Early 1100 hour has DEVIL 11/12 F-16s from Atlantic City on their way home from the Dover area (30 miles west of Dover.) Heard on 327.125 with Atlantic City Approach requesting vectors to the ILS runway 31 at ACY and with Devil Ops on 261.0 reporting 6-9 minutes out, Code 1 for 11 and Code 2 for 12 software issue as previously known.
Sounds like BLACKJACK is active with HUNTRESS on 139.7 at 1108 but only heard one transmission from him.
U/I C-130 going into Andrews...called Andrews Navy Ops on 386.8 and then 139.3 to report 10 minutes out at 1105. Didn't get to either freq in time to hear callsign.
Other than those few, MilAir activity doesn't seem to exist this morning.
1115: Crab Ops (MD-ANG) talking to an aircraft on the ground...385.9 (Also heard Raven Ops a few minutes ago on 347.2 talking to aircraft on the ground so something might be getting ready to fly from MTN.)
1117: And here they go...RAVEN flight of A-10s from MTN report to Raven Ops they're off at 17 (past the hour)...347.2
1119: U/I on Guard 121.5..."Potomac Approach, this is Coast Guard 1CX (1CE the second time he called). Do you read me?" His transmitter is cutting in and out. He's obviously got a radio problem of some kind. (Callsign: One Charlie Xray and One Charlie Echo)
1124: Another flight of A-10s is up from MTN on interflight freq...callsign AXEMAN...142.3
1127: AXEMAN reports to Raven Ops they were off at 22...347.2
1128: RAVEN flight checking into Pax...354.8 (No interflight freq for RAVEN heard...and just found out why...it's a single ship A-10 flight)
1129: AXEMAN flight with Dover Approach...257.875
1130: TESTER 10 with BayWatch...354.8
1133: AXEMAN flight mentions 10 miles south of Bay Bridge...142.3
1133: CRAB 54 (C-130J MD-ANG MTN) calling Crab Ops (and he's got a stuck mic button)...385.9
1134: CRAB 54 reports off at 30...ground confirms "off at 30 past the hour"...385.9
1136: Crab Ops calling CRAB 51...385.9
1137: AXEMAN 1 calls Atlantic City Approach...says they're at 7500 feet VFR on the way to the range...327.125
1137: Crab Ops calls CRAB 51 again...51 responds that he's got some type of problem but is too weak to understand (he may still be on the ground)...385.9
1139: Crab Ops to CRAB 51 and says they're going to try to get you another aircraft before the mission tonight...(if 51 responded, I couldn't hear him this time)...385.9
1146: GRAYHAWK 1 (E-2 Norfolk NAS) calls "Command Post" on Dover's CP freq...x3, no joy...349.4
1147: GRAYHAWK 1 calls Comand Post again and transmits in the blind..."10 minutes out, we'll need 5000 pounds of gas upon arrival"....349.4
1148: GRAYHAWK 1..."On a new transmitter. How do you hear?"...349.4
1150: U/I that might have been the GRAYHAWK 1 reporting 7 miles to the west...to Dover Tower...279.625
1152: Refueling freq..female voice...no callsigns...295.8
1154: REACH 375 calling Dover Metro but he's on the wrong freq....252.1
1155: The AXEMAN pair of A-10s is now out of listening range...they apparently went to the Warren Grove Range for work but were at low altitudes so can't be heard....RAVEN was at Pax last time heard, was working alone so no transmissions from him heard at all since he checked in there.
1157: REACH 375 now calling Dover Command Post but still on the wrong freq...252.1
1158: REACH 375 finally got it right...calling Dover Metro...makes contact and asks for Westover (KCEF) weather for 1730Z.."please include winds, pressure, altitude and temperature"...342.0
1201: REACH 375 gets the weather for KCEF...IDs as a C-5 at FL 330, reports winds at 273/128...342.0
1206: PAT 098 calling Andrews Command Post...x3, no joy...141.55
1210: RAVEN 1 to Raven Ops to report 10 minutes out, Code 3 for ??? computer and CDU...347.2
1214: Have a U/I with Andrews saying he's going to try a couple of approach into Andrews...if he can't make it he'll divert to Pax....wants the controller to check with Pax to make sure they don't have a runway closure "or anything crazy like that"...378.1
1215: RAVEN 1 to MTN Tower for straight in to runway 33...297.2
1217: NAVY 700 on HUNTRESS freq reports airborne and asks for a radio check...says he's flying 270 at level 3000...he's "ready for Sparkle"...260.9
1218: NAVY 700 tells ground that when they're ready to Sparkle, give him a range and bearing...then repeats bearing 226, 7 miles...reports good Sparkle, continue for demo please....off the nose 13 miles...260.9
He apparently has passengers that are observing this test of the warning system. I heard him from takeoff but he never mentioned a ground station callsign...just reported airborne and started talking.
1221: NAVY 700 still reporting good visual on the Sparkle..."thanks for the help" which makes it look like the test is already done...360.9
1221: RAVEN 1 reports gear down...297.2
1223: RAVEN 1 reports on the deck at 22 to Raven Ops (he's on the ground while reporting this)...Ops repeats that...347.2
1226: U/I to Willow Grove AFRC Ops reports 10 minutes out, A-3 for numerous writeups...351.75
1229: AXEMAN flight back in listening range...sound like they're on the way home...142.3
1231: AXEMAN flight to Raven Ops with arrival msg...10 minutes out (missed Code for 1...2 is Code 2 for Ops radio...347.2
1232: AXEMAN to MTN Tower...flight of two for straight in...2 will land first followed by number 1...297.2
1234: AXEMAN 2 reports ATIS info...part of which is winds are 290/17 with gusts to 35...142.3
The AXEMAN pair was non-stop chat on the way out as long as I could hear them with the flight leader instructing the #2 on various instruments aboard the A-10 and flight procedures for this area. Same thing on the way home. Sounds like we've got a pilot new to this area aboard #2.
1237: AXEMAN 2 to MTN Tower to report 3 miles out, straight in for runway 33....AXEMAN 1 reports gear down, full stop for runway 33...297.2 (Followed by more chat on 142.3 about why they do things the way they do in this area.)
1241: BRAVE 61 (F-16 scramble from Andrews) with TRACON for climbout...348.725
1242: BRAVE 61/62 direct DAILY climbing to FL 190....139.7
1242: BRAVE 61 to someone on the ground asks, "Understand this is an exercise?"...139.7
1243: BRAVE 61 tells HUNTRESS to slow down and just tell them what he wants...139.7
HUNTRESS got into the "crazy" mode and started shouting out BRAs to the BRAVE flight which resulted in that response from the flight leader.
1243: BRAVE 61/62 to ZDC-Calvert...281.4
1243: HUNTRESS gives BRA to the BRAVE 61/62 flight...139.8
1244: BRAVE asks ZDC to climb to 260 for air defense exercise...and is cleared...281.4
1245: BRAVE 61/62 both report timber sweet, no contact with TOI...tail number of TOI is N10FG...139.7
I believe that tail number was from HUNTRESS to the fighters.
1246: BRAVE 61/62 handed to ZDC-Brooke...327.0
1247: HUNTRESS continues to give TOI BRA to the fighters...139.7
1248: BRAVE 61 to ZDC to report bearing 255 to intercept the TOI...tally ho reported...327.0
1248: Tally reported at 15 miles by BRAVE 61...airspeed 230 for the TOI...139.7
1250: BRAVEs have tally on other traffic than their TOI in their current area...target identified as a single KC-135...asks HUNTRESS if he wants a tail number...139.7
1251: BRAVE 61 gives the tail number as 91497 with a New Jersey tail flash...139.7
This should make the TOI a KC-135 from the 108th ARW at McGuire. Full tail number would be 59-1497, "The Spirit of Warren City."
1252: BRAVE 61 reports two pilots in the cockpit and nothing seems out of the normal...139.7
1253: BRAVE 61 says he's on the TOI's wing at this time...tells ZDC he doesn't know how long they'll be there...327.0
1253: HUNTRESS tells BRAVE 61 to use Victor Guard...61 asks if he means "real world Victor Guard"...139.7
I put a radio on 121.5 but heard nothing there.
1254: HUNTRESS tells BRAVE 61 to headbutt the target south...139.7
1254: BRAVE 61 tells HUNTRESS the TOI is not responding to the headbutt...tells BRAVE 62 to join on the left wing of the TOI...repeats that TOI is not responding to headbutt...139.7
1255: BRAVE 61 tells ZDC they're awaiting words from HUNTRESS...they're still with the TOI who is at altitude 255...327.0
1256: BRAVE 61 tells HUNTRESS the target is starting a right hand turn...HUNTRESS tells them to terminate...139.7
1257: HUNTRESS gives BRAVE 61/62 a news mission -- RTB...BRAVE 61 reports they'll orbit at Nottingham to burn down gas...says BRAVE 61 will land first, 62 second...139.7
1257: BRAVE 61 says HUNTRESS is done with them...want to hold at OTT...327.0
1258: HUNTRESS asks BRAVE 61 for fuel and Codes...61 says he's currently 6900 pounds but has to hold to burn down gas...says when they burn off the gas, he'll give codes, etc...139.7
1259: BRAVE 61 reports maintaining FL 240...327.0
1301: BRAVE 61 says to switch to U-19 and come up with TRACON...says they'll orbit around OTT for the next 15 minutes...then 61 will land and 62 will hold for another 15 minutes...wants 6-7000 feet for their orbit at OTT...335.5 (Both F-16s have a little over 6000 pounds of gas at this time)
1307: BRAVE 61 tells TRACON he's ready to RTB and that 62 will hold for another 15 minutes...335.5
1307: BRAVE 61 tells HUNTRESS he's Code 1 with 4200 pounds of gas...62 reports Code 1 with 5300 pounds...139.7
1307: BRAVE 61 to CAPITOL to report 5 minutes out...139.7
1309: BRAVE 61 reports he's heading for runway 1R, full stop...335.5
1310: BRAVE 61 to Andrews Tower to report "gear, base, stop, right"...349.0 (He's down...now we just need BRAVE 62 to finish his gas burn and we'll be done. Very interesting exercise to go after a KC-135 rather than the usual Cessna 172 belonging to the Civil Air Patrol. I don't monitor the VHF ZDC freqs so wasn't monitoring the progress of the McGuire KC-135.)
1315: BRAVE 62 with CAPITOL for chat...139.7
1319: JOSA 458 reports "wheels up at 1809Z" to Griffin Command...378.1
1320: BRAVE 62 chatting with BRAVE 61 who's on the ground at Andrews...139.7
He's still orbitting at Nottingham at 5000 and should be ready to land in about 5 minutes.
1322: BOLAR 77 (C-5 Dover) with arrival msg to Dover CP...on the ground in 30 minutes...349.4
1325: BRAVE 62 to TRACON to begin initial for Andrews...335.5
1326: Crab Ops talking to aircraft on the ground...mentions Charlie 5 (no context)...385.9
1327: REACH 285 [female] to Andrews CP with arrival message...9 crew...no pax or cargo...40K fuel...tail 30081...378.1
1328: BRAVE 62 reports he'll be landing to Capitol...139.7
1328: BRAVE 62 with TRACON...says something about staying for one (minute?)...335.5
1330: REACH 285 still repeating (for the fourth time) her arrival message to Andrews...378.1
1331: BRAVE 62 to CAPITOL...something about HUNTRESS (not sure what he said)...139.7
1333: BRAVE 62 tells HUNTRESS he's going to remain airborne for maintenance purposes...HUNTRESS asks what's going on...62 simply reports that the ground is doing maintenance and told him to stay airborne....62 then gets a msg from CAPITOL and then tells HUNTRESS he's going to RTB at this time...reports Code 1, 4000 pounds of fuel...139.7
1334: BRAVE 62 to TRACON for approach to runway 1R...descending and has field in sight...335.5
1335: BRAVE 62 to CAPITOL to report 10 minutes out, Code 1...139.7
1335: BRAVE 62 to ADW Twr...report 7 miles out, initial for runway 1R...349.0
1337: U/I fighter traffic on interflight...143.25 (Willow Grove A-10s?)
1337: BRAVE 62 reports, "base, gear, stop, right"...349.0 (and we're done with him too...finally)
And I've had enough for now...time to rest the weary typing fingers... back later.
Ref below: Tony, you had that alert message at Dulles about a minute or two before the actual takeoff of the alert fighters. Unfortunately, I didn't see your message in time but, fortunately, stumbled upon the BRAVE F-16s climbing out with TRACON. My scanner that runs full time searching 138-144 grabbed them immediately on the 139.7 freq anyway so nothing lost.
