Mid-Atlantic MilAir 2024

[apex31]

A NOBLE-31 entering Blue Hen CAP on ZDC 363.000.. and 260.900 looking for Tanker Wink-12 KC-46 #16-46013 NH ANG.
NOBLE-31 sounds like single as not hearing any others yet.NOBLE-31 has sour link on data complaining to Huntress.
Finally A/A 259.900 as second NOBLE arrives so the 104th FW Mass F-15C's out of Barnes.

NOBLE and WINK on 231.625 getting friendly, talking about F-35s coming to Barnes in two years.

 

[RaleighGuy]

Harris departing rally in Greensboro, look for AF2 soon

 

[Mark]

NOBLE and WINK on 231.625 getting friendly, talking about F-35s coming to Barnes in two years.

Yeah always surprising on CAP's that they don't tell each unit who or where they are from in planning.
NOBLE-31 asks tanker..Where from? Tanker says Pease. Oh ok we are just down the road at Barnes..
You know so and so? yak yak etc..

Three more MacDill KC-135's out of McConnell on way home... They seem to be bringing them home to Tampa
just a couple at a time and Potus all done visit.

Happy campers at South Padre Island Texas watching that Space X booster land.. Sure comes down fast and
the delayed sonic boom shock wave and thruster noise.

 

[Afar1505]

VH3Ds at KILG today were 159353 and 159357. I only had eyes on the VH92 from afar, as it flew from ~east of the field to the DE Army Guard support facility instead of the DE ANG w/the VH3Ds, and I couldn't read it off.

 

[JetWash]

Yesterday I posted about military activity to FL600 on October 20 at Dahlgren. Today I saw the following for October 15 in the same 0800L to 1600L timeframe as for October 20:

DAHLGREN, VA..TEMPORARY FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS WI AN AREA DEFINED AS R6611/13 ARE IN EFFECT DUE TO MILITARY ACTIVITY ACT SFC-FL600.

(affecting) JAIKE4 ARRIVAL SWNGR TRANSITION N/A FILE VIA TEMPO BOOYA TRANSITION:
FROM ZJX AIRSPACE OVER WATER: SEELO GARIC ZORDO BBDOL BOOYA JAIKE4
FROM ZJX AIRSPACE INLAND: JROSS Q97 DADDS NOWAE BOOYA JAIKE4
FROM ZTL AIRSPACE: Q22 BEARI BBDOL BOOYA JAIKE4

 

[Mark]

Yesterday I posted about military activity to FL600 on October 20 at Dahlgren. Today I saw the following for October 15 in the same 0800L to 1600L timeframe as for October 20:

DAHLGREN, VA..TEMPORARY FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS WI AN AREA DEFINED AS R6611/13 ARE IN EFFECT DUE TO MILITARY ACTIVITY ACT SFC-FL600.

(affecting) JAIKE4 ARRIVAL SWNGR TRANSITION N/A FILE VIA TEMPO BOOYA TRANSITION:
FROM ZJX AIRSPACE OVER WATER: SEELO GARIC ZORDO BBDOL BOOYA JAIKE4
FROM ZJX AIRSPACE INLAND: JROSS Q97 DADDS NOWAE BOOYA JAIKE4
FROM ZTL AIRSPACE: Q22 BEARI BBDOL BOOYA JAIKE4

Looks like runs into the Hills/Ranges of Virginia on those waypoints from offshore.
BOOYA BOOYA waypoint | OpenNav
BEARI BEARI waypoint | OpenNav

Couple Airline pilots on 121.500 asking what is name of that comet showing? Anyone else seeing this?
Answer is Comet A3 last seen 80k years ago when Neanderthals were around.
Best seen at Sunset to the West.. Some say Neanderthals still around 😂
Stargazing photographers capture 'comet of the century'

 

[RaleighGuy]

Is there a campaign of some kind going on?

VP Monday travel...

At 4:25 PM ET, the Vice President will depart Washington, DC en route to Erie, PA.
At 5:30 PM ET, the Vice President will arrive in Erie, PA. This arrival will be at Erie International Airport.
At 9:00 PM ET, the Vice President will depart Erie, PA en route to Detroit, MI. This departure will be from Erie International Airport.

VP week ahead out and she's traveling everyday this week...

On Monday, October 14, the Vice President will travel to Erie, PA for a campaign event. Then, the Vice President will travel to Detroit, MI.
On Tuesday, October 15, the Vice President will be in Detroit, MI for a campaign event.
On Wednesday, October 16, the Vice President will travel to Pennsylvania for a campaign event before traveling to Milwaukee, WI.
On Thursday, October 17, the Vice President will be in Milwaukee, WI for a campaign event before traveling to La Crosse, WI and Green Bay, WI for campaign events. Then, she will travel to Grand Rapids, MI.
On Friday, October 18, the Vice President will be in Grand Rapids, MI for a campaign event before traveling to Lansing, MI and Oakland County, MI for campaign events.
On Saturday, October 19, the Vice President will be in Detroit, MI for a campaign event before traveling to Atlanta, GA.

 

[Mark]

A 2 week NATO exercise starts in Western Europe today..
Would not be surprised if later on in this exercise we have some US bomber support.
Like most large exercises probably the first couple days will be ground planning and strategy etc
https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news_229447.htm?selectedLocale=en

 

[Tech792]

0630L- NOBLEs checking in ZNY 282.3, then ZDC 363.0, assume Barnes birds

 

[mdmonitor]

1005- Foss 79 (E-6B # 163920) off PAX heading south.

 

[N4TX]

The Wall Street Journal today is running a long account of unauthorized drone flights over Langley AFB last December. Well worth reading. It went on for 17 days and quotes a general at the base as saying he went up on a roof to see them and estimates the drone was 20 feet long and flying at more than 100mph, with the flights beginning soon after sunset and generally stopping by midnight. The general was a fighter pilot and presumably capable of making a good guess as to size. Sometimes multiple drones were up at the same time, with additional spying at Navy Norfolk and the other locations. (If you're on this group, you know what's available down there.) Altitudes were between 100 and 4,000 feet.

Well worth reading the article, which is, of course, copyrighted. For subscribers, here is the link:https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/drones-military-pentagon-defense-331871f4?

Can't shoot them down because someone might get hurt.

Supposedly, the AF plus the Navy and CG working offshore have been unable to identify the source. I find this hard to believe--I mean, a twenty-footer? Haven't seen those at the hobby shop. More likely, it's a case of "If we say that we know who's doing it, we'd have to make them stop." Remember the Chinese spy balloon?

 

[N4TX]

There's another mil-air related story in the WSJ today, too. That one is about how lasers are being taken seriously not only as a military weapon but specifically as defense against drones. I can't help but think that the two WSJ stories are closely related...and wondering why the AF doesn't move the test bed for its defensive drones over to, uh, Langley...where there seems to be some targets available.

 

[RaleighGuy]

There's another mil-air related story in the WSJ today, too.

Posting teasers for an article most of us can't read because we don't have subscriptions isn't very helpful, we can't provide our thoughts on what we can't read.

A pilotless Blackhawk helicopter?

Experimental Fly-By-Wire UH-60M Black Hawk To Become Autonomy Testbed

Evolving autonomous resupply and other capabilities could open up new and valuable tactical opportunities for the Army's Black Hawk fleets.

www.twz.com

 

[Mark]

The Wall Street Journal today is running a long account of unauthorized drone flights over Langley AFB last December. Well worth reading. It went on for 17 days and quotes a general at the base as saying he went up on a roof to see them and estimates the drone was 20 feet long and flying at more than 100mph, with the flights beginning soon after sunset and generally stopping by midnight. The general was a fighter pilot and presumably capable of making a good guess as to size. Sometimes multiple drones were up at the same time, with additional spying at Navy Norfolk and the other locations. (If you're on this group, you know what's available down there.) Altitudes were between 100 and 4,000 feet.

Well worth reading the article, which is, of course, copyrighted. For subscribers, here is the link:https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/drones-military-pentagon-defense-331871f4?

Can't shoot them down because someone might get hurt.

Supposedly, the AF plus the Navy and CG working offshore have been unable to identify the source. I find this hard to believe--I mean, a twenty-footer? Haven't seen those at the hobby shop. More likely, it's a case of "If we say that we know who's doing it, we'd have to make them stop." Remember the Chinese spy balloon?

Maybe Boeing has an answer for larger drones.. A few of these posted around Langley/Norfolk would do the job
Boeing compact lasers down Group 3 drones for first time

 

[mdmonitor]

1645- AF2 (C-32 # 99-0004) off ADW.

 

[Mark]

Maybe Boeing has an answer for larger drones.. A few of these posted around Langley/Norfolk would do the job
Boeing compact lasers down Group 3 drones for first time

Here is a law that makes no sense..

Federal law prohibits the military from shooting down drones near military bases in the U.S. unless they pose an imminent threat. Aerial snooping doesn’t qualify, though some lawmakers hope to give the military greater leeway.

Course if you fly a drone over a football stadium while game is going on the local police/FAA will hunt you down.
Sometimes I wonder about our leaders..

1858 local..on 121.500 "Aircraft declaring Mayday please repeat".. from JetBlue 2896 relay from Frontier jet "try 133.500" (ZNY Atlantic sector 86)
Something to do with weather and said on 133.500 had to deviate and climb 4k to FL-36k.. All seems well now.JetBlue went from 32k
to 36k. Someone has a report to write later.. Maybe icing problem as it flew thru that weather?
B62896 (JBU2896) JetBlue Flight Tracking and History - FlightAware

 

[AirScan]

Something to do with weather and said on 133.500 had to deviate and climb 4k to FL-36k.

133.500 LiveATC Audio

 

[Mark]

133.500 LiveATC Audio

Thanks Airscan! was hoping you could dig that out..
Yeah I was in radio shack fiddling around on computer and always keep 121.500 in the scanner rotation on roof beam antenna to the Southeast.
Normally the occasional comet sightings and Cat meows but heard "Mayday Relay" that got my attention.
Like the ATC response you posted.. We will have a number for you to call shortly.. Maybe the pilot overreacted a bit but all is well

 

[RaleighGuy]

Week Ahead issued for POTUS, but strange that Germany trip for Oct 17-18, 2024, isn't on it.

Tuesday, October 15, 2024
In the evening, the President will depart Wilmington, Delaware and travel to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Later, the President and the First Lady will depart Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and return to the White House.

Wednesday, October 16, 2024
The President will deliver a eulogy at a memorial service for Ethel Kennedy.

Thursday, October 17, 2024 - Sunday, October 20, 2024
Additional details to the President’s schedule forthcoming.

 

[RaleighGuy]

POTUS heads to Phily and then back to the White House

5:25 PM THE PRESIDENT departs Wilmington, Delaware en route to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
5:40 PM THE PRESIDENT arrives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia International Airport
7:40 PM THE PRESIDENT and THE FIRST LADY depart Philadelphia, Pennsylvania en route to Joint Base Andrews
8:25 PM THE PRESIDENT and THE FIRST LADY arrive to Joint Base Andrews
8:45 PM THE PRESIDENT and THE FIRST LADY arrive to the White House