[Scan-DC] SAM 2800 arrival at Andrews-Wrap Up

[Rapbep at aol.com]

All,

Unfortunately all of us couldn't be listening to this historical flight so I 
thought I'd try to capture some of the highlights of this afternoon's activity 
for those of you who might be interested.

Most of the day was relatively normal as far as flight activity goes---that 
is until the mid afternoon. While working the usual aircraft in his local 
pattern, around 1500 EDT the Andrews tower controller reminded everyone that the " 
quiet period" would begin at 1600 EDT. At the time there were several UH-1s 
from the 1st Helo Sqdn and a couple of Venus birds from the 99th AS doing 
approaches. Those aircraft finished up their pattern work and were all on the ground 
before 1600. It was eerily quiet in the Andrews airspace until SAM 28000 
arrived around 1640 or so.

Around 1540 or so I heard Harrass 31 flight of two fighters (probably F-16s 
from Langley) working with Huntress to establish a CAP over the DC area. Around 
the same time there was a Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement 
(BICE) Cessna 550 and an UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter, both operating out of Reagan 
National Airport, on patrol in the DC area. Both aircraft were vectored toward 
aircraft of interest just prior to the arrival of SAM 28000. Both aircraft, as 
it turned out, were "legal" and no "intercepts were made. The F-16s were also 
vectored towards a target, but it too was declared "legal" and the F-16s were 
called off.

The actual arrival of SAM 28000 was a thing of beauty---from a listening 
perspective.  Typical of the pilots who fly the POTUS aircraft, their approach 
through the DC airspace to landing at Andrews was completed with only six voice 
transmissions with a total of three controllers (two approach and one tower). 
They didn't waste time or words. As they say in the TV commercials, " These 
guys are good." 

The frequencies that I noted active were:

124.2- Potomac Approach
119.85- Potomac Approach
119.3- Potomac/Andrews Approach
118.4- Andrews Tower
324.0- DC CAP
282.425- BICE aircraft 

RON
MIDDLE ATLANTIC MILCOM
MARYLAND, USA