Looks like the CAP is going to pick up where it would have been had it run as originally scheduled. At 1442,
TANKER 05, tail 58-0098, is coming down from the 133rd ARS NH-ANG Pease. So, there was no TANKER 03 and 04.
Fighters will be F-15s from the 71st Fighter Squadron, 1st Fighter Wing, Langley AFB VA.
I don't show any records for this particular tanker having CAP duty in the past few months that I've been keeping records. He was heard last February using the PACK unit callsign a couple of times but that's it.
The President is back at Andrews. Air Force One arrived just about 1445 and SAM 93 came in about 20 minutes earlier. Air Force Two was heard leaving Andrews at 1400.
Late 1400 hour...COBRA 70 (OC-135B, 61-2670, 45th RS) on his way into Andrews from overseas...378.1
And 61-2670 is leaving Andrews at approximately 1710... a little over two hours on the ground.
1455: TANKER 05 with TRACON...126.55
1455: The HARASS fighters are on their way...with ZDC-Franklin 290.425 and then with ZDC-Calvert 281.4 (At least I think it's them although I didn't hear a callsign...yes it was one of them)
1458: TANKER 05 tells Potomac TRACON he's switching over to HUNTRESS now...says he's squawking 1354...126.55 (Note the tanker used 126.55 instead of the normal 135.525 for Potomac)
1458: TANKER 05 established contact with HUNTRESS on primary freq...260.9
1503: HARASS 41 to HUNTRESS checking in as fragged minus 1...weapons safe, nose is cold...260.9
1504: HARASS 41 bullseye check from Thurmont 161/85...260.9
1506: HARASS 41 flight to Potomac to check into the Guard Dog CAP...says HARASS 42 will be here in about 10 minutes...350.25
1508: HARASS 41 confirming boom is on this frequency...260.9
1509: HARASS 41 reports visual sighting of the tanker...260.9
1510: HARASS 41 confirming altitude block for the CAP is 210-250...350.25
1512:
HARASS 41 gives his tail as 83-010 (full is 83-0010)...TANKER 05 gives his tail as 0098 (full is 58-0098)....260.9
1513: TANKER 05 asks HARASS 41 if he wants to switch to
277.35 for the boom...41 says no, he wants to stay here...260.9 (277.35 would be a new freq for me)
1517: HARASS 41 disconnects from the boom after topping off his tanks....260.9
HARASS 41 has a funky transmitter...his signal strength is good but modulation is set on the weak side.
1524: Apparently, Potomac just told HARASS 41 he's outside the CAP border...350.25.....41 goes back to HUNTRESS to say he shows he's 5 miles within the border of the CAP and asks if he's outside...also asks if the borders have changed in, say, the last 5 months...he does a bullseye check to ensure he's where he thinks he is...260.9
1528: HARASS 41 back with Potomac...says he shows the area as basically a long rectangle...asks if they show him close to the northwest border right now...whatever Potomac tells him, he says he'll tell the squadron to change the borders (within the onboard computer apparently so it will display correctly on their flight radar)...350.25
1529: HARASS 41 gives a PIREP to HUNTRESS...clouds here and there...260.9
1532: HARASS 41 wants HUNTRESS to reset the net (for his datalink)...he's getting a "failed" indicator but yet he's seeing surveillance tracks...260.9
1539: HARASS 41 asking Potomac how close he's showing him to the border now...he's satisfied with the reply so he must be compensating for where he was earlier told the border is...350.25
1550: TANKER 05 just made a switching mistake...he's calling
"Any Station, Any Station on 6761 Upper"...he's transmitting this on 260.9 instead of on his SSB HF radio he thought he was on.
1550: Might have just heard HARASS 42 with ZDC-Calvert...281.4 (Sure was a long 10 minutes - and he's still not here.)
1555: HARASS 42 calls 41 and says he's airborne approximately 80 (miles) to the south...260.9
1600: HARRASS 42 handed off by ZDC-Calvert 281.4 over to Potomac 350.25 and checks in there at FL 210.
1601: HARASS 42 checks in w/HUNTRESS, notes weapons safe and heads for the tanker...flight leader 41 tells 42 he's okay to go to the tanker...he also explains about the oval shape rather than what their display shows...says the corners are oval rather than squared (Duh!)...260.9
1606: TANKER 05/HARASS 42 going through the handshake procedures before an AR op..visual sighting, radar off (nose is cold), weapons safe, pre-contact, etc...260.9
1611: HARASS 41 wants 42 to rejoin on him to check out a left nozzle...260.9 (41's radio was really bad on that xmission...42 had to have him repeat it)
These are F-15s...must expect problems to occur at any given time during the flight </sarcasm>
1614: HARASS 41 holding 275 (speed) as 42 closes on him...260.9
1615: 41 says he's showing left nozzle closed...will cut power, bring it back to idle and see if it opens...going to idle...off, back to idle...42 says the left one is a little more closed...41 tells 42 to pass under him and see if he's missing any portion of it...42 finally tells 41 they look good...41 clears 42 back to his coverage area...all is well in F-15 land...in response to HUNTRESS, 41 says no issue for him...260.9
1627: HARASS 41 looking for a TOI pointout by HUNTRESS...has him at BRA 063/12/1000...then he's told to "skip it"...260.9
1630: HARASS 41 getting another TOI pointout (41's radio is getting worse and worse - it alternates between good and very bad/weak/distorted modulation)...260.9 (Believe these TOIs are just to check out the datalink and are not intruders into the airspace)
1633: HARASS 42 asks 41 is he's on mission channel 001 or 004...41 is on 004, 42 is on 001 but is seeing everybody so no problem...260.9
1649: TANKER 05 tells HUNTRESS his mission end time is 2245(Z) - "or whenever we're not needed"...260.9
1652: HARASS 41 to TANKER 05...coming in for a topoff...260.9
1659: HARASS 41 off the boom all fattened up with jet fuel...260.9
1700: HARASS 42 had a TOI pointout from HUNTRESS...quickly given the skip it command...250.9
1830: HARASS 41 going to TANKER 05 (probably for last fillup before heading home)...260.9
1830: TANKER 06 to HUNTRESS to report he's 30 minutes out...will call back when he gets closer...260.9
1836: TANKER 05 starts the hinting game...says he heard 06 on the way, says the HARASS fighters are done with him, uhhh, he's ready to go home...260.9
1839: TANKER 06 wants to know if he should come in at FL 240 or 250....05 tells him he's at 240...260.9
1840: TANKER 05 to Potomac says he'd like to work his flight home...says he's ready to go...gets his clearance and off he goes...126.55
1842: TANKER 05 tells HUNTRESS, "We got our clearance and we're out."...260.9
1843: TANKER 05 handed off to ZNY-Harrisburg 133.475 (and that's where I'll leave him)
1843:
TANKER 06 should be a KC-135R, 63-8038, 133rd ARS NH-ANG Pease getting near the area.
1857: TANKER 06 getting closer still...beginning his descent...down to FL 280...270...260 and finally at FL 250 at 1900.
1859: HARASS 43 with ZDC-Calvert...281.4
1859: TANKER 06 lets HUNTRESS know he'll be coming in at FL 250...260.9
1859: HARASS 43 to Potomac to say he's 10 miles south of the area...cleared in by Potomac...350.25
1900: HARASS 43/44 checking in as fragged and will head for the tanker...260.9
1901: TANKER 06 with Potomac to enter Guard Dog CAP....cleared in at FL 250...135.525
1904: TANKER 06 with HUNTRESS...HARASS 43 going for 1000 pounds, 44 will top off...260.9
1907: HARASS 41 to Potomac...says they'll be ready to go in two minutes...350.25
1910: HARASS 41 tells HUNTRESS they're ready to RTB...HUNTRESS tells his flight to stay right here until 43/44 are ready to take the CAP...they're still with the tanker...260.9
1913: HARASS 43/44 finally report on station and tells HUNTRESS he can release 41/42...HUNTRESS does that very thing and off they go...260.9
1915: HARASS 41/42 say they're going to MAN AUX and come up on 360.15 as expected to chat on the way home.
1959: HARASS 43 tells TANKER 06 that if he takes any pictures of them refueling, he can just email them down at Langley and he'll see they get copies...TANKER 06
says they don't have a camera with them tonight. He goes on to say that this pilot has the duty in the CAP Monday evening and they'll have the camera with them then. HARASS 43 says to tell all the guys that if they take pictures they can just contact Langley and he'll see they get copies. (I'll leave it at that but what's wrong with this picture? Does anyone else see a giant ego at work?)...260.9
We're probably set until the end of the CAP tonight with the current players. No further logging unless something significant happens.
2234: TANKER 06 to Potomac to say he'll be RTBing in about 25 minutes...wants to start working the clearance back to Portmouth NH...135.525
2252: TANKER 06 reports fuel offload to the two fighters during this shift...22,700 pounds to HARASS 43 and 24,400 pounds to 44...260.9
2255: TANKER 06 to Potomac to pick up their clearance back to NH...says he's got another four minutes but was told to get it...gets his flight route to Pease, asking for FL 310...135.525
2257: HARASS 43/44 to Man Prime 360.15 where 43 tells 44 he thought the CAP was over at 0300Z but it's not over for another 20 minutes...360.15
2300: TANKER 06 to Potomac to say he's been released from the CAP...he's released from the Guard Dog area and off he goes to Pease...handed off to ZDC-Potomac 133.975...135.525
2305: TANKER 06 handed off to ZNY-Middletown 132.2 (and I'm done with him)
2316: HARASS 43/44 to Potomac to say they're 5 minutes from RTB and want to start working their clearance...direct Langley...350.25
2320: HUNTRESS clears HARASS 43/44 to RTB...260.9....over to Potomac for their clearance to Langley at FL 190 via Harcum...350.25...over to MAN AUX 360.15 for interflight.
End of CAP...back at 0600 (unless they change it again as they did last night)
Ref Below
ka3jjz/Mike said:
Hmmm Just caught Tanker 05 on 260.9 calling on '6761 upper' - anyone have their HF gear up while this was going on? I think that's a GCS discrete freq.
Mike, I've heard tankers from both the 756th from Andrews and the 108th from McGuire also using that 6761 upper sideband freq. Lots of military on it.
