Sticky Thread For Mid-Atlantic MilAir 2022

[mdmonitor]

1225- Navy LL 46 (P-3C # 161590 VP-30 NAS Jacksonville) up from Jacksonville and doing low level activity in the Norfolk-Langley area.

1330- From 67 now heading west---maybe back to the barn at Tinker?

 

[mdmonitor]

Hearing SILVER DOLLAR calling unid on 142.75. Said they were coming up to Gordonsville which is about where HOTROD88 is showing on ADS-B. Discussing adjusting airspeed for the other A/C.

Silver Dollar is callsign used by 1st AS C-32 acft when running exercise with E-4Bs, HF MARS & FEMA stns Must've been what I heard earlier on 142.75.

 

[wbagley]

Hearing SILVER DOLLAR calling unid on 142.75. Said they were coming up to Gordonsville which is about where HOTROD88 is showing on ADS-B. Discussing adjusting airspeed for the other A/C.

Is the other aircraft possibly E-6B FROM 67?

 

[listen13579]

Is the other aircraft possibly E-6B FROM 67?

View attachment 131838

Guessing so. They are maintaining the same altitude and speed heading west.

 

[mdmonitor]

Is the other aircraft possibly E-6B FROM 67?

View attachment 131838

Bill,

Cud be but it's usually one of the 09-#### C-32s. Looked on an HF list and didn't see any HF MARS/FEMA stuff being posted.

 

[wbagley]

Bill,

Cud be but it's usually one of the 09-#### C-32s. Looked on an HF list and didn't see any HF MARS/FEMA stuff being posted.

Maybe the E-6 is just on a coincidental trip back to Tinker from Pax. I am getting SILVER DOLLAR on 142.75 MHz AM called by another unseen unit that was sent down to FL290 for traffic. SILVER says they are still at FL280.

 

[mdmonitor]

1440- Salty Dog 122 (F-18 VX-23) working VX-23 Ops (250.7) advising that he and Salty Dog 124 are on their way in. Also advises that SD 122 still has "the Item" and to let maintenance know so they won't touch it for an hour after they land.

 

[mdmonitor]

Maybe the E-6 is just on a coincidental trip back to Tinker from Pax. I am getting SILVER DOLLAR on 142.75 MHz AM called by another unseen unit that was sent down to FL290 for traffic. SILVER says they are still at FL280.

Bill

Must've been a coincidence since at 1453 looks like Hotrod 88 is heading back to the DC area & From 67 is still heading west.

 

[listen13579]

Maybe the E-6 is just on a coincidental trip back to Tinker from Pax. I am getting SILVER DOLLAR on 142.75 MHz AM called by another unseen unit that was sent down to FL290 for traffic. SILVER says they are still at FL280.

Heard a LOAF 77 cleared to Andrews by Indy center a few minutes ago - not showing on ADS-B. Does that callsign make sense in this context?

 

[wbagley]

Heard a LOAF 77 cleared to Andrews by Indy center a few minutes ago - not showing on ADS-B. Does that callsign make sense in this context?

It certainly does! LOPE (?) 77 was C-32A 09-0015, the usual player with SILVER DOLLAR in recent months.

LOPE 77 was at Martinsburg, West Virginia. Here's an edit from the LiveATC KMRB 1730Z/12:30 pm EST tape of LOPE getting an ATC clearance back to Andrews followed by a takeoff clearance.

Also, a few seconds of chat on 142.75 MHz AM that I caught here in Kentucky at 2:29 pm EST. The calling station seems to say 'SILVER DOLLAR, int(erplane)'.

At 1949Z 09-0015 with a satcom ident of MC77 reported an altitude of FL290 which agrees with the voice chat clip at 1929Z.

AES:AE4AE6 GES: D0 2 ..90015 ! 80 6 BOEING C-32A UNITED STATES AIR FORCE FLIGHT MC77
M41AMC007701,08,POS1,MC,0077,31,KMRB,KADW
281949,N3943.5,W08141.6,106,491,+28938

 

[listen13579]

It certainly does! LOPE (?) 77 was C-32A 09-0015, the usual player with SILVER DOLLAR in recent months.

LOPE 77 was at Martinsburg, West Virginia. Here's an edit from the LiveATC KMRB 1730Z/12:30 pm EST tape of LOPE getting an ATC clearance back to Andrews followed by a takeoff clearance.

Also, a few seconds of chat on 142.75 MHz AM that I caught here in Kentucky at 2:29 pm EST. The calling station seems to say 'SILVER DOLLAR, int(erplane)'.

At 1949Z 09-0015 with a satcom ident of MC77 reported an altitude of FL290 which agrees with the voice chat clip at 1929Z.

LOPE landed a few minutes ahead of HOTROD at Andrews.

So SILVER DOLLAR is the E-4 back end or the C-32?

 

[wbagley]

LOPE landed a few minutes ahead of HOTROD at Andrews.

So SILVER DOLLAR is the E-4 back end or the C-32?

SILVER DOLLAR has been the backend callsign of the E-4 and its predecessors for six decades now.

From The History Of American Presidents Flying Aboard Doomsday Planes, emphasis mine:

NEACP operations began on February 19, 1962 with three KC-135A airborne command post aircraft assigned to the Night Watch program. One KC-135A, manned by a Joint Alternate Command Element battle staff (known by their static “back-end” call sign Silver Dollar), was on 24/7 alert and could be launched within 15 minutes. A second KC-135A was on a one-hour alert. The third jet was used for training when it wasn't undergoing maintenance.

The History Of American Presidents Flying Aboard Doomsday Planes (thedrive.com)

 

[Mark]

I see Travis AFB has a new TACAMO facility for their VQ-3 detachment of E-6B's.
DVIDS - News - Take Charge and Move Out (dvidshub.net)

Our first East Coast operational Marine Corp F-35B squadron. Going from "TIGERS" VMA-542 to VMFA-542
DVIDS - News - VMA-542 to transition to the Marine Corps’ first East Coast operational F-35 squadron (dvidshub.net)

 

[Mark]

115- Comic 01 (C-17 # 01-0197 3rd AS) off Dov heading north. Calling on 235.1 so maybe heading up to AR 206?

COMIC-01 got the early stage hook as alpha 3 back to Dover for #1 engine compressor failure. 25% Training complete.

 

[RaleighGuy]

While nothing official has been announced there are several reports of POTUS heading to Boston on Friday.

Biden heading to Boston at the same time at William and Kate's visit

President Joe Biden will be in Boston on Friday - the same day the Prince and Princess of Wales host their glitzy Earthshot Prize in that city.

www.dailymail.co.uk

From today's press briefing...

Q The Boston Globe is reporting that the President is going to be in Boston on Friday for a fundraiser. Can you confirm that trip? And then, also, they note that that day the Royals will be in Boston as well for the Earthshot Prize. Is there potentially going to be an overlap or meeting? Or will the President --

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, I heard about that. This is the -- the Prince of Wales is going to be -- so -- (laughter) -- I don't have anything to share on the President's travels for -- any traveling announcement to make for Friday or any -- any future date after tomorrow. As you all know, he’ll be going to Michigan.

Once we have something to share, certainly, we will share that. And as far as the -- the Royals being in town, I don't have anything to preview as well.

 

[wbagley]

I see Travis AFB has a new TACAMO facility for their VQ-3 detachment of E-6B's.
DVIDS - News - Take Charge and Move Out (dvidshub.net)

From the DVIDS link above (once again, emphasis mine):

The VQ-3 mission is to link Department of Defense leaders to nuclear submarines in the Pacific. The connection is possible with the Boeing E-6B Mercury, the Navy’s largest aircraft. The E-6B relays messages with a five-mile-long antenna that extends on a cable from the rear of the aircraft, then the pilot maneuvers into an orbit with a 30-to-50-degree bank slowed to a stall speed for as long as two to three hours. Miles below sea-level, messages are received by a nuclear submarine.

I wonder how many 'miles below sea-level' the sub is while receiving the messages.

The Long Trailing Wire Assembly antenna on the E-6B is actually the ground for the Short Trailing Wire Assembly antenna which transmits the VLF signal. Max indicated extension and retraction airspeed for both antennas is 230 knots so you can often anticipate trail mode TACAMO VLF transmission operations (without the tight orbits) when you see the ground speed drop while tracking on ADS-B over the water.

 

[Mark]

Our first East Coast operational Marine Corp F-35B squadron. Going from "TIGERS" VMA-542 to VMFA-542
DVIDS - News - VMA-542 to transition to the Marine Corps’ first East Coast operational F-35 squadron (dvidshub.net)

By the way callsign for VMA-452 soon to be VMFA-452 in past has been "LUSTY" as also in Ron's callsign list and other posts.
Older wiki post has them A/A as
311.525 VMA-542 (Callsign: LUSTY)
289.350 VMA-542 (Callsign: LUSTY)
Old historically busy squadron like them will most likely keep that callsign.
Nashville Milcom - The RadioReference Wiki

 

[RaleighGuy]

The perfect Christmas sweater for those in this group.

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Customize and Personalize Mug, Blanket, Clothing, Canvas - iGBMerch Official Website;

At iGB Merch, you can make every occasion, from Christmas to Mother's day Father's day, special with a unique and thoughtful custom coffee mug, canvas print, fleece blanket, pillow... with unique personalize design

wancana.com

 

[RichardKramer]

CH-47, 07-08034, working NE of Ft. Indiantown Gap on 227.3 @0930L.
Aphis70, E-6B, 162782, ESE of NJ coast Toms River, weak eam signal @0945 on 311.0.

 

[AirScan]

A couple of BOBBY tankers setting up for a Coronet ?