Clickhappy From United States, joined Sep 2001, 8864 posts, RR: 80 Posted (4 years 5 months 4 days 18 hours ago) and read 10666 times:
AIRLINERS.NET CREW PHOTO SCREENER
Interesting read.
The white plane, with its baby blue striping, spends hours and days circling over Lodi. But the plane isn't from the city. It's not even from California.
The plane has traveled all the way from Delaware to move in slow circles over Lodi. It hasn't exactly blended in.
Johnboy From United States, joined Aug 1999, 2241 posts, RR: 2 Reply 4, posted (4 years 5 months 4 days 17 hours ago) and read 10356 times:
Perhaps it's best to remind one Miss Kay Duelfer about a little movie called "Chinatown":
You're a very nosy fellow, kitty cat. Huh? You know what happens to nosy fellows? Huh? No? Wanna guess? Huh? No? Okay. They lose their noses.
That being said, maybe the guvmint is just protecting our precious Lodi grapes from terrorists.
Because, as Dubya said in his State of the Union speech, "if they control our source of cheap jug wine and wine-in-a-box, then the terrorists will have won."
It still brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it.
Paddy From Taiwan Region, joined Jul 2003, 390 posts, RR: 0 Reply 10, posted (4 years 5 months 4 days 16 hours ago) and read 9956 times:
Hmm. From the article it sounds like FBI or CIA to me. Probably tracking some suscpicious people and their activities with IR. Nothing special here, just Big Govt. meets Small Town. The government is constantly looking into such things, most of the time relatively unnoticed.
AA54Heavy From United States, joined Nov 2003, 189 posts, RR: 0 Reply 11, posted (4 years 5 months 4 days 16 hours ago) and read 9926 times:
I've never heard of Lodi.....but here in Tucson (particularly the Foothills Area), I've noticed what looks like a Cessna 172 or 182 that circles over the North Tucson/Foothills area (and ONLY that area) at night (and its been doing so for I want to say a year or even more).....It always seems to fly in the same general area and is up there from like 9p up until sometimes the wee-hours of the very early morning....I haven't asked anyone about it since no one else I knows cares about aviation, but it seems odd to me.......maybe "they're" coming to get me....
Skibum9 From United States, joined Nov 2001, 1211 posts, RR: 0 Reply 12, posted (4 years 5 months 4 days 13 hours ago) and read 9759 times:
Here, in Cincinnati, we had the same thing happen. I 172RG would circle over my house for hours, every day. One day I noticed the plane sitting in a hanger at Lunken airport and went to check it out. It actually had a very large window on the back side and a swivel chair inside. When I asked what they were doing I was told it was being used for drug surveillance to track the drug trafficers.
KingGeo3 From United States, joined Oct 2003, 164 posts, RR: 0 Reply 14, posted (4 years 5 months 4 days 12 hours ago) and read 9698 times:
Probably DEA or ATF surveillance. Light aircraft are one of law enforcement's most effective tools to find pot fields or illegal moonshine stills (much more common than you would think!).
LTBEWR From United States, joined Jan 2004, 9356 posts, RR: 7 Reply 16, posted (4 years 5 months 4 days 12 hours ago) and read 9626 times:
I thought at first from the post title, it was Lodi, New Jersey (about a mile from where I live, but too close to Teterboro Airport, and about 15 miles north of EWR).
Agree most likely surveillance by DEA, ATF, FBI/homeland security, anti terror (especially with recent arrest of alleged Palistatian based terrorists in/near Lodi, CA, as noted above. It could also be some kind of mapping, mineral survey, agricultrual survey work.
Lando From United States, joined Jun 2005, 63 posts, RR: 0 Reply 18, posted (4 years 5 months 4 days 3 hours ago) and read 8756 times:
Maybe a little off topic, but here at KPIA I saw a 737 or A320 (was too far away to tell) circling the airport for hours on end.... It kind of looked like the NWA livery with a red tail and a silver body... but I dont know why there would be a 737 or A320 here....none service Greater Peoria.
Ricci767 From United Kingdom, joined Mar 2005, 151 posts, RR: 0 Reply 21, posted (4 years 5 months 4 days 2 hours ago) and read 8334 times:
Lando: Maybe a little off topic, but here at KPIA I saw a 737 or A320 (was too far away to tell) circling the airport for hours on end.... It kind of looked like the NWA livery with a red tail and a silver body... but I dont know why there would be a 737 or A320 here....none service Greater Peoria.
I don't think NW use 737's so it must of been an A320 which I know they definatly use. Maybe it had a problem and it needed to burn fuel to land. As far as I know A320's cannot dump fuel so they would have to circle to burn it off.
Stirling From Italy, joined Jun 2004, 3943 posts, RR: 35 Reply 22, posted (4 years 5 months 4 days 1 hour ago) and read 7912 times:
Quoting Iwok (Reply 17): It might be a CHP plane used to check for speeding on I5.
That's a good possibility. I initially thought the same thing too.
However, why is it an issue now all of a sudden? They (CHP) have been doing this for a very long time.
I live in the area (Modesto), so next time I am off, I am going to go up there (45minutes) and do my own investigation.
The CHP tho' is very open about where they do aerial surveillance. Plus, the aircraft would not come from Hayward...it's a different district. Lodi falls under the Capital Region, which means Sac Executive airport.
I thought they used the 152 and not the 182. (fixed gear vs. retractable?)
Don't CHP aircraft carry markings as such? Would they register their plane to a 'dummy' corporation in Delaware.
No, I am certain it's not the CHP, but it's a good guess.
Quoting Lehpron (Reply 8): Or maybe it is serving as an airborne ATC to suppliment systems below?
There isn't that much air traffic in that area...in fact, it's kind of a dead-zone. The reason why people are so freaked out is because they are not used to hearing aircraft flying above.
Most heavy traffic into the Bay Area transits well north and south of Lodi, SMF as well...there is a skydiving operation at the Lodi Airport, but people are used to that. No, I'd cross off ATC from the list, but a good theory.
There is no such thing. They make "Port" wine in Lodi, but that's it. Sacramento and Stockton have deep channel ports and that's it.
Quoting Paddy (Reply 10): From the article it sounds like FBI or CIA to me
I think that it is it unfortunately. Big Brother has come to Smalltown America.
Quoting BigGSFO (Reply 13): I don't know if this is a coincidence, but Lodi is where they just arrested some suspected al qaeda members last week.
It was more like when these aircraft started appearing. Around 4 weeks ago. The coincidence is striking. They both happened more or less at the same time.
Maybe they are following the Ice Cream Trucks around the area.
These suspects were ice cream truck drivers....as well were many of their associates. Sad.
Kempa From Brazil, joined Aug 2003, 368 posts, RR: 0 Reply 24, posted (4 years 5 months 3 days 20 hours ago) and read 4900 times:
The article is hilarious! I don't recall so much misinformation with such thorough journalistic research.
As for the plane pictured, N65481, the N-number is assigned to a helicopter from Seneca, Ohio, but it was revoked. So the photo is probably a photoshop job. And how did the reporter get an air-to-air photo anyway?
FLY2HMO From United States, joined Jan 2004, 3964 posts, RR: 4 Reply 25, posted (4 years 5 months 3 days 19 hours ago) and read 4156 times:
All this scandal just for a guy that's practicing turns around a point.
Happiness is just an illusion caused by the temporary absence of reality
26 Redngold: Newark, DE, is the location of the University of Delaware... 1. UD has a large geophysics lab. Maybe someone's doing a geological or earthquake survey
27 Ikramerica: Why is it whenever the FBI or CIA looks at ANYONE it's called "big brother?" Get a grip people. If they are indeed circling Lodi, they are tracking a
28 Wukka: A Lodi businessman and public figure, who didn't want his name used because he thought people would think he was crazy, said he called the Federal Avi
29 Captoveur: The mystery planes are the ones responsible for chem trails
30 SBN580: Actually, truth be told, the FBI admitted flying over the town I live in Bloomington, Indiana a few years ago. They were taking images as part of an i
31 Jtamu97: The other thing is the media is making such a big deal about where it is registered. Many aircraft are registered in Delaware for tax reasons from wha
32 DLKAPA: Damn I thought I was the only person who was gonna get that...a good song Lodi is. Didn't catch that. "Just about a year ago, I set out on the road,
33 Aztec01: It might be FAA. Last year they flew a twin engine Beechcraft (white and baby blue) while testing ILS's at KCLE. Circled for hours. At first I thought
34 TEBguy: I also thought the topic was refering to Lodi NJ. I was going to say, i was down at the DMV the other day in Lodi NJ, and didn't see any aircraft cir
35 FLY777UAL: We'd been hearing that they were circling the mosque listening to cell phone conversations, actually. Interesting connection to the ice cream trucks i
36 Mikefad: I WAY agree with ikramerica's response also. How is it that there are only two or three responses concerning the above quote??? Most have the same wh
37 DLKAPA: Ok I don't like to get political in Civ_Av but: How many wild goose chases has our government gone on? We don't need to hope for it it's already happe
38 Mikefad: Sorry, I have to reply to your replies By "wild goose chases", I presume you mean bad leads. I guess you don't expect the police in your town to follo
39 DLKAPA: If that's all you see then you are blind, because the failures I see are the continuing insurgency that's gone on relentlessly for pretty much 2 year
40 Coronado990: When conservatives stop hijacking everything including CIVIL AVIATION FORUM'S...I'll start listening.
41 Mikefad: I think you're old enough to know that noone FORCED you to read my post. If you object to the contents ,then you have every right to suggest a deleti
43 Mikefad: Exactly how long should an insurgency last to be considered successful or unsuccessful? Is there a timetable that you are privy to? Websters definiti
44 Mikefad: Hey DLKAPA, I think Coronado990 can reply for himself..........
45 Visityyj: As for the plane pictured, N65481 Don't know where you're looking... I see N6458T which is.... a C182RG registered in Deleware like he said
46 Halls120: DLKAPA: "Lest we forget that the Patriot act is unconstitutional as it voids several (Including the 4th) amendments." Halls: I don't believe that the
47 Halls120: To help DLKAPA with his response, here is my rebuttal in advance. Section 213 allows courts, in certain narrow circumstances, to give delayed notice t
48 Mikefad: My folks lived in Lodi, CA for a few years. My Dad worked at the cereal plant there. A town you would not expect to have a terrorist cell ,to be certa
49 Tornado82: Media doesn't issue. In most of those cases it is the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) via their National Weather Service arm t
50 Mikefad: Sort of like saying " When the phone stops ringing , then I'll answer it"
51 Stirling: As well as the "EAS". Emergency Alert System. It was previously referred to as the "EBS". Emergency Broadcast System. NWS provides emergency weather
52 Aerobalance: Is the damn plane still circling over Lodi?
53 Jetpixx: Mikefad - stop right now. It is the same thing as trying to talk sense to a brick or your tennis shoe. They don't want to listen to reason, they simpl