AIR PICTURE — CHAGRIN FALLS, OH — 2026-05-22
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Unusually quiet day — traffic running 42% below the 5-day average, with anomalies numerous enough to keep this officer occupied regardless.
NOTABLE TRAFFIC
COO46 [A589DE] — 41,000 ft, 605 kts, heading 073°. Fastest contact of the day by a meaningful margin. Someone is in a hurry heading east.
WING15 [ADFEC1] — 41,000 ft, 478 kts, heading 099°. Callsign pattern warrants a second look; no further detail available.
N785QS [AAA488] — 47,000 ft. Highest confirmed contact today, well above standard commercial ceiling. Large business jet or something that prefers thin air.
KOW703 [A96172] — 45,950 ft. Also punching above the commercial ceiling. Busy up there today.
RCH1826 [AE144B] — Military hex, 2,750 ft, callsign matches REACH airlift prefix. An Air Mobility Command visitor, apparently sightseeing at low altitude.
SLICK46 [AE03F5] — Military hex, persistent contact throughout the day. Made multiple appearances. Dedicated, if nothing else.
ANOMALIES
Traffic volume: Today peaked at 2,692 contacts against a 5-day average of 4,622. The skies over northeastern Ohio were, to put it charitably, roomy.
Low-and-fast contacts: Fourteen separate contacts flagged for sub-3,000 ft altitude combined with speeds above 200 kts. Notable examples include TYSON57 (259 kts / 2,850 ft) and JIA5320 (289 kts / 2,800 ft). Whether these represent military low-level ops, aggressive approaches, or transponder mischief is left as an exercise for the reader.
Unknown HEX codes: Multiple contacts — including VTM series, CMP471, SLI2609, and others — transmitted ICAO codes outside any recognized national allocation. They were here. We're not sure whose they are.
C00638 (Canadian reg, no callsign): Appeared three separate times at varying altitudes (8,600 ft, 32,000 ft, 39,000 ft) broadcasting no flight ID. Busy itinerary for someone who doesn't want to be known.
Military contacts: C6543, G18096, VICE-series, FORGE52, G26282, G20534, and SLICK46 all flagged within military hex ranges. That's a crowd.
PATTERN NOTES
Missing regulars numbered well into the dozens across all time windows — SWA, DAL, UAL, FDX, UPS, and ENY series all underrepresented. The suppression was consistent throughout the day rather than limited to a specific hour, suggesting a systemic reduction rather than a localized disruption. Canadian traffic (ACA, WJA, JZA, ROU series) appeared in normal proportions relative to today's reduced baseline.
END OF DAILY AIR PICTURE