AIR PICTURE — CHAGRIN FALLS, OH — 2026-06-13
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Quiet day over the Falls — traffic running 32% below the 7-day average, with a modest collection of anomalies to keep the watch officer from napping.
NOTABLE TRAFFIC
UAL1976 (A49510) — United, 36,000 ft, 400 kts, westbound (247°), passing northwest of station. Routine high-altitude transit.
AAL48 (AABBC9) — American, 35,000 ft, 546 kts, heading 61° (northeast). Moving briskly; one of the faster contacts of the day.
N500HF (A63AA5) — General aviation registration at 45,000 ft, 538 kts, heading northeast. That altitude and speed suggests this is not your neighbor's Cessna. Business jet at minimum; worth a second look.
RPA3525 (A9B4A4) — Descending-ish at 6,200 ft, 253 kts, westbound. Consistent with an approach profile toward Cleveland.
JZA735 (C00B78) — Jazz Aviation (Canada), 3,950 ft, 257°. Low and slow-ish for a turboprop making its way somewhere sensible.
ANOMALIES
Mystery at altitude: No fewer than 20 contacts were observed transmitting Mode S with no flight ID broadcast today. Altitudes range from 20,000 ft to 61,500 ft. They know we can see them; they just aren't introducing themselves. Most are likely routine flights with squawky transponders. Most.
The standout: Contact A10BBC at 61,500 feet — above the standard commercial ceiling, no callsign, hex falls in US registration range. High, quiet, and apparently unbothered by convention.
Unknown ICAO hex contacts: Three contacts — 0D0EA9, 0D0F57, and 0D1139 — carry ICAO codes that fall outside any known national allocation. One of them, 0D0F57, appeared twice under different callsigns (VTM575, VTM692 cross-reference also noted). Flag for follow-up.
Foreign registrations: Ten Canadian aircraft transited the area. Also noted: one Saudi, one French, one Dutch, one Chinese, and two German registrations — a regular international parade, albeit at a distance.
RPA5838 — 2,975 ft at 236 kts. Low and fast. Flagged. Probably an approach; possibly enthusiastic.
PATTERN NOTES
Traffic finished at 410 contacts against a 7-day average of 605 — the day never caught up. Numerous regular flights were absent, including UAL427, AAL882, DAL1427/1558, and a cluster of RPA and SWA regulars. No single cause is evident from the data; could be scheduling, weather upstream, or the universe being tidy for once.
END OF DAILY AIR PICTURE