[MilCom] DACTYL 80 brightens the Florida sky!!

[Bill "Superspy" Boltinghouse]

http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/military/c-32a/index.htm

The C-32A is not a "hush-hush" aircraft

Boeing built four 757-200s to replace the U.S. Air Force's aging fleet of
four-engine Boeing VC-137 executive transports, which had been in service
since the late 1950s. Designated C-32A, the modified airplanes carry the
U.S. vice president, members of the U.S. Cabinet and Congress, and other
government officials traveling on official business.

The aircraft likely IDd as a 757-2 which might have sounded like 750-2

POTUS & VPOTUS have used the aircraft at times as AF-1 and AF-2

The C-32A does not use the Northstar Network GEPs, but uses the new Boeing
Connexion satelitte system

http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2002/q1/nr_020129j.html

SEATTLE, Jan. 29, 2002 - The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA) has been awarded a
$112 million dollar indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract to
provide upgrade and subscription support for the C-32A Mission
Communications System. The upgrades will use the revolutionary Connexion by
Boeing airborne broadband communication service, with all work scheduled to
be completed by September 2003.

The C-32A is a specially configured Boeing 757-200 for the United States Air
Force. The aircraft provides safe, reliable worldwide airlift for the Vice
President, cabinet members and other government officials. Four C-32As are
currently in service.




----- Original Message ----- 
From: <AllanStern at aol.com>
To: <Milcom at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Friday, October 15, 2004 2:00 AM
Subject: [MilCom] DACTYL 80 brightens the Florida sky!!


>      One of the very few C-32A acft in existence came to work the pattern
at
> Patrick AFB yesterday, and I was able to snap a few decent photos of him.
The
> robin's-egg-blue Florida sky contrasted with the sexy all-white gleaming
> image of this beautiful bird.
>      He arrived at 11:35am EDT (1535z), first working radar approaches
with
> Approach and then flying the pattern VFR with the tower.
>      This time he did not come up on 344.6 to get the weather back home at
> Eglin, as C-32As usually do.  Instead he explained to the tower that he
was
> VHF-only.  Also, when getting his clearance back to VPS he IDd his acft
type to
> Patrick Dispatch as a "T/B-752."  So we have some more mystery to add to
the
> history of these hush-hush birds.
>      I have placed three of the photos I shot of DACTYL 80 on my webpage
at:
> http://hometown.aol.com/allanstern/myhomepage/index.html
>      Just scroll down below the frequencies and enjoy the view. Is he
> beautiful or what?
>
> AL STERN  Satellite Beach FL  (28-11N  80-36W) monitoring
>  Patrick AFB (KCOF)       NASA-KSC Shuttle Landing Fac (KX68)
>  Avon Park Bombing Range (KAGR)   Cape Canaveral AFS (KXMR)
>  JSTARS E-8 Acft Integration Facility, Melbourne IAP (KMLB)
>  Worldwide Military HF Communications
>  Life Member: Missile, Space and Range Pioneers.
>  http://hometown.aol.com/allanstern/myhomepage/index.html (My Freqs)
>  http://hometown.aol.com/scanaddict/index.html (My Equipment)
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