View Full Version : Mystery Adelaide Stealth Bugsmasher
Dirty Lungs
17th Dec 2023, 05:33
Been spending a few days in Adelaide and after sunset have been hearing a turboprop aircraft high above in the gloom. Caught my ear as it's using a low power setting - so not trying to go anywhere in a hurry. Keeps coming back every 5 minutes or so. Not an Orion as I know those things just retired, and it sounds different anyway. Staying with fellow aviators so we'd sit in the back yard drinking beers trying to eye it as it seemed a bit curious. Pretty obvious it's not flying with lights on - well, if they are they are rather dim and no strobes.
It's also not on Flightradar24.
The other night it the gloom before it got too dark we got a visual - single engine, probably a Caravan, doing racetracks maybe 10k' or a bit lower. Is this a normal Adelaide thing? Drilling holes in the sky high up going nowhere in particular??
Federal Police has Caravans and King Air's with infra red and everything else for detecting drug crops.
Squawk7700
17th Dec 2023, 07:43
Sounds like Survey 400, usually between 8 and 12k.
When over Melbourne, the laps seem to take closer to 10 minutes and it appears to be an identical track each time. C208.
Capt Fathom
17th Dec 2023, 08:28
Federal Police has Caravans and King Air's with infra red and everything else for detecting drug crops.
Probably not enough crops in downtown Adelaide to warrant a Caravan or Kingair overhead!
nojwod
17th Dec 2023, 09:46
Last year we had to put up with a similar situation, a single engine turboprop doing endless large high level orbits over Canberra, daylight hours. Looked like a PC21 when I got the binoculars out. Never found out what it was doing, but if I recall correctly it went on for weeks.
Desert Flower
17th Dec 2023, 10:42
Probably not enough crops in downtown Adelaide to warrant a Caravan or Kingair overhead!
SAPOL in Adelaide uses the Caravan for surveillance because it doesn't attract the same attention a chopper does. And by surveillance, I mean tracking vehicles & also doing other things like trying to locate idiots shining lasers at aircraft.on approach into YPAD. It goes incognito - no lights & it can't even be tracked on any of the flight apps.
DF.
Capt Fathom
17th Dec 2023, 11:01
SAPOL in Adelaide uses the Caravan for surveillance because it doesn't attract the same attention a chopper does. It goes incognito - no lights & it can't even be tracked on any of the flight apps.
DF.
If that’s the case, then how do you know it’s there DF? :E
Desert Flower
17th Dec 2023, 11:21
If that’s the case, then how do you know it’s there DF? :E
Because I listen to ATC & I know the callsign.
DF.
Capt Fathom
17th Dec 2023, 11:26
Sorry…. that was supposed to be a joke!
rcoight
17th Dec 2023, 11:34
SAPOL in Adelaide uses the Caravan for surveillance because it doesn't attract the same attention a chopper does. And by surveillance, I mean tracking vehicles & also doing other things like trying to locate idiots shining lasers at aircraft.on approach into YPAD. It goes incognito - no lights & it can't even be tracked on any of the flight apps.
DF.
Spot on.
It is supposed to be a secret like chemtrails.
On eyre
17th Dec 2023, 12:34
Correct DF - secret squirrel stuff by SA Police.
I got banned off a Farcebook site for bringing it up a year or so ago 😡
It was even operating at night no lights no transponder showing on FR at 0100 and later - kept me awake like a blooming mossie 😡😡
vegassun
17th Dec 2023, 13:05
Correct DF - secret squirrel stuff by SA Police.
I got banned off a Farcebook site for bringing it up a year or so ago 😡
It was even operating at night no lights no transponder showing on FR at 0100 and later - kept me awake like a blooming mossie 😡😡
Maybe towing a classified banner?
Dirty Lungs
17th Dec 2023, 20:45
Thanks all.
It was the lack of lights and FR24 that got us wondering. Now we (probably) know!
0ttoL
17th Dec 2023, 22:52
Similar situation in Victoria. VicPol have a King Air that doesn't appear on the usual apps. (Choppers AW139 too)
PiperCameron
17th Dec 2023, 23:28
Similar situation in Victoria. VicPol have a King Air that doesn't appear on the usual apps. (Choppers AW139 too)
Yep. Hearing "intentions unknown" from ATC still gets me a bit worried if I happen to be flying at the time, but knowing they're there does force you to keep a good lookout!
Similar situation in Victoria. VicPol have a King Air that doesn't appear on the usual apps. (Choppers AW139 too)
Yes, but I have found the VICPOL helicopters on the adsbexchange live tracking website when they're not showing on FR24
BronteExperimental
18th Dec 2023, 04:02
ADSB exchange doesn’t redact or observe LADD
so it’ll be there. Try that next time you hear it.
Squawk7700
18th Dec 2023, 06:51
Similar situation in Victoria. VicPol have a King Air that doesn't appear on the usual apps. (Choppers AW139 too)
Vicpol aircraft all appear on FR24, however it only shows the aircraft type such as “AW139.” Luckily the crooks don’t know what an AW139 (head banging icon).
They do show up on AvTraffic as PolAir30 or otherwise. I know for a fact that “shady” people use AvTraffic to track them and the air wing are aware of this, however it appears that they may be powerless to stop it or have not reached an agreement with the AvTraffic guy… or so it was alleged by the person that told me that rumour.
Alpha Whiskey Bravo
18th Dec 2023, 10:01
Chemtrail seeding for the Xmas period!
PiperCameron
19th Dec 2023, 01:48
They do show up on AvTraffic as PolAir30 or otherwise. I know for a fact that “shady” people use AvTraffic to track them and the air wing are aware of this, however it appears that they may be powerless to stop it or have not reached an agreement with the AvTraffic guy… or so it was alleged by the person that told me that rumour.
Why should Vicpol care if they show up?? Neither ATC nor anyone else know where they're going.
Maybe they want to be seen.. after all, they can travel a darn sight faster in the air than the bad guys on the ground. Absolutely no different to a police car chasing them, sirens blaring and lights flashing.
Squawk7700
19th Dec 2023, 06:28
Why should Vicpol care if they show up?? Neither ATC nor anyone else know where they're going.
Maybe they want to be seen.. after all, they can travel a darn sight faster in the air than the bad guys on the ground. Absolutely no different to a police car chasing them, sirens blaring and lights flashing.
So you're telling me that you think VicPol don't care if the exact location of all of their helicopters/aircraft (including covert examples) appear on Flight Radar 24 for the whole world to see?
Have you ever heard of an unmarked Police car?
As a somewhat relevant example, I remember being at a regional airfield during Covid lockdowns where there were half a dozen pilots hanging around a hangar. Someone saw the Kingair on FR24 inbound and everyone scattered. If I was dealing in drugs or committing a crime somewhere and I saw them coming, I would scatter too... very quickly!
Capt Fathom
19th Dec 2023, 08:57
They all show up on FR24. Just no ID or departure/arrival port attached. The giveaway is the time of night and the perfect circles they fly.
Desert Flower
19th Dec 2023, 11:09
They all show up on FR24. Just no ID or departure/arrival port attached. The giveaway is the time of night and the perfect circles they fly.
I have never seen that Caravan in Adelaide on FR24 yet. I have seen it a couple of times on ADS-B Exchange but it has been during the day when they've been heading down to KI or out into the country.
DF.
Absolutely no different to a police car chasing them, sirens blaring and lights flashing.
Like an unmarked car, they can still track suspects when the lights and sirens are back having coffee.
Dumb crooks think they are safe until ...
Squawk7700
19th Dec 2023, 20:05
I have never seen that Caravan in Adelaide on FR24 yet. I have seen it a couple of times on ADS-B Exchange but it has been during the day when they've been heading down to KI or out into the country.
DF.
Correct, Survey 400 (or whichever callsign it's using at the time) the C208, does not appear on FR24 even as an unidentified. Aside from those that can pick the purring sound of a PT6, you wouldn't know if was there. It sounds like a neighbours air conditioner in summer. I haven't ever checked on my ADSB receiver if it shows up.
Desert Flower
19th Dec 2023, 23:16
Correct, Survey 400 (or whichever callsign it's using at the time) the C208, does not appear on FR24 even as an unidentified. Aside from those that can pick the purring sound of a PT6, you wouldn't know if was there. It sounds like a neighbours air conditioner in summer. I haven't ever checked on my ADSB receiver if it shows up.
The C208 in Adelaide goes by the callsign Polair57, & the PC12 is Polair56. The helicopters also use the Polair callsign along with whatever number they are.
DF.
Squawk7700
20th Dec 2023, 00:19
We don’t have a VicPol 208 like you do over there. The feds use theirs in Melbourne sometimes.
treadigraph
21st Dec 2023, 08:26
There are several turbine aircraft that can often be seen and heard orbiting areas of London at around 9000' and which don't appear on the radar apps. Most people with an ear for aviation can likely pick em out but I imagine the population in general would be hard pressed to notice them over the general hubbub of the metropolis. I can tell you that they are jolly hard to spot if the air below them is less than gin clear! Easier on days when there is some form of altostratus...
PhilKSebben
21st Dec 2023, 20:50
The C208 in Adelaide goes by the callsign Polair57, & the PC12 is Polair56. The helicopters also use the Polair callsign along with whatever number they are.
DF.
Yep that's the one. Night sorties it does not show up on ADSB nor FR24, operates completely dark (no nav's, no beacon, no strobe), but you'll hear them on radio generally getting 10-15nm orbits from various fixed points around the city at around 10,000ft. The 'groups' on FB that track aircraft in ADL hate talking about it for some reason like they'll have their house raided, but are more than happy to demand to know military movements :8
PiperCameron
21st Dec 2023, 22:54
There are several turbine aircraft that can often be seen and heard orbiting areas of London at around 9000' and which don't appear on the radar apps. Most people with an ear for aviation can likely pick em out but I imagine the population in general would be hard pressed to notice them over the general hubbub of the metropolis. I can tell you that they are jolly hard to spot if the air below them is less than gin clear! Easier on days when there is some form of altostratus...
Sounds like Big Brother is watching you!!.. ('corse that would never happen over here: our guvmint is too busy wasting money on train tunnels no-one needs to fund an operation like that)
Desert Flower
9th Jan 2024, 05:42
it's VH-TQF
That is the aerial survey aircraft & it is usually visible on flight tracking apps - unlike the Polair C208.
DF.
Capt Fathom
9th Jan 2024, 21:21
it's VH-TQF
Unless it has changed very recently, I believe you are correct. The aircraft and pilots supplied by Aviair. There are numerous media photos of the aircraft when it was introduced a few years back.
Squawk7700
18th Jan 2024, 06:29
It’s up there right now being stealthy over SE Melbourne and doesn’t show up on anything :-)
Desert Flower
18th Jan 2024, 08:18
It’s up there right now being stealthy over SE Melbourne and doesn’t show up on anything :-)
Wouldn't be the YPAD one.
DF.