21 January 2026

Air-to-Air Melees off the Georgia Coast - Sentry South Exercise Underway in Savannah

Earlier this week, an air combat exercise began at the Savannah Combat Readiness Training Center/Air Dominance Center at Savannah-Hilton Head IAP. Sentry South is what used to be Sentry Savannah, and although the name may have changed slightly, it is still the same exercise with mostly the same participants. This January's exercise involves USAF and Air National Guard F-22As, F-35As, F-16CMs, T-38s, and KC-135s, USMC F-35Bs, and Top Aces F-16s. Four units are working out of the Air Dominance Center in Savannah, tanker support is flying out of Hunter AAF in Savannah, and some local area units are flying out of their home bases.

ADS-B Exchange tracks of two of the KC-135s and some of the T-38s supporting the Sentry South exercise in Savannah

18 January 2026

Space, History, and Wildlife - Space Coast, Treasure Coast, and First Coast Road Trip Radio Report; 12-16 January 2026

This past week was my annual Space Coast Road trip; this year in addition to the Space Coast, I added stops in Fort Pierce and Vero Beach in the Treasure Coast (my first time in that area) and stops in St Augustine and Jacksonville in the First Coast. I left Savannah on Sunday afternoon and stayed overnight in Orange Park to beat the Monday morning rush hour traffic in Jacksonville. The road trip began in earnest on Monday morning; my first stop was Bulow Plantation Ruins Historic State Park in Flagler Beach, where I also did a Parks on the Air (POTA) activation after which I continued south to the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in Titusville. Tuesday was "Space Day," with visits to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, the Sands Space History Center, and the American Space Museum & Hall of Fame. This year's Space Coast Road Trip took place just before the rollout of Artemis II from Kennedy Space Center's VAB to Launch Complex 39B ahead of next month's scheduled launch on a mission around the Moon. I may not have been there for the rollout, but I was able to hear some of the radio communications preparing for the rollout while in the Titusville area. It made for fascinating listening. After breakfast on Wednesday, I headed south to the Treasure Coast and visited the National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce; after lunch in Vero Beach, I visited Mel Fisher's Treasures in Sebastian and the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum in Titusville. On Thursday, I made another visit to the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, then headed north to Fort Mose State Historic Park in St Augustine (where I did another POTA activation) after lunch. I stayed overnight in St Augustine so I wouldn't have to drive through Jacksonville rush hour traffic and headed back to Savannah on Friday after a visit to the Brumos Collection in Jacksonville. 

The Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) and Launch Control Center (LCC) at Kennedy Space Center. This year's Space Coast Road Trip took place just before Artemis II left the VAB for Launch Complex 39B; while I wasn't in the area for the rollout, the timing did give me the opportunity to listen to preparation and support of the rollout.