Message posted by Peter Merlin on February 12, 2014 at 21:20:19 PST:
Testing at night makes little sense unless, like the F-117A, the aircraft or weapon system is designed for nighttime operations. For safety reasons, as well as for purposes of engineering documentation, most testing takes place in daylight. Security issues dictate the precise timing (satellite overhead times, presence of uncleared personnel, etc.). As a rule, all test flights should be conducted during the first hour or so after dawn to minimize the chance of an unauthorized sighting of the test article. Test program personnel typically commute to the test site on a weekly basis, arriving Monday morning and departing Friday evening. This provides as many as four mornings per week to conduct flight-test activities. The majority of non-program personnel commute to the test site on a daily basis. If possible, the test article should be finished flying, and in the hangar, prior to the arrival of most non-permanent test site personnel each morning. Uncleared personnel present at the test site on the day of a test may be sequestered while the test article is exposed on the ground (Security Category 3) or in operation (Security Category 4). During night hours, approved program personnel may implement Category 3 through the Security office when the Current Operations Center (White Room) in not manned. This category, however, must be terminated 30 minutes prior to sunrise, unless the White Room is manned and operating. Approved program personnel may request or approve a standard deviation to Category 3, allowing non-permanent test site personnel, not cleared into that program, to move within the main base (Cantonment) area without sequestering. Other visitor control and escort procedures still apply. Test articles should be hangared during periods of foreign reconnaissance satellite coverage (NIGHTSHOT Condition), or when uncleared personnel are known to be within sight of the airfield or the Test Site skyline (Condition WATCHDOG). When WATCHDOG is in effect, the Director of Operations or Supervisor of Flying may approve or cancel approach of test articles or other aircraft to the airfield. If approach and landing are waived off, test and support aircraft may be diverted to contingency landing sites. On 31 October 1994, Glenn Campbell forced the waive-off of two aircraft using call signs CAMINO 04 and CAMINO 48. Here is the radio transcript: CAMINO 48, TO EXPECT A VISUAL APPROACH TO RUNWAY 32R, THE WIND IS CALM, ALTIMETER 3032, 36 DEGREES FOR NOW, PROCEED DIRECT TO PYRAMID CAMINO 04, SQUAWK 3031 WATCHDOG IS IN EFFECT, AT THIS TIME WE'RE LOOKING FOR APPROVAL TO GET YOU IN CAMINO 04, ROGER AH...IF YOU CAN MAINTAIN VFR RIGHT AROUND THE FRENCHMAN FLATS AREA...WE ONLY HAVE [??????] TO REMAIN THERE'S A RED-AND-WHITE COMING IN BEHIND YOU CAMINO 04...APPROACH APPROVAL HAS BEEN CANCELLED JANET 305 CLEARED FOR A VISUAL APPROACH RUNWAY 32 RIGHT VIA PYRAMID CAMINO 04, NEED YOU TO WORK WEST A BIT [SO THAT YOU DON'T ?] NEED YOU TO HOLD AROUND THE FRENCHMAN FLATS AREA...ARE YOU [CAMINO 04, APPROACH APPROVAL STILL WITHHELD] DUE TO THE FACT THAT IT'S GLENN CAMPBELL AND HE HAS NOT DEPARTED THE AREA. HE IS JUST DOWN THE HILL. WATCHDOG IS STILL IN EFFECT. [SECOND VOICE] UNDERSTAND YOU ARE BRINGING THE CAMINOS IN NOW? I'M GOING TO TALK TO THE D.O. AND THE S.O.F. AND TRY AND GET THAT'S AFFIRMATIVE [BECAUSE] HE'S NOW FAR ENOUGH DOWN THE HILL WHERE THEY CAN'T SEE HIM [THIRD VOICE] THAT WOULD BE GREAT, WE CAN...AH...KEEP OUR PATTERN REAL LOW IF WE NEED TO COPIED, STANDBY [End of recording]
OUTSIDE THE SIXTY SERIES [RESTRICTED AREAS]
ENTER INTO RANGE 64
FAMILIAR WITH THAT?
APPROVAL FOR YOU TO DO PATTERN WORK AS LONG AS GLENN CAMPBELL IS DOWN THE HILL
In Reply to: Re: Flight testing posted by OldThudMan~!!~ on February 12, 2014 at 17:28:23 PST:
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