What kind of $#@&% balloon does this?

[Lmo1131]

I just discovered a cool website; www.FlightRadar24.com You can track any aircraft, in real time anywhere on the planet by tail number, flight number, or location. Yesterday we had a low flying helicopter tracking back and forth over our county all day and I was looking for information on it. Turns out it contracted by SoCal Gas Co to sniff for methane gas leaks in their distribution system using green Lidar.



But while I was looking to see where it might be today I discovered something interesting; high altitude Helium Balloons operating up to 63,000' and being steered.



These flight paths are typical of all of them. The one below V is the one at the far left of the image above.



This one near Sioux City


Here is a discussion fron 2022 that mentions them > https://forums.radioreference.com/threads/hot-air-balloon-at-60-000-ft-in-north-carolina.442351/

And here is a link to what they are, and who makes them. But nothing about what they are doing... https://aerostar.com/products/balloons-airships

Turns out they operate in "constellations" of two or more, and are used to track thunderstorms... or so they say.

 

[Brandon]

Thanks to that website I was able to spy on this- this afternoon.
Also saw a 767

 

[squidvt]

That's some good information. Those are normal ISR balloons. The first trace seems to be a mapping flight.
I listen to https://monkeywerxus.com/ and he gives good information on flight traffic.

 

[firecadet613]

Their app is helpful for a quick, real time view of what's in the sky above you.

 

[foszoe]

Geez. And I was just happy with my telescope, binoculars, and camera. Now i gotta worry about 737s coming out of the sky....and it ain't so CCR song.

 

[littletommy]

Most balloons I see on the app are in that same area, around the Dakotas. I’ve even seen drones identified on there.

 

[Peacekeeper3073]

I caught a Ukraine Alliance C130 flying out of Columbus Ohio to Mexico earlier today on the app.

 

[Brandon]

I caught a Ukraine Alliance C130 flying out of Columbus Ohio to Mexico earlier today on the app.

A couple of days ago I saw this so I looked think it was going to be a 747... i was wrong.

 

[MrSmitty]

I had flight tracker on my phone, military planes didn’t show up…

 

[firecadet613]

I had flight tracker on my phone, military planes didn’t show up…

They'll often show up on this, unless they've fully gone dark.

ADS-B Exchange - track aircraft live

ADS-B Exchange - track aircraft live - aircraft flight history

globe.adsbexchange.com

I was out by Scott AFB a few weeks ago and a KC-135 doing touch and goes only showed up on this.

 

[Peacekeeper3073]

I had flight tracker on my phone, military planes didn’t show up…

Sometimes they do and sometimes they don't. A friend of mine in the Air Force once told me when they are on routine flights the transponders are supposed to be on. Off of course when on missions. That was several years ago things could have changed since then.

 

[jsx1043]

That's some good information. Those are normal ISR balloons. The first trace seems to be a mapping flight.
I listen to https://monkeywerxus.com/ and he gives good information on flight traffic.

MonkeyWerx is THE place to go to learn all about how aircraft travel data can be extrapolated and interpreted to provide real time intelligence.

I use FlightAware because I feel like I get more information for the free app than I do out of the free version of FlightRadar24, which pushes heavily to get you to subscribe. On the free versions, FlightAware will geolocate to your ping, whereas FR24 won’t and wants a subscription to unlock that feature. Most of the time I pop up the app quickly to see what’s flying above me because of some weird plane or helicopter without any markings making a weird search pattern. And to keep track of my daughter’s flights.

I had this guy fly overhead the other day:

 

[firecadet613]

MonkeyWerx is THE place to go to learn all about how aircraft travel data can be extrapolated and interpreted to provide real time intelligence.

I use FlightAware because I feel like I get more information for the free app than I do out of the free version of FlightRadar24, which pushes heavily to get you to subscribe. On the free versions, FlightAware will geolocate to your ping, whereas FR24 won’t and wants a subscription to unlock that feature. Most of the time I pop up the app quickly to see what’s flying above me because of some weird plane or helicopter without any markings making a weird search pattern. And to keep track of my daughter’s flights.

I had this guy fly overhead the other day:

View attachment 373778

I'll have to try Flightaware's app (I've downloaded FR24s app, but use FAs website).

FR24s app is a simple button push to zoom to your location on the free version. I prefer FR24 as it provides tail numbers.

 

[TheGrumpyGuy]

I caught a Ukraine Alliance C130 flying out of Columbus Ohio to Mexico earlier today on the app.

Going back for a refill of illegals

 

[Twangbanger]

Can you use these things to identify flights from past dates? A week or so ago, my garmin watch wigged out during a run, and when I downloaded my data, it showed my run path as going from Michigan to Puerto Rico in a straight line. (It congratulated me on my longest run and fastest mile ). I can only imagine it got me confused with the GPS transceiver on a plane that passed overhead (I was running right by an airport).

 

[OutdoorDad]

I just discovered a cool website; www.FlightRadar24.com You can track any aircraft, in real time anywhere on the planet by tail number, flight number, or location. Yesterday we had a low flying helicopter tracking back and forth over our county all day and I was looking for information on it. Turns out it contracted by SoCal Gas Co to sniff for methane gas leaks in their distribution system using green Lidar.

View attachment 373593

But while I was looking to see where it might be today I discovered something interesting; high altitude Helium Balloons operating up to 63,000' and being steered.

View attachment 373594

These flight paths are typical of all of them. The one below V is the one at the far left of the image above.

View attachment 373596

This one near Sioux City
View attachment 373597

Here is a discussion fron 2022 that mentions them > https://forums.radioreference.com/threads/hot-air-balloon-at-60-000-ft-in-north-carolina.442351/

And here is a link to what they are, and who makes them. But nothing about what they are doing... https://aerostar.com/products/balloons-airships

Turns out they operate in "constellations" of two or more, and are used to track thunderstorms... or so they say.

View attachment 373598

you have a lock on Elon Musk?

 

[littletommy]

I was just scrolling around on flightradar, there’s several balloons over the Dakotas right now.

 

[Brandon]

Another stratotanker

 

[firecadet613]

View attachment 374369
Another stratotanker

They had one up circling around ****cago most of the day, F16s up in the air with the DNC and Bidan being there...