Doomsday visit !
It was an action-packed week for Curaçao plane spotters, courtesy of US president Joe Biden’s attendance at the APEC summit in Lima, Peru!
The first sign of action was the arrival of a pair of C-17As, dropping off ground support equipment at the Cooperative Security Location (CSL), with both aircraft departing the same day. A few days later, a trio of KC-135R/T took up residence at the CSL. With a US Customs and Border Patrol (USCBP) P-3B “Dome” and a Sierra Nevada corporation-operated Dash8 also on the CSL ramp, many of us believed no further American aircraft would come to the island.
On Thursday, 14 November, I noticed “GRIM 99” on Flightradar24. The E-4B Nightwatch, serial 75-0125, had departed Offut Air Force Base (AFB) and was flying toward the Caribbean region. The previously mentioned C-17As had originated from the Omaha, Nebraska area (where Offut AFB is located), so I was hopeful that the Nightwatch would also come to Curacao. The aircraft, who’s role is to act as the National Airborne Operations Center (NAOC) during emergencies, usually deploys near presidential visits in case of problems with the VC-25, better known as “Air Force One”.
Live ATC.net soon revealed that our island was indeed the destination, GRIM 99 having checked-in with Curaçao control just before entering the Curaçao Flight Information Region (FIR). At the same time, weather conditions at Hato airport dictated a change to runway 29, from the usual runway 11. I had never photographed an aircraft from that direction so I was not entirely sure what to expect in terms of results. In the end, it was a chance to try something new on amazing visitor.
The E-4B departed on Sunday the 17th, bound for Brasilia international airpot (SBBR) in support of President Biden’s presence at the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro.
More on this week’s events coming soon!
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