Newest USAF Thunderbirds

[DLeeHarley]

I've been searching this sites database for the T-Birds latest freqs. And I find most of the posts are quite old except for 143.7000 & 150.1500 Is there a site anyone can inform me about that lists the latest news on what freqs they are using? They are coming here to Mountain Home AFB Idaho on Sept. 14, 2008. Any help would & will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

 

[SCPD]

you looked real hard?? try two post below your post http://www.radioreference.com/forums/showthread.php?t=101859

 

[ka3jjz]

And go to the Monitoring times website - they still have the 2007 airshow monitoring list linked there (it's a PDF file), and with the exception of the new freqs (there's another one as well - see the MT milcom blog for more), the TBirds are listed there. The links can be found here (anything in blue)

http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Thunderbirds_2008

73 Mike

 

[Navairboss]

And go to the Monitoring times website - they still have the 2007 airshow monitoring list linked there (it's a PDF file), and with the exception of the new freqs (there's another one as well - see the MT milcom blog for more), the TBirds are listed there. The links can be found here (anything in blue)

http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Thunderbirds_2008

73 Mike

The 2008 MT Airshow Guide is now available. See http://mt-milcom.blogspot.com/2008/04/mt-airshow-guide-2008-now-available.html for more details.

The TBirds freqs and possible additional freqs to watch are also posted on the MT Blog. In fact the latest airshow report will probably be up before the end of the working day.

http://mt-milcom.blogspot.com/2008/04/late-breaking-news-another-new-tbird.html

73 de Chief

 

[barefootdipole]

U 2 322.95 this was the most exciting yesterday at Wilmington NC airshow when they had an IFE with a speed brake malfunction and had to land and exchange birds during the show....the T-Birds Commander was here doing the IFE checklist with the pilot before landing....the info here was lightyears ahead of anything the show operators/announcers/ems knew about....

 

[Smith29180]

Today chs t bird practice the following freqs where in use

143.7 diamond
235.25 solo's
216.7275 theme music
216.9775 pre flight ground

also #3 had a malfunction and had to land early .I hope to be available for tomorrows base show and practice and will post any new updates
Ron

 

[SCANdal]

Gentlemen,

Please pardon my ignorance, since I haven't been to an airshow in well over a dog's year and when I did attend them I didn't have any radio gear with me....

I am wondering why so many frequencies are needed for use by the pilots during an airshow. In published lists (i.e.: March's Annual MT Air Show Guide), I see, for example in the Thunderbirds section, a frequency for use during the diamond formation. I see another for use during the Four Ship formation. And yet another for the Solo demonstations. Other demonstration teams have only one frequency listed, which makes sense to me - having all the pilots up in the air at one time being able to talk to one another if need be. With all that I imagine the pilots have to contend with up in the air, it doesn't sound too safe to me for the pilots to have to be fumbling around with the radio to change channels between demonstations - even if it is just the punch of a button. Am I missing something in understanding how these channels are used among the planes in the sky?

SCANdal

 

[CORN]

I actually think the pilots don't have to touch a single button in reguards to changing frequencies. I know with the Blue Angels which have three freqs in use during the 6 ship performance (excluding Fat Albert, he has his own), two for behind the crowd (solos and diamond) and one for show center used by both elements, they use a comm cart and a computer or something to that matter that switches the frequencies automatically.

But with the Thunderbirds, at least during the shows i've seen them in, they use two frequencies only. The solos have theirs and the diamond has theirs. The diamond usually on VHF and the solos on UHF. The only time that as frequency change is needed in a T-bird performance is at the end when they all join up in the Delta formation, then the solos switch over to VHF (or maybe its done automatically too). Anyway, its not as daunting a task for the pilot as it seems.

 

[N1BHH]

I was told by one of the Blue's ground techs (ten years ago) that they had the ability to transceive on 3 radios simultaneously, yet they only set them up for 2 normally. I have experienced monitoring the same transmissions (not in a dream) from the same bird on 2 different frequencies. I had a scanner in each of my back pockets hooked to stereo headphones. I heard the Thunderbirds using one VHF and one UHF and at another time 2 UHF and yet another time 2 VHF at the same time. So it wouldn't surprise me to hear them on 3 frequencies. Their frequency selection would be most likely on the stick, rather than reaching down to spin a knob or throw a switch on a preselect radio. These birds are equipped with more avionics than you could imagine.

 

[bpckty1]

Understandable, since in combat they would need to monitor the forward observer, AWACS, and their flight at the same time. Good catch.

 

[SCANdal]

Gentlemen,

Thank you for the first hand details. The phase that comes to mind is "train as you would fight" and, I suppose, every public demonstation is really, in essence, a training exercise.

SCANdal