AIR PICTURE — CHAGRIN FALLS, OH — 2026-07-14
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Quiet day — traffic running 83% below the 7-day average, with more mystery squawkers than usual and a Canadian showing up low and slow.
NOTABLE TRAFFIC
- UAL2131 [A12AA0]: United descending through 4,575 ft, 231 kts, westbound — likely on approach to CLE. One of the few aircraft actually doing something interesting at low altitude. - FFT4135 [A8AAFF]: Frontier at 2,950 ft doing 239 kts on a 301° heading near 41.44°N. Low and fast. Flagged. Nobody told FFT4135 the memo about flying like a normal airplane. - FFT2184 [A42323]: Another Frontier contact, this one at a mere 650 ft, 121 kts, heading 230°. At that altitude it's practically using the treetops for navigation. - N5430G [A6E570]: General aviation contact cruising at 45,000 ft doing 434 kts eastbound. That is not your typical Cessna altitude. No anomaly flagged, but worth a raised eyebrow. - VTM356 [0D0B20]: Callsign present, but the ICAO hex falls outside all known national allocation ranges. Flying at 33,000 ft, 428 kts, heading northeast. It exists. Where it's from is another question.
ANOMALIES
- Fourteen contacts transmitting Mode S with no flight ID broadcast, ranging from 27,000 to 40,000 ft. Standouts include 899136, whose ICAO hex is unregistered to any known nation — no callsign, no country, 39,000 ft. Noted. - Foreign registrations: Three Canadian-registered aircraft (JZA735, ROU1813, CJT1906, CJT482) transiting the area. One UK-registered contact (AZG5721) and one German (BOX395) appeared in anomaly data but are not in today's confirmed traffic list. - FFT4135 flagged LOW_AND_FAST. See Notable Traffic. Consider it flagged twice for emphasis.
PATTERN NOTES
Today's 170 contacts represent a significant shortfall against the 990-aircraft 7-day average — 83% below baseline, which is not a rounding error. Dozens of regular flights are absent: UAL1701 leads the absentee list with multiple missed windows, alongside recurring no-shows from DAL, SWA, RPA, and AAL series flights. Either there's a widespread schedule disruption not reflected in this data, or Chagrin Falls has developed a reputation. Traffic skewed heavily westbound at cruise altitudes, consistent with afternoon flow.
END OF DAILY AIR PICTURE