Mid-Atlantic MilAir 2025

[mdmonitor]

1520- Wild flt (DC ANG F-16s) are up. A2A 238.175. Working Potomac (254.25).

1525- Uhaul 06 (C-37) working Torch Control (252.1) w/inbound msg.

 

[RaleighGuy]

this is the current Eastern fleet....they are adding aircraft back as they are able but that takes money to put the aircraft back into airworthiness condition - even if it was just operating back in early 2024. I left the Hex codes in (or added them as needed so they can be tracked).
Note they may not always use the BBQ callsign since generally they (Feds) prefer the operators use their tail numbers only for the missions.

View attachment 176851

Link to pull up all these planes in ADSBx

ADS-B Exchange - track aircraft live

ADS-B Exchange - track aircraft live - aircraft flight history

globe.adsbexchange.com

 

[TerryPavlick]

To further clarify, JPATS (ConAir) planes do not actually have shackles and chains, as some movies have shown. The leg shackles and body chains are put on prisoners before entering the aircraft, prisoners are not chained into their seats. Persons being deported are handcuffed prior to boarding on the planes used to return them to their countries as well, but are not transported by the USMS planes.

If we want to get to playing the guessing game, now that the US Military has been deployed to protect the borders, they could pack them into a C17 and use that. It is better situated for shackles and chains as you suggest.

Yeah I meant more from the appearance situation. You cannot expect a charter airline to handle a flight full of shackled and chained for one flight and then expect a football team to use the aircraft for the next charter. While the football players may be rough on the seating - I doubt they can do the damage the same as metal shackled and chains. Okay maybe a Southwest flight may be a better example LOL...or Ryanair

 

[TerryPavlick]

Link to pull up all these planes in ADSBx

ADS-B Exchange - track aircraft live

ADS-B Exchange - track aircraft live - aircraft flight history

globe.adsbexchange.com

Yeah that is what I was trying to do.....that is a good example of what I dealt with for 20 years dealing with Swift Air (most flights were Monday through Friday)... I saw 10 aircraft listed doing all sorts of routes. Interesting most are using the BBQ - maybe the Feds gave up on enforcing the policy. I used to have to track the tail numbers since they used to fly flights without the Swift Air SWQ code.

What you are seeing on the screen now is not new - that is the usual amount of week day activity.

Only thing I could never figure out is why or how the airline could file for bankruptcy with government contracts !! The government has does and always will pay on time - every time. I had government contracts and I never had to follow up to see when the bill was going to be paid.

 

[RaleighGuy]

FAA VIP TFR issued for Los Angeles for Friday

5/5686 NOTAM Details

 

[Mark]

OT: Is BBQ the overseas deportation flights? Notice one coming out of Haiti and a Florida/Cuba round trip.
For some reason Hawaii ANG C-17's sometimes used for deportees to Asia.. Seen their occasional callsigns REPAT.
I think DOJ flight to Portland was for added reinforcement personnel as what happened there Monday night.

Video/Pic: Antifa protesters attack ICE center in Portland after Trump inauguration

A video shows Antifa protesters confronting law enforcement officials and starting fires at an ICE detention center in Portland, Oregon.

americanmilitarynews.com

 

[FLboy850]

Actually most of the deportation flights will be on other airlines (example Eastern Air Express ICAO code BBQ) but these could be moving some folks for deportation if they are in US prisons.

 

[FLboy850]

go to ADSBxchange and put in BBQ for call sign and filter by that - those four aircraft are probably deportation flight. Understand that these aircraft (most formerly operated by Swift Air now by its replacement Eastern Air Express) do this on a daily basis. Half of Swift Air's fleet was dedicated to deportation activities --- believe me they were my customer from the early 2000s and they had aircraft based in Arizona, Louisiana, Florida, Pennsylvania and a few other line stations nationwide (I cannot remember them all).

The problem with these government contract flights is that they generally are not trackable (like on FlightAware) -- there is a term used for these flights that I am trying to remember - give me a few hours and I will think of it.

In order for the deportation activity to meet the promised levels you would be seeing the number of aircraft times 10 to cover the expected numbers.

I tried to post a link in this message originally - but it showed every aircraft flying not the ones I wanted to show you...so you will have to manually put BBQ in the search area

FACT SHEET: President Donald J. Trump Protects the States and the American People by Closing the Border to Illegals via Proclamation – The White House

GUARANTEEING THE STATES PROTECTION AGAINST INVASION: Today, President Trump signed an Executive Order that suspends the physical entry of aliens engaged

www.whitehouse.gov

 

[RaleighGuy]

Tanker out of KMKE heading to PAEI.

AE05A0

call: BOBBY91

type: K35R

rego: 61-0298

da: KMKE

ap: PAEI

 

[Mark]

SCORE-37 RQ-4C off Pax River tonight Aussie tail A57-002..
See if it gets higher flight level than last time.. Working their way up.

Rare visitor D2ANG (090088) Angola Mil BD-700 GLEX out of Newark NJ headed for home along AR-777.
Blocked on flightaware..

 

[RaleighGuy]

Two legs of Friday's first POTUS trip have TFRs out now, AVL and LAX, still have another two legs we are looking for (LAS & PBI).

Date ​	NOTAM ​	Facility ​	State ​	Type ​	Description ​
01/22/2025​	5/5772​	ZTL​	NC​	VIP​	Asheville, NC, Friday, January 24, 2025 Local New ​
01/22/2025​	5/5686​	ZLA​	CA​	VIP​	Los Angeles, CA, Friday, January 24, 2025 through Friday, January 24, 2025 Local New ​

 

[TerryPavlick]

OT: Is BBQ the overseas deportation flights? Notice one coming out of Haiti and a Florida/Cuba round trip.
For some reason Hawaii ANG C-17's sometimes used for deportees to Asia.. Seen their occasional callsigns REPAT.
I think DOJ flight to Portland was for added reinforcement personnel as what happened there Monday night.

Video/Pic: Antifa protesters attack ICE center in Portland after Trump inauguration

A video shows Antifa protesters confronting law enforcement officials and starting fires at an ICE detention center in Portland, Oregon.

americanmilitarynews.com

No BBQ is the three letter identifier for Eastern Air Express. They fly the deportation flights and other charter operations like cruise ship charters and sports teams. In the old days Swift Air used to fly quite a few hockey teams and other sports around in addition to the deportation flights.

In due time if they stay in business Eastern will be doing the same thing.

 

[TerryPavlick]

yeah makes sense - a 737 or an Airbus aircraft can only carry so many people at once. Plus if the trips are 2-3 hours one way the aircraft can only make 2 maybe three flights a day max. So they will need either larger aircraft or more aircraft or military lift to supplement the process.

 

[RaleighGuy]

Two legs of Friday's first POTUS trip have TFRs out now, AVL and LAX, still have another two legs we are looking for (LAS & PBI).

Date ​	NOTAM ​	Facility ​	State ​	Type ​	Description ​
01/22/2025​	5/5772​	ZTL​	NC​	VIP​	Asheville, NC, Friday, January 24, 2025 Local New ​
01/22/2025​	5/5686​	ZLA​	CA​	VIP​	Los Angeles, CA, Friday, January 24, 2025 through Friday, January 24, 2025 Local New ​

LAS VIP TFR issued, three own one to go

Date ​	NOTAM ​	Facility ​	State ​	Type ​	Description ​
01/23/2025​	5/5792​	ZLA​	NV​	VIP​	Las Vegas, NV, Friday, January 24, 2025 Local New ​

5/5792 NOTAM Details

 

[Mark]

ROYAL-06 C-17 #07-7169 Dover out of the Pa mountain areas doing low level work.. Used to be also ROYAL-03 callsign
that did that low level training work.. Says to Dover apch 132.425 will be in the pattern for next couple hours.
Seen these ROYAL-0* flights before skimming the Delaware Bay at 300 feet or lower.
Disappeared off ADSB shortly after.. Must be really low or turned off ADSB.Just like those 62ARW guys last week on the video.
They do that out here as well Now showed at 185 feet again over Del Bay.

 

[MMID303]

Mystery planes fly low over Pennsylvania. They are C-130s. Developing story lol.

https://www.pahomepage.com/video/top-video/video-three-planes-fly-low-in-luzerne-county/?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=socialflow&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0bDaz7x5rJJ56wSg1k2xKv8VG0fw6qZbOopX3brLNwAgiMclwSzp1HUYY_aem_6QOFWOt67neey8Vw384Rjw

 

[RaleighGuy]

https://www.pahomepage.com/video/top-video/video-three-planes-fly-low-in-luzerne-county/?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=socialflow&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0bDaz7x5rJJ56wSg1k2xKv8VG0fw6qZbOopX3brLNwAgiMclwSzp1HUYY_aem_6QOFWOt67neey8Vw384Rjw

What is this a link for? Not a fan of clicking random links.

 

[MMID303]

What is this a link for? Not a fan of clicking random links.

Forgot to add context. It's a story about three C-130s flying low over Pennsylvania. No real information. Just funny it made the news.

 

[reconrider8]

Hearing Blue41 calling Retro91 I believe was the callsign on 293.000 assuming they are going to be running a refueling operation

 

[Mark]

Happy New Year Mark & all,
BLUE42/58-0047 coronet code ties up for the last delivery batch of F16s for Bahrain, noted ready to blast from KGYH are F-16C 1609 & 1610 along with F-16D 1615 & 1616, altrv showing through LPPC for the 22nd onwards to Spain

Rgr Recon hearing some A/A 246.800 and Boom freq 293.000 BLUE-41,42 zipping up the Coast.
Next stop is LERT Rota Spain for tankers BLUE-41,42 anyway.