REACH/RCH flights

[foxfire]

Newbie question! Could someone very briefly explain about these flights? Are they all cargo or do they carry passengers? I've trawled back through the newbie questions for the last five years (and also other areas of the forum), getting distracted by all kinds of interesting explanations about other things en route, but not found an answer.

[Malcolm]

The vast majority of RCH/Reach +3 numbers callsigns are C5/KC10/C17/KC135 flights transporting American servicemen and/or materials. No real way of knowing what they're carrying unless you get to hear the arrival messages. The USAF often operate a Space-A (Space Available) policy whereby if there is a spare seat on a flight from (say) Mildenhall to (say) McGuire then if you have the right status you can blag a free trip home. So even if it's a freight flight, it could have passengers too. If it's carrying something 'iffey' (munitions, nuclear stuff) then space A won't be offered.

There are a few callsign blocks which deserve a bit more attention.

4 digit numbers are often Airforce special mission callsigns. Sometimes Diplomatic flights (like RCH1815 this morning) , and other times spooky things trying to sneak through unnoticed (AC/MC130's, or civvy looking things that aren't).

3 Digit numbers beginning with a Zero sometimes seem to be KC-10's engaged in refuelling ops.

[foxfire]

Thank you for the explanation, Malcolm, which is much appreciated.

[foxfire]

One thing I forgot to ask - is 'Reach' an acronym or just the name for this category of flights?

[POL]

It's just a callsign, presumably something to do with the global "reach" of USAF's Air Mobility Command.

[STN RAMP RAT]

To add to this I believe the first digit on a three number flight plan has some relevance as well. I have been analysing the flight numbers of the KC135 transit flights across Europe over the last year. Of the 300 records I have 50% used RCH8xx numbers the next highest was RCH1xx at 11% and whilst all the other numbers have been used none of them get over 8% of the total. I would be intrigued to know the logic used.

On a separate note the aircraft will often but not always use the same flight number from its home base until it returns to its home base.

[foxfire]

Thank you both for the further explanations.