Mystery Aircraft Frightens Quincy, MA Residents

Boston.com has a story about the plane and they included a pic:



Source: Boston.com

reply to post by Epirus


I think I saw that photo earlier in the day, and it is N906JA from some website, and not N906TM that is circling Quincy. Can anyone zoom in even more and see for sure?

Edit: I was just driving home from work and this has become some pretty big news locally. The story was all over the talk radio stations.

People were calling in and saying that a plane was circling over the PILGRIM nuclear power plant in Plymouth. That is about 30 miles south-east of Quincy. I don't know if it's the same plane or if it has anything to do with what's going on over Quincy, but that's what the callers were saying. Makes ya go hmmmmm.

Originally posted by Zaphod58
reply to post by smyleegrl

 

If it IS N1132F, then they may be on an FBI operation that they want kept quiet for now, and they told them not to explain what they're doing there. They have to let the FAA know who they are, and what they're doing, at least as far as the flight goes but they can request that the FAA not say anything that might blow the operation.

A slow aircraft likely flying in a grid, that belongs to a paper box company that is just closing down locally, it is kind of weirdish. What would they be looking for if not for instance, normal geological research. A missing bag, a seismic generator or perhaps a nuclear device or the whole heap.?

Originally posted by smurfy
A slow aircraft likely flying in a grid, that belongs to a paper box company that is just closing down locally, it is kind of weirdish. What would they be looking for if not, for instance normal geological research, a missing bag, a seismic generator or perhaps a nuclear device or the whole heap.?

If the aircraft was just, say, doing research or something of that sort, then my guess would be that the FAA wouldn't be tight-lipped about such a scenario and claim that they need to be careful about what they say "this time".

Authorities won't even say anything to the mayor of Quincy, which has pissed him off a bit, I sense.

You know, SOCNORTH has some larger Cessna prop aircraft that are mini-ELINT planes.

I swear the last FTX was picked up on by the news as well, still looking for the reference.

In the meantime: something old but vaguely related...

Originally posted by Berzerked
Flying over every day for nearly two weeks and nobody has pics or video of it?

Exactly my point.

Originally posted by METACOMET
reply to post by Epirus

 

I think I saw that photo earlier in the day, and it is N906JA from some website, and not N906TM that is circling Quincy. Can anyone zoom in even more and see for sure?

Edit: I was just driving home from work and this has become some pretty big news locally. The story was all over the talk radio stations.

People were calling in and saying that a plane was circling over the PILGRIM nuclear power plant in Plymouth. That is about 30 miles south-east of Quincy. I don't know if it's the same plane or if it has anything to do with what's going on over Quincy, but that's what the callers were saying. Makes ya go hmmmmm.

edit on 10-5-2013 by METACOMET because: (no reason given)

I live 10 minutes down the road from the Entergy nuclear power plant in Plymouth and I can confirm first hand that over the past 3 days there has been a low circling cessna flying around in circles around the power plant and up and down the coast line. I clearly saw the cessna fly no more than 100-200 ft above my house this afternoon. I don't know what's up but there are lots of weird things going on in the sky over here, lately.

unsure is this has been posted but here is a picture of the plane. Very suspicious, My guess some kind of surveillance
]http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/quincy/2013/05/photos_prove_suspicious_aircra.html

double post

Ok. I got a theory.

New FBI employee needs to get his pilot license quickly, to get some promotion, that requires flying.

Only one problem, he needs a certain number of hours actual flight time, to get it.

Solution, stay up in the sky, flying around all day and all night to make up the required hours.

In about a week he should get his pilot's license, and the flights should cease.

I am new to ATS after lurking for a while.

I am no aviation expert and just want to say Thanks to many of you for your thoughts and info on this subject. Most impressive Ladies and Gentlemen, well done.

Maybe just maybe

They might b looking for a nuke

Thats y there flying so low

To detect it

Just a thought

I wonder if it could be a plane taking photos for Google Maps? Last year I noticed a small plane flying around my neighborhood that seemed to be doing some sort of grid pattern. It seemed strange, but I shrugged it off. A few months later I was looking at Google Maps and noticed they had a new bird's-eye view of my neighborhood...and sure enough, there I stood in my backyard looking up at the plane!

Originally posted by Dyax-
Maybe just maybe

They might b looking for a nuke

Thats y there flying so low

To detect it

Just a thought

That's a pretty good theory why else would they be risk flying so low in a densely populated area like quincy?

I'll try to take pictures or video of the plane if I'm outside and catch it flying around again.

Originally posted by Dyax-
Maybe just maybe

They might b looking for a nuke

Thats y there flying so low

To detect it

Just a thought

Well, that's a possibility. Another is, they are gathering baseline radiation maps, in case someone brings in some fissile material in the future. If you don't have baseline readings, you don't know what ought to be there.

Or you're looking for someone on a cell phone or using a sat phone, which is why SOCOM uses their plane.

Or you could be testing an ARGUS setup - there's a lot of activity in ARGUS persistent stare hardware and software right now, LOTS of projects are going on, many a tax dollar spent, maybe some prime's nearby and doing tweaks, running live ground tests to gather data.

Originally posted by Bedlam
You know, SOCNORTH has some larger Cessna prop aircraft that are mini-ELINT planes.

I swear the last FTX was picked up on by the news as well, still looking for the reference.

In the meantime: something old but vaguely related...

If something is secret why fly all over in a public area day and night.

Originally posted by Char-Lee

Originally posted by Bedlam
You know, SOCNORTH has some larger Cessna prop aircraft that are mini-ELINT planes.

I swear the last FTX was picked up on by the news as well, still looking for the reference.

In the meantime: something old but vaguely related...

If something is secret why fly all over in a public area day and night.

It's like looking for your keys - you look where you want to find something, not where it's convenient.

If you're testing something or doing drills for finding something in a small town, that's where you do some of your work.

If you're doing baselines in Quincy, that's where you have to do it.

If you're looking for something or someone specific in Quincy, that's where you look. Or like I said, it may be near a first or second tier who's doing work on the project, and that's more convenient for them than doing it a few hundred miles away.

I have seen the DEA/ Task force do something like what the OP described...They do this over a period of time and monitor the traffic, people and even license plates on the cars that go to and from the location they are monitoring...then after a week or whatever they view and process the data that the plane recorded...This helps them to not just bust the dealers and customers but it also helps them bust those who supply/manufacture the drugs as well...

I don't see any NOTAMS in the area at this time.

tfr.faa.gov...