Aircraft ID
Dec 18, 2017 07:13:33 #
Saturday I flew out of Fort Myers on SWA, at gate B 4. Across the concourse, at gate 3, was a plane, DC 10 type, two engines on wing and one on tail, painted all white, no airline name, no nations flag that I could see, and very few windows. There were no passengers waiting, and it eventually pulled out and left. That gate, B3, is used sometimes used for international flights. Some passengers around me thought it might be a US Marshal’s plane. Any ideas?
Dec 18, 2017 07:16:23 #
Dec 18, 2017 07:31:37 #
Lockheed also made a jumbo jet with three engines. Sounds like a US marshals plane, although I don't see a need for them to have such a large aircraft. By the way, how is the birding in Corkscrew? I'll be visiting there the first week in January.
Dec 18, 2017 07:38:07 #
Water is a little high, not too many waders. There is an Anhinga nest very close to boardwalk at North lake, across from water gauge. Both sexes are taking turns on the nest. Should be babies in several weeks. Great photo op. Water is going down, so may be better in January. The long loop is now opened, we suffered a lot of damage from Irma, lost a lot of big cypress trees. We have been getting about 40 species a day. That is with about a dozen volunteers counting. I am there on Sunday and Tuesday, hope to be back in January. Ask for me at the admission desk if you are there one of those days. If Grant is on admissions he will know where to find me. I may not be back until the middle of the month, we are planning on showing our dog in Brooksville. Enjoy the sanctuary.
Dec 18, 2017 11:34:44 #
Robert R wrote:
Saturday I flew out of Fort Myers on SWA, at gate B 4. Across the concourse, at gate 3, was a plane, DC 10 type, two engines on wing and one on tail, painted all white, no airline name, no nations flag that I could see, and very few windows. There were no passengers waiting, and it eventually pulled out and left. That gate, B3, is used sometimes used for international flights. Some passengers around me thought it might be a US Marshal’s plane. Any ideas?
If you can get a tail number you can look it up on several websites.
Dec 18, 2017 12:18:39 #
r.grossner wrote:
If you can get a tail number you can look it up on several websites.
This is correct, and if it's a USA registration the number will begin with a N and the FAA's website will give you the owner's name( or company etc).
Dec 19, 2017 06:37:31 #
"Air America"? I see an unmarked passenger jet frequently at the nearby Patrick Air Force Base, always parked near a 3-story office-building type structure. I do know that they do certain training there for the State Department. I won't go in to details. I was chatting with an Air Force pilot one day and casually asked him what went on in that building. He said: "None of us knows what goes on in that building!"
Dec 19, 2017 08:20:43 #
buckbrush
Loc: Texas then Southwest Oregon
This might help explain the 'plain planes'
What was that 'plane' white aircraft doing at the airport?
Aircraft bearing 00-9001 tail and no other distinct markings seen at the Tallinn Airport in Estonia. (Anna Zvereva, Wikimedia Commons)
JACKSON HOLE, WYO - A mysterious-looking plane parked in the private jet tarmac section of the Jackson Hole Airport over the weekend raised suspicion from a few studious and/or conspiracy theorist types.
The plane was a repurposed Being 757 in plain white wrapper design with no markings other than a tail number marked "00-9001." Internet research indicates the plane is likely one of only a handful (some sources claim the only) that is owned and operated by the US government.
Similar aircraft, painted in an all-white color scheme with little to no markings (some have also a US flag emblem) have been sighted at various airports around the globe. They bear consistent tail numbers that are never tracked by public software like FlightAware.
Most reports indicate these aircraft are often referred to as converted 757-23A, or a version of Boing's C-32B, usually wearing what may or may not be US Air Force tail numbers or serial numbers. The non-descript design is intentionally low profile so as not to stand out when the plane travels to various countries with less-than-favorable attitudes toward the USA.
The aircraft is has been attributed to the 486th Flight Test Squadron, known to be associated with Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. It is thought to be operated by Special Ops groups within the State Department, Central Intelligence Agency, or Foreign Emergency Support Team (FEST).
The aircraft has been used to fly officials of various government agencies around the globe, providing worldwide dedicated rapid response airlift for the Department of Defense. It is reportedly on call 24 hours a day for emergency response. It was last spotted, photographed, and documented on the Internet at Tallinn Airport in Estonia on September 1, 2017.
Airport director Jim Elwood said the aircraft spotted in Jackson Hole was here conducting high altitude training.
What was that 'plane' white aircraft doing at the airport?
Aircraft bearing 00-9001 tail and no other distinct markings seen at the Tallinn Airport in Estonia. (Anna Zvereva, Wikimedia Commons)
JACKSON HOLE, WYO - A mysterious-looking plane parked in the private jet tarmac section of the Jackson Hole Airport over the weekend raised suspicion from a few studious and/or conspiracy theorist types.
The plane was a repurposed Being 757 in plain white wrapper design with no markings other than a tail number marked "00-9001." Internet research indicates the plane is likely one of only a handful (some sources claim the only) that is owned and operated by the US government.
Similar aircraft, painted in an all-white color scheme with little to no markings (some have also a US flag emblem) have been sighted at various airports around the globe. They bear consistent tail numbers that are never tracked by public software like FlightAware.
Most reports indicate these aircraft are often referred to as converted 757-23A, or a version of Boing's C-32B, usually wearing what may or may not be US Air Force tail numbers or serial numbers. The non-descript design is intentionally low profile so as not to stand out when the plane travels to various countries with less-than-favorable attitudes toward the USA.
The aircraft is has been attributed to the 486th Flight Test Squadron, known to be associated with Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. It is thought to be operated by Special Ops groups within the State Department, Central Intelligence Agency, or Foreign Emergency Support Team (FEST).
The aircraft has been used to fly officials of various government agencies around the globe, providing worldwide dedicated rapid response airlift for the Department of Defense. It is reportedly on call 24 hours a day for emergency response. It was last spotted, photographed, and documented on the Internet at Tallinn Airport in Estonia on September 1, 2017.
Airport director Jim Elwood said the aircraft spotted in Jackson Hole was here conducting high altitude training.
Dec 19, 2017 08:28:54 #
Saw similar every few months in Djibouti... one with blue trim, another with red... each in just after dark, gone before daylight...
Robert R wrote:
Saturday I flew out of Fort Myers on SWA, at gate B 4. Across the concourse, at gate 3, was a plane, DC 10 type, two engines on wing and one on tail, painted all white, no airline name, no nations flag that I could see, and very few windows. There were no passengers waiting, and it eventually pulled out and left. That gate, B3, is used sometimes used for international flights. Some passengers around me thought it might be a US Marshal’s plane. Any ideas?
Dec 19, 2017 09:56:41 #
A number of years ago I saw at Kadena AB, Okinawa a pair of all white F-86's and never was able to get any answer what they were there for. The F-86 was by that time no longer USAF's front line fighter.
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