2011 AFMC Freedom's Call Tattoo

This years Freedom's Call Tattoo is scheduled for this coming Friday June 24 at the National Museum of The United States Air Force adjacent to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Aircraft expected to perform are:

C-17A
C-21A
C-130H
KC-135R T-6 (the warbird, not the modern one)

The schedule for Friday is:

1100-1200:     AF band rehearsal
1200:          All video screens complete and connected
1200-1630:     Guest band setup and sound check           
               NLT 1300: aircraft arrivals
1600:          FAA waiver briefing on flightline
1600:          Gates open
1630:          Displays open
1700:          Opening band takes stage
1830:          Preshow begins
1959-Twilight: Aircraft flights
2000:          Ceremony begins
2100:          Guest band takes stage
2200:          Fireworks display
2230:          Show ends

All aircraft are expected to arrive at KFFO prior to 1 PM on Friday for the mandatory 4 PM briefing. This is by far your best chance to see them (especially if you are taking photos, since the show is at dusk!). If this is the case....

First, check the ATIS (124.475/269.900) for the runway in use.
If 23R/L: Watch from Fairfield Park (39 50 00/-084 01 28).
If 05L/R: Watch from Wright Brothers Hill (39 47 42/-084 05 21).

If you plan to watch the show instead, your best bet is to find someplace east of the museum runway to see the aircraft inbound for passes. Huffman Dam will have traffic overhead, but at higher altitudes to avoid terrain. Eastwood Park may be a good alternative, though I've never tried it. There will also be many people set up along Col. Glenn near Exit 15, but you'll need to plan parking in advance - base security will be shooing you away if you try to get a spot in a private lot.

High-performance aircraft hold at CLACK (south of KSGH) until they are called into the pattern. From there, they proceed overhead FFO and begin a downwind leg to 09. This inbound turn is VFR - as shown by the B-52 last year: they made an extended base leg and got scolded by the controller for nearly overflying the crowd. All closed patterns at the museum field are flown normally.  The initial flyover also stages from CLACK, but uses a point south of the museum (probably a fix off the TACAN) to time their inbound run.

FREQUENCIES TO MONITOR:

AIR:

121.800 Ground
121.950 WPAC Ops
122.850 Dispatch
123.225 Air Boss
123.550 WPAC Tac 3
123.575 WPAC Tac 4
123.650 WPAC Tac 1
123.675 WPAC Tac 2
126.500 Columbus Departure
126.900 Tower
251.075 Tower B/U
281.450 Tower
289.400 Air Boss
327.125 Columbus Departure
335.800 Ground
344.600 Metro
349.400 Buckeye Control
372.200 Dispatch

GROUND:

Civil Air Patrol (providing support for SF):
139.8750 TAC 1
141.0000 CC 2
141.5750 CC 1
149.2750 AIR 1
150.2250 GUARD 1
150.5625 AIR 2
148.1250/143.5500 Primary
148.1500/143.7000 Secondary
148.1375/143.6250 Tactical 

CAP ISR radios:

396.8750 1
397.1250 2
397.1750 3
397.3750 4
397.4250 5
397.4750 6
397.5500 7
397.9500 8
398.0500 9
399.4250 10
399.4750 11
399.7250 12
399.9250 13
399.9750 14 

Media (should be using remote pickups around 450 mHz):

1290 WHIO-AM - live @ 5 PM
95.7 WHIO-FM - live @ 5 PM
99.1 WHKO-FM - live @ 6 PM, fireworks simulcast

Wright-Patterson TRS

Thanks to Jared Soergel for the above information. If anyone catches anything not listed above please post in the comments.

OPENING DAY IN CINCINNATI

It's officially a holiday in Cincinnati! The Reds play the Brewers with the first pitch at 2:05 PM for the start of the 2011 Major League Baseball season.

Member Jared Soergel has the details for the pre-game flyover:

VFA-131 will be performing a flyover for Opening Day 2011. The standard procedure for flyovers at GABP is to orbit overhead of Lunken Field (KLUK), then depart on a 270-degree heading directly to the stadium. Most often, aircraft will stage from Lunken itself.

The lead aircraft will be communicating timing with the ground controller (probably on UHF discrete), and making the inbound call with CVG Approach. In some cases, another aircraft in the flight will monitor Lunken Tower for traffic advisories.

Freqs to listen for:
CVG Class B: 121.000/254.250
RCO's: 124.900 (Clermont Co., Blue Ash, Lunken), 126.250 (Butler Co.)
KLUK Tower: 118.700/257.800
KLUK Ground: 121.900
VFA-131: 235.400, 239.875, 264.350, 285.500, 285.800, 339.400, 357.800
Flyover common: 123.450, 282.800

Push For Unmanned Airspace in SW Ohio Edges Closer

Ohio legislators continue to push to have the FAA re-designate airspace in SW Ohio for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). That inched closer to reality on Wednesday February 15 when the house approved aviation bill that included a measure for tests ranges throughout the United States, while SW Ohio has not yet been selected, it certainly puts both Wright Patterson AFB and Springfield ANBG as front-runners for their intensive work with UAVs. The airspace re-designation would be critical for the continued development and testing.

445th AW Gets Another C-17

On Friday February 11th, the 445th AW at Wright-Patterson AFB accepted delivery of their second C-17A (93-0603). It worked the pattern before landing using the callsign RHINO 92.
There will eventually be a fleet of eight C-17 aircraft for the 445th AW. The photo is of 97-0044 which was the first C-17A taken delivery of. Photo courtesy of Michelle Gigante

Mansfield Goes Spartan!

Some people may find Friday the 13th to be an unlucky date. For the people of Mansfield, Ohio, it could be their luckiest one. It was on Friday August 13th that the 179th Airlift Wing of the Ohio Air National Guard accepted the first of four new C-27J Spartan aircraft that the unit is transitioning to from the C-130 Hercules aircraft they have been flying since 1976. This move is a result of the Base Realignment and Closure Act of 2005. The Alenia built C-27J Spartan is a medium sized military transport aircraft ordered as the Joint Cargo Aircraft (JCA) for use by all United States military.

The C-27J is an advanced version of Alenia Aeronautica's G.222, using the engines and systems from the Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules. An estimated crowd of around 800 friends, family, local legislative and high ranking air guard officials attended the ceremony. The ceremony closed with the christening of the first plane as "The Spirit of Mansfield". By February 2011, unit commander Colonel Gary McCue states the 179th should have four of the C-27J Spartans on base. U.S. Senator from Ohio Sherrod Brown promises to relentlessly pursue having Mansfield designated as a national training base for the new aircraft. This promises to provide Ohio Area Milcom listeners more monitoring opportunities in the years to come.