Round, and Round and Round

[Redbow]

It goes. Every day now for at least the last two weeks and its flying again today.

We have an auxiliary outlying airfield used by the Marine Corps just across the highway from where we live called Bogue Field. Jet aircraft sometimes land there, fighter jets and the big 4 engine cargo planes. About 2 weeks ago an aircraft a pretty good sized twin engine airplane started flying round and round the airfield every day and all day long. It flies pretty high its not real low and I can see thru my binoculars it looks like a civilian airplane, blue and white with identification numbers on it.

I guess maybe it is a civilian airplane hired by the government to do whatever this aircraft is doing. Its the same airplane every day that does whatever routine it is doing but it has to be expensive flying this aircraft every day all day long so I assume the government is footing the bill. It lands early in the evening just b4 dark than takes off again right after daylight to do the merry go round thing that it does every day now. A bit confusing to me as to what the heck they are doing but of course I have no need to know.

 

[flynlow]

"They" are most likely testing something. If you can see the N number try researching owner(s) on NTSB.

 

[Redbow]

"They" are most likely testing something. If you can see the N number try researching owner(s) on NTSB.

Can't see the N number clearly the plane is too high for that even thru my binoculars. It has flown all day today so far, comes in for fuel then off again.

C-130 aircraft used to fly over the Great Pee Dee Swamp down in SC years ago while we were hunting in there. No markings on the 130's at all just olive drab color they flew back and forth same pattern all day. Same thing while we were fishing at Rimini SC the head waters of Lake Marion Santee Cooper territory, back and forth all day no markings or ID numbers on those airplanes either.

 

[Deerhead]

Check out www.flightradar24.com It will let you know if its civilian or gov.

 

[flynlow]

Can't see the N number clearly the plane is too high for that even thru my binoculars. It has flown all day today so far, comes in for fuel then off again.

C-130 aircraft used to fly over the Great Pee Dee Swamp down in SC years ago while we were hunting in there. No markings on the 130's at all just olive drab color they flew back and forth same pattern all day. Same thing while we were fishing at Rimini SC the head waters of Lake Marion Santee Cooper territory, back and forth all day no markings or ID numbers on those airplanes either.

Sorry, I must have misunderstood. Your original post stated you could see ID numbers.

 

[oldfella1962]

Check out www.flightradar24.com It will let you know if its civilian or gov.

Cool web site! After a few minutes looking at the flight paths of various aircraft, I noticed how very often big passenger planes do not take a straight "as the crow flies" route on long destinations even if they are non-stop flights. In other words rather than fly straight line from New York to London they will fly way north over Canada and Greenland then down into London adding many hundreds of miles and hours to the trip. I googled this before and there are legit reasons (which I can't remember) but it still seems bizarre to me. But I do remember why nobody flies over Tibet. Almost the entire country has pretty tall mountains over every square inch of it, so if the plane ever has problems and loses air pressure/oxygen it cannot safely descend and fly low enough to get enough oxygen and escape freezing high altitude temperatures for the passengers & crew.

 

[Redbow]

Sorry, I must have misunderstood. Your original post stated you could see ID numbers.

Oh sorry about the plane's ID numbers. I can see its a civilian airplane but I should have stated I can't read the N number on it. Still can't read the numbers but its flying again today, round, and round and round we go. Must be a boring job to fly that airplane ever day over the same real estate hour after hour.

 

[Redbow]

Cool web site! After a few minutes looking at the flight paths of various aircraft, I noticed how very often big passenger planes do not take a straight "as the crow flies" route on long destinations even if they are non-stop flights. In other words rather than fly straight line from New York to London they will fly way north over Canada and Greenland then down into London adding many hundreds of miles and hours to the trip. I googled this before and there are legit reasons (which I can't remember) but it still seems bizarre to me. But I do remember why nobody flies over Tibet. Almost the entire country has pretty tall mountains over every square inch of it, so if the plane ever has problems and loses air pressure/oxygen it cannot safely descend and fly low enough to get enough oxygen and escape freezing high altitude temperatures for the passengers & crew.

When the government flew us to Europe back in the middle sixties I was in the Army and stationed in Germany we were told they fly the horse shoe route as they called it so we were closer to land in case the crew had issues with the aircraft and had to land. That happened many years ago to a civilian flight filled with soldiers they had to make a set down in Greenland for whatever reason I can't remember now what that was. Same thing when we crossed the Pacific Ocean aboard a civilian flight en route to Viet-Nam. They stayed as close to land as possible.

 

[Batjack]

I know it's not the same thing, but you mentioning the "Hurky Birds" reminded me of when Dobbins A.F.B. was in full swing. The 1st Tuesday of every month was "Touch and go Tuesday". From daylight till dark they'd be 10 - 12 of them in a train come in low... touch down.. take back off... circle around and do it again and again. Every couple of hours there would be a short lull then back at it. Guess they was changing crews and refueling during the lulls.

 

[Redbow]

I used to know an Air Force Major he was a good friend of my Stepdad's, they went to school together. Major Capps was stationed in Florida I don't remember what Air Force base there its been too many years now for me to remember. The Major flew F-100 Super Sabers for years he loved flying those fighter jets.

The Majors Mother lived just down the road from us beside I-95 in an old frame house with big oak trees in the yard. One day my Stepdad and I were on the way home from town when a fighter jet flew over very low and loud, it circled around gained altitude then dived straight at Major Capps' Mothers house. The F-100 pulled straight up made another circle then dived at the old farm house again. This time the jet came so close to one of the big oak trees in Mrs. Capp's yard the top of the old tree broke off and came down.

Then the fighter jet zoomed off and was gone. Later we saw one of the Majors nephews and asked about the jet that buzzed his Aunts house. Oh the young man replied, that was Moses he flew in from Florida and decided to buzz the house before landing at Seymour AFB in Goldsboro. He had some Air Force business to attend to at Seymour which was only 22 miles from his Mom's house. I will always believe the Major came a little closer to that old oak tree than he intended to.

We used to watch those F-100 Super Saber's work out in Viet-Nam, I always did love the look of that airplane.

 

[oldfella1962]

When the government flew us to Europe back in the middle sixties I was in the Army and stationed in Germany we were told they fly the horse shoe route as they called it so we were closer to land in case the crew had issues with the aircraft and had to land. That happened many years ago to a civilian flight filled with soldiers they had to make a set down in Greenland for whatever reason I can't remember now what that was. Same thing when we crossed the Pacific Ocean aboard a civilian flight en route to Viet-Nam. They stayed as close to land as possible.

That makes sense. Sadly, even if the closest land is 1,000 miles versus 3,000 miles and the plane has problems at 500 miles out, that may not buy you enough time. Like I always say there's no such word as "safe" flying just "safer" flying. This applies to every task that carries inherent risk I suppose.

When we flew from Iraq to Germany we went over Greenland (during the day) and it was amazing! Just miles & miles of ice & snow with no seeming end. It was like being around during an actual "ice age" thousands of years ago.

My mistake! Flying over Greenland was coming from Bosnia to Alabama - which still doesn't really make sense, I guess. Iraq to Germany was a much more straight-line flight.

 

[Buck70]

According to Flightradar24 the same plane is now flying circles around Moore County, NC airport.

 

[Redbow]

According to Flightradar24 the same plane is now flying circles around Moore County, NC airport.

MIght be but the plane that I have been seeing now for over two weeks or another one just like it completed a bunch of circles today while I was outside grilling. Its flying right now, just below the white clouds in the sky but sometimes it gets into the lower ones. Still wish I could see the N numbers on it. Maybe they are expecting an alien landing or something.

We are a pretty good ways from Moore County here on the NC coast. And that airplane seems to be making smaller circles now it was flying much larger circles than it is today.

 

[Redbow]

The airplane that was flying the circles around Bogue Field disappeared yesterday afternoon. Its not flying this morning so maybe their mission whatever it was is complete. Maybe they are flying round and round the airport now in Moore County.

 

[oldfella1962]

The airplane that was flying the circles around Bogue Field disappeared yesterday afternoon. Its not flying this morning so maybe their mission whatever it was is complete. Maybe they are flying round and round the airport now in Moore County.

or maybe......

 

[ddgarcia]

After a few minutes looking at the flight paths of various aircraft, I noticed how very often big passenger planes do not take a straight "as the crow flies" route on long destinations even if they are non-stop flights. In other words rather than fly straight line from New York to London they will fly way north over Canada and Greenland then down into London adding many hundreds of miles and hours to the trip

Actually, what appear as long circuitous routes are most likely in reality the shortest routes from point A to B. You have to remember we live on a globe not a flat plane and what appears to be a big "hump" on your computer screen is in reality a straight line around the circumference of the earth.

There is a term for thus but I'm drawing a blank on it at the moment.

 

[oldfella1962]

Actually, what appear as long circuitous routes are most likely in reality the shortest routes from point A to B. You have to remember we live on a globe not a flat plane and what appears to be a big "hump" on your computer screen is in reality a straight line around the circumference of the earth.

There is a term for thus but I'm drawing a blank on it at the moment.

No, I totaled up the flying distance (it's part of the of data on the site) between a starting point, a midway point, then that midway point to the destination. Then I would total up the starting point to the destination in a straight-line distance - and it's much less. And since the curvature of the earth is uniform wherever you fly, not flying in a straight-line distance is shorter but not necessarily faster or safer. The jet stream and other weather factors play into choosing flying routes too. It's just counterintuitive to not fly the shortest route, but if there weren't rational reasons against it I'm sure they would fly that way.

 

[ChidJ]

Does it look like this? @Redbow

 

[Redbow]

Does it look like this?
Does it look like this? [USER=23584]@Redbow

View attachment 1225337

The engines have the droning noise of a C-130 I thought at first before I started paying attention to the round and round flight pattern of the airplane that it was a C-130. Anyway it appears to have stopped flying in our area for now, but it might be back, I'll be watching and listening for it. The airplane in the picture does look like it though not sure the one I have been watching is the same type aircraft. I think the one I have been watching is a bit bigger.
[/QUOTE]