AIR PICTURE — CHAGRIN FALLS, OH — 2026-08-28
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Quiet day — traffic running 54% below the 7-day average, the skies over northeast Ohio resembling a Tuesday in February more than a late-August Friday.
NOTABLE TRAFFIC
The international contingent was well-represented at altitude. Three Jazz Aviation (JZA) flights transited the area on Canadian registrations — JZA927 at 20,075 ft, JZA626 at 37,000 ft, and JZA509 at 34,100 ft — all squawking properly and behaving themselves. THY91J, carrying a Dutch-registered hex despite the Turkish Airlines callsign, crossed the northern edge at 20,350 ft heading east. Perfectly normal; noted for completeness.
Down low, N61868 was puttering northbound at 1,125 ft and 64 knots — the slowest mover of the day by a wide margin. CAP3421 was similarly unhurried at 1,200 ft. G18814 barely made 35 knots at 1,125 ft heading west, which raises the question of whether it was flying or being blown.
UAL713 led the day's speed column at 529 kts, eastbound at 38,975 ft. AAL40 and JZA626 were close behind.
ANOMALIES
Three military-hex contacts appeared: VICE01 (AE5BDB), VADER91 (AE77A0), and G18814 (AE52C7). VADER91 also triggered a LOW_AND_FAST flag at 2,350 ft and 239 kts — a combination that, combined with a callsign borrowed from a Sith lord, warrants at least a raised eyebrow.
N122B (A05B39) was observed at 54,200 ft — well above the commercial ceiling and high enough to make most business jet pilots uncomfortable. No further details in the data; file accordingly.
Two contacts — A51B93 at 33,000 ft and A1EC6E at 34,250 ft — were active on Mode S with no callsign broadcast. Routine for some operators; noted regardless.
Four unknown ICAO hex codes (VTM147, VTM692, AMX007, AMX021) appeared without recognized national allocation. No threat posture implied; allocation databases are imperfect.
PATTERN NOTES
Traffic volume was substantially depressed all day, bottoming out 54% below the weekly average of 1,255 contacts. Missing regulars numbered in the dozens across all hours, spanning UAL, DAL, RPA, EDV, and SWA operators. No single carrier explains the gap — this appears systemic, possibly weather, routing, or a data feed anomaly worth checking before tomorrow's watch.
END OF DAILY AIR PICTURE