Fun mystery on ADS-B Exchange

a reply to: FredT

It's the callsign used for refueling the guys out of Groom. It can be either the Edwards KC-135, or a KC-10, probably out of Travis.

Today is turning into a very interesting day. Lockheed has their Gulfstream III AML&ISR lab flying orbits south of Phoenix, ATAC has two Kfirs flying around Fallon, and N879AD is back up in the air, heading northwest out of China Lake.

Anyone in the Sacramento area, the MAFFS guys are down there training for the upcoming fire season. They're flying with CalFire and dropping water on target areas.

a reply to: FredT

Someone just checked in with a ramp inventory. There are 5 Growlers from Whidbey, and one from Fallon flying out of Nellis. That's who the Omega was refueling last night.

a reply to: Zaphod58

uhh thats so cool watching the fire guys.


the helos sucking water out of pools is cool but when they drop water from the airplane, that is much cooler.

NC-135W just into Arizona from the Pacific. New one for me I had to look that sucker up

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: FredT

Someone just checked in with a ramp inventory. There are 5 Growlers from Whidbey, and one from Fallon flying out of Nellis. That's who the Omega was refueling last night.

Cool! Always interesting to see what they are up to. That gives the old Bob Marley tune "Jammin" a whole new meaning lol

a reply to: penroc3

Got to be honest. If our pilots got too close to stuff like that retaining wall I would refuse to go up.

a reply to: FredT

Looks like he came out of former NAS Barbers Point in Hawaii, heading back to Texas where he's based.

a reply to: FredT

Lol they did get a little close

The guy leaning his head out is crazy, all it would take is an unexpected gust and there would be high speed steel flying right at you

Don't know what they're doing in the Gulf of Guinea, but it's fun. Spain currently has something showing at 12,338 knots, and France has something showing at 4,469,556 feet.

ETA: And the Spain thing just jumped up to 16,684 knots.

The last 3 or 4 evenings, there's been a KC-135 refueling something down around El Paso. He's back again tonight.

RC-26D snooping on ???


Herc RTB

a reply to: gariac

They use cities for training all the time. It's a good way to get some serious training in.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: gariac

They use cities for training all the time. It's a good way to get some serious training in.

I set up a VPN for my phone. You never know if these planes have "dirt boxes." There isn't much you can do about phone call security.

You have to wonder if the DoD places their own test targets to snoop on, or if they use targets of opportunity.

Note that Herc meandered back to base at a relatively low altitude. At 6kft, that is 4Kft AGL, and easily spotted on I-15 given the size of the plane.

The RC-26 is probably not noticed. I'm pretty good at spotting surveillance at a few thousand AGL, but not two miles in the air.

a reply to: gariac

Usually it's targets of opportunity, unless it's an exercise. There are videos of B-52s using convenient houses and buildings as targets as they go over.

There's an F-35 showing up on Flightradar24 flying just South of San Clemente Island..

a reply to: EBJet

He was out there last night too. He would drop down to low level then climb back out and drop back down.

a reply to: Zaphod58

So far, he's been as high as 48K and as fast as 746mph..Haven't seen him go low yet..

And just as I say that, now he's down in the waves..