TinEar
Member
trainman111 said:
They're working down in the southwest corner of the CAP area because of the weather Nick. So they're much closer to you than usual.
1348: Just heard that 302.075 freq again (scanning 300-303 for the CAP fighters interflight freq which is how I found it earlier and again this time). Didn't hear a callsign but it was an aircraft at very low altitude..."leaving 1700 for 4000" (feet). I guess it could be a "mixer" winding up on that freq but will park a scanner on it to see what turns up.
1435: RAMROD 11/12 coming into the CAP area to replace 65/66...260.9
1521: TANKER 21 confirms the tail number I posted earlier....62-3506...260.9
1524: TANKER 21 cleared to RTB by HUNTRESS...260.9
1524: RAMROD 11 tells 12 to change to "Point 4 in the main" and come up on...300.425
1539: TANKER 22 (KC-135R, 465th ARS AFRC, Tinker AFB OK) contacts HUNTRESS to say he's got a problem...he's only going to be able to offload 20,000 pounds from one of his tanks once he gets to the CAP (still out a way). Says he can do that offload and then will need to RTB. He wants HUNTRESS to notify TACC so they can start planning accordingly...as it is, he'll be 5-10 minutes late due to weather...260.9
1547: RAMROD 11 tells HUNTRESS that if there's only 20K of gas available, only one aircraft will be able to maintain the VOL...says they'll be about an hour short...260.9
1554: TANKER 22 tells RAMROD 11 he's entering from the northwest. Says he now can give 30K and wants to know if they want 15K apiece. 11 tells him they're still working that out...260.9
1555: TANKER 22 reports established on track at FL 240...260.9
1557: TANKER 22 now says they've done some work and tells RAMROD 11 he can now give 40,000 pounds...11 says with 20K each they can make it to the end of their VOL...260.9 (It keeps getting better with every utterance.)
1559: TANKER 22 asks RAMROD 11 if they're ready to refuel...11 says they'll wait about 15 minutes...22 reports they're slowing to save fuel...260.9
1617: RAMROD 11 sends 12 to the tanker...TANKER 22 says he's going to be working a real thin track in the northwest portion of the CAP area...260.9
1628: TANKER 22 tells HUNTRESS the weather is starting to squeeze them into a small space....and one of the fighters pops in with, "Yeah, it's nasty."...260.9
1628: TANKER 22 says it would help if they could extend the track out about 20 miles to the east...260.9
1629: RAMROD 11 now heading for the tanker...22 picking up speed to match the fighter...260.9
1629: Royal Air Force C-130/C5 (C-130J), tail ZH885, Lyneham Transport Wing, RAF Lyneham...landing ADW...118.4 (ASCOT but missed his numbers...sounded like ASCOT 47M)
1635: RAMROD 11 finishes his AR...they took 10K each for now and, apparently, will take another 10K each in a bit...260.9
1636: CAP participants really getting worried about the weather moving into their area - especially the tanker...260.9
1650: TANKER 22 tells HUNTRESS they absolutely cannot stay in this area due to wx...we're going to have to RTB now...says they already made Guard Dog mad...can't get the track they want...260.9
1651: RAMROD 11 says they'll go take the rest of the fuel now...22 says he can stay on this track for a bit....tanker and F-15s are going to slow to a speed of 290 knots...260.9
1652: TANKER 22 says he can give out the 20K he has if they hurry...260.9
1652: U/I aircraft an Andrews trying to get in to the field in spite of a ramp freeze in effect....118.4
RAMP FREEZE 29 JUL 20:45 2007 UNTIL 29 JUL 21:15 2007
1654: TANKER 22 says he's got to slow to 250 knots in the turns because of the wx...of course, the fighters can't go that slow during refueling...260.9
1655: Another Royal Air Force ASCOT C-130/C5 (C-130J), tail ZH888 from Lyneham Training Wing, RAF Lyneham heading into Andrews...119.3
1702: RAMROD 12 finishes AR after taking 10K for a total of 31,400 pounds...11 is heading for the tanker...22 says he's got to maintain the track in the western portion of the Guard Dog area...tanker in a hard right turn...says he can only work the area with right turns...260.9
I set my Weatherbug display for zip code 21788 at Camp David to see the weather they're talking about. Looks nasty except for the northwest corner of the area as they've mentioned.
1711: RAMROD 11 off the boom and heading back to the CAP at FL 220...260.9
1711: TANKER 22 says he understands he should be working his clearance out of here...HUNTRESS gives him the okay to RTB...260.9...over to Potomac for his clearance and says he understands he has to stay in the CAP untill he gets the clearance...135.525
1717: TANKER 22 cleared and handed off to ZDC-Hagerstown 134.15 where he checks in at FL 240 direct Hagesrstown
RAMROD 11 asked TANKER 22 for his tail number while 22 was talking to Potomac. 22 told him to standby. They never did pass it so this is the only tanker tail number during the CAP that I don't have. Sometimes, that's the way it goes. Can't be lucky all the time.
1749: Weather is still key in the CAP...RAMROD 11 reports they have to stay in the very north of the area due to a cell moving through...says if the cell moves to the north they're going to run out of airspace...260.9
1800: If you're hearing REACH 6002 on ZDC VHF, don't try to ID it from those numbers...it's C-17A, 01-0196, 437th AW Charleston.
1810: RAMROD 11 tells HUNTRESS they're now having to stay within 7 miles of the northern border of the airspace...estimates in about 20 minutes they won't be able to maintain the airspace at all....wants to know weather at Seymour Johnson...260.9
1813: RAMROD 11 working with Potomac to try to find some alternate space to fly in...apparently there might be an area in the southern part of the CAP they can move to...11 wants them to keep him apprised of the airspace down there...350.25
1816: RAMROD 11 says they might move down to the south...says they'll have to go west out of the airspace to get to the south though...350.25
1817: RAMROD 11 to HUNTRESS to relay the message about being clear in the south FL 190 and above...says they might have to move down there if they get boxed in up here in the north...260.9
1825: RAMROD 11 clears 12 to head down south and to report the weather once he gets there...260.9 (He also reports that to Potomac on 350.25)
1834: RAMROD 12 gets to the south, says the weather is better than in the north...260.9
1835: RAMROD 11 advises HUNTRESS they've got one hour of playtime (based on fuel remaining)...260.9
1841: RAMROD 11 moves to the south too and they're in the block 210-250...260.9
1910: RAMROD 11 lets HUNTRESS know their bingo point is 10,000 pounds...wingman only has 1000 pounds above that or 5-6 minutes left before he has to head for home...260.9
1915: RAMROD 11 tells HUNTRESS his wingman is 2 minutes from bingo and they're awaiting words...wants to know if they should leave together or work it as a single ship...11/12 are going to close into formation so it looks like both have been cleared out...260.9
1916: RAMROD 11 to Potomac (who he keeps calling "Center") to get clearance back to Seymour Johnson for both of them...350.25 (guess this means the CAP is being disbanded...haven't heard anything about replacements arriving or even another tanker coming in)
1918: RAMROD 11 tells Potomac they'd like to alter course a bit...want to go through Langley (LFI) for their first point and then back on normal course...350.25
Guess HARRIER and crew will be taking care of anything that might happen just as they do overnight once the CAP is disbanded.
1923: RAMROD 11/12 cleared to GSB at FL 260...first checkpoint is direct Langley...350.25
1925: RAMROD 11/12 handed off to ZDC-Brooke and check in there at FL 260...327.0
1927: RAMROD 11 reports exiting the airspace to the south....will remain this freq to let HUNTRESS know when they're switching (switching to what/where?)...260.9
1931: RAMROD 11/12 handed to ZDC-Calvert and check in at FL 260...cleared to FL 220 and say they've got to move left to get around a thunderstorm...281.4
1936: RAMROD 11/12 handed to Norfolk Approach 353.7...no joy and come back to 281.4... sent to ZDC-Franklin where they check in at FL 220...290.425
1944: RAMROD 11/12 handed to ZDC-Cofield and check in there...323.0
And that's the end of them and the end of the CAP for this evening. Guess they'll be back at it at 0600 tomorrow.
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