AIR PICTURE — CHAGRIN FALLS, OH — 2026-07-16
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Dramatically quiet day — traffic running 86% below the 7-day average, with 139 contacts versus a baseline of 973. The skies over Chagrin Falls were not exactly bustling.
NOTABLE TRAFFIC
High-speed business aviation was the day's overachievers: EJA156 topped out at 519 kts at 45,000 ft eastbound, matched by LXJ458 at 504 kts and 45,000 ft. Someone is in a hurry and has the altitude to prove it.
Heavies in formation (sort of): Two FedEx freighters — FDX1296 and FDX1328 — tracked southwest on nearly identical headings (238°) within roughly 12 miles of each other. Memphis won't wait.
Low and slow: DAL1320 at 800 ft and 140 kts on heading 230°, and SWA2337 at 725 ft and 143 kts on the same heading — both near 41.41°N/81.84°W — appear to be on approach. Lowest contacts of the day by some margin.
International visitors: Turkish Airlines THY181 and THY2AY transited the area, with both ICAO codes registered to Netherlands-based aircraft. Canadian operators CJT943, CJT482, CJT575, and CJT1906 also checked in. AMX008 — likely Aeroméxico — carries an ICAO hex in no recognized national allocation range. Noted.
ANOMALIES
Nine contacts squawking Mode S with no flight ID broadcast — hex codes A12734, AAB0BA, ADC5FF, AAF494, 899124, A73AB6, A9D86C, AA03A2, AA72B1, A1530A, A08A1A, A95528, A3B00C, and ADC9B6 — cruising at normal airliner altitudes between 30,850 and 43,000 ft. Transponders active; identities, uncooperative. Technically unremarkable; collectively, a lot of silent metal.
ICAO hex 899124 pairs the no-callsign flag with an unrecognized national allocation. Two flags, zero answers.
PATTERN NOTES
Today's count of 139 aircraft is the loudest alarm in this briefing. Over 60 expected regular flights failed to appear, including repeat no-shows: DAL1427, DAL1558, SWA4154, GJS4166, UAL1969, EDV4981, and others flagged across multiple hours. Whether this reflects a systemwide disruption, a data feed anomaly, or a Thursday, cannot be determined from available data.
The regulars who did show — FedEx, Southwest, Delta, United — maintained expected altitudes and headings. Nothing tactically remarkable. Just... fewer of them.
END OF DAILY AIR PICTURE