Apparently, that CAP over Michigan last night was not a CAP at all. They were shadowing an off-course private aircraft that eventually crashed in West Virginia. There's a story about it here:
http://sundaygazettemail.com/section/News/200603187
Putting two and two together and maybe coming up with five....remember last night when ARROW 23/24 were just coming on station and were made to switch refueling freqs because ARROW 21 was being sent after a TOI and needed the primary freq? I wonder if he was being sent to take a look at the scene in West Virginia?
I think that refueling problem last night was solved by bringing a second tanker into the area - SKATER 01. At first, I thought he was a replacement for TANKER 14 but 14 stayed around even after SKATER came in and refueled the fighter pair and then left the area.
Random thought: I wonder if the Air Force will ever get around to actually replacing the old and frail KC-135s instead of just talking about it. The tanker folks in the Air Force all agree the KC-135 is the right size and they don't need tankers the size of the KC-10 which is out of production anyway. They're spending a lot of money reworking the E models into R models but it still leaves a frame that's about 50 years old.
1327: ARROW 27/28 in the process of refueling and preparing to take over the CAP from 35/36. TANKER 18 currently has refueling duty. The new ARROW flight was heard about 10 minutes earlier on their air-to-air 369.15 freq as they approached the CAP area. Tail numbers are 79-0037 for ARROW 27 and 79-0066 for 28.
1330: Have a pair of aircraft radio checking on the Boeing (Wilmington) Test Flight freq «321.7»
1338: The ARROW 35/36 pair worked their clearance back to Eglin with GUARD DOG on «288.35» as normal but then were sent to
Washington Center on «307.025» where they made contact. From there it was over to ZDC-Gordonsville on «351.9»
At first I thought the 307.025 freq was a mistake and that they really should have been on 307.25 (ZDC-DuPont) but they did come up and make contact on the 307.025 freq with Center where they checked in and reported FL280 as their altitude.
They also are using «338.75» as an air-to-air chat freq on their way home. This freq can be added to that unit's tac list along with 369.15.
1354: REACH 3127 arriving McGuire with Command Post on «319.4» Report they'll arrive at 20 after the hour, are A-1, have no pax or cargo, need a crew bus and parking spot.
1359: Martin State A-10s up on tac «142.3»
1402: The Martin State A-10s are with FSS (Flight Service Station) on «255.4» but are too low and weak to copy.
1408: TANKER 18 calling HUNTRESS to request RTB. «228.9»
1409: TANKER 19 with GUARD DOG on «135.525» at FL260 and requesting freq for HUNTRESS. Gets 228.9.
1410: TANKER 19 to HUNTRESS on «228.9» to report he's 42 miles from the IP.
1411: TANKER 18 requests FL350 and direct Lincoln (NE) «228.9» This probably makes him part of the 155th Air Refueling Wing NE-ANG at Lincoln.
1412: TANKER 18 (same) to GUARD DOG on «135.525»
1413: Theres an aircraft with Martin State Tower on «121.3» that's reporting a major fire - he says it's about 5 miles north of Martin State. He then says there's about a dozen cars on fire.
(I've been poking around the Harford County TRS but hear nothing on their fire freqs about this fire.)
1424: ARROW 27 heading for TANKER 19 to refuel. 19 wanted him to change to 260.9 for the boom freq but 27 vetoed that and wants to stay right here on «228.9». 19 is okay with that.
1441: ARROW 28 heading for TANKER 19 to refuel «228.9»
By the way, there's a NOTAM out that aircraft contacting the Command Post at Andrews should use 141.55 (and not the 378.1 freq) from now through midnight on Wednesday, March 22nd.
NOTE: That fire mentioned above is apparently within Baltimore County. Operations are on their TRS TG 624, 656 and 688. They are mentioning cars on fire but I think it pertains to a junkyard or just junked cars somewhere. They have mutual aid from at least BWI Airport's Fire Department. Need the foam trucks. Also have TROOPER 1 from MPS at the scene. Harford County is also mutual aid to this fire.
I have the fire up on the webcast as of 1456...off at 1636.
1504: Navy refueling freq «123.525» active. No callsigns heard yet.
1533: PAIN 11 (spelled callsign) to Leesburg Radio on FSS freq «255.4» asking for winds aloft at FL 260 and FL 300. Says he's currently over Baltimore. Leesburg Radio replies with the winds while transmitting from the BWI antenna. (I have no listing for the PAIN callsign.)
Found PAIN in a different database which indicates it's an E3 type aircraft from the 552nd at Tinker AFB OK.
1537: The CAP just moved to «260.9» ARROW 27/28 and TANKER 19 are all there.
1542: Raven Ops talking to A-10s on the ground at Martin State «347.2» He's talking to AXEMAN 2. (I can hear the ground station but not the aircraft.)
1554: ARROW 27 with TANKER 19 to top off his tanks again «260.9»
1558: Four A-10s coming home to Martin State with Raven Ops on «347.2» 1 is Code 2, the other three are Code 1. They are at very low alitutude and very weak.
1604: ARROW 28 to the tanker for topoff. «260.9»
1608: A-10 flight landing at Martin State with Tower on «297.2» Callsign COLT.
1616: TANKER 19 tells ARROW 27 that he saw a problem while 27 was disconnecting from the boom. There was a slight delay. As a result, this automatically disqualifies 27 from refueling again with this tanker. ARROW 27 relays this info to HUNTRESS that since he can't refuel again, maybe they should make preparations for a replacement. Further discussion reveals that ARROW 27 has enough gas now to allow him to finish out his shift and, if necessary, he can refuel at Langley on his way home. «260.9»
1624: TANKER 19 calls HUNTRESS to say, "We've got a sick boom. Our boom is broken." «260.9»
1627: ARROW 27 calls HUNTRESS to announce they've only got 30 minutes of playtime due to fuel if they consider the trip home. If they plan to refuel at Langley on the way home, they have two hours of playtime. «260.9» They ask when HUNTRESS expects the next tanker to show up. Can't hear HUNTRESS so couldn't hear the reply to that question.
1629: ARROW 28 asks where the next tanker is coming from...maybe they can meet it on the way here to get enough fuel to make it home. Then he mentions Pittsburgh and doesn't see how that will help. That apparently tells us where TANKER 20 will come from. «260.9» (They pull these KC-135s from all over the country for this GUARD DOG CAP)
1631: ARROW 27 and 28 go to tac «369.15» to confirm their math is correct about the playtime they have left. They also say if they have to go to Langley for fuel, they'll have to RON there due to crew rest requirements.
1631: TANKER 19 gets permission from HUNTRESS to RTB «260.9» They then switch to GUARD DOG on «135.525» to ask that Center starts working their clearance so they can RTB. They request FL280 on the way.
1634: TANKER 19 tells HUNTRESS they're about to leave now and are direct Tinker (OK) at this time. «260.9» They say the same to GUARD DOG on «135.525» but add direct Tulsa before direct Tinker.
That info should identify TANKER 19 as part of the 507th Air Refueling Wing of the Air Force Reserve unit stationed at Tinker AFB OK.
Getting close to character limit for this message...continued below if necessary.
