Military Flights to Mesquite Metro Airport, Unidentified planes, Assistance please!

I’ve been trying to dig on this airport HQZ Mesquite Metro Airport & military flights to/from JBA. Very strange this airport, relative to the DFW area reminds me of the "Mena Arkansas Airport" in its obscurity.



There seems to be NO military or contractor facilities in close proximity.
Raytheon has a plant 10 miles away (with a closer airport in Rockwall TX). What’s odd is that this isn’t an isolated incident and nothing remarkable about the airport. There’s a aerial photographer & a Civil Air Patrol office, furniture warehouse. HOWEVER, adjacent to the airport is a large firearms facility – training, gun range, Custom Manufacturing shop!

Here’s a recap of recent MIL flights by call sign, serial & tail #. All go to/ from Joint Base Andrews (JBA) from this tiny airport location. Both aircraft are Gulfstream V. Tail no. AE4A81 seems to be 99th AS (air support squadron?) if I'm reading correctly.

25May20 SAM769 – SAM784 (in/out) - 09-0410 AE010E not on MIL aircraft databases I can see
11Jun20 SAM817 – SAM818 (in/out) - 09-525 AE4A81
15jJun20 SAM871
03Jul20 SAM975- 09-525 AE4A81
06Jul20 SAM976 (above)- 09-525 AE4A81

Obviously, the first flight looks suspicious or at least covert. Why isn't this plane registered?
My inner conspiracy theorist whispers this may have something to do with those 10,800 AR-15 full-auto conversion kits intercepted by CBP in Louisville, KY.

Any clues on this? Seeking guidance. Thanks!

ganjoa

a reply to: ganjoa

It's a fuel stop. These aren't covert flights, they're VIP flights. All the aircraft belong to the 89th Airlift Wing at Andrews. The AE number isn't a tail number, it's the transponder hex code assigned to the aircraft. The tail number is the six digit number. The full tail number is 09-0525, not 09-525.

99th AS is the 99th Airlift Squadron. It's one of the units under the umbrella of the 89th Airlift Wing.

a reply to: Zaphod58
Thanks for some reliable information. Always humbled when the experts speak.
No clue what the AE numbers were, but they were on the tail so please pardon my ignorance.
Not sure about fuel stops, there's a NAS/ANG pretty close. Other larger facilities too.
A couple of these flights were turnarounds from what I've seen (but you have much better eyes).
More questions from my ignorance:
* Is it SOP to change call signs? on a fuel stop?
* Is there anything on 09-0410? (I found nothing on Baugher's Home Page)

Thanks for sharing!
ganjoa

a reply to: ganjoa

It's not SOP, but it does happen occasionally. It used to be that the number after SAM was the aircraft tail number, but that was changed to a flight number now. So when it changes, they're on a different flight number. Think of it like a commercial flight. United 001 comes in, and continues as 002.

That hex code, AE010E, actually belongs to C-37A 97-0401. She was caught both outbound and inbound again May 25th on a reciever in the Pittsburgh area.

a reply to: Zaphod58
Thanks! That's my error 97-0401 not "09"!
Still just learning.

ganjoa

a reply to: ganjoa

No worries. I wouldn't have caught it if I didn't know of places to look up the hex code assigned to the transponder. It's an easy mistake to make.