Flightradar24 Interesting Finds

[MossRoad]

How do you find these flights Moss?

I go onto Flghtradar and pick something interesting (large or unusual) and I'm on the free version.

We are close to Portsmouth NH where the new KC-46 is based and see and hear a lot of interesting planes in the sky but nothing shows on Flightradar.

I poke around on flightradar24. If you see a delta looking plane, it's usually military fighter, trainer, and the U2 appeared that way.

Then I look at jets with 4 engines. Those are usually 747 freighters, or airbus A380, but also 747 military, 707 derivatives, like the KC135 tankers, the AWACS, the C17 Globemaster, the sentries.

The C130s, which are turboprop, 4 engines, but show up as 2 engine.

The long skinny 2 engine jet icons are either FedX or UPS MD-11s and such, which are really 3 engine planes, or the KC10 tankers.

It's kinda fun.

 

[MossRoad]

I heard this go over, and followed it for a while. It was a C130 out of Peoria, IL. It looped over Notre Dame, then eventually did some touch and goes down at Purdue in West Lafayette, IN, then went home. (click to enlarge). The icon shows a 2 engine plane, but you start getting used to it being a large turboprop of some type. Only way to find out is to click on it.

 

[MossRoad]

 

[MossRoad]

 

[MossRoad]

Forgot to post this from last Friday. There were 3 KC10s out there off the west coast.

See how the icons look like 2 engine jets? But the wings are thicker and swept back further and the fuselage is a bit thicker than those other 2 jets? That's always a good indication of a FedX or UPS MD11, or a KC10 tanker, or FedX or UPS DC10.

 

[MossRoad]

Here's the other two KC10s from Friday.

 

[MossRoad]

Looks like FedEx is retiring their last eight MD10s (DC10s) by the end of 2023.

FedEx Express ends MD-10 operations

FedEx Express (FX, Memphis International) parked all eight of its remaining MD-10-30(F)s at the end of 2022, Cargo Facts has reported. Flightradar24 ADS-B data shows that two of the eight aircraft have been at Indianapolis International since December 29. The remaining six operated their last...

www.ch-aviation.com

UPS DC10

 

[kenmbz]

We have military jets, sometimes heavies and helicopters come over every few days.
They never show up on flightradar, though we can see them flying not too far away.

 

[cqaigy2]

We have military jets, sometimes heavies and helicopters come over every few days.
They never show up on flightradar, though we can see them flying not too far away.

I see some on flightradar, but not all. I'm wondering if training flights are the ones that show. Kinda interesting though.

 

[MossRoad]

I see some on flightradar, but not all. I'm wondering if training flights are the ones that show. Kinda interesting though.

Yeah it is. I can understand them not showing up at all, but wish I knew the why's of how it's decided which ones do show up.

When military planes come into town to do flyovers for Notre Dame football games, they do not show up on Flightradar24. But you know they are there!

 

[RobertN]

Tons of military flights in Texas and Oklahoma right now. There's a P-51 that got assigned the same delta shape as all T38's flying.

 

[cqaigy2]

Tons of military flights in Texas and Oklahoma right now. There's a P-51 that got assigned the same delta shape as all T38's flying.

Well it is kinda cool plane so has to get a cool delta wing.

 

[MossRoad]

Found some neat stuff tonight...

Saw these two in close proximity.



Then POOF! the 747 disappeared.



That KC135 is having a long night.



Saw this on the East Coast. It talks to subs.



Saw these two in close proximity. KC-46 based on 767.



And look who popped back up.

 

[kenmbz]

Wonder What he is looking for-no transponder info:

 

[cqaigy2]

Wonder What he is looking for-no transponder info:
View attachment 786643

A place to land?

 

[MossRoad]

A place to land?

 

[kenmbz]

We get both touch and goes and tourist flights here.
I see everything from biplanes to what look like home made craft.

Circling usually means search

We do get some weird ones as well.
Drones doing IR searches for deer counts at night, low flying.

There is a helicopter that comes through once every few months that is covered in searchlights.
People always freak out when that ones comes through, not sure it's purpose.

Where I used to live we had plenty of helicopters that would be doing checks on high tension lines and the rail lines.

Here is someone circling a local town over the museum row.
A Cessna.

With some weird flight data:

 

[cqaigy2]

We get both touch and goes and tourist flights here.
I see everything from biplanes to what look like home made craft.

Circling usually means search

We do get some weird ones as well.
Drones doing IR searches for deer counts at night, low flying.

There is a helicopter that comes through once every few months that is covered in searchlights.
People always freak out when that ones comes through, not sure it's purpose.

Where I used to live we had plenty of helicopters that would be doing checks on high tension lines and the rail lines.

Here is someone circling a local town over the museum row.
A Cessna.
View attachment 786948

With some weird flight data:
View attachment 786949

I wonder where the ground speed is coming from?

 

[MossRoad]

I wonder where the ground speed is coming from?

Communist algorithms!

Sorry

 

[kenmbz]

Communist algorithms!

Sorry

Ground Squirrels ?

From the great and all powerful Google:
Ground speed can be determined by the vector sum of the aircraft's true airspeed and the current wind speed and direction; a headwind subtracts from the ground speed, while a tailwind adds to it. Winds at other angles to the heading will have components of either headwind or tailwind as well as a crosswind component.

GPS is where they usually get the baseline data