Mid-Air Refueling over Nova Scotia

[looknlisten]

Hi Rob,

You're not using the thing right now with planeplotter by chance are you? I've seen a new sharer in the last few days that I don't recognize. Their name is GN but I don't know of its anyone on here or not.

Sharer 'GN' is nearby Pier 21 in downtown Halifax. (Actually shows on the beach of Georges Island, lol)

 

[darrylcn]

Oh yes I know, I just refreshed my locations after seeing em. Really glad I asked how to do that. Ahh that is interesting. When they were here in February I think they were in fact HERE in February. When my wife and I went to Pictou for Valentines weekend I caught a NATO Sentry low on my test dongle/laptop setup I brought. When we returned home we swung by YHZ and they were parked. I'd have to check my logs to see if it was the same one but there's a good chance. Was cool seeing the radome behind a building on the ramp. Not a common visitor.

 

[looknlisten]

The other day I was looking at ADS-B data and saw a flight# "CATCH99". When I googled it I determined that it was one of those refuelling planes from the US. Is that correct? I thought it was interesting that they would be over NS.

Thanks!

Welcome to the group Rob.
We are very fortunate here to have every type of air traffic pass overhead.
Where else can you be in a community based on lobster fishing and monitor B-1B, B-2 Spirit and B52 bombers overhead. Check out the recordings I've posted this past year on my AudioBoo site (in my signature) to get an idea of the various types of planes passing nearby.
Also, go back a few pages on this forum and you will get an idea of what we do here.
Thanks for joining!

 

[Tech792]

03/19 @ 1045 local-
A couple McGuire tankers headed up your way. (TEAM 33/34 I think) Mentioned meeting up with BANGOR flights and talking to HUNTRESS on 288.4, interplane 139.875

 

[darrylcn]

Niiiice!

 

[darrylcn]

Gah, didn't get any airplanes on my end Tech, but thanks for the heads up.


As for the NATO E-3 I was wondering aloud about earlier, the one on Feb 15th was ADS: 43C39F REG: ZH101 FLT: ADAPT17 (RAF)

The Sentry last night was ADS: 4D03CD REG: LXN90455 (NATO)

Guess they were different planes. Cool that an RAF E-3 landed here though. Even have a crappy photo to prove it

 

[SCPD]

TOPCAT-02 is working AR212 238.900. Said to be arriving at 01:12z. Time 0055z

 

[rob79]

Hey darrylcn - I didn't see your message until right now .

Not on plane plotter, been feeding to fightradar24... I use this same name often so if you see someone from NS on any of these radio forums say hi...it might be me .

I get the unique HEX thing but I'm not sure how to interpret it... Thanks for the info!

Hi Rob,

You're not using the thing right now with planeplotter by chance are you? I've seen a new sharer in the last few days that I don't recognize. Their name is GN but I don't know of its anyone on here or not.
The best luck I've had for plane ID is by googling the code for an aircraft. It will look like a hex code (IE "AE2F9A") on your display. Often callsigns can change or be reused among plane types, for example everything from a C-5 KC-135, C-130 or a C-17 can use Reach (###) as a callsign, so the hex is more exact. You'll have to add plane to the google search since letter/number code is, among other things, a color code and you'll just get colors as results.

As for refueling over NS, it's pretty common for them to be up this way, I've always taken it to be because its close enough to the US but not so far away that it is a good meet up point for returning planes and a good send off point for gas if they're going to Europe. Just an assumption but at any rate this is a good place to be a plane nerd

 

[darrylcn]

I just let Google do the interpreting for me. You can paste it into a search there and you should get a bunch of sites who have determined which plane it is. In the case of my example AE2F9A was a C-130 when I sifted through the google results. I had to type "AE2F9A plane" in this case, otherwise the search results were just info on AE2F9A color code. Hope that makes sense.

 

[Mark]

Short 45 minute window on AR20NE tonight 2300z-2345z FL230-250

 

[darrylcn]

341.750 is active but I have nothing on my PC at this time. Odd.

Edit - There they are, scanner picking up things before the PC tonight. Ethyl 24 62-3544. Not sure who the receiver is though. Any clues?

 

[Mark]

Looks like it was for Rch 186 C-17 10-0220 62AW that came from McChord directly
and offshore Nantuckett about same time as Ethyl 24.
0220z A ETHYL 87 now heading that way as well prob for Rch 352 09-9211 62AW also
from the West..
Guess just thirsty McChord C-17's tonight.

 

[SCPD]

REACH-352 tail# 099211 and ETHYL-87 tail#580117 are working AR020 341.750. Time 0253z

 

[Mark]

3/20/14 GOLD 99 60-0342 and GOLD 02 61-0305 to US Northeast

Today 1800z GOLD 98 82-0192 and GOLD 11 86-0031 KC-10's are coming East from Utah and dragging someone with them.

 

[Ethyl55Heavy]

Gold 98 and 11 want into Westover AFB in Chicopee MA thanks Derek

 

[Mark]

1930z GOLD 01 87-0123 went into McGuire and said next tanker was hour behind.
2110z GOLD 11 86-0031 inbound McGuire

 

[Ethyl55Heavy]

Mazda 51-56 USMC F-18's to Bangor with Gold 12 KC-135R 61-0208 at 20:49z

 

[Ethyl55Heavy]

Gold 12 61-0280 fat fingers

 

[darrylcn]

Wow. They may come this way unless they go due east correct?

 

[nyair1]

Wow. They may come this way unless they go due east correct?

Found on another site they all landed at BIA