Sticky Thread for MilAir

[TinEar]

Mark, the 281.52(5) freq is Harrisburg Approach/Departure. They have three UHF freqs broken down by compass direction from the airport as follows:
281.525=080-179 degrees
273.525=180-309 degrees
269.450=310-079 degrees

Anyone wanting to program other UHF freqs for Harrisburg can enter the following:
Tower: 269.35
Ground: 348.6
Baton Ops: 395.1

 

[TinEar]

Today was the NASCAR Talladega race after a rainout yesterday so I didn't do much MilAir listening. However, I did note a pair of F-16s from the NJ-ANG at Atlantic City came down to the Pax area to work today in the 1300 hour. They were AERO 21 and 22 and used «138.875» tac and «354.8» while in the Pax area. They also used the «354.8» freq for refueling with STEEL 71 (KC-135E PA-ANG Pittsburgh) to take on 3500 pounds each. (288.0 is usually used for ANG refueling at Pax but I guess because air traffic was light in the area they could stay on 354.8.) They finished their training and flew back to Atlantic City shortly after 1500.

AERO 22 got a good chewing from the tanker's boom operator for breaking away before the boom was disconnected. The boom operator was unhappy. AERO 22 simply said, "My bad." The STEEL tanker changed boom operators after AERO 22 broke away and before 21's turn on the boom. I'm not sure if that was because the first boom operator didn't have his head in the right place any longer or if it was just for training purposes.

Also heard Bollen Range active in the 1300 hour on «237.2» but wasn't paying enough attention to get an ID on the aircraft.

 

[TinEar]

Around noon, there was a flight of A-10s (three and maybe more) using the MD-ANG transit callsign SPORT landing at Warfield ANGB (MTN) on «297.2». Didn't hear this flight leave so no telling where they are returning from.

1310: WILD flight of F-16s from Andrews up on tac «143.6» and up the coast with ZDC-Sea Isle «281.45» and over to Giant Killer on «255.0» by 1320.
1318: DC 22 (KC-135R 756th ARS Andrews) on squadron freq «351.2» with LIBERATOR. He says he was going to do some pattern work but instead is going to put it on the deck. He has a hydraulic leak around the boom and the fluid is obscuring visibility out the boom window. He's 10 minutes out and will land with 40K pounds of fuel on board.

 

[Mark]

Also heard DEECEE 21 and 22 depart Andrews almost same time...1422Z 351.200 Ops.
Heard 21 tell 22 push 276.5 AR freq.....new one for me.

Also ROCCO 62 KC-135 with McGuire ops 303.000 saying fighters for GK are late getting airborne so they will be late getting back..

Mark
Maryland

 

[scansomd]

165.24 Active

I show it as Customs. I just heard a brief transmission in the clear - sounded like a helicopter.

My BC9000 shows 44 hits on the frequency since I last turned it on (~ an hour ago) - indicating other activity I wasn't around to hear.

 

[TinEar]

The actual freq is 165.2375. Customs often patches the OMAHA aircraft when they scramble on the 282.425 freq onto the 165 freq. The patch is an FM mode signal.

There is also a lot of normal Customs activity from around Baltimore and BWI Airport on that freq. I've also recently heard them performing surveillance activity there.

 

[TinEar]

2014: PISTON 41 (KC-135R, 63rd ARS, AFRC Selfridge MI) into Giant Killer's area to refuel in AR-636 with OPEC 28 (KC-10A 2nd/32nd ARS MCGUIRE AFB.) «238.1» Says playtime will be 45 minutes. PISTON 41 tells a second KC-135 to go to Comm 2, «314.2» where I hear them make contact. The second aircraft is a female operator.
NOTE: I've been advised by a Michigan MilAir listener that 314.2 is PISTON's Command Post freq at Selfridge.
2017: PISTON 41 and OPEC 28 are also talking on primary refueling freq «238.9»
2026: PISTON 41 and OPEC 28 report making visual contact «238.9»
2034: HAGAR 91 (C5-Dover AFB DE) giving arrival message to Dover CP on «349.4»
2057: REACH 1819 arriving Andrews with CP on «378.1». Reports A-2, 7 pallets and 12 pax to offload. Needs Customs and Ag to meet the plane.
2057: VA-ANG tac freq «141.825» active but it doesn't sound like F-16 traffic.

2104: Have a flight of a couple of fighters on tac «141.9». I have this freq listed for Shaw AFB.
Just heard TBOLT 51 callsign so it's VA-ANG out of Richmond, not Shaw. I didn't have this freq for Richmond so will add it to my scan rotation and master freq list.
2138: The TBOLT flight is still in air combat maneuvers on tac «141.9» (I believe they are in the Pax River area...heard someone entering on 354.8 just before this flight became active.)
2140: BATON 52 (EC-130J, 193rd SOG, PA-ANG Harrisburg) with Baton Ops «395.1» giving arrival message. A-2, 9K fuel aboard.
2144: TBOLT flight finished exercise and about to head home to Richmond. «141.9»
2148: Have a MUSSEL 6 helo from the 1st Helo Squadron at Andrews on «292.2» that says he just had a bird strike and is going to return to base...20 minutes out. He's also with DCA Helo Control on «120.75»

 

[TinEar]

1245: HORNET 73 (Generic callsign for Pax River NAS F/A-18) with ZDC-Calvert «281.4» and then handed off to BayWatch «354.8» where he enters R-4006 for 20 minutes of work beginning at 1247. He says his RTB will be to Pax River when finished.

Where has all the daytime MilAir activity gone? Ever since the weather turned warmer, the activity has become sparse. We're not at the end of the fiscal year when training funds become a problem. Conserving fuel? Yeah, right!

Ask and ye shall receive....
1304: AVALON 74 (VC-9C, 375th AW, Scott AFB IL) with Andrews CP «141.55» arriving Andrews 1740Z, A-1, dropping off an Air Force Code 3 and numberous other AF Codes...needs 15,000 pounds of fuel. Will RON. Gave his tail number as 31681 which should make it 73-1681, a VC-9C.
1306: F-16s from Andrews airborne on tac «143.6» Callsign WILD, flight of two...also with Reagan TRACON for climbout to 15,000 feet. «348.725»
1310: WILD flight to ZDC-Calvert «281.4» heading for Pax.
1312: WILD handed off to BayWatch «270.8» where they check in at 15,000 feet. (They actually call "Patuxent Advisory" on this freq rather than BayWatch.) They are requesting entry to area R-6609.
1317: WILD tells Pax they'll RTB in approximately 35 minutes. «270.8»
1327: Have a DC KC-135 with LIBERATOR on squadron freq «351.2» (No suffix heard yet)
1338: NJ-ANG tac freq «138.425» active. And so is tac «138.875» (Traffic loud and clear for a couple of minutes and then they just disappeared.)
1346: WILD flight ready to head home...they clear from Pax area on «281.8» heading for Nottingham.
1350: WILD flight to Reagan TRACON «270.275» requesting vectors for straight in approach for two aircraft.
1351: WILD flight to SENATE SOF on «139.9» to report mission results and that both are Code 1. They are 6.9 minutes out. (They always say either 6.9 minutes or 69 miles out. Hmmm.)
1355: WILD flight to Andrews Tower «349.0» to report straight in formation approach from 10 miles out.
1358: U/I fighters on tac freq «140.2». They are talking about NYC airports (Kennedy and Laguardia) and the traffic into and out of those airports. Mention being over water. (Sounds like a transit flight.) Still active 1406 but sound like they are flying away from my listening range or dropping altitude.
1359: A-10s airborne from Martin State on tac «142.3» (Heard a single transmission and that was it. Also hearing some very weak traffic on 41.95 so they may be using their FM radios for chat.)

1408: Warren Grove Range active with a flight just checking in. «283.1» It's the same pair from tac 140.2. Must be A-10s from Bradley or Barnes. (Didn't hear them on ZNY-Kennedy or Ship Bottom which they normally use going to WG.)
1411: The flight at Warren Grove and on 140.2 are A-10s from the CT-ANG at Bradley. Callsign is MAKO and they are talking with range controller RANGER. «283.1»
1422: TESTER 21 with BayWatch «270.8» mentions being in the area for 15 minutes.
1444: Navy fighters in air combat maneuvers on tac «365.7» Callsign RAGE. (I've been trying to convince myself the callsign is RAGIN which would make them F/A-18s from VFA-37 [Ragin Bulls] at Oceana but all I can hear is RAGE.)
1446: DC 33 (KC-135R 756th ARS, 459 ARW Andrews AFB MD) with Reagan TRACON «270.275»
1452: DC 33 asking for vectors to runway 1L at Andrews «270.275»
1452: MAKO flight with ZNY-Kennedy for flight home «282.3» in altitude block 190-200.
1454: DC 33 with Andrews Tower «118.4» for landing or pattern work.
1454: MAKO flight handed off to ZNY-Ship Bottom «307.8»
1458: TEAL 38 (WC-130J 53rd WRS, Keesler AFB, Biloxi, MS) with Andrews Tower «118.4» for landing.
1458: DC 34 with Reagan TRACON «270.275»

1503: DC 34 with Andrews Tower «118.4»
1505: RAGE flight finishes ACM on «365.7» (Every time they finish on this freq, I look for their other freqs but never find them other than the DOG flights which use the normal Pax River freqs to return to Pax NAS. RAGE just seems to elude me every time.)
1507: Navy 691 with Andrews Tower «118.4» Reports seeing the KC-135 (DC 34 most likely.)
1515: U/I fighters on tac «139.6» but activity is too weak to copy.
1516: Freq «391.0» active. This freq normally used for Coronet mission refueling. It's about the same signal strength as the activity on 139.6.
1523: Martin State A-10s up again on tac «142.3» (This must be the flight heard outgoing at 1359.) Callsign RAVEN.
1529: RAVEN A-10s with Dover AFB Approach «257.875», then to U-5 with BWI TRACON «317.425» descending from 6 to 3,000 feet...have visual on runway 33 at Warfield ANGB. Handed off to TRACON «282.275» and then to U-4 Martin Tower on «297.2»
1544: SPACE 1 reports to Andrews Command Post that he was airborne at 1930Z. «141.55» (This should be a C-21. Last time I logged him he had tail number 40104 on 2/8/06.)
1546: PACER 62 arriving Andrews in 15 minutes, is A-2. He's a home station C-21 that was on a training sortie. His only request is for a crew bus. «141.55»

1600: And all is quiet once again. It's also quitting time. However...
1606: Just as I was shutting down, I began hearing U/I MilAir activity on «307.875». Will put a receiver on this freq for the future to see if I can come up with an ID for it. Sounds like fighters manuevering.

 

[BMT]

TINEAR
Hot here in FL. and A/C all over the place. I just turn my scanner on and had 10 hits in 11 minutes.
Yesterday I had hits on 75 different freqs. ;-)

BMT

 

[TinEar]

2038: VA-ANG F-16s up again tonight...tac «141.875» active. Callsign BASH.
2041: The VA F-16s mention they'll be refueling. «141.875»
2042: Another pair of VA-ANG F-16s on tac «141.825» Callsign SLAM.
2044: VA F-16s also with Norfolk TRACON «370.925»
2045: Also have «142.175» active with BASH...sounds like they're using it for SOF.
2046: BASH 31 flight into Giant Killer's area on «238.1» looking for TOPCAT (KC-135E 108th ARW, NJ-ANG McGuire AFB) tanker.
2046: SLAM 41 flight into Giant Killer's area on «238.1»

Continued below if necessary....page break so might as well.

 

[N9PBD]

TinEar,

That AVALON from Scott probably isn't a VC-9C, as Scott has only 3 C-9's assigned, all with the 932 AW (Reserve), and they're all C-9A medevacs. Do the VC-9's out of Andrews use the AVALON callsign, too?

Greg

 

[scansomd]

142.175 active Patuxent River area

2037 - 142.175 MHz active - strong signal.

 

[TinEar]

Thanks Greg. My callsign list showed it to be a C-9A but then I looked up the tail number and got the VC-9C designator. I found it here...
http://cgibin.rcn.com/jeremy.k/cgi-bin/usafSearch.pl?target=73-1681&content=

However, I know you know of what you speak in this regard so I am changing the ID back to its original C-9A designation.
What's the difference between the 375th and the 932nd Air Wings at Scott? (My callsign list shows C-9A but also shows 375th.) Nevermind...just looked up the AFRC order of battle and there is no 375th AW at Scott.
Oh...and the AVALON callsign isn't used at Andrews as far as I know.

2057: Have a third VA-ANG F-16 flight active...TBOLT 51...with Giant Killer on «238.1»
BASH 31/32
SLAM 41/42
TBOLT 51/52
TOPCAT refueling them but I can't find the actual refueling activity.

2117: U/I activity on tac freq «141.075»
2123: SLAM flight in air combat activity «141.825». They are working up around 30,000 feet so are booming in for this part of the flight.
2140: SLAM 41 tells Giant Killer they'll RTB in 5 minutes. «238.1»
2144: SLAM heading for home...requests direct Hopewell. «238.1»
2144: COBRA 20 (EA-6B VAQ-209 Andrews) with Reagan TRACON «322.3»
2146: KING 34 on refueling freq «252.8» calling JOLLY 21...says he just took off from New Castle (DE)
Don't believe KING computes in my callsign database; KING used by several units but nothing that fits this activity. Same for JOLLY.
2150: KING 34 asking JOLLY 21 if he needs refueling help on the way home. Can't hear the transmissions from JOLLY so don't know the reply. «252.8»
2156: One of the VA-ANG flights on «141.6» Too weak to copy which one. (Or maybe it's the Red Sox game blasting in the background that blocked it out.)

2205: CRAB 55 (C-130J, MD-ANG Warfield ANGB) landing Martin State with Tower «121.3»

 

[JackTV]

I heard some type of refueling on 238.9
Are you guys just hearing 141.825 or other VHF freqs?
21:36- Thanx Tin, thats all I am hearing up here. Just wanted to
make sure I did not have a radio problem.

Jack

 

[TinEar]

Jack, I'm only hearing 141.825 at the moment with SLAM but had BASH on 141.875 earlier and 142.175 active for SOF. Not sure what the TBOLT flight is using for tac. Last night they used 141.9.

 

[N9PBD]

Alan,

The 375th only has C-21's now, it's still here at Scott. The DOD took away their C-9A fleet and retired them and left them with the lear jets. A local congressman was ticked off that the DOD was essentially closing down the 932nd since their only mission was medevac on the 375th's C-9s. The congressman coerced the Air Force into keeping 3 C-9A Nightengales active until the reserves get their replacment C-40B aircraft somewhere down the road.

Other than the JOSA C-21's, we can't figure out what the 375th Wing is here for... :wink:

73, Greg

 

[TinEar]

Yeah, who needs those old JOSAs anyway? Actually, I confused myself. I looked up the AFRC AOB and found the 932nd and no 375th - forgetting that the 375th is Air Mobility Command - not AFRC. That's what happens when you try to listen to a bunch of radios and log it all and try to do research at the same time. Sigh.

Thanks again Greg for keeping me straight.

Alan

 

[JackTV]

Green Dominion on 313.7

I am picking up a VERY LOUD Green dominion on 313.7
Sounds like Green dominion is a base and 849 sounds like some
kind of aircraft.

Jack

 

[TinEar]

2040: And here come the F-16s from the VA-ANG at Richmond once again. Tac freq 141.875 is the first heard. Callsign BASH.
This is the third night in a row for the VA-ANG aircraft to work. Each night the flight has taken off about 2030.
I've got very noisy conditions on the VHF band tonight. If it's weak, it's in the mud.
2043: BASH 31, flight of two, checks in with Giant Killer on «238.1» Says he'll be working in AR-636 with TOPCAT 03 (KC-135E 108th ARW, NJ ANG McGuire AFB) and with a SLAM 41 flight. Flight is at FL 230.
2044: SLAM 41 checks into GK's area and will also meet the tanker. «238.1»
2047: SLAM 41 flight on tac «141.6». Says they'll be working with goggles. (NVG)
2047: TBOLT 51 flight of F-16s from the VA-ANG also checks in with Giant Killer on «238.1» They are down around area W-72 for the refueling so this could get difficult to hear from here...as it has been the past couple of nights during the refueling operation.
BASH 31, SLAM 41 and TBOLT 51 are all two ship flights of F-16s from Richmond. The three tac freqs heard have been 141.6, 141.825 and 141.875. One of the flights mentioned playtime would be about an hour.
2053: Refueling freq is «238.9» Hearing the SLAM flight there working the TOPCAT 03 tanker but the freq is very noisy for me.

2101: Those guys on «313.7» that Jack logged above seem to be testing a datalink of some sort with friend and foe tracks on the airborne scope being transmitted from the ground controller.
2106: Have U/I MilAir activity on «313.55» Two aircraft talking. (Occasional transmissions thru 2118. Nothing that would provide an ID.)
2109: Also have U/I activity on tac freq «139.6»
2112: SALTY DOG 320 (Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 [VX-23])with ZDC-Calvert «281.4»
2114: SALTY DOG 320 handed off to Pax Approach on «281.8» for landing at Pax. Handed off to another Pax freq at 2118. (Didn't chase him down.)
2129: ACM activity on Giant Killer's ops freq «391.2» Nothing heard to confirm it's the Richmond flights...yet.
2136: Have now...it's the BASH flight on «391.2»
2142: BATON 20 (EC-130J, 193rd SOG, PA-ANG Harrisburg) to Baton Ops on «395.1» with arrival message....15 minutes out, A-2, 20,000 pounds of fuel on board
2143: BASH 31 to GK on «238.1» to report the two ship flight is ready to RTB. Position is 17 miles northeast of HEELS as they head for Richmond.
2144: SLAM 41 flight to GK to say they will follow the BASH 31 flight back to Richmond. «238.1»
Didn't hear TBOLT 51 flight check out but assume he must have gone home with the others.
2150: Leesburg Radio with PAT 27 on FSS freq «255.4» Leesburg talks with him for several minutes and I never hear the aircraft - just the ground station. There is a mention of Quantico mixed in there.
2150: The «313.7»freq with aircraft 849 and ground station Green Dominion are still talking about the datalink display and whether certain tracks are displaying as hostile. 849 is talking with one ground station that is booming and sounds as close as a transmitter at BWI would from my location. Another ground station is not audible to me at all.
849 also talks to someone he calls ALLIGATOR.
2159: the 849 aircraft from the 313.7 freq calls Giant Killer on «238.1» to say he'll be clearing out of the area in about 10 minutes and wants to put his clearance on request.

2209: 849 makes contact with Giant Killer and gets his clearance back to Patuxent. «238.1» So we know where he's based at least (maybe).
2210: 849 goes back to «313.7» to say he's maintaining mission profile while heading home and then back to GK's «238.1» freq to clear off.
2223: Have a DC 42 tanker (KC-135R, 756th ARS Andrews AFB MD) coming home to Andrews on squadron freq «351.2» with LIBERATOR. In the middle of the transmission he reports they just had a bird strike.
2229: DC 42 landing at Andrews on runway 19R with Tower on «118.4»
2243: REACH 900 arriving Andrews...with Approach on «119.3» (Believe I heard him a couple of minutes earlier using an AirTran airline call - Citrus 6034 on this freq.)
2247: REACH 900 to Andrews Tower «118.4» for landing.

 

[Mark]

A few Heavies this afternoon...

REACH 958 C-17 arrive andrews 1620z 378.100 CP
REACH 6019 C-5 depart Dover 1719z,"notify Eielson we are enroute" Alaska trip..
REACH 9008 C-5 from Stewart arrive dover 349.400 1810z,uploads.
REACH 945 C-17 arrive Andrews 1915z,req c/ag.
EVAC 33114 C-17 MS ANG arrive Andrews around 1930z

Mark