Overnight low temp 21...currently 31 and mostly sunny at BWI Airport
0900 hour had a pair of F-16s from the DC-ANG, callsign SCARY, in air combat missions with a simulated HUNTRESS controller. They used squadron tac freq «127.275» for their work. When finished, they cleared out of BayWatch area on «270.8», went to Reagan TRACON on «270.275» and then to Andrews Tower on «349.0» for landing at 1003.
Meanwhile, there are several Navy fighters in the BayWatch area...TESTER 00 (zero zero) entered on BayWatch freq «354.8» at 0957. There is also a pair of Navy fighters on BayWatch freq «256.5» performing various flight maneuvers around the 1000 hour - they turn out to be TESTER 21 and TESTER 00.
MUSSEL 1 and 6 are both up on the 1st Helo Squadron freq «292.2» 6 reported he was over Annapolis and 1 over Freeway.
1016: TESTER 21 finishes his work and is going home but TESTER 00 is staying in his area for more work and still using «256.5»
1018: JOSA 328 arriving at Andrews. He's a home station C-21 with a D/V A-4 plus 1, needs crew transportation for 2 and is in A-1 status. He'll be there in 25 minutes «141.55»
1021: A SALTY DOG 205 aircraft with Pax River on «250.3» describes himself as a T-45. The T-45 cockpit...
1029: SALTY DOG 205 descending to 3500 and going home «250.3
1036: TESTER 21 again...checking in at 8,000 with Pax River on «250.3»
1037:
DRAGO 51 (USAF memorial flyover callsign)with Reagan TRACON on «348.725»
1038: DRAGO 51 to Andrews TRACON on «335.5» reports direct Nottingham...then says he expects to be
handed off to TRACON 279.575
1040: DRAGO 51, flight of four - one of them is a female - 6 miles north of Nottingham «279.575»
1042: DRAGO 51 says flight is flying 10 mile legs with right hand turns at 3,000 feet. «279.575»
1043: Have a
BLUETAIL (E2C, VAR-121, Norfolk NAS, backend callsign) talking with
ZEUS (an apparent ground station) about a track number that is unknown.
«280.6» (That's a new freq for me.) The activity continues for the next several minutes talking about various tracks.
1045: DRAGO 51 says they will do a missing man "pull" and the female pilot, DRAGO 53, will ascend to 5,000 feet and sets a different squawk than the rest of the flight. «279.575»
1049: DRAGO 51 flight leader talks to DRAGO 2 on «279.575» (DRAGO 2 was a photographer the last time the DRAGOs did a flyover of Arlington National Cemetery and, apparently, that's his role again.)
1051: DRAGO 51 reports they are ready to start the initial. «279.575»
1051: DC 31 (KC-135, 756th ARS Andrews AFB MD) to LIBERATOR to report he was airborne at 1548Z from Andrews. «351.2»
1057: BLUETAIL reports to ZEUS that he'll be off station in 1 hour, 20 minutes to RTB «280.6»
1058: DRAGO 51 coordinating again with DRAGO 2. «279.575» (I don't hear DRAGO 2 which was the same the last time they flew.)
1059: DRAGO 51 tells Potomac TRACON to cancel IFR «279.575» (And that's exactly what 51 called him - Potomac TRACON - just in case there was any doubt about who this freq belongs to.)
1101: DRAGO 51 wants confirmation the DRAGO 53 is cleared for altitude block 5-9. «279.575» 51 then tells DRAGO 2 he confirms SOF at 1115.
1108: BLUETAIL still talking with ZEUS about various track numbers on his scope «280.6»
1109: DRAGO 51 tells Potomac he'd like to climb up to 5500 feet to save a little gas. «279.575» (I can't seem to find a tac freq for these DRAGO fighters. They don't seem to be using any of the DC-ANG tac freqs.)
1110: DRAGO 51 tells DRAGO 2 that his #4 man is running low on gas and they can't do too many more changes. «279.575»
1112: BLUETAIL mentions frequency 384.55 to ZEUS but I don't know in what context it was used since I can't hear ground station ZEUS. «280.6»
1114: DRAGO 51 reports they'll descend down to 3500 «279.575»
1114: BLUETAIL says he isn't getting anything on 384.55 «280.6» (I hear nothing on that freq either)
1116: DRAGO 51 reports leaving IP «279.575»
1116:
DRAGO tac freq is «140.975» (This is another new one for me and might just mean that these are not DC-ANG F-16s - or maybe it simply means they picked a new freq for all their chat.)
1117: DRAGOs are talking about it being a little bumpy out here at that altitude «140.975»
1119: DRAGO 51 reports "feet wet" «279.575»
1121: DRAGO 51 tells 53 she can talk directly to Potomac «140.975»
1121: She does. She wants vectors to rejoin the formation after doing her missing man maneuver. (Does anyone else find it ironic that a "female" is doing the missing "man" maneuver?) «279.575»
1122: DRAGO 53 reports visual with the formation «279.575»
1124: DRAGO 51 says they'll take (runway) 1L if available. «279.575»
1124: DRAGO 51 reports visual the field and cancels IFR and says they'll go direct to tower and says to push 349. «279.575»
1125: DRAGO 51 tells tower they are 4-ship formation for left runway. «349.0»
1125: One of the DRAGOs reports wx for Andrews to the rest of the flight on tac «140.975»
NOTE: Looking at the Arlington National Cemetery website, the only USAF funeral I could find for today was an Air Force major at 11:15 which fits for this schedule.
1127: DRAGO 51 reports they'll take the active (runway) «349.0»
1128: BLUETAIL still talking about various tracks he observes on his scope. «280.6»
1130: Last of the "gear down, full stop" reports to Tower on «349.0» by the DRAGOs. All apparently on the ground. The only way we'll know who these guys (and gal) were will be if we catch a flight of fighters departing Andrews sometime later today or tomorrow. Their terminology was a bit different than normal but not so much as to make them "outsiders." The tac freq was unusual and DC-ANG fighters almost always ask to land on 1R or 19L. This flight toook 1L and was happy with it.
1138: PACER 27 tells SAM Command on «378.1» that she was airborne (from Andrews) at 28 past the hour.
1144: TESTER 14 with Pax river on «123.7»
1147: REACH 2240, IDs as a single C-130 arriving at Dover in 15 minuttes, is A-1, offloading 6 pallets, zero pax and needs 17,000 pounds of fuel. Says it will be a gas and go stop only. «349.4» Dover Command Post
1149: JOSA 817 to SAM Command on «378.1» reports airborne from Andrews at 1646Z.
1154: REACH 2240 gets parking spot C-3 at Dover «349.4»
1156: Blue Angel 7, reports as a "single ship this morning" looking for left runway at Andrews with Reagan TRACON on «269.0»...then reports field in sight.
1159: Blue Angel 7 landing at Andrews with Tower on «349.0» He reports it'll be a full stop landing.
Continued below if necessary....
