NAS North Island (KNZY/NZY) 2022

[SBGrad]

26 Sept

If you're in Southern California right now, and you want to see Goshawks in the air, they are flying ~800a-700p. As much as I love the beach I was out only for a few hours in the afternoon (not to mention I was out at Miramar in the AM looking for a B-29).

US Navy Training Wing 2 B2xx
McDonnell Douglas T-45C Goshawk
B208/BUNO 163608
B240/BUNO 163696
B245/BUNO 167090

There was also an F-35 and some version of F-18 launching from runway 18, no numbers see and no call signs heard on the radio. Never actually saw them come back, but there was a lot more action I heard from home after I left the beach.

Actually more interesting than the Goshawks were 2 nautical visitors. The 62m/206ft mega yacht ANAWA was in the roadstead, much less than a mile offshore. She's been tied up behind the convention center for over a month, I guess the owner is tired of paying port fees.

The other visitor which I saw going out the channel, was the ex-DD964. The only Spruance class destroyer not scrapped, expended or sold by the US Navy, she is now a Self Defense Test Ship. The ex-Paul Foster is fitted out with defensive sensors and weapons systems. During some tests she is set up for unmanned operation, and live weapons are fired at a ship sized target towed by the ship (shipping containers on a barge).

[SBGrad]

27 Sept

Flying all day, starting with a C-17 arrival over the beach at ~730am. However, I was out only 1715-1830 to catch the light.

US Navy VT-7 Training Wing 1 A1xx
McDonnell Douglas T-45C Goshawk
A170/BUNO 165162
A157/BUNO 165599
//at least one additional jet flew up the bay and landed on runway 18

Reach (14) C-17 landed on 36 //nn, and looking straight into the sun I couldn't even figure out the color on the tail fin.

US Navy VAQ-139 Cougars NA-50x
Boeing EA-18G Growler
NA-500/BUNO 168256 //CAG color bird
NA-501/BUNO 168372
//504 took off with 500 & 501, returned after sunset, ~1845

...and the highlight of the evening was the NASNI-adjacent visit by US Army C-147A 01610. She made orbits over San Diego Bay for about 20 minutes before dropping the Golden Knights parachute team into Petco Park for the Padres-dodgers baseball game. It is ~ 2 miles in a straight line from Dog Beach to the ball park.

PS Nimitz COMPTUEX battle exercise DELAYED. Nimitz came in on the 17th with reports of contaminated drinking water supply. She's been at the pier since then, hooked up to San Diego's municipal water for at least part of that time. What this means for spotters is that the various aggressor squadrons that play Red Air for the COMPTUEX have not arrived at any of the local airports. Typically North Island will play host to a couple squadrons of aggressors, most recently VFA-204 and Tactical Air Support F-5s last November (at the same time Top Aces sent 4 Alpha Jets to Brown Field/KDSM).

[SBGrad]

17 October

Saw on one of the tracking sites there was an E-2D out from NI doing figure 8s over San Clemente, so I went out to the beach to catch it coming back.

US Coast Guard
2701 Alenia HC-27J Spartan based in Sacramento CA

US Navy Fleet Readiness Center SW
Grumman E-2D Advanced Hawkeye
BUNO 168076 //Depot 11, no refueling probe

US Navy VR-57
Boeing C-40A Clipper
BUNO 165845 //Convoy 4447

Rampart Aviation "Kahuna" //shuttle service to/from San Clemente
deHavilland DHC-6 Twin Otter
N368SS //Kahuna 68
N344CS //Kahuna 44

US Navy VRC-30 Providers
Grumman C-2 Greyhound
22/BUNO 162163

[SBGrad]

19 Oct

Royal Australian Air Force
C-17
Saw it come in on Runway 36 (WAY too far for numbers), tracking sites designate it as ASY791

US Navy VRM-50 Sunhawks "Scorch"
Bell Boeing CMV-22B Osprey
54/BUNO 169455 //Scorch 54

US Navy Fleet Readiness Center SW
Grumman E-2D Advanced Hawkeye
"Depot 11" //landed on Runway 18, too far away for numbers

Rampart Aviation "Kahuna"
Twin Otter N344CS //Kahuna 44
Casa 212 N434CA //Kahuna 34

[EvD]

Apart from modexes (or modexi?) we were able to read some of the CMV-22B fleet here on 12OCT & 13OCT:

VRM-30
169437/30
169438/31
169439/32
169440/33
169442/35
169443/36
169444/37
169445/DC-20
169446/21
169451
169452
169453

VRM-50
169447/50
169448/51 (hangared, serial assumed)
169449/52
169454
169455/54

[blazesixate]

lotsa HOGS
23 EFW

[The DJ]

Apart from modexes (or modexi?) we were able to read some of the CMV-22B fleet here on 12OCT & 13OCT:

VRM-30
169437/30
169438/31
169439/32
169440/33
169442/35
169443/36
169444/37
169445/DC-20
169446/21
169451
169452
169453

VRM-50
169447/50
169448/51 (hangared, serial assumed)
169449/52
169454
169455/54

169451 was coded 53 and with VRM-50.
169454 was parked at the VRM-30 line.

[mikebursell]

So far as I am aware, I've seen no sightings of 169441 and 169450 at North Island during October. 169452 came back from Japan by sea and flew from San Diego port the short hop to North Island on 5.10.

On another topic, anyone seen Indian MH-60s IN751 and IN752 during October?

Mike

[raameagle]

Mike,
I didn’t see 169450 in October either (it’s the only one I’m missing so far apart from the first two which are at PAX).
I only saw IN753 too which I’d seen before.
Regards
Mark

So far as I am aware, I've seen no sightings of 169441 and 169450 at North Island during October. 169452 came back from Japan by sea and flew from San Diego port the short hop to North Island on 5.10.

On another topic, anyone seen Indian MH-60s IN751 and IN752 during October?

Mike

[The DJ]

169452 came back from Japan by sea and flew from San Diego port the short hop to North Island on 5.10.
Mike

Typo? It was 169442/35 that was in Japan.
Isn't 169441/34 the one in depot?

We didn't see the other two Indians either. Perhaps already delivered?

[mikebursell]

Ooops, yes - my typo. 169442/35 VMR-30 Det.2. Apols.

Yes, I too was wondering if IN751/752 had already departed NASNI.

Mike

[SBGrad]

Lincoln just left this AM, and sure enough, at least 4 Growlers appeared within a few hours. Winter sun backlighting the jets, so I couldn't even catch the 2 letter tail code. However, I've got all week to catch them over the beach.

Oh yah, 2 Supers from VX-31 came to visit yesterday.

[SBGrad]

30 Nov

USS Lincoln went out on the 29th, and promptly catches on fire.* Nimitz arrives in the afternoon to pick up her airwing personnel for her deployment.

VRM-50 Sun Hawks 'Scorch'
Bell Boeing CMV-22B Osprey
SB-50/BUNO 169447 //Scorch 50-- color tail

VRM-20 Titans 'Rudy'
Bell Boeing CMV-22B Osprey
//arrived at Dog Beach right as I was walking up, before I had my camera out. Of course it was Rudy 20 with the color tail-- that I haven't shot yet. Sic Transit Gloria Mundi.

VRC-30 Providers 'Password'
Grumman C-2 Greyhound
37/162141
36/162178

Fleet Logistics Office 'Convoy'
Boeing C-40 Clipper
BUNO 168981
//there were a few more Convoy Clippers, but I am spoiled AND lazy-- once I see winglets on a 737 I usually put the camera down.

Scuttlebutt says ~12 USAF F-35s and another 8-9 F-16s on base. Not seen flying during daylight hours. Nothing heard at night, either.





*https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-nav ... 9-sailors/

[SBGrad]

Dec 1

Fleet Logistics Office
Boeing C-40A Clipper
BUNO 165835 //another of the dozen of so C-40s bringing spare parts and non flying personnel to Nimitz, at least 3 more came in last night

N300LF
Partenavia P-68C //Zero Lima Foxtrot on scanner

US Navy VRC-30 Providers 'Password'
Grumman C-2A Greyhound
20/BUNO 162147

US Navy VRC-30 Titans 'Rudy'
Bell-Boeing CMV-22B Osprey
DC-20/ BUNO 169447 //color tail-- FINALLY flies in front of the Nikon

US Navy VAQ-139 Cougars CVW-17 USS Nimitz
Boeing EA-18G Growler
NA-500 /BUNO 168256 //CAG bird, 1st flight Dash 1
NA-501 /BUNO 168372 //Dash 2
NA-503 /BUNO 168896 //Dash 3

NA-504 /BUNO 16xxx // Dash 1 2nd flight, might be able to extract rest of BUNO once card dumped to computer
NA-505 /BUNO 168904 //Dash 2 low approach, runway fouled, went around and recovered on runway 18
NA-506 /BUNO 169208 //Dash 3, followed Dash 2 to recovery on 18

20 minutes later...

NA-502 /BUNO 169xxx //single, might be able to extract rest of BUNO once card dumped to computer

US Navy VAQ-129 Vikings
Boeing EA-18G Growler
NJ-576/BUNO 169140
NJ-512/BUNO 16xxxx //wild boar on tail, might be able to extract rest of BUNO once card dumped to computer

Dec 2

US Navy VRC-30 Titans 'Rudy'
Bell-Boeing CMV-22B Osprey
DC-20/ BUNO 169447 //color tail

US Navy VAQ-129 Vikings
Boeing EA-18G Growler
NJ-520/BUNO 168257

US Navy VAQ-133 Wizards CVW-9 USS Lincoln*
Boeing EA-18G Growler
NG-501/BUNO 166254
NG-505/BUNO 168766

*Lincoln Carrier Strike Group participating in SUSTEX...https://www.cpf.navy.mil/Newsroom/News/ ... -exercise/

Related to SUSTEX, the heretofore unseen (by me) USAF F-35s at NASNI appear to be part of the SUSTEX-- one of the F-35 had a late night emergency...https://twitter.com/norb420/status/1598561977831460864

[AndyMarden]

Thanks for the log.
Can you recheck NA-506 please? 169209 maybe?
Also a typo, NG-501 is 168254.