I was bummed That I won’t be able to go to Grayling. Then I get a call from my boss at 10pm letting me know I don’t have to come in Thursday. His bosses forgot to tell me that before I left on Wed. At least it worked out, now I can go to Grayling. Now I have to rush around getting ready. Called a friend & talked him into tagging along. Woke up at 04:45am, & picked up my friend at 06:00am. Made a stop at Meijer for gas @ I-75 & Joslyn Rd. From Meijer to the Waters exit (Exit 270) 191 miles. From the BP gas station to the range was 8 miles. So add about 27 miles from my house to Meijer, & you get 226 miles to the range, from my house in Detroit. While passing through the Saginaw area, I was picking up Cleveland Center ATC on 290.425, & 269.525. Was also hearing MN.C. ATC on 282.200 in that area also. He was controlling aircraft around Traverse City, & Pellston.
Grayling Range freqs have changed.
266.600 Range Primary.
261.200 Range Secondary.
139.300 Range VHF
122.800 Unicom
Found these 2 freqs with signal stalker on PRO-97. Didn’t think to look for a PL tone?
139.6250 FM Range personnel. Only heard 1 side of conversation.
165.0125 FM Range personnel. Heard both sides of conversation.
These are the old Grayling Range freqs.
385.700 Grayling Range Primary old.
381.100 Grayling Range Secondary old.
They couldn’t drop bombs closer to us because of workers on the range putting in Acoustic scoring devices. There is a new radar device that can mimic Russian radars for radar training to the left of the tower. They also have a bunch of truck containers on the range that will be used to make buildings / targets.
DEMON 11 x 2 (MI A-10’s)
269.450 MN.C. He cancelled IFR before contacting the range, 09:24am.
266.600 STEELGATE control, 09:25am. BOURBON 01 was controlling DEMON flt from the tower, 09:45am. Demon flt did multiple high altitude bomb runs with 25lb Smurf bombs. They would pop 1 flare on final, then drop bombs and pull out, & pop more flares. It was really cool. Then they did some gun passes. The only way to describe the noise of this gun is a really loud burp. You would see the smoke come from the gun, then the crackle of the bullets going supersonic, then the burp sound from the gun. We had to wear these green tinted laser glasses, because Demon was using their lasers. You didn’t have to wear the glasses for the gun passes.
BOSON 41 x? (MI A-10’s)
254.700 09:45pm. Doing some training in PIKE or STEELHEAD.
YALTA 31 x 2 (MI A-10’s)
266.600 STEELGATE control, cleared in, 10:12am. Yalta flt did the same thing as Demons above except no flares. Yalta didn’t use lasers, so no glasses.
261.200 was talked about but I don’t think they used it.
139.850 V 16 A/A.
TEJAS 21 x? (MI A-10’s)
234.900 BLACK TALON, finished with training in PIKE, or STEELHEAD. TEJAS 21 is RTB, 10:40am.
That was it for the morning flights, only 4 MI A-10’s. We went to Gaylord to check out the Elk herd south of town. Then went back to the range for the afternoon flights that started around 01:35pm.
DEMON 11 x 2 (MI A-10’s)
314.400 A/A chatter, 01:24pm.
266.600 STEELGATE control / BOURBON 01. Demon flt calling Bourbon 01 with Mission # 59-02, 6 x BDU’s, 200 rounds of 30 Mike Mike, & will hold at Alfa 002, 01:41pm. They did their bomb runs then went to guns. On the first gun pass, they set off my car alarm, 01:58pm. Second gun pass was at 02:00pm. Then they RTB’d. There was some cloud cover so they did low level runs, & no lasers were used. Bourbon 01 was on the first level walkway with us talking to Demon with a handheld transceiver. He was in training, the Range Master was watching from above in the tower. I turned my scanner down a little just in case he got to close to me and had some feedback.
314.400 A/A Could still hear them talking to each other @ 02:17pm.
YALTA 31 x 2 (MI A-10’s)
266.600 STEELGATE control. Checked into the range at, 02:09pm. Bourbon wanted to send a digital 9 line to Yalta on the Gateway system when they were done to see if he could do it. 02:15pm. RTB’d @ 02:44pm.
349.400 A/A used this freq to do their runs. Going to guns, 02:26pm.
Went back to Gaylord to eat, & checked out the Rat Shack store there. They had the scanners locked up in glass cases. Went to see the Elk herd again, they usually feed them later in the day. We must’ve missed them getting fed. While watching the Elk, Springfield OH F-16’s started launching out of Alpena.
BLADE 51 x 2
234.900 BLACK TALON airspace brief, 05:29pm. Blade push BTN 12.
254.700 ACM CH / BTN 12.
139.900 A/A 05:30pm. Ops check 05:55pm.
379.300 Alpena app, 06:28pm.
SABRE 11 x 3 (SABRE 13 was MIG 1)
139.000 ACM 05:55pm. Fights on 06:02pm. Lets do set up # 3. Ops check 06:06pm. SABRE, MIG fights on, 06:08pm. SABRE 1 terminate, SABRE 2 terminate, Mig 1 terminate, 06:11pm. Lets do set up # 4, 06:12pm. Fights on 06:13pm. #4 again, fights on 06:18pm. Set up # 5, 06:20pm. Fights on, 06:21pm.
RED ROBIN 194 (Civil Air Patrol)
148.150 Red Robin 194 on the west side of Gaylord, doing check ins, 06:09pm..
SHACK 21 x 3 (Shack 23 was MIG 1)
139.275 ACM 06:25pm. Shack 1 naked, 06:30pm. Spike range 13 miles 06:31pm. Terminate, 06:33pm. Shack 1 Husky, Shack 2 Husky, 06:36pm. Ramp down, 06:45pm. #1, was it Raygun? #2, yes. #1 then call it, 06:46pm. Terminate, 06:46pm. Fence out, 06:52pm.
234.900 BLACK TALON, BTN 11. RTB APN 06:53pm.
CHAIN 71 single F-16.
379.300 Alpena app, 06:39pm.
318.100 Alpena twr, rnwy 01, 06:41pm.
Well that was my day of fun. The people at the range were very friendly & helpful.
About 530 Total miles.
28.501 MPG
Back home 11:20pm.
