AIR PICTURE — CHAGRIN FALLS, OH — 2026-07-23
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Notably quiet day overhead — 228 contacts versus a 7-day average of 508, representing a 55% drop. What traffic we did see was routine in character, with a handful of exceptions worth the commander's attention.
NOTABLE TRAFFIC
N83HS led the altitude parade at 45,000 ft, cruising eastbound at 559 kts — whatever that is, it's in a hurry and has no interest in the lower atmosphere. LXJ355 matched the altitude at 45,000 ft, heading the opposite direction at a more leisurely 368 kts. High-altitude bracket situation: noted.
CKS9709 (callsign suggesting cargo) was the speed leader among commercial traffic at 590 kts, southeastbound at 37,000 ft.
RPA4413 drew attention tracking nearly due east at 468 kts and 27,975 ft — Republic Airways regional operation, unremarkable in itself but on a track worth watching.
Several Southwest and Delta heavies transited at cruise altitudes, all routine. DAL1500 was on short final at 675 ft — essentially lawn level — heading 229°, presumably to Cleveland Hopkins.
ANOMALIES
ROU1804 [C05E62] carries a Canadian ICAO hex but is operating over northeastern Ohio at 26,625 ft. Canadians are of course welcome; paperwork is expected to follow.
KAL093 [71C041] shows a Saudi Arabian ICAO hex. Korean Air with a Saudi transponder is an unusual combination that the intelligence community can argue about later.
WJA2566, ROU1735, WJA2128, ROU1757 — four additional Canadian-registered contacts appeared in anomaly flags but are not present in today's confirmed contact list. Flagged by the system; not observed. Treating as ghosts until further evidence.
ANA110 [86953E] carries an ICAO hex belonging to no recognized national allocation. It did not appear in confirmed contacts. Filed under "interesting."
AAY2802 — 2,800 ft at 245 kts. Low and fast. Contact did not appear in the confirmed list, so either it departed the picture quickly or the sensor had a moment.
AAL2292 is a no-show. Seen reliably at this hour for the past week. Absence noted.
PATTERN NOTES
Traffic volume has been declining all day per incremental counts in the anomaly log — 59, 93, 137, 176, and finally 228, each well below the 508-aircraft daily average. No obvious single cause in the data. Westbound commercial flow at cruise altitudes was steady; low-altitude general aviation was light but present across the area.
END OF DAILY AIR PICTURE