George, CAPITOL is the callsign used by the DC-ANG F-16s for flyby/memorial flights (other than at Arlington National Cemetery when they become DRAGO) and, according to what you heard, apparently for a possible CAP that night. They usually use the BRAVE callsign for CAP duty which makes me wonder what they actually did. They also use variations of the CAPITOL callsign such as CAP/CAPS/CAPITOL GUARDIANS (the actual unit nickname) when they travel out of the area. When they call back to base on 139.7, the ground squadron controller for those flights and for scrambles using the BRAVE callsign is CAPITOL also.
1704: Just checking out a radio and happened to hear a JEDI 11 flight of F-22A aircraft from Langley reporting to GIant Killer on 238.1 they are 20 miles east of HEELS, RTB Langley, at flight level 140.
1726: TESTER 12 (USN Test Pilot School) to Patuxent on 270.8 to report he can't maintain VFR for his descent and wants IFR. He changes to "button 12" and I lose him.
1805: TESTER 11 reports RTB to Pax o 270.8...wants GCA for practice.
1806: JOSA 699 to Andrews on 378.1 with arrival message...tail 40115, 20 minutes out, Code 1, zero pax of any kind, zero gas needed, mission compete.
1810: TOPCAT 2 (KC-135E 108th ARW, NJ ANG McGuire AFB) reporting at 9500, heading for 8000 feet with Atlantic City Approach...124.6 (First time he gave his callsign, he used 29 for a suffix and then just 2 every time after that. TOPCAT tankers normally only use a single digit suffix.)
1810: U/I helo with Phillips AAF reporting 20 miles west, wants to land on the VIP pad to dropff a passenger and then will be returning to Davison AAF...126.15
1811: TOPCAT 2 wants dirext DIXIE, then direct McGuire...124.6
1815: Have probable TOPCAT 2 (female) on squadron freq 303.0
1840: REACH 507/570T calling Griffin CP at Andrews several times, no joy...378.1 (He's not sure of his callsign...he's alternately using 507T and 570T. His 570s outnumber 507s so we'll go with that.)
1846: REACH 570T makes contact on 378.1 with arrival message...20 minutes out, A-1, has 70,000 pounds of cargo, 35 passengers, needs 90,000 pounds of fuel, a crew bus and parking...gives 0172 with no context a minute later which I think is his tail number...says he's going to do a quick turn so will assemble the passengers "pretty quick."
1851: Josa 923 reports airborn time as 2245Z...141.55
1853: BOXER 226 calling Boxer Ops on squadron freq 314.25...just a report that he's airborne.
1857: REACH 570T to Andrews Tower to report 15 out heading for runway 1R...118.4
1901: PAT 40 reports off Baltimore Junction for Route 17 (helo route) to Greenbelt and then Springfield...120.75
1920: AR-636 primary freq 238.9 active...couple of chatters...no callsigns...at FL 280
1924: PAT 297 landing at Andrews with Tower...118.4
1927: Big U/I arriving Andrews...25 minutes out, A-1, no cargo or pax but needs 145,000 pounds of fuel and transportation for 15 crew members along with a parking spot. (Will try to catch callsign when he gets in the pattern with Approach or Tower.)
1929: U/I activity on 139.9 but doesn't sound like DC-ANG SOF activity....someone reports leaving position WJ-507. (VHF AM is so noisy that I'm having a difficult time hearing anything through the static tonight.)
1932: SAM Interplane freq 136.725 active...lead aircraft reports 5 miles from Richmond at FL 230 descending...winds at 95 mph...descent is smooth. (See ramp freeze below)
1936: REACH 01 reports off the ground at 2331Z and wants Andrews to tell Warner Robins they should be there about 0100Z...378.1
1941: SAM 94 is leading the primary aircraft toward Andrews...reporting again on the descent, that it's smooth and the primary should be able to keep his speed up...136.725 (I'm presuming this is Air Force 1 as the primary but he's not within listening range yet - just the SAM 94 lead aircraft is being heard at this point.)
1947: Evac 21101 calling SAM Command on 378.1
1947: SAM 94 tells AF 1 he's behind a C-17...AF 1 now can be heard and reports he's going to slow down...136.725
1948: SAM 94 with Andrews Tower...118.4....he tells Tower that "Primary" has had to slow down and he's asking why he's had to do that.
1949: SAM 94 asks AF 1 where he is...AF 1 says he's 30 miles out of Richmond and slowing down because he was told there's an aircraft ahead of him. 94 tells him he doesn't have a thing that should be slowing down his approach...136.725
1952: SAM 94 tells AF1 he just found out who's slowing him down..it's the press plane...136.725
1955: The two aircraft on AR-636 primary freq 238.9 are using suffixes 11 and 12...they are pushing up the speed to 275.
2001: U/I aircraft with CASINO ROYALE at Westover on 252.1
2006: Air Force 1 reports 12 miles out, visual for runway 1R...repeats he's cleared to land...w/ADW Tower 118.4
2008: Air Force 1 reports gear down...118.4
2022: Have a U/I flight working at the Warren Grove Range on 283.1...sounds like they're just getting set to arrive there...say they'll be in block 13-14 (13-14000 feet) and will give a call in a couple of minutes
2024: Also have a U/I flight with ZNY-Kennedy 282.3 -- probably same flight going to the range and probably an A-10 flight from Barnes MA or Bradley CT...and at 2026 they're on ZNY-Dixie 307.8 (last stop before the range) as expected but no callsign heard yet.
2027: U/I flight leaving FL 230 for 210 and then requests to go down to assigned block..he's cutting off his callsign when he speaks...his suffix is 21...307.8
2029: Flight checks onto Warren Grove Range on 283.1...callsign might be PIGPEN 01 which would make them Bradley A-10s...there is another flight with the 21 suffix coming in also.
Callsign was really FIG so what I thought was PIGPEN was probably FIG and a two digit suffix. I know FIG belongs to A-10s from one of the New England units but I don't know if it's Barnes or Bradley.
2030: One of the flights at Warren Grove is using 138.825 for tac. (The FIG flight)
Mark, give me some help with these callsigns please...you're 100 miles closer to the range and should be hearing them very well.
Within a couple of minutes after getting to the range, all the activity disappears from my listening range once they dropped down to the assigned 130-140 block and even lower for target attacks. I can't squeeze the squelch either due to the noise levels tonight.
2045: The Warren Grove Range flights are yakking on 138.825 again - probably climbed between attacks...and the other group is using 140.2 for tac - just heard them for the first time.
2046: One of the flights from the range is leaving and heading for Barnes at 14,500 feet...currently with ZNY-Dixie 307.8 (Hmmm...Barnes or Bradley or both?)
2055: Both...it's KILLER 21 with ZNY-Dixie 307.8 deciding on FL 160 for the trip. (KILLER is A-10 from Bradley) Says they're off the range now and altitude block will be 14.5-15.5...changing to U-16
So, KILLER 21 was a flight from Bradley...heard a U/I callsign say he's heading for Barnes so we had units from both bases down at the range tonight.
2102: SAM 0826 arriving at Andrews...with Approach 119.3
Time for "The Unit"...back later.
Airnav is indicating their airborne fixes section is closed for software upgrade.
Ramp Freeze for Andrews tonight beginning at 2020...
AIR TERMINAL RAMP FREEZE 25 OCT 00:20 UNTIL 25 OCT 00:50
Ref a couple below: Same here Mark...the signal has gone from 1 bar to 6 bars full meter in the last couple of minutes.
