What Is This Plane Up To Over Portland?

Sinistar

Sinistar

En-Route
Joined
Sep 9, 2016
Messages
3,734
Display Name
Display name:
Brad
While perusing busier bigger airports to see how many small GA planes have been doing landings I spotted this Cessna 182 at KPDX.

First off, very interesting N Number given it's in Oregon.

Second, quite the flight path each night. Looks like always after sunset. Always the same general pattern

https://flightaware.com/live/flight/IDAHO44

I didnt find anything on the FAA N Number lookup. It's funny that FlightAware knows it's a 182. If it is a 182 its dialed way back and flying about 40mph slower than normal.

FBI?
 
CAP flies a lot of 182's. Testing some new search device?
 
A guy in my Reserve unit was FBI and he flew with an IR sensor to find pot growing houses. They would spot the big black spot at night and raid it in the morning.
 
I dont know Portland at all. What is at the center of each of the "Turns about a point" ?
 
Flightaware allows you to set alerts for specific aircraft. Set an alert. When you get one, tune into liveatc.com and see what is happening.
 
Could be any number of LEO flights. Our local FBI boys had a fleet of 182/210s/208s. Used to fuel them as a line tech. Also could be the sheriff's office. Around here some counties have 182s and 206s tricked out like a freaking ISR MC-12s over Afghanistan. Been in them.
 
Flights with the call sign "Idaho xx" have been around since the 1980s. I used to hear them over Denver. Someone told me it was the FBI, but that wasn't an official source. They might have been guessing.
 
Portland Police had a 172 for quite awhile. I wonder if they upgraded to a 182 in the last year or so.
 
Sinistar said:
While perusing busier bigger airports to see how many small GA planes have been doing landings I spotted this Cessna 182 at KPDX.

First off, very interesting N Number given it's in Oregon.

Second, quite the flight path each night. Looks like always after sunset. Always the same general pattern

https://flightaware.com/live/flight/IDAHO44

I didnt find anything on the FAA N Number lookup. It's funny that FlightAware knows it's a 182. If it is a 182 its dialed way back and flying about 40mph slower than normal.

FBI?
Click to expand...

Idaho is a law enforcement call sign. Federal I’m sure. I think FBI

EDIT: It’s Customs EDIT Again: pretty sure this is correct. IDAHO is other Law Enforcement. Customs is OMAHA. FBI is GRANT. DEA is FLINT. Border Patrol is SALEM.
 
Last edited:
IDAHO is law enforcement and shouldn’t be broadcasting via ADS-B.
 
Jmcmanna said:
IDAHO is law enforcement and shouldn’t be broadcasting via ADS-B.
Click to expand...

Maybe it wasn’t from ADSB. Flight Aware may have gotten the track from ATC Radar. Maybe, I dunno if that’s how it works. Can you enter a 7 character Call Sign?
 
luvflyin said:
Maybe it wasn’t from ADSB. Flight Aware may have gotten the track from ATC Radar. Maybe, I dunno if that’s how it works. Can you enter a 7 character Call Sign?
Click to expand...
Well, seeing as the tracklog says 'Flightaware ADS-B' I'm going to guess that it was ADS-B.
 
Well, that answers it.that_guys_house.jpg
 
I live in Portland, near the airport. This is likely either Air 1 or Air 2 of the Portland Police Bureau’s Air Support Unit. People have been driving like nuts out here lately, which probably explains the whole following freeways thing, and they’ve been doing more late night drag racing busts. Sometimes I’m able to find a tweet or news story for whatever area they were circling, sometimes not.

With so little air traffic these days any time I hear a piston heading south over my house there’s a good chance it’s the PPB.

There are some good articles out there about the unit, and a fly along with a reporter.
 
Does PPB still have their aircraft maintained at Pearson Field in Vancouver WA? I often saw their 172s in the hangar there when mine was in for maintenance. As I recall PPB was catching some flak for taking the business to another state ... even though VUO is the closest airport by road to PPB headquarters in downtown Portland. :rolleyes:
 
luvflyin said:
EDIT Again: pretty sure this is correct. IDAHO is other Law Enforcement. Customs is OMAHA. FBI is GRANT. DEA is FLINT. Border Patrol is SALEM.
Click to expand...

Interesting. How'd you find this out? I've got some ATC data with BREWR, HOUND, MYSTC, RUMMY, STGRY, AXIS, and SHOOT. Sure wish I knew what they were! Any leads you can give me?
 
flyingcheesehead said:
Interesting. How'd you find this out? I've got some ATC data with BREWR, HOUND, MYSTC, RUMMY, STGRY, AXIS, and SHOOT. Sure wish I knew what they were! Any leads you can give me?
Click to expand...

https://catalog.archives.gov/OpaAPI/media/7603178/content/dc-metro/rg-237/7419198-9-11-faa/5. Miscellaneous/(e) Other/5 DCC 991 Order 7110.67D Special Aircraft Ops.pdf?download=true

did some searches on 7110.67 looking for something newer than ‘D.’ It looks like newer ones aren’t available for the public. I found enough to think that ‘J’ is the latest. My source to get stuff like has dried up. Anyway, it seems consistent with what I remember working up until 2002 when I retired. We at least know for sure IDAHO sure seems to still be Law Enforcement. Never heard of those others. They just sound like Squadron Tactical calls to me. @Velocity173, whadda ya know?
 
Last edited:
denverpilot said:
Nobody critiquing the horrible ground reference circles... this place is slipping. LOL.
Click to expand...
Could be the target was moving, or there was a need to change angles for obstacles in which case perhaps his orbits were better than you'd think. I may or may not have talked to some of the FLINT operators and they do some valuable and cool stuff. I wish I had some toys as nice as theirs to play with...
 
There is a Portland police bureau plane that flies similar route frequently (circles), down Powell Blvd, north Along I-205, etc. one of the PPB’s planes registration number is N739MR. If I use a common flight tracker website and search for registration number N739MR, then review the history for the plane it is listed as IDAHO33.

I.e search for N739MR shows several previous flight plans. If I click on, say 4/7, it opens the map of that flight path in a new screen and at top of screen the registration number now reads IDAHO33. On this particular day (4/7) the plane literally circled over SE 34th and Powell for 3 hours before returning to PDX then returned and circled for another 3 hours.
Is it possible then when the planes user changes from Police to Fed the registration number is changed as well?
 
Quite a squirrelly flight this evening...

Screenshot_20200424-001219_Firefox.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top