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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend December 18, 2005 Since You Asked: Plane conducting ‘touch and go’ tests What was that loud, strange plane flying very low over east Medford Saturday afternoon? — numerous phone calls How soon we all forget ... or perhaps we’re getting calls from newcomers to the valley since the U.S. Navy E-6B Mercury TACAMO last popped in for a visit. A controller at the Medford airport tower confirmed for us that is was an E-6B, using our airport for practice "touch and go" runs. The plane comes in low as if for a landing, touches down and then guns the engines to take off again. It’s a fairly regular sight in the Rogue Valley as the airport has a long runway that such large planes can use for practice. The controller said the plane was most likely out of Travis Air Force Base near Sacramento, Calif., and the Bay Area. The Navy E-6B Mercury TACAMO has been in service since 1989. Made by Boeing based on the 707 design, it has four engines and a crew of 14 and it costs about $140 million a pop. Basically the E-6B is the Navy’s strategic command and communications "platform" — is it the airborne command post for the Navy’s ballistic missile submarines. It is designed to withstand the side effects of a nuclear attack (the electromagnetic pulse, which can wreak havoc on unprotected electronics) and can fly nonstop for about 15 hours without refueling, 72 hours with refueling. For more information, visit www.fas.org and do a search for "E-6B." Send questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501 or by e-mail to Since You Asked: Plane conducting �touch and go� tests ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Student Loans Online Pharmacy tcg student loan consolidation Online Casino Reviews Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Discount Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Salvia Divinorum Online Casino Fundraisers Advertisement s