Monitoring the Air Show Experience the Annual MT Air Show Guide by Larry Van Horn, MT Assistant Editor, N5FPW
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Monitoring the Air Show Experience The Annual MT Air Show Guide By Larry Van Horn, MT Assistant Editor, N5FPW DoD photo Air Show! out this frequency range out States during the 2008 season, as the team It’s our ninth annual Air Show Guide and for civilian and military demo celebrates 22 years of flying the F/A 18 Hornet. still nothing stirs up the aircraft enthusiast’s aircraft communications Last season, more than 15 million spectators juices more than those two magical words. 122.7-123.575 25 kHz search steps (AM) 138.0-144.0 12.5 kHz search steps (AM/ watched the Blue Angels perform. Since its Every year, from March through November, Narrowband FM) inception in 1946, the Blue Angels have per- thousands travel all around the country each 148.0-150.8 12.5 kHz search steps (AM/ formed for more than 442 million fans. weekend to watch the action, as military and NBFM ) The other major piece of hardware in the civilian aero teams put their aircraft through 225.0-390.0 25 kHz search steps (AM) squadron is their C-130 Hercules transport the paces to entertain and perform. 406.1-420.0 12.5 kHz search steps (NBFM) aircraft, affectionately known as “Fat Albert.” While there is nothing quite as thrilling as It is the only Marine Corps aircraft permanently going out to one of these public air shows and assigned to support a Navy squadron and is watching the military or civilian demonstration U.S. Navy Blue Angels flown by an all Marine Corps crew of three teams strut their stuff in front of thousands of pilots and five enlisted personnel. “Fat Albert” aircraft fanatics, you can add to the visual ex- The U.S. Navy (USN)/Marine Corps flies more than 140,000 miles during the course perience by monitoring the performing teams’ (USMC) military team is represented on the of a show season. radio communications. With a radio scanner air show circuit by the Blue Angels flying their After coping with all the frequency in hand, you will experience a whole new F/A-18 Hornet aircraft. changes noted during the 2004 season, the 2007 perspective of the show that few attendees will A Blue Angels flight demonstration exhib- season was relatively stable. The primary AM realize or enjoy. its the skills possessed by all naval aviators. It mode UHF frequencies monitored during last Since the new 2008 air show season starts includes the graceful aerobatic maneuvers of season include: in the second week of March, we here present the four plane Diamond Formation, in concert our annual Milcom Air Show Guide, giving you with the fast paced, high performance ma- Blue Angels Primary Frequencies the frequencies to monitor, the recommended neuvers of its two Solo Pilots. At the close of Frequency Usage –––- Pensacola (KNPA) frequencies list of air show radio equipment, and the major every show, the team illustrates the pinnacle <Channels 1-7> military flight demonstration team schedules of precision flying, performing maneuvers –––- Show Site frequencies <Channels for the upcoming air show season. locked as a unit in the renowned, six jet Delta 11-15> Formation. 237.800 Solos <Channel 8> Where do you hear the The team is stationed at Forrest Sherman 255.200 Circle and arrivals discrete <Chan- Field, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, nel 17> 275.350 Diamond <Channel 9> action? during the show season. However, the squadron 284.250 Show Box/Delta <Channel 16> From time to time, frequencies for air spends January through March training pilots 289.800 Aerial Refueling show teams do change, so it’s important to and new team members at Naval Air Facility 302.100 Fat Albert <Secondary> know where to search for potential new fre- El Centro, California. 303.000 Occasional air-to-air comms quencies. When the Blue Angel team made The Blue Angels are scheduled to fly 68 305.500 Fat Albert “Bert” Primary <Channel some major changes back in 2004, seasoned 10> air shows at 35 air show sites in the United 346.500 Ground start/rollout/maintenance veterans knew the right bands <Channel 18> to target to look for the new fre- quencies being used. Just like the Some other UHF frequencies that veterans, if you concentrate on the were not widely reported over the bands listed below, you should be last two seasons include: 251.600 able to locate most air show activity 302.150 307.700 (AM). in your area (all frequencies in this During the 2005 show season, the article are in MHz). Blues started using a new ground 118.0-137.0 25 kHz search cart for show communications. Two steps (AM mode) new narrowband FM splinter fre- Note: We have quencies/designators were found in reports of a lot use: 139.8125 <Bravo/Channel 3> of new air show and 142.6125 <Alpha/Channel 3A>. activity in the new Last year another possible new nar- portion of the ci- vilian aero band rowband FM frequency was reported: – 136-137 MHz. 141.5625 MHz <Charlie>. Be sure to check DoD photo Although we believe that the older March 2008 MONITORING TIMES 7 162-174 MHz Blue Angel FM LMR frequen- flight demonstration team is known as the frequency_chart.pdf. If you don’t hear the cies are no longer being widely used, I have Thunderbirds. This team uses six F-16C cart on the frequencies that I have identified not deleted them from this list, as West Coast Fighting Falcon aircraft, performing forma- above, do a search using the frequency chart monitors claim that some of them are still being tion flying and solo routines. The four aircraft at the Comtek link. used there. diamond formation demonstrates the training You can learn more about the T-Birds I encourage those of you with Signal and precision of Air Force pilots, while the on their website at http://thunderbirds. Stalker and Close Call capability to watch the solos highlight the maximum capabilities of airforce.com/. LMR spectrum from 138-144 MHz closely for the F-16. The pilots perform approximately new additional 12.5-kHz splinter frequencies 30 maneuvers in a demonstration. The entire being used by the team’s ground crews. show, including ground and air, runs about an Other US DoD Military Flight Demo Teams hour and 15 minutes. In addition to the two units mentioned Additional Blue Angels Frequencies The frequency list below has been in use Cross Country Air-Air above, the Navy and the Air Force also have by the team over the last nine air show seasons. 138.250 143.600 237.800 238.150 other flight demonstration units. Other branch- It should be noted that at some performances 275.350 284.250 (AM) es of the Department of Defense (DoD) and the 143.850 and 235.250 MHz roles are re- Maintenance/Ground communications David Shultz air shows (one of the premier air [Old communications comcart/ground fre- versed from what is published below. quencies] show companies) use a wide variety of VHF 140.100 142.000 143.600 163.000 USAF Thunderbirds and UHF frequencies during air shows. Some 164.900 165.225 167.500 167.800 Frequency Usage of the frequencies recently reported for these 168.900 169.400 170.900 (NBFM) 139.8000 Possible New VHF (AM) organizations are listed below. (AM mode is Tower-Comm Cart (May no longer be used) 140.4000 Support “T-Bird Ops”/Cross coun- used for all the frequencies listed below unless 173.825 (NBFM) try air-to-air (AM) otherwise indicated.) Tower Observer 141.8250 Alternate Diamond <Victor 2> 143.000 (AM) 141.8500 Pre-take/Four ship/Diamond for- US Military Flight Demo Teams UHF frequencies not reported in recent sea- mation linked to PA system/Cross sons Combat Search and Rescue country air-to-air (AM) <Victor 40.80 (Air/Air) 251.900 (SAR Coordina- 236.450 249.625 254.500 256.250 2> 262.850 263.350 264.350 264.550 tion) 142.5750 Program audio/Air-Ground com- David Shultz airshows (civilian) 265.000 273.300 286.000 299.650 munications (NBFM) 381.000 (AM) 118.700 (Ground Ops) 132.950 (Opera- 143.8500 Diamond formation/Cross coun- tions) 135.650 (Airboss) 238.150 (Airboss) try air-to-air (AM) <Victor 1> 350.300 You can learn more about the Blue Angels Retransmission to public through Heritage Flight flight demonstration team on their internet the team PA system. 118.500 (Air/Air) 122.475 123.150 235.0250 Unknown usage [Tentative] www.blueangels.navy.mil/index. 123.425 123.450 127.150 136.575 website at 235.2000 Thunderbird Control/ComCart htm. 136.675 238.150 282.800 376.025 (AM) 384.550 235.2500 Pre-Engine Start and Solo aircraft Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt demonstration on/off show center/ linked to PA teams U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds system (AM) <Uniform 1> 40.800 118.700 122.475 123.150 322.9500 Engine Starts/Solo aircraft (5-6) 123.475 136.575 138.050 138.100 The premier U.S. Air Force (USAF) Air-Air (AM) <Uniform 2> 138.200 138.250 138.300 138.475 138.500 139.900 139.625 136.675 Maintenance/Ground teams (NBFM/P25 139.725 139.800 139.975 140.400 digital) 141.675 142.200 225.500 236.850 216.725 Announce PA feed - show narration 251.200 269.900 283.700 305.400 <Channel 55> 327.700 341.500 343.000 343.000 216.775 Announce PA feed - show narration 376.025 384.550 <Channel 56> Air Force B-1B Bomber Flyover 216.975 Team Airshow frequency feeds/mix 238.150 <Channel 60> Air Force B-2 Bomber Flyovers (509BW) 413.000 Ground Maintenance Digital 290.225 335.550 370.900 388.850 (P25) Air Force B-52 Bomber Flyovers 413.025 Ground Maintenance Analog 376.025 <Channel 1> Air Force F-15 Eagle East demonstration 413.100 Ground Maintenance Analog team <Channel 2> (Replaced by the USAF F-22 Demo Team) 413.250 Ground Maintenance Analog Air Force F-15 Eagle West demonstration 413.275 Ground Maintenance Analog (DCS team 431) (Listed in official publica- 123.150 376.025