Viper Airspace & Adirondack Airspace Complex, Oswego, Grimm, Yankee, Laser MOAs/ATCAAs
- Thread starter nyplumma
- Start date
nyplumma
Member
A lot of information to "chew on". Most of it 15 years old or better, but you'll notice there "are some frequencies" that are still in use today.
With this old article (below) I typed in some "just as old" preset cards entries to give you an example of "how they use their radios" on the range(s), comparing the article descriptions with the frequency card assignments.
I'm sure you'll recognize a few freqs as still being in use today and will "already know" how these freqs are tied to their respective assignments (ie; 271.2 & 267.8).
But keep in mind, references to things like "Have Quick" have long since been replaced with different secure software (thus new radios) as well as different frequencies. It's more the "meat of the article" (below) that to me is descriptive enough to be "informative".
I put in some old pictures I had of the Fort Drum Range Towers (I believe?).
I'll post both preset cards in their entirety, next post. It's over the character limit for this forum to include everything in one shot.
------------------------------
The 104th FW (BARNES MA ANG A-10s - now gone) had on their cards:
B-09 257.650 Approach - Wheeler Sack AAF, NY
B-10 267.800 Range-35 - Fort Drum, NY
B-11 290.250 Tower - Wheeler Sack AAF, NY
XX 250.900 Range - Fort Drum, NY
XX 271.200 Range - Fort Drum, NY
V-07 134.350 FOL - Fort Drum, NY
Vxx 138.075 Fort Drum Range
FM-6 41.950 FOL - Fort Drum, NY
------------------------------
103rd FW (BRADLEY CT ANG A-10s - now gone) had on their cards:
B-10 257.600 Approach - Wheeler Sack,NY
B-11 267.800 Scoring Range - Fort Drum,NY
B-12 271.200 Impact Range - Fort Drum,NY
B-13 290.250 Tower - Wheeler Sack AAF,NY
B-xx 250.900 Range - Fort Drum, NY
V-xx 138.075 Fort Drum Range, NY
You'll notice 244.5 "does not appear" so we know there have been some frequency assignment changes. However, the article below "is of value" in explaining "how the FOL & Ft. Drum" work, such as the "pilot choices" when entering Fort Drum, going to the "impact range" or "scoring range" which explains why there are (at least) two different freqs in use for "the range(s)" at Ft. Drum, ie; two different range controllers, "scoring" & "impact".
----------------------------------
Below is an old blog entry from 2005 (18 years old) but still a great read since you live so close and I know it will all make sense to you once you see how the frequencies (*your already hearing) are actually assigned, ie; the "scoring range" and the "impact range".
A-10As over Fort Drum! by Philippe Colin:
Fort Drum's Wheeler Sack Army Airfield is the home of the 10th Mountain Division (LI) Aviation Brigade. What is not common knowledge is that it also serves as the174th FW's Forward Operating Location, also known as Det.2.
Little is known in the aviation community about the activities taking place at this Army Airfield occupied by hundreds of US Army helicopters. Historically, air operations at Fort Drum began early in the century and the name Wheeler Sack Army Airfield derives from the names of two 27th Brigade Army officer aviators who died in the crash of their biplane on Fort Drum (then named Pine Camp) in 1927.
The 174th Fighter Wing from the New York Air National Guard has had a Forward Operating Location at Wheeler Sack AAF since 1984. At that time, the unit was flying the A-10A 'Thunderbolt II' with Close Air Support (CAS) as one of its primary mission from Hancock Field in Syracuse, New York. Before 1984, the 174th FW Range 35 Complex (also known as the R5201 Restricted Area) located 7 miles north of the airfield had been in operations as Det.1.
The unit leases the range from the Army and have guaranteed range time through an Inter-Service Support Agreement. The FOL officially became Detachment 2, 174th FW in 1997. The Range complex had officially became Detachment 1 several years before that.
The concept for the FOL was developed at Wing HQ when the 174th was flying the A-10A. The Forward Operating Location allowed the unit's A-10s to both refuel and recalibrate their GAU-8 30mm cannons, and drop live bombs on the range without having to fly back to Syracuse. Aircraft were able to 'turn' much quicker if they stayed at the FOL, and the unit saved considerably in associated costs of flying repeatedly back to home base.
The A-10A was designed to operate from austere forwards airfields close to the front during conflicts, including many in Germany and Southern Europe, as well as sections of the autobhan in Germany.
Crews at the FOL learn their various skills in 'turning' an aircraft in what is described as an 'academic' environment, rather than a combat environment. Typical of the numerous duties performed by the crew is munitions handling.
Live bombs cannot be armed or stored on most of ANG bases because they share facilities with civilian commercial airports. Instead, the bombs are assembled and loaded at the FOL for training missions on the range. Live missiles can't be used on the range because it is located in the very heavily traveled northeast air corridor, where a missile going awry would present a serious hazard to life and property.
Following Desert Storm, daytime range utilization had decreased and night range utilization steadily increased when A-10's Wings started to train with Night Vision Goggles (NVG).
When the 174th Fighter Wing officially converted from the A-10A to the F-16A in 1989, its aircraft could no longer use the short runway at the FOL Activities at the FOL continued for other units flying the A-10 in the northeast and even when the 174th FW deployed to Desert Storm.
When the 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) officially moved to Fort Drum on 13 February 1985, it brought with it a very ambitious construction program which included plans to lengthen the runway. Runway expansion took place during 1988 when the old 5,000 feet airstrip became a 10,000 feet brand new runway allowing larger transport planes and fighters such as the F-16 to land and take-off from Wheeler Sack AAF with ease.
Additionally, infrastructure improvements were made to the FOL. A 14x70 feet trailer was donated by the Air Force Research Laboratory from Verona, NY. The trailer is used as the FOL Command Center and a remote lab for the Air Force active duty Rome Research Site. Also used for Command and Control at the FOL are 12 white rectangular portable shelters which are linked together. The 174th FW acquired these when they became surplus at Cannon AFB, NM. They were used as maintenance shop for the EF-111A from the 27th FW.
Soon after the 174th FW started operations at the FOL in 1984, other units flying the A-10 in the Northeastern United States like the 175th FW/MD ANG, 104th FW/MA ANG and 103rd FW/CT ANG started to use the facility on a part time basis with staffing by the members of the 174th FW .It became a full time operation in 1988. With time, other units flying the A-10 learned of the facility and the possibility for training their own people at the FOL.
The use of the FOL saves a lot of time and money to these units. It takes about 40 minutes to fly from Barnes ANGB, home of the 104th FW, to Fort Drum. With the range only a few miles away from the FOL, the A-10s are literally in the conventional bomb pattern or in the hold for the impact area soon after take-off.
On the range, pilots will work with ground or air FACs (Forward Air Controllers) and even drop live ordnance such as Mk-82 500lbs, GBU-12 500lbs precision guided bombs and fire 'Willy Pete' 2.75-inch rockets. Other weapons typically carried on the A-10A include the primary defensive missile AIM-9L/M Sidewinder mounted on LAU-105 or -114 launcher rails, and the air-to-ground missile AGM-65 Maverick. None of these are fired live on the range.
There's a lot of action at the FOL and the aircraft are 'turned' quickly and safely. On a typical day, the first wave of A-10s lands in the morning and after a rapid post-flight inspection, are refueled. Next step is to load the bombs on the aircraft and make sure they will drop when they need to!
If a malfunction should take place and a live bomb stay hung on a pylon, it could lead to disaster! If the aircraft has to come back and land at the FOL with one live bomb left under its wing, special procedures will be initiated to insure everyone's safety. EOD personnel will be called to deal with the bomb and other non-essential personnel will be evacuated to a safe distance.
Typically, a unit deployment to the FOL will involve a dozen of its members consisting of crew chiefs, weapons loaders and a line chief for a week. Two teams, or even three, may be at the FOL during the same week and they will assist each other if necessary. In fact, it's not surprising to see members of different units working together to solve a problem with one aircraft or giving a hand!
"The people who run the FOL are top shelf. I couldn't imagine a better-run operation anywhere in the country. They are very accommodating, very good and very quick at what they do. They can get us in and on our way in minimum time. They always have a smile and a handshake waiting for you!" said LTC Bob Pagoni, an experienced A-10A pilot from the 104th FW at Barnes ANGB. During good weather from spring to fall, a great barbecue always awaits the pilots and crews for lunch under the trees.
A typical training mission originating from Barnes ANGB will get two A-10A taking off and fly a low level route, either selected prior to takeoff with specific low level navigation points or fly from the entry area near the Great Sacandaga Reservoir, to the range. They can enter the low level environment literally from anywhere because it is a Low Altitude Tactical Navigation (LATN) area.
Enroute, they may attack a simulated target with simulated heavy weight ordnance or with captive Maverick missiles. As they approach the Fort Drum area, contact is made with Sack Approach which have been around for a couple of years since Wheeler Sack AAF got busier and bigger in the last few years following the lengthening of their North/South runway (03/21).
Once in contact with Sack Approach, pilots announce where they want to go, the scored range or the impact area, and then proceed to that location and talk with the Range Control Officer (RCO) or the Forward Air Controller (FAC). In this typical mission, they will drop 6 BDU-33 bombs simulating low drag ordnance and shoot around100 rounds (or less) of 30mm training projectiles (TP).
The scored range will include 45, 30, 20, 10 degrees or 0 (Level) passes simulating high and low drag ordnance, typically Mk-82 500lbs bombs or CBUs. Some of these drops may take place at altitude as high as 2 nautical miles above the target. The gun is employed at all angles up to 60 degrees and these shots can take place from 2000 feet out to 15000 feet. Two-target strafe shooting is also common practice for pilots shooting at one target and quickly picking up the second target to shoot at it. All this in one pass.
On the impact area, pilots will work with the 20th ASOS and will be given target description, threats and any other information necessary to hit a specific target with the preferred ordnance. It is the pilot's responsibility to determine if he can hits his target and do it with the ordnance that the FAC requested. Pilots can determine that the request cannot be met for different factors and will request another target. Simulated friendly troop locations near-by the enemy and simulated threats greatly affect the pilot's decision to hit a target.
Once done with this mission, pilots do a battle damage check coming off the range to confirm no loose panels, anything missing and that all ordnance supposed to be dropped has actually dropped. A live bomb hung on the pylon is a big sign of trouble! Pilots then go over to the FOL frequency and talk to the personnel to confirm plans for the day, ordnance and fuel requirements for the next sortie.
After landing, post flight inspections are made on the aircraft, then refueled. If the aircraft are at the FOL for live bombing, they will be loaded with Mk-82 500lbs. If not in a 'Live Bombing' training period, practice bombs such as the BDU-33, GBU-12 and others can be loaded on the A-10A for the next sortie.
After having lunch at the FOL, pilots are back in the air for the next mission similar to the one described above. During their second mission of the day, pilots will fly to the range to drop their bombs and fire their guns as well. Typically, the pilot will request from the ground crew to set the gun from 75 to 100 rounds. After this mission, pilots can either go back to the FOL if they need to or return to base (RTB) and do a Surface Attack Tactics (SAT) on simulating targets or Maverick mission on their way home.
"Flying to and from the FOL is a good deal and good training.for any unit using the FOL In the best scenarios, the wing would get only two sorties flying all home stations missions. This way we get 3 missions with all the enroute squares filled going to and from Barnes ANGB, and pick up the middle mission without the dead time going to and from the low fly area from Barnes ANGB." states LTC B.Pagoni.
Following the lengthening of the runway in 1988, ANG units flying the F-16s have been able to fly to and operate from the FOL. F-16 units can fly to and from the FOL in the same mode as the A-10's unit. ANG units such as the 158th FW/VT ANG, 174th FW/NY ANG and 177th FW/ NJ ANG operate from the FOL on a regular basis. Units flying the A-10A are coming to the FOL from as far as Whiteman AFB, MO!
The 174th Forward Operating Location is definitely a great place to get more training in the Air-to-Ground mission for any units in the USAF, including ANG and AFRC. Thanks to the members of the 174th Fighter Wing of the New York Air National Guard and their professionalism, the FOL will remain the number one site for Air-to-Ground training for flying units in New England and elsewhere in the CONUS.
------------------------------------------------------
I "believe" the images below are old pics I had on file for Fort Drum, NY (five images):
---out.
With this old article (below) I typed in some "just as old" preset cards entries to give you an example of "how they use their radios" on the range(s), comparing the article descriptions with the frequency card assignments.
I'm sure you'll recognize a few freqs as still being in use today and will "already know" how these freqs are tied to their respective assignments (ie; 271.2 & 267.8).
But keep in mind, references to things like "Have Quick" have long since been replaced with different secure software (thus new radios) as well as different frequencies. It's more the "meat of the article" (below) that to me is descriptive enough to be "informative".
I put in some old pictures I had of the Fort Drum Range Towers (I believe?).
I'll post both preset cards in their entirety, next post. It's over the character limit for this forum to include everything in one shot.
------------------------------
The 104th FW (BARNES MA ANG A-10s - now gone) had on their cards:
B-09 257.650 Approach - Wheeler Sack AAF, NY
B-10 267.800 Range-35 - Fort Drum, NY
B-11 290.250 Tower - Wheeler Sack AAF, NY
XX 250.900 Range - Fort Drum, NY
XX 271.200 Range - Fort Drum, NY
V-07 134.350 FOL - Fort Drum, NY
Vxx 138.075 Fort Drum Range
FM-6 41.950 FOL - Fort Drum, NY
------------------------------
103rd FW (BRADLEY CT ANG A-10s - now gone) had on their cards:
B-10 257.600 Approach - Wheeler Sack,NY
B-11 267.800 Scoring Range - Fort Drum,NY
B-12 271.200 Impact Range - Fort Drum,NY
B-13 290.250 Tower - Wheeler Sack AAF,NY
B-xx 250.900 Range - Fort Drum, NY
V-xx 138.075 Fort Drum Range, NY
You'll notice 244.5 "does not appear" so we know there have been some frequency assignment changes. However, the article below "is of value" in explaining "how the FOL & Ft. Drum" work, such as the "pilot choices" when entering Fort Drum, going to the "impact range" or "scoring range" which explains why there are (at least) two different freqs in use for "the range(s)" at Ft. Drum, ie; two different range controllers, "scoring" & "impact".
----------------------------------
Below is an old blog entry from 2005 (18 years old) but still a great read since you live so close and I know it will all make sense to you once you see how the frequencies (*your already hearing) are actually assigned, ie; the "scoring range" and the "impact range".
A-10As over Fort Drum! by Philippe Colin:
Fort Drum's Wheeler Sack Army Airfield is the home of the 10th Mountain Division (LI) Aviation Brigade. What is not common knowledge is that it also serves as the174th FW's Forward Operating Location, also known as Det.2.
Little is known in the aviation community about the activities taking place at this Army Airfield occupied by hundreds of US Army helicopters. Historically, air operations at Fort Drum began early in the century and the name Wheeler Sack Army Airfield derives from the names of two 27th Brigade Army officer aviators who died in the crash of their biplane on Fort Drum (then named Pine Camp) in 1927.
The 174th Fighter Wing from the New York Air National Guard has had a Forward Operating Location at Wheeler Sack AAF since 1984. At that time, the unit was flying the A-10A 'Thunderbolt II' with Close Air Support (CAS) as one of its primary mission from Hancock Field in Syracuse, New York. Before 1984, the 174th FW Range 35 Complex (also known as the R5201 Restricted Area) located 7 miles north of the airfield had been in operations as Det.1.
The unit leases the range from the Army and have guaranteed range time through an Inter-Service Support Agreement. The FOL officially became Detachment 2, 174th FW in 1997. The Range complex had officially became Detachment 1 several years before that.
The concept for the FOL was developed at Wing HQ when the 174th was flying the A-10A. The Forward Operating Location allowed the unit's A-10s to both refuel and recalibrate their GAU-8 30mm cannons, and drop live bombs on the range without having to fly back to Syracuse. Aircraft were able to 'turn' much quicker if they stayed at the FOL, and the unit saved considerably in associated costs of flying repeatedly back to home base.
The A-10A was designed to operate from austere forwards airfields close to the front during conflicts, including many in Germany and Southern Europe, as well as sections of the autobhan in Germany.
Crews at the FOL learn their various skills in 'turning' an aircraft in what is described as an 'academic' environment, rather than a combat environment. Typical of the numerous duties performed by the crew is munitions handling.
Live bombs cannot be armed or stored on most of ANG bases because they share facilities with civilian commercial airports. Instead, the bombs are assembled and loaded at the FOL for training missions on the range. Live missiles can't be used on the range because it is located in the very heavily traveled northeast air corridor, where a missile going awry would present a serious hazard to life and property.
Following Desert Storm, daytime range utilization had decreased and night range utilization steadily increased when A-10's Wings started to train with Night Vision Goggles (NVG).
When the 174th Fighter Wing officially converted from the A-10A to the F-16A in 1989, its aircraft could no longer use the short runway at the FOL Activities at the FOL continued for other units flying the A-10 in the northeast and even when the 174th FW deployed to Desert Storm.
When the 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) officially moved to Fort Drum on 13 February 1985, it brought with it a very ambitious construction program which included plans to lengthen the runway. Runway expansion took place during 1988 when the old 5,000 feet airstrip became a 10,000 feet brand new runway allowing larger transport planes and fighters such as the F-16 to land and take-off from Wheeler Sack AAF with ease.
Additionally, infrastructure improvements were made to the FOL. A 14x70 feet trailer was donated by the Air Force Research Laboratory from Verona, NY. The trailer is used as the FOL Command Center and a remote lab for the Air Force active duty Rome Research Site. Also used for Command and Control at the FOL are 12 white rectangular portable shelters which are linked together. The 174th FW acquired these when they became surplus at Cannon AFB, NM. They were used as maintenance shop for the EF-111A from the 27th FW.
Soon after the 174th FW started operations at the FOL in 1984, other units flying the A-10 in the Northeastern United States like the 175th FW/MD ANG, 104th FW/MA ANG and 103rd FW/CT ANG started to use the facility on a part time basis with staffing by the members of the 174th FW .It became a full time operation in 1988. With time, other units flying the A-10 learned of the facility and the possibility for training their own people at the FOL.
The use of the FOL saves a lot of time and money to these units. It takes about 40 minutes to fly from Barnes ANGB, home of the 104th FW, to Fort Drum. With the range only a few miles away from the FOL, the A-10s are literally in the conventional bomb pattern or in the hold for the impact area soon after take-off.
On the range, pilots will work with ground or air FACs (Forward Air Controllers) and even drop live ordnance such as Mk-82 500lbs, GBU-12 500lbs precision guided bombs and fire 'Willy Pete' 2.75-inch rockets. Other weapons typically carried on the A-10A include the primary defensive missile AIM-9L/M Sidewinder mounted on LAU-105 or -114 launcher rails, and the air-to-ground missile AGM-65 Maverick. None of these are fired live on the range.
There's a lot of action at the FOL and the aircraft are 'turned' quickly and safely. On a typical day, the first wave of A-10s lands in the morning and after a rapid post-flight inspection, are refueled. Next step is to load the bombs on the aircraft and make sure they will drop when they need to!
If a malfunction should take place and a live bomb stay hung on a pylon, it could lead to disaster! If the aircraft has to come back and land at the FOL with one live bomb left under its wing, special procedures will be initiated to insure everyone's safety. EOD personnel will be called to deal with the bomb and other non-essential personnel will be evacuated to a safe distance.
Typically, a unit deployment to the FOL will involve a dozen of its members consisting of crew chiefs, weapons loaders and a line chief for a week. Two teams, or even three, may be at the FOL during the same week and they will assist each other if necessary. In fact, it's not surprising to see members of different units working together to solve a problem with one aircraft or giving a hand!
"The people who run the FOL are top shelf. I couldn't imagine a better-run operation anywhere in the country. They are very accommodating, very good and very quick at what they do. They can get us in and on our way in minimum time. They always have a smile and a handshake waiting for you!" said LTC Bob Pagoni, an experienced A-10A pilot from the 104th FW at Barnes ANGB. During good weather from spring to fall, a great barbecue always awaits the pilots and crews for lunch under the trees.
A typical training mission originating from Barnes ANGB will get two A-10A taking off and fly a low level route, either selected prior to takeoff with specific low level navigation points or fly from the entry area near the Great Sacandaga Reservoir, to the range. They can enter the low level environment literally from anywhere because it is a Low Altitude Tactical Navigation (LATN) area.
Enroute, they may attack a simulated target with simulated heavy weight ordnance or with captive Maverick missiles. As they approach the Fort Drum area, contact is made with Sack Approach which have been around for a couple of years since Wheeler Sack AAF got busier and bigger in the last few years following the lengthening of their North/South runway (03/21).
Once in contact with Sack Approach, pilots announce where they want to go, the scored range or the impact area, and then proceed to that location and talk with the Range Control Officer (RCO) or the Forward Air Controller (FAC). In this typical mission, they will drop 6 BDU-33 bombs simulating low drag ordnance and shoot around100 rounds (or less) of 30mm training projectiles (TP).
The scored range will include 45, 30, 20, 10 degrees or 0 (Level) passes simulating high and low drag ordnance, typically Mk-82 500lbs bombs or CBUs. Some of these drops may take place at altitude as high as 2 nautical miles above the target. The gun is employed at all angles up to 60 degrees and these shots can take place from 2000 feet out to 15000 feet. Two-target strafe shooting is also common practice for pilots shooting at one target and quickly picking up the second target to shoot at it. All this in one pass.
On the impact area, pilots will work with the 20th ASOS and will be given target description, threats and any other information necessary to hit a specific target with the preferred ordnance. It is the pilot's responsibility to determine if he can hits his target and do it with the ordnance that the FAC requested. Pilots can determine that the request cannot be met for different factors and will request another target. Simulated friendly troop locations near-by the enemy and simulated threats greatly affect the pilot's decision to hit a target.
Once done with this mission, pilots do a battle damage check coming off the range to confirm no loose panels, anything missing and that all ordnance supposed to be dropped has actually dropped. A live bomb hung on the pylon is a big sign of trouble! Pilots then go over to the FOL frequency and talk to the personnel to confirm plans for the day, ordnance and fuel requirements for the next sortie.
After landing, post flight inspections are made on the aircraft, then refueled. If the aircraft are at the FOL for live bombing, they will be loaded with Mk-82 500lbs. If not in a 'Live Bombing' training period, practice bombs such as the BDU-33, GBU-12 and others can be loaded on the A-10A for the next sortie.
After having lunch at the FOL, pilots are back in the air for the next mission similar to the one described above. During their second mission of the day, pilots will fly to the range to drop their bombs and fire their guns as well. Typically, the pilot will request from the ground crew to set the gun from 75 to 100 rounds. After this mission, pilots can either go back to the FOL if they need to or return to base (RTB) and do a Surface Attack Tactics (SAT) on simulating targets or Maverick mission on their way home.
"Flying to and from the FOL is a good deal and good training.for any unit using the FOL In the best scenarios, the wing would get only two sorties flying all home stations missions. This way we get 3 missions with all the enroute squares filled going to and from Barnes ANGB, and pick up the middle mission without the dead time going to and from the low fly area from Barnes ANGB." states LTC B.Pagoni.
Following the lengthening of the runway in 1988, ANG units flying the F-16s have been able to fly to and operate from the FOL. F-16 units can fly to and from the FOL in the same mode as the A-10's unit. ANG units such as the 158th FW/VT ANG, 174th FW/NY ANG and 177th FW/ NJ ANG operate from the FOL on a regular basis. Units flying the A-10A are coming to the FOL from as far as Whiteman AFB, MO!
The 174th Forward Operating Location is definitely a great place to get more training in the Air-to-Ground mission for any units in the USAF, including ANG and AFRC. Thanks to the members of the 174th Fighter Wing of the New York Air National Guard and their professionalism, the FOL will remain the number one site for Air-to-Ground training for flying units in New England and elsewhere in the CONUS.
------------------------------------------------------
I "believe" the images below are old pics I had on file for Fort Drum, NY (five images):
---out.
nyplumma
Member
(2 of 2)
Here are the old preset cards with my notes at the very end (keep in mind this info is like 18 years old, okay?). lar
These preset cards "use to be" on my geocities nemilair frequency files page and I can't remember the date but from "back when" we had A-10s up this way (now gone) but the frequency card descriptions support the previous article I posted (above this).
I would guess these (below) are early 2000s = 2003-2005 date?
Bradley lost their A-10A Thunderbolt II's in 2008 and Barnes gave up their A-10 Thunderbolt II's in 2007, according to their respective wikis.
-----------------------------------------------------
"The Barnestormers"
A-10 131st Fighter Squadron / 104th Fighter Wing
Barnes Municipal Airport, Westfield, MA ANG
HAWK [Static Unit Callsign]
[TRAINING CALLSIGNS]:
Artic, Badger, Barney, Boog, Catfish, Comet
Crete, Freight, Goat, Gumby, Hairball, Happy
Hatman, Hawk, Hendo, Hog, Howdy, Jake, Java
Judge, Lucky, Lumpy, Mack, Magoo, Mare, Motley
Python, Rainman, Rooster, Saber, Shotgun, Sooner
Tomcheck, Torch, Viper, Weasel
UHF
01 303.000 Hawk Ops
02 289.400 Ground - Barnes
03 251.100 Tower - Barnes
04 325.800 Approach - Bradley
05 379.100 Canaan-21 - Boston Center
06 275.850 Albany-22 - Boston Center
07 307.200 Approach - Albany, NY
08 255.400 Flight Service Station - FAA
09 257.650 Approach - Wheeler Sack AAF, NY
10 267.800 Range-35 - Fort Drum, NY
11 290.250 Tower - Wheeler Sack AAF, NY
12 338.200 Gardner-36 - Boston Center
13 381.400 Concord-37 - Boston Center
14 282.200 Montpelier-52 - Boston Center
15 290.350 Kingston-20 - Boston Center
16 317.700 Danbury-19 - Boston Center
17 282.300 JFK-56 - New York Center
18 381.600 Dixie-68 - New York Center
19 286.200 Warren Grove Bombing Range, NJ
XX 399.800 Have Quick - Time Of Day
XX 243.000 Guard - Emergency
XX 250.900 Range - Fort Drum, NY
XX 251.900 Life Support Team Training
XX 271.200 Range - Fort Drum, NY
FM VHF
01 139.900 Air to Air
02 141.675 Air to Air
03 41.450 Air to Air
04 36.350 Air to Air
05 36.825 Air to Air
06 41.950 FOL - Fort Drum, NY
07 34.550 Air to Air & Ops
08 38.650 Air to Air
XX 75.100 Air to Air
AM VHF
01 138.050 Ops - MOCC
02 138.250 Inter Flight F-1
03 (open) Inter Flight
04 127.100 Atis - Barnes
05 121.700 Ground - Barnes
06 118.900 Tower - Barnes
07 134.350 FOL - Fort Drum, NY
08 114.000 Atis - Westover
09 118.350 Ground - Westover
10 134.850 Tower - Westover
11 141.900 Shark Ops - Bradley
12 118.150 Atis - Bradley
13 121.900 Ground - Bradley
14 120.300 Tower - Bradley
15 132.050 Atis - Pease
16 120.950 Ground - Pease
17 128.400 Tower - Pease
XX 138.075 Fort Drum Range
====================================
"The Flying Yankees"
A-10 118th Fighter Squadron / 103rd Fighter Wing
Bradley IAP, Windsor Locks,CT ANG
YANKEE [Static Unit Callsign]
[TRAINING CALLSIGNS]
Bass, Corvette, Cuda, Heat, Killer, Mako, Marlin, Piranha, Shark
UHF FREQS
1 349.70 Shark Ops
2 322.30 Clearance - Bradley
3 348.60 Ground - Bradley
4 353.80 Tower - Bradley
5 323.20 Approach - Bradley
6 325.80 Departure - Bradley
7 379.10 Westover - Boston Center
8 257.85 Albany - Boston Center
9 255.40 Flight Service Station FAA
10 257.60 Approach - Wheeler Sack,NY
11 267.80 Scoring Range - Fort Drum,NY
12 271.20 Impact Range - Fort Drum,NY
13 290.25 Tower - Wheeler Sack AAF,NY
14 377.10 Watertown - Boston Center
15 381.60 Coyle - New York Center
16 286.20 Warren Grove Bombing Range, NJ
17 OPEN
18 282.20 Montpelier - Boston Center (Yankee MOA)
19 399.80 Have Quick - Time Of Day
20 220.00 Have Quick - Verify/Operate
236.000 Life Support Team Training
243.000 Guard - Emergency
250.900 Range - Fort Drum, NY
251.900 Life Support Team Training
FM FREQS:
1 34.15 Air to Air & Ops
2 34.75 Air to Air
3 40.65 Air to Air
4 46.65 Air to Air
5 49.75 Air to Air
6 49.85 Air to Air
7 41.95 Air to Air
8 38.50 Air to Air
AUX FREQS:
10 140.425 Air to Air
12 148.550 Air to Air
ADDITIONAL VICTORS:
138.075 Fort Drum Range, NY
138.200 Air to Air
138.900 Air to Air
139.900 Air to Air
140.400 Air to Air
141.625 Air to Air
141.675 Air to Air
141.900 Air to Air & Shark Ops
142.200 Air to Air
143.425 Air to Air
-----------------------------------
My personal freq notes for reference - correct or not, you decide:
When the A-10s go to Fort Drum, NY to train, they can enter the
"Scoring Range" or the "Impact Area". Buttons-11 & 12 are the
primaries for those two choices.
UHF Preset 11 267.80 RNG FD:
RNG FD stands for RANGE FORT DRUM.
This would be the scoring range contact frequency.
UHF Preset 12 271.20 20TH ASOS:
20th ASOS stands for the 20th Air Support Operations Squadron based at Fort
Drum, NY is the controller for the impact range. The 20th ASOS provides
tactical air control parties, combat weather teams, and a weather station
for Fort Drum, New York. It also supports worldwide Air Force tasking
including those executed by the 174th Fighter Wing at Syracuse. When
entering the impact area at Fort Drum, pilots will work with the 20th ASOS
via radio and will be given target description, threats and any other
information necessary to hit a specific target with the preferred ordnance.
UHF Preset 16 286.20 WG RANGE = WARREN GROVE BOMBING RANGE,NJ
UHF Preset 18 282.2 YANKEE MOA
This is actually a Boston Center frequency (Montpelier, VT RCAG site) used
when entering and exiting Yankee MOA. 135.7 is the VHF pair, used frequently by
tankers to contact Boston Center when entering the AR tracks in Upstate N.Y.
UHF Preset 19 399.8 TOD
TOD stands for TIME OF DAY. A frequency used for receiving an external Time
Of Day signal (MICKEY TONE) to synchronize their Have Quick radios. Not
having the correct time can lock an aircraft radio out of a
frequency-hopping net. TOD signals can be obtained in several different
ways. One way is from an "internal gps" if the aircraft is so equipped.
Another way is externally from a satellite or other aircraft/ground station
already operating within the net. This preset is probably used for
receiving a "mickey tone" from an external source (another aircraft or
ground station) already operating within the assigned 16 frequency hopping
net. I don't know of any satellite downlinks on 399.8 transmitting the Time
Of Day, but perhaps there are. The Barnes A-10s also use the same frequency
for their Have Quick Time Of Day (mickey tone).
UHF Preset 20 220.00 VER/OP
VER/OP stands for VERIFY/OPERATE.
This is a command code for their Have Quick radios.
FM preset 7 41.95
Reference by the 104th FW frequency file, this is used to contact the FOL.
The 174th FW's DET-2 is their Forward Operating Location (FOL)
at Wheeler Sack AAF, Watertown, NY
FM preset 8 38.5
This has been reported as Foxmike Frequency-1 for Fort Drum Range Control.
----- (2/2) out.
Here are the old preset cards with my notes at the very end (keep in mind this info is like 18 years old, okay?). lar
These preset cards "use to be" on my geocities nemilair frequency files page and I can't remember the date but from "back when" we had A-10s up this way (now gone) but the frequency card descriptions support the previous article I posted (above this).
I would guess these (below) are early 2000s = 2003-2005 date?
Bradley lost their A-10A Thunderbolt II's in 2008 and Barnes gave up their A-10 Thunderbolt II's in 2007, according to their respective wikis.
-----------------------------------------------------
"The Barnestormers"
A-10 131st Fighter Squadron / 104th Fighter Wing
Barnes Municipal Airport, Westfield, MA ANG
HAWK [Static Unit Callsign]
[TRAINING CALLSIGNS]:
Artic, Badger, Barney, Boog, Catfish, Comet
Crete, Freight, Goat, Gumby, Hairball, Happy
Hatman, Hawk, Hendo, Hog, Howdy, Jake, Java
Judge, Lucky, Lumpy, Mack, Magoo, Mare, Motley
Python, Rainman, Rooster, Saber, Shotgun, Sooner
Tomcheck, Torch, Viper, Weasel
UHF
01 303.000 Hawk Ops
02 289.400 Ground - Barnes
03 251.100 Tower - Barnes
04 325.800 Approach - Bradley
05 379.100 Canaan-21 - Boston Center
06 275.850 Albany-22 - Boston Center
07 307.200 Approach - Albany, NY
08 255.400 Flight Service Station - FAA
09 257.650 Approach - Wheeler Sack AAF, NY
10 267.800 Range-35 - Fort Drum, NY
11 290.250 Tower - Wheeler Sack AAF, NY
12 338.200 Gardner-36 - Boston Center
13 381.400 Concord-37 - Boston Center
14 282.200 Montpelier-52 - Boston Center
15 290.350 Kingston-20 - Boston Center
16 317.700 Danbury-19 - Boston Center
17 282.300 JFK-56 - New York Center
18 381.600 Dixie-68 - New York Center
19 286.200 Warren Grove Bombing Range, NJ
XX 399.800 Have Quick - Time Of Day
XX 243.000 Guard - Emergency
XX 250.900 Range - Fort Drum, NY
XX 251.900 Life Support Team Training
XX 271.200 Range - Fort Drum, NY
FM VHF
01 139.900 Air to Air
02 141.675 Air to Air
03 41.450 Air to Air
04 36.350 Air to Air
05 36.825 Air to Air
06 41.950 FOL - Fort Drum, NY
07 34.550 Air to Air & Ops
08 38.650 Air to Air
XX 75.100 Air to Air
AM VHF
01 138.050 Ops - MOCC
02 138.250 Inter Flight F-1
03 (open) Inter Flight
04 127.100 Atis - Barnes
05 121.700 Ground - Barnes
06 118.900 Tower - Barnes
07 134.350 FOL - Fort Drum, NY
08 114.000 Atis - Westover
09 118.350 Ground - Westover
10 134.850 Tower - Westover
11 141.900 Shark Ops - Bradley
12 118.150 Atis - Bradley
13 121.900 Ground - Bradley
14 120.300 Tower - Bradley
15 132.050 Atis - Pease
16 120.950 Ground - Pease
17 128.400 Tower - Pease
XX 138.075 Fort Drum Range
====================================
"The Flying Yankees"
A-10 118th Fighter Squadron / 103rd Fighter Wing
Bradley IAP, Windsor Locks,CT ANG
YANKEE [Static Unit Callsign]
[TRAINING CALLSIGNS]
Bass, Corvette, Cuda, Heat, Killer, Mako, Marlin, Piranha, Shark
UHF FREQS
1 349.70 Shark Ops
2 322.30 Clearance - Bradley
3 348.60 Ground - Bradley
4 353.80 Tower - Bradley
5 323.20 Approach - Bradley
6 325.80 Departure - Bradley
7 379.10 Westover - Boston Center
8 257.85 Albany - Boston Center
9 255.40 Flight Service Station FAA
10 257.60 Approach - Wheeler Sack,NY
11 267.80 Scoring Range - Fort Drum,NY
12 271.20 Impact Range - Fort Drum,NY
13 290.25 Tower - Wheeler Sack AAF,NY
14 377.10 Watertown - Boston Center
15 381.60 Coyle - New York Center
16 286.20 Warren Grove Bombing Range, NJ
17 OPEN
18 282.20 Montpelier - Boston Center (Yankee MOA)
19 399.80 Have Quick - Time Of Day
20 220.00 Have Quick - Verify/Operate
236.000 Life Support Team Training
243.000 Guard - Emergency
250.900 Range - Fort Drum, NY
251.900 Life Support Team Training
FM FREQS:
1 34.15 Air to Air & Ops
2 34.75 Air to Air
3 40.65 Air to Air
4 46.65 Air to Air
5 49.75 Air to Air
6 49.85 Air to Air
7 41.95 Air to Air
8 38.50 Air to Air
AUX FREQS:
10 140.425 Air to Air
12 148.550 Air to Air
ADDITIONAL VICTORS:
138.075 Fort Drum Range, NY
138.200 Air to Air
138.900 Air to Air
139.900 Air to Air
140.400 Air to Air
141.625 Air to Air
141.675 Air to Air
141.900 Air to Air & Shark Ops
142.200 Air to Air
143.425 Air to Air
-----------------------------------
My personal freq notes for reference - correct or not, you decide:
When the A-10s go to Fort Drum, NY to train, they can enter the
"Scoring Range" or the "Impact Area". Buttons-11 & 12 are the
primaries for those two choices.
UHF Preset 11 267.80 RNG FD:
RNG FD stands for RANGE FORT DRUM.
This would be the scoring range contact frequency.
UHF Preset 12 271.20 20TH ASOS:
20th ASOS stands for the 20th Air Support Operations Squadron based at Fort
Drum, NY is the controller for the impact range. The 20th ASOS provides
tactical air control parties, combat weather teams, and a weather station
for Fort Drum, New York. It also supports worldwide Air Force tasking
including those executed by the 174th Fighter Wing at Syracuse. When
entering the impact area at Fort Drum, pilots will work with the 20th ASOS
via radio and will be given target description, threats and any other
information necessary to hit a specific target with the preferred ordnance.
UHF Preset 16 286.20 WG RANGE = WARREN GROVE BOMBING RANGE,NJ
UHF Preset 18 282.2 YANKEE MOA
This is actually a Boston Center frequency (Montpelier, VT RCAG site) used
when entering and exiting Yankee MOA. 135.7 is the VHF pair, used frequently by
tankers to contact Boston Center when entering the AR tracks in Upstate N.Y.
UHF Preset 19 399.8 TOD
TOD stands for TIME OF DAY. A frequency used for receiving an external Time
Of Day signal (MICKEY TONE) to synchronize their Have Quick radios. Not
having the correct time can lock an aircraft radio out of a
frequency-hopping net. TOD signals can be obtained in several different
ways. One way is from an "internal gps" if the aircraft is so equipped.
Another way is externally from a satellite or other aircraft/ground station
already operating within the net. This preset is probably used for
receiving a "mickey tone" from an external source (another aircraft or
ground station) already operating within the assigned 16 frequency hopping
net. I don't know of any satellite downlinks on 399.8 transmitting the Time
Of Day, but perhaps there are. The Barnes A-10s also use the same frequency
for their Have Quick Time Of Day (mickey tone).
UHF Preset 20 220.00 VER/OP
VER/OP stands for VERIFY/OPERATE.
This is a command code for their Have Quick radios.
FM preset 7 41.95
Reference by the 104th FW frequency file, this is used to contact the FOL.
The 174th FW's DET-2 is their Forward Operating Location (FOL)
at Wheeler Sack AAF, Watertown, NY
FM preset 8 38.5
This has been reported as Foxmike Frequency-1 for Fort Drum Range Control.
----- (2/2) out.
nyplumma
Member
Thanks for the "heads up" Daryl on the BUFFs. I missed them, sorry. I'll pay closer attention to the site from now on for "real time" stuff. That was cool.
If you or someone else could "clean up this list" I'd appreciate it. Take out what's not current and add in what is. I'm trying to build something of value and need your help. Thanks to all.
2nd, at the bottom are some links to a great website that (everybody already knows about but me) BUT.. if for some reason you're not aware of this site, check out the SEARCH url and type in a four character identifier for your airport of interest. It's really quite good with all the charts AND freqs ALL in one place. best, lar
FORT DRUM - WHEELER SACK AAF, NY = [KGTB]
38.5FM F-1 FT. DRUM
41.95FM FOL - FT. DRUM
49.80FM TOWER - WHEELER SACK
118.750 TOWER - WHEELER SACK (290.250/49.8FM PAIRING)
119.525 ATIS
121.900 CLEARANCE DELIVERY
121.900 GROUND & CLEARANCE DELIVERY (229.8 UHF PAIR)
124.875 APP/DEP WHEELER SACK (257.600 UHF PAIR)
126.200 BASE OPS = WHEELER SACK (233.700 UHF PAIR)
134.350 FOL - FT. DRUM
138.075 FOL - FT. DRUM
141.025 FLIGHT FOLLOWING (319.250 UHF PAIR)
140.425 COBRA OPS - SYR HNCK
141.675 BARKEATER VHF PRI - FT DRUM
226.300 WHEELER SACK APPROACH (MOA COMMON) (VIPER AIRSPACE)
226.900 FORT DRUM JTAC
229.800 GROUND
233.700 BASE OPS - WHEELER SACK
243.000 GUARD
244.500 BARKEATER - RANGE - FT. DRUM
250.900 RANGE - FT. DRUM
251.900 LIFE SUPPORT TEAM TRAINING
255.400 FSS (low level training - announce enter/exit VR routes)
257.600 APP/DEP - WHEELER SACK
257.650 APP - WHEELER SACK
267.800 SCORED RANGE-35 FT DRUM
269.125 APP/DEP - SYR HNCK
271.200 IMPACT AREA - 20th ASOS - FT. DRUM (choose this or scored range)
273.550 RKA-10 ZBW HI
279.500 HNK-23 ZBW LO
279.600 APP/DEP SYR HNCK
290.250 TOWER - WHEELER SACK
317.500 PMSV METRO - WHEELER SACK
319.250 FLIGHT FOLLOWING
323.000 UCA-09 ZBW HI
323.250 ZOB (from 323.0 UCA-09 ZBW HI) (128.025 VHF PAIR)
353.925 DNY-24 ZBW HI
377.100 ART-08 LO ZBW
379.500 COBRA OPS - 174AW ANG SYRACUSE HANCOCK, NY
Airport Data & Information Portal:
KGTB CHARTS: Airport Data and Information Portal
KGTB COMMS (CLICK "COMM" HEADER TAB): Airport Data and Information Portal
KGTB ALL: Airport Data and Information Portal
SEARCH WEBSITE: Airport Data and Information Portal
================================
If you or someone else could "clean up this list" I'd appreciate it. Take out what's not current and add in what is. I'm trying to build something of value and need your help. Thanks to all.
2nd, at the bottom are some links to a great website that (everybody already knows about but me) BUT.. if for some reason you're not aware of this site, check out the SEARCH url and type in a four character identifier for your airport of interest. It's really quite good with all the charts AND freqs ALL in one place. best, lar
FORT DRUM - WHEELER SACK AAF, NY = [KGTB]
38.5FM F-1 FT. DRUM
41.95FM FOL - FT. DRUM
49.80FM TOWER - WHEELER SACK
118.750 TOWER - WHEELER SACK (290.250/49.8FM PAIRING)
119.525 ATIS
121.900 CLEARANCE DELIVERY
121.900 GROUND & CLEARANCE DELIVERY (229.8 UHF PAIR)
124.875 APP/DEP WHEELER SACK (257.600 UHF PAIR)
126.200 BASE OPS = WHEELER SACK (233.700 UHF PAIR)
134.350 FOL - FT. DRUM
138.075 FOL - FT. DRUM
141.025 FLIGHT FOLLOWING (319.250 UHF PAIR)
140.425 COBRA OPS - SYR HNCK
141.675 BARKEATER VHF PRI - FT DRUM
226.300 WHEELER SACK APPROACH (MOA COMMON) (VIPER AIRSPACE)
226.900 FORT DRUM JTAC
229.800 GROUND
233.700 BASE OPS - WHEELER SACK
243.000 GUARD
244.500 BARKEATER - RANGE - FT. DRUM
250.900 RANGE - FT. DRUM
251.900 LIFE SUPPORT TEAM TRAINING
255.400 FSS (low level training - announce enter/exit VR routes)
257.600 APP/DEP - WHEELER SACK
257.650 APP - WHEELER SACK
267.800 SCORED RANGE-35 FT DRUM
269.125 APP/DEP - SYR HNCK
271.200 IMPACT AREA - 20th ASOS - FT. DRUM (choose this or scored range)
273.550 RKA-10 ZBW HI
279.500 HNK-23 ZBW LO
279.600 APP/DEP SYR HNCK
290.250 TOWER - WHEELER SACK
317.500 PMSV METRO - WHEELER SACK
319.250 FLIGHT FOLLOWING
323.000 UCA-09 ZBW HI
323.250 ZOB (from 323.0 UCA-09 ZBW HI) (128.025 VHF PAIR)
353.925 DNY-24 ZBW HI
377.100 ART-08 LO ZBW
379.500 COBRA OPS - 174AW ANG SYRACUSE HANCOCK, NY
Airport Data & Information Portal:
KGTB CHARTS: Airport Data and Information Portal
KGTB COMMS (CLICK "COMM" HEADER TAB): Airport Data and Information Portal
KGTB ALL: Airport Data and Information Portal
SEARCH WEBSITE: Airport Data and Information Portal
================================
Last edited:
TopGunPhoto
Member
These are the freqs I use for tankers in 631 over NH/VT linking up with whoever is coming to meet them.
A2A refueling 254.200
A2A refueling 316.300
A2A refueling 264.850
A2A refueling 259.900
A2A refueling 254.200
A2A refueling 316.300
A2A refueling 264.850
A2A refueling 259.900
254.200 is AR631 primary, the secondary is 282.700. The last 3 are not specific to air refuelling. 316.300 is a NORAD/HUNTRESS frequency and 264.850 and 259.900 are TAC frequencies used by the 104FW F-15s out of KBAF/Barnes.
I have 295.800 as AR-631 Primary and 254.200 as Huntress, Did it recently change?
My mistake, not sure what I was looking at ?
Yes I've got AR631 primary as 295.800 and 254.200 as NORAD, I've heard HECKLER using it in Viper.
The AP/1B also lists 301.600 and 314.200 as FOOTROPE frequencies used for AR631. Anyone ever hear these 2 frequencies being used ?
Last edited:
NYAirOne
Member
301.600 is used in Duke MOA in PA for refueling.
Well Done, AirScan! Thank you.