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On the Airbands
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Were You One of the Lucky Aviation Monitors Who Caught the Beautiful Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation VH-EAG “Southern Preservation” Either on HF or VHF Enroute to Our Shores?
After leaving the United States mainland, the aircraft flew to Honolulu, thence Pago Pago, Nadi and Sydney. They were due to stay in Pago for a day or so, but an extra special problem loomed that the crew had not counted on, and they had to leave Pago for Nadi in Fiji almost immediately. The reason: the navigator was an Ansett pilot, and in the middle of all this, Ansett recalled him to duty, and he was required back in Australia to crew an Ansett aircraft. Thus, the flight to Nadi on board the Connie, then to Sydney on board a Qantas flight, then he flew his sectors for Ansett, and then the hapless navigator boarded yet another Qantas flight back to Fiji so that he could navigate VH-EAG on its last leg into Sydney on the Saturday morning! Phew! You could forgive the poor guy for being a little fatigued. Photographer Greg Baker and I were lucky enough to get a personally guided tour of this beautiful aeroplane at the Qantas Sydney Jet Base recently, where it was parked airside near the Qantas Drive perimeter fence. Bob Delahunty, one of the pilots in command of VH-EAG was kind enough to show us all the communications gear, including nav equipment. Three GPS receivers were carried, meaning this particular Connie crew definitely knew where they were right down to the last few metres of ocean. For an application form for sponsorship, or to be trained as a crewmember, write to HARS at 12 Wedgewood Crescent, Beacon Hill, 2100, or ring John Brooker on (02) 9939 7513.
Some Great HF Frequencies From the United States to Monitor
First up, the Hurricane Hunters, who fly their Lockheed Hercules right into the eyes of hurricanes. On HF, they are using 13267 kHz (USB) and 17901. During a recent period of hurricane activity in the USA, I also monitored FltSatCom UHF frequency 262.15 MHz in NFM (narrow FM mode) and clearly heard a disaster network active on this channel. Then there’s the USAF’s “Air Force One”, the American Presidential Boeing 747, which regularly uses 6683, 6716, 6756, 6812, 6817, and 11226 kHz, both “in the clear” and occasionally electronically encrypted voice mode. I have even monitored Air Force One recently on 6738 kHz, presenting estimated arrival times for the big political jet.
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