"Classified" supersonic aircraft?

This from the latest AW&ST

"SECRET STREAKER?

On the morning of Jan. 7, an aircraft using call sign "Lockheed Test
2334" told the FAA's Albuquerque Center it would be "going supersonic
somewhere above Flight Level 60 [60,000 ft.]" for about 10 sec. It was
flying over the Pecos Military Operating Area in eastern New Mexico at
the time, transmitting on 350.350 MHz. When a center controller
queried, "Say aircraft type," the unidentified vehicle's pilot
responded: "We are a classified type and can't reveal our true
altitude." About 15 min. later, the same pilot--on a different
frequency (351.700 MHz.)--requested permission for a descent to 30,000
ft. and flight-following to "Las Vegas with final destination
somewhere in the Nellis Range" complex. The U.S. Air Force's
super-secret Groom Lake test facility is located in the northwest
portion of the Nellis AFB, Nev., ranges. The Albuquerque Center
controller quipped, "Trip home a bit slower, eh?" There was no
response from the classified aircraft. The radio interchanges were
recorded by Steve Douglass, a "military radio monitor" hobbyist in
Amarillo, Tex."


Couldn't this just be a plain old F-22? Going over 60k is nothing
special. The part about "can't reveal our true altitude" sounds like
BS. If they can see them on radar I'd think they'd be able to tell
how high they were.

It reminds me of a radio transmission sometime in the mid 90's when an
aircraft,callsign Gaspipe,was cleared by Joshua Control(Edwards) to descend
from FL 760..No idea where it was going :-) That was back in the days of the
so-called skyquakes that would happen every Thursday morning...I LOVE this
stuff..

Aircraft flying that high are basically operating under VFR rules anyway and
don't have to talk to anyone. Once he decsended below 50,000 he would need
more than just "flight foillowing" ... he'd need a full IFR clearnce. My
guess is that this was an F-35 or F-22 departing Cannon's electronic ranges
for Nellis. Sounds kind of bogus. By the way, 351.7 is indeed a local
frequency for those ranges.
"Scott Ferrin" wrote in message
...


This from the latest AW&ST

"SECRET STREAKER?

On the morning of Jan. 7, an aircraft using call sign "Lockheed Test
2334" told the FAA's Albuquerque Center it would be "going supersonic
somewhere above Flight Level 60 [60,000 ft.]" for about 10 sec. It was
flying over the Pecos Military Operating Area in eastern New Mexico at
the time, transmitting on 350.350 MHz. When a center controller
queried, "Say aircraft type," the unidentified vehicle's pilot
responded: "We are a classified type and can't reveal our true
altitude." About 15 min. later, the same pilot--on a different
frequency (351.700 MHz.)--requested permission for a descent to 30,000
ft. and flight-following to "Las Vegas with final destination
somewhere in the Nellis Range" complex. The U.S. Air Force's
super-secret Groom Lake test facility is located in the northwest
portion of the Nellis AFB, Nev., ranges. The Albuquerque Center
controller quipped, "Trip home a bit slower, eh?" There was no
response from the classified aircraft. The radio interchanges were
recorded by Steve Douglass, a "military radio monitor" hobbyist in
Amarillo, Tex."


Couldn't this just be a plain old F-22? Going over 60k is nothing
special. The part about "can't reveal our true altitude" sounds like
BS. If they can see them on radar I'd think they'd be able to tell
how high they were.

"Scott Ferrin" wrote in message
...


This from the latest AW&ST

"SECRET STREAKER?

On the morning of Jan. 7, an aircraft using call sign "Lockheed Test
2334" told the FAA's Albuquerque Center it would be "going supersonic
somewhere above Flight Level 60 [60,000 ft.]" for about 10 sec. It was
flying over the Pecos Military Operating Area in eastern New Mexico at
the time, transmitting on 350.350 MHz. When a center controller
queried, "Say aircraft type," the unidentified vehicle's pilot
responded: "We are a classified type and can't reveal our true
altitude." About 15 min. later, the same pilot--on a different
frequency (351.700 MHz.)--requested permission for a descent to 30,000
ft. and flight-following to "Las Vegas with final destination
somewhere in the Nellis Range" complex. The U.S. Air Force's
super-secret Groom Lake test facility is located in the northwest
portion of the Nellis AFB, Nev., ranges. The Albuquerque Center
controller quipped, "Trip home a bit slower, eh?" There was no
response from the classified aircraft. The radio interchanges were
recorded by Steve Douglass, a "military radio monitor" hobbyist in
Amarillo, Tex."


Couldn't this just be a plain old F-22? Going over 60k is nothing
special. The part about "can't reveal our true altitude" sounds like
BS. If they can see them on radar I'd think they'd be able to tell
how high they were.

I agree, same goes with his very dodgy "TR-3" video. Wasn't his excuse that
his batteries ran out as he was filming it? Steve Douglass lost all his
credibility when he got involved in reporting on the Kosovo crisis. Douglass
gave an interview on the Jeff Rense radio show and revealed that "22 NATO
fixed wing air craft were shot down by the Serb defense, about 10 of those
U.S. planes." These were in reference to manned aircraft. Strangely enough,
Douglass has failed to back up the claims that he made in his radio
interview.

TJ

On the morning of Jan. 7, an aircraft using call sign "Lockheed Test
2334" told the FAA's Albuquerque Center it would be "going supersonic
somewhere above Flight Level 60 [60,000 ft.]" for about 10 sec. It was
flying over the Pecos Military Operating Area in eastern New Mexico at
the time, transmitting on 350.350 MHz. When a center controller
queried, "Say aircraft type," the unidentified vehicle's pilot
responded: "We are a classified type and can't reveal our true
altitude." About 15 min. later, the same pilot--on a different
frequency (351.700 MHz.)--requested permission for a descent to 30,000
ft. and flight-following to "Las Vegas with final destination
somewhere in the Nellis Range" complex. The U.S. Air Force's
super-secret Groom Lake test facility is located in the northwest
portion of the Nellis AFB, Nev., ranges. The Albuquerque Center
controller quipped, "Trip home a bit slower, eh?" There was no
response from the classified aircraft. The radio interchanges were
recorded by Steve Douglass, a "military radio monitor" hobbyist in
Amarillo, Tex."


Couldn't this just be a plain old F-22? Going over 60k is nothing
special. The part about "can't reveal our true altitude" sounds like
BS. If they can see them on radar I'd think they'd be able to tell
how high they were.

I agree, same goes with his very dodgy "TR-3" video. Wasn't his excuse that
his batteries ran out as he was filming it? Steve Douglass lost all his
credibility when he got involved in reporting on the Kosovo crisis. Douglass
gave an interview on the Jeff Rense radio show and revealed that "22 NATO
fixed wing air craft were shot down by the Serb defense, about 10 of those
U.S. planes." These were in reference to manned aircraft. Strangely enough,
Douglass has failed to back up the claims that he made in his radio
interview.

TJ




If the pilot was above 60,000, would he even need to be making such
notifications?


Ron
Pilot/Wildland Firefighter

On Mon, 12 Jan 2004 05:39:02 GMT, Scott Ferrin
wrote:



This from the latest AW&ST

"SECRET STREAKER?

On the morning of Jan. 7, an aircraft using call sign "Lockheed Test
2334" told the FAA's Albuquerque Center it would be "going supersonic
somewhere above Flight Level 60 [60,000 ft.]" for about 10 sec. It was
flying over the Pecos Military Operating Area in eastern New Mexico at
the time, transmitting on 350.350 MHz. When a center controller
queried, "Say aircraft type," the unidentified vehicle's pilot
responded: "We are a classified type and can't reveal our true
altitude." About 15 min. later, the same pilot--on a different
frequency (351.700 MHz.)--requested permission for a descent to 30,000
ft. and flight-following to "Las Vegas with final destination
somewhere in the Nellis Range" complex. The U.S. Air Force's
super-secret Groom Lake test facility is located in the northwest
portion of the Nellis AFB, Nev., ranges. The Albuquerque Center
controller quipped, "Trip home a bit slower, eh?" There was no
response from the classified aircraft. The radio interchanges were
recorded by Steve Douglass, a "military radio monitor" hobbyist in
Amarillo, Tex."


Couldn't this just be a plain old F-22? Going over 60k is nothing
special. The part about "can't reveal our true altitude" sounds like
BS. If they can see them on radar I'd think they'd be able to tell
how high they were.

No person operating a classified aircraft would be so stupid as to say
so over the air. Those issues are always coordinated in advance and
identifed by the cvall sign so the controller knows better than to
ask.

Ross "Roscoe" Dillon
USAF Flight Tester
(B-2, F-16, F-15, F-5, T-37, T-38, C-5, QF-106)

"Scott Ferrin" wrote in message
...

This from the latest AW&ST

"SECRET STREAKER?

On the morning of Jan. 7, an aircraft using call sign "Lockheed Test
2334" told the FAA's Albuquerque Center it would be "going supersonic
somewhere above Flight Level 60 [60,000 ft.]" for about 10 sec. It was
flying over the Pecos Military Operating Area in eastern New Mexico at
the time, transmitting on 350.350 MHz. When a center controller
queried, "Say aircraft type," the unidentified vehicle's pilot
responded: "We are a classified type and can't reveal our true
altitude." About 15 min. later, the same pilot--on a different
frequency (351.700 MHz.)--requested permission for a descent to 30,000
ft. and flight-following to "Las Vegas with final destination
somewhere in the Nellis Range" complex. The U.S. Air Force's
super-secret Groom Lake test facility is located in the northwest
portion of the Nellis AFB, Nev., ranges. The Albuquerque Center
controller quipped, "Trip home a bit slower, eh?" There was no
response from the classified aircraft. The radio interchanges were
recorded by Steve Douglass, a "military radio monitor" hobbyist in
Amarillo, Tex."


Couldn't this just be a plain old F-22? Going over 60k is nothing
special. The part about "can't reveal our true altitude" sounds like
BS. If they can see them on radar I'd think they'd be able to tell
how high they were.


Sounds flaky to me. Flight following above FL600 (I assume "Flight Level
60" is a typo), would be theoretically available, but not particularly
useful. But a descent to 30,000 feet would require an IFR clearance, and
simple flight following would not be available at that altitude.

"Ron" wrote in message
...

If the pilot was above 60,000, would he even need to be making such
notifications?


What notifications?

"dirtypurplesawc13" wrote in message
nk.net...

Aircraft flying that high are basically operating under VFR rules anyway
and
don't have to talk to anyone. Once he decsended below 50,000 he would
need
more than just "flight foillowing" ... he'd need a full IFR clearnce.


He'd need an IFR clearance a bit higher than 50,000 feet, Class A airspace
exists between 18,000 MSL and FL 600.

"Scott Ferrin" wrote:

This from the latest AW&ST

"SECRET STREAKER?

On the morning of Jan. 7, an aircraft using call sign "Lockheed Test
2334" told the FAA's Albuquerque Center it would be "going supersonic
somewhere above Flight Level 60 [60,000 ft.]" for about 10 sec. It was
flying over the Pecos Military Operating Area in eastern New Mexico at
the time, transmitting on 350.350 MHz. When a center controller
queried, "Say aircraft type," the unidentified vehicle's pilot
responded: "We are a classified type and can't reveal our true
altitude." About 15 min. later, the same pilot--on a different
frequency (351.700 MHz.)--requested permission for a descent to 30,000
ft. and flight-following to "Las Vegas with final destination
somewhere in the Nellis Range" complex. The U.S. Air Force's
super-secret Groom Lake test facility is located in the northwest
portion of the Nellis AFB, Nev., ranges. The Albuquerque Center
controller quipped, "Trip home a bit slower, eh?" There was no
response from the classified aircraft. The radio interchanges were
recorded by Steve Douglass, a "military radio monitor" hobbyist in
Amarillo, Tex."

Couldn't this just be a plain old F-22? Going over 60k is nothing
special. The part about "can't reveal our true altitude" sounds like
BS. If they can see them on radar I'd think they'd be able to tell
how high they were.

Reminds me of the following famous SR-71 story...

Los Angeles Center reported receiving a request for clearance
to FL 600 (60,000 ft). The incredulous controller, with some disdain
in his voice, asked, "How do you plan to get up to 60,000 feet?"
The pilot (obviously a sled driver), responded, "We don't plan to go
up to it, we plan to go DOWN to it." He was cleared.