Flightradar for Entertainment

[Loophole LaRue, SASS #51438]

I'm having more fun with Flightradar 24 than anything else on my computer.

 

This morning, tracking a KC-135R Stratotanker, making a long run down the East coast from NJ to NC, then up to Newfoundland, and now headed home, passing twice overhead on Cape Cod.  Yesterday, watched as a blocked Coast Guard plane ran a seach grid over Cape Cod Bay.  I track most of the news choppers in New England, and try to focus when they start flying in circles over an accident, explosion, fire or police action, then try to correlate with live streaming news reports from the station involved.  Commercial drones are neat to watch, too.

 

Oh, noooooooooo.........

 

I'm retired, aren't I???

 

LL

[Trailrider #896]

I can't find any reference to it, but several aircraft flying within range of Las Vegas Center were reporting their speed and altitude and asking for a radar verification.  First a smaller private plane reported in.  Then a military (Navy?) jet made the same request, obviously to show how "superior" it was.  This was followed by IIRC an SR-71 that was doing several thousand mph.  When LV Center answered with the radar data, the SR-71 replied with a slight difference they were seeing on their own instruments!   Certainly a "gotcha" moment. 

 

In another event, an unidentified pilot called LV Center to report they would be briefly flying through Center's airspace, then disappeared from radar.  When center asked for a repeat of the call and callsign, there was complete silence!  A little while later, a similar call was made from an unidentified aircraft stating, they were descending from Flight Level 80 (80,000 ft!).  Again, call from Center to repeat last transmission was met with complete silence!  IIRC, radar indicated a contact in the vicinity of...Groom Lake/Tonopah.  (Cue in theme from "The Twilight Zone"!  )

[Trailrider #896]

Found it!

In his book, "Sled Driver", SR-71/ Blackbird pilot Brian Shul writes: "I'll always
remember a certain radio exchange that occurred one day as Walt (his backseater)
and I were screaming across Southern California, 13 miles up.
We were monitoring various radio transmissions from other aircraft and the
Los Angeles Air Traffic Control Center as we entered the Los Angeles area airspace.
Though they didn't really control us, the Center did monitor our movement across their scope.

I heard a single-engine Cessna ask for a read-out of its ground speed.

"90 knots," Center replied.

Moments later, a Twin Beech requested the same.

"120 knots," Center answered.

We weren't the only ones proud of our ground speed that day; as almost
instantly an F/A-18 smugly transmitted, "Ah, Center, Dusty 52 requests ground speed readout."

There was a slight pause, then the response, "525 knots on the ground, Dusty."

Another silent pause. As I was thinking to myself how ripe a situation this was,
when I heard a familiar click of a radio transmission coming from my backseater.
It was at that precise moment I realized Walt and I had become a real crew, for
we were both thinking in unison. "Center, Aspen 20, you got a ground speed readout for us?"

There was a longer than normal pause.... "Aspen 20, I show 1,742 knots."

There were no further ground speed inquiries.



In another famous SR-71 story, Los Angeles Center reported receiving a
request for clearance to FL 60 (flight level 60,000 ft). The incredulous controller,
with some disdain in his voice, asked, "How exactly do you plan to get up to
60,000 feet?"

The pilot (obviously a sled driver) responded, "Center, we were hoping to descend to it."

He was cleared immediately....

 

Of course, the one I will always remember was the callout by Astronaut John Young, flying Space Shuttle Columbia on its maiden flight reentry from orbit.  Talking to Houston, he called, "Houston, Columbia, out of Flight Level 450 (450,000 ft) at Mach 25!" as if he were flying some sort of airliner.  Of course, in those days, we thought (hoped) the Shuttles would fly as routinely.  Sadly, it didn't always work out that way!

 

Stay well and Safe out there, Pards!  Happy Hanukah! Merry Christmas!  Happy Kwanza!

 

 

[Subdeacon Joe]

41 minutes ago, Trailrider #896 said:

Found it!

In his book, "Sled Driver", SR-71/ Blackbird pilot Brian Shul writes: "I'll always
remember a certain radio exchange that occurred one day as Walt (his backseater)
and I were screaming across Southern California, 13 miles up.
We were monitoring various radio transmissions from other aircraft and the
Los Angeles Air Traffic Control Center as we entered the Los Angeles area airspace.
Though they didn't really control us, the Center did monitor our movement across their scope.

I heard a single-engine Cessna ask for a read-out of its ground speed.

"90 knots," Center replied.

Moments later, a Twin Beech requested the same.

"120 knots," Center answered.

We weren't the only ones proud of our ground speed that day; as almost
instantly an F/A-18 smugly transmitted, "Ah, Center, Dusty 52 requests ground speed readout."

There was a slight pause, then the response, "525 knots on the ground, Dusty."

Another silent pause. As I was thinking to myself how ripe a situation this was,
when I heard a familiar click of a radio transmission coming from my backseater.
It was at that precise moment I realized Walt and I had become a real crew, for
we were both thinking in unison. "Center, Aspen 20, you got a ground speed readout for us?"

There was a longer than normal pause.... "Aspen 20, I show 1,742 knots."

There were no further ground speed inquiries.



In another famous SR-71 story, Los Angeles Center reported receiving a
request for clearance to FL 60 (flight level 60,000 ft). The incredulous controller,
with some disdain in his voice, asked, "How exactly do you plan to get up to
60,000 feet?"

The pilot (obviously a sled driver) responded, "Center, we were hoping to descend to it."

He was cleared immediately....

 

Of course, the one I will always remember was the callout by Astronaut John Young, flying Space Shuttle Columbia on its maiden flight reentry from orbit.  Talking to Houston, he called, "Houston, Columbia, out of Flight Level 450 (450,000 ft) at Mach 25!" as if he were flying some sort of airliner.  Of course, in those days, we thought (hoped) the Shuttles would fly as routinely.  Sadly, it didn't always work out that way!

 

Stay well and Safe out there, Pards!  Happy Hanukah! Merry Christmas!  Happy Kwanza!

 

 

 

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