AIR PICTURE — CHAGRIN FALLS, OH — 2026-06-15
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Exceptionally busy day — 2,369 contacts logged against a 7-day average of 967, finishing 145% above normal. Traffic started thin and climbed steadily through the period.
NOTABLE TRAFFIC
SWA4694 [A73410] — Southwest 737, 4,350 ft, inbound heading 102° — likely on approach, practically buzzing the treetops relative to the high-altitude crowd.
THY12E [4BB186] — Turkish Airlines, Netherlands-registered, 35,000 ft, 554 kts heading east. Fast mover, long-haul character, presumably not stopping in Chagrin Falls.
THT8 [3A4DC0] — French-registered, 37,000 ft, also 554 kts eastbound. France and Turkey apparently racing today.
EJA3788 [A0FA8B] — Fractional bizjet climbing to 47,000 ft, heading 305°. Well above standard commercial airspace. Somebody's miles are being spent wisely.
RCH339 [AE4D67] — Military hex, callsign matching government/military prefix list, 32,025 ft. Not just passing through in spirit.
ANOMALIES
MILITARY CONTACTS: G18812 [AE52C5] appeared repeatedly across multiple time periods — persistent, mobile, not filing a flight plan anyone here can read. C6543 [AE2684] and C6560 [AE2692] also confirmed military hex. RCH339 [AE4D67] adds a fourth. Quiet little formation, that.
PAT-SERIES FLIGHTS: PAT721, PAT959, PAT965, and PAT970 — all government/military prefix flagged, US-registered, climbing through various altitudes in apparent sequence. Four callsigns with that prefix in one day warrants a raised eyebrow.
UNKNOWN HEX CONTACTS: Seventeen contacts transmitted ICAO codes outside any known national allocation range — including MMD6837 at 47,000 ft with both an unknown hex and very high altitude. That one earns a second eyebrow.
SILENT RUNNERS: Two contacts — AAD5CA (35,000 ft) and A19D64 (45,000 ft) — operating Mode S transponders with zero flight ID broadcast. They know we're watching.
EJA968 [AD7B4D]: 875 feet, 325 knots. Either a very confident pilot or a very wrong altimeter.
PATTERN NOTES
Traffic opened severely depressed — 93% below average in the first logged hour — then reversed dramatically, peaking at 145% above the 7-day baseline. Day started quiet, ended very loud.
Recurring absences: UAL1833, RPA5606, RPA3467, and PDT5847 missed multiple consecutive hourly checks. JBU994 and CJT1906 also no-shows across overlapping windows.
Canadian traffic was, as usual, voluminous and well-behaved. Seventeen Canadian-registered operators transited without incident.
END OF DAILY AIR PICTURE