Flightradar24 Interesting Finds

   / Flightradar24 Interesting Finds
  • Thread Starter
#341  
Second time I’ve seen a Gyrocopter with a transponder. And its at 7000 msl and 96 kts.

EDIT. We are currently experiencing strong wind from the North. Probably explains air speed.

View attachment 857171
Pilot is probably screaming "YEEEE HAAAWWWW!!!"
 
   / Flightradar24 Interesting Finds #342  
Second time I’ve seen a Gyrocopter with a transponder. And its at 7000 msl and 96 kts.

EDIT. We are currently experiencing strong wind from the North. Probably explains air speed.
I have seen gyrocopters a few times, and saw one yesterday, but they sure are not commonly seen that is for sure. The Goodyear blimp has also been flying around the last few days.
 
   / Flightradar24 Interesting Finds #343  
....

Last night I saw a WB57! There are only a few of these planes flying anymore, and though they are assigned to NASA, they are obviously doing non research work. This is 927 and NASA has 926 and 928 that are supposedly down for repairs. 927 was brought back into service after 40 years in moth balls. The WB57s are supposed to be based in Johnston Space Center in Houston but they one last night flew out of Warner Robbin's south of Atlanta. NASA has some information on the planes at NASA Airborne Science Program Tracker which says, implies, the plane was doing imagery last night and tonight. Can't imagine it was taking photos of the Newport News area.... The planes, though owned by NASA have flown over the Middle East as a communication node which makes me wonder if it was doing testing of that mission over Newport News though it was flying out fairly low so maybe it was taking photos...


View attachment 839238

Notice the flight altitude:

Wow. I got lucky. I posted this back on 12/19/2023. Never seen a WB57 before and it was flying a perfect circle over the Newport News area. Actually, it was flying a perfect circle around Langley AFB...

One of the websites I read each night had a very interesting article yesterday, Mysterious Drones Swarmed Langley AFB For Weeks.

The unidentified drones were such an issue that assets were called in from around the government, including a NASA WB-57 high-altitude jet.

Langley Air Force Base, located in one of the most strategic areas of the country, across the Chesapeake Bay from the sprawling Naval Station Norfolk and the open Atlantic, was at the epicenter of waves of mysterious drone incursions that occurred throughout December. The War Zone has been investigating these incidents and the response to them for months. We know that they were so troubling and persistent that they prompted bringing in advanced assets from around the U.S. government, including one of NASA's WB-57F high-flying research planes. Now the U.S. Air Force has confirmed to us that they did indeed occur and provided details on the timeframe and diversity of drones involved.

"The installation first observed UAS [uncrewed aerial systems] activities the evening of December 6 [2023] and experienced multiple incursions throughout the month of December. The number of UASs fluctuated and they ranged in size/configuration," a spokesperson for Langley Air Force Base told The War Zone in a statement earlier today. "None of the incursions appeared to exhibit hostile intent but anything flying in our restricted airspace can pose a threat to flight safety. The FAA was made aware of the UAS incursions."

"To protect operational security, we do not discuss impacts to operations," the statement added. "We don’t discuss our specific force protection measures but retain the right to protect the installation. Langley continues to monitor our air space and work with local law enforcement and other federal agencies to ensure the safety of base personnel, facilities, and assets."
 
 
Top