AIR PICTURE — CHAGRIN FALLS, OH — 2026-05-20
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Moderate traffic day, running 14% below the five-day average, with a notable Canadian airspace incursion count that suggests Ontario is attempting to colonize our radar picture one callsign at a time.
NOTABLE TRAFFIC
N39KT — Low and slow at 3,225 ft, 153 kts, heading south. The most local contact of the day; practically at eye level.
DAL2150 / UAL1611 / SWA2612 — Three contacts clustered near 41.4°N, 81.8°W at low altitude and similar headings, consistent with traffic in and out of CLE. Routine approach corridor activity.
AAL1078 / ENY3455 / UAL1673 — Westbound heavies at cruise altitude, standard Ohio overfly corridor. Nothing remarkable; they do this every day.
AFR377 [3949E9] — Air France, French registration, 21,450 ft, climbing northeast. Transatlantic routing. Bonjour.
CRR1 [C05F54] — Canadian-registered, 39,000 ft, heading east at 497 kts. Fast and purposeful.
EJA819 — Business jet at 43,000 ft westbound. Someone is comfortable.
ANOMALIES
Three squawking ghosts — Contacts A18698 (42,975 ft), A5F3CF (20,575 ft), and A7824E (28,025 ft) are all Mode S active with zero flight ID broadcast. Three different altitudes, three different headings. Individually unremarkable; together, slightly annoying.
UAL2854 — Flagged at 106,900 ft. United Airlines does not operate spacecraft. Almost certainly a bad altitude report from a malfunctioning encoder. Filed for the record, dismissed for sanity.
FORGE94 / SLICK27 / CODY02 — Three contacts carrying US military hex codes. Callsigns suggest exercise or training activity. Nothing threatening; someone is earning their flight hours.
NEW961 — Reported at 46,000 ft, above the standard commercial ceiling. Consistent with a heavy bizjet or something that prefers its airspace uncrowded.
Unknown HEX contacts — PAL126, QTR22B, UAE221, and several others transmitting ICAOs that fall outside known national allocations. Routine for the corridor; worth logging.
PATTERN NOTES
Overall count of 2,002 contacts (1,628 unique) sits 14% below the five-day average. Canadian-registered traffic was unusually prominent today — Air Canada, WestJet, Jazz, and assorted CG-prefix private aircraft populated the picture throughout the day. Missing regulars include DAL859, RPA5681, RPA3458, EDV5044, and UAL2468, among others — not alarming individually, but the list is longer than typical.
END OF DAILY AIR PICTURE