Plant 42 3/26/2014-3/27/2014 Boeing chase plane; what was it chasing?

N901X is a Boeing chase plane. It often flies as BOE9X. It can chase a commercial type aircraft, or a military project. Here it is flying from KPMD (Plant 42) to R2508.

flight 1
flight 2
flight 3

Photo of chase plane

Given the restricted airspace, I vote for it chasing a military plane. But it is not unprecedented to have civilian aircraft in R2508.

Plant 42 wasn't that a boss in resident evil?

crucified
Plant 42 wasn't that a boss in resident evil?

maybe but 42 is the meaning of life the universe and everything

reply to post by gariac


Is that Palmdale as in Palmdale, CA?

Today 03/27/2014?

reply to post by ThePublicEnemyNo1


Yes, it is KPMD. Plant 42 is part of the complex, but I suppose it is incorrect to assume the test article (if it actually is a test article) came from Plant 42. It is too late to change the title though, but KPMD would be more correct. The planes land on the main runway then taxi to Northrop, Boeing, Lockheed, etc.

Times and date are PDT.

reply to post by gariac


Do you think it was chasing something or just pilots getting some flight hours in? If it was chasing an "article", Boeing should be rolling it's LRS-B prototype out of Plant 42 soon if not already.

Sammamishman
reply to post by gariac

 

Do you think it was chasing something or just pilots getting some flight hours in? If it was chasing an "article", Boeing should be rolling it's LRS-B prototype out of Plant 42 soon if not already.

I'm reasonably sure it was chasing something. The pilot could get hours at the home base and be home for dinner.

FYI, the chase plane was flying again today.
BOE09X

The test altitude was around 25kft and speed a bit over 300knts. Not blazing speed, though more likely to be a jet than a prop plane was under test. Or a prop plane with the pedal to the metal, so to speak.

gariac
N901X is a Boeing chase plane. It often flies as BOE9X. It can chase a commercial type aircraft, or a military project. Here it is flying from KPMD (Plant 42) to R2508.

Photo of chase plane

Of coarse, it's painted in traditional "Janet"

BOE09X went home to Boeing Field today. Maybe it will be back Monday.

a reply to: gariac
Do you know the ident. numbers or know where I can find the numbers for other Boeing chase planes? I'd like to see what they have been up to lately.

a reply to: Sammamishman
I was able to find:

N109X / BOE9X - T-33, still at Boeing Field.
N416X / BOE16X - T-33, at Boeing Field.
N38FT - T-38, Page Field, FL.

Are there more than these?

a reply to: Sammamishman

The are still holding N490X as a tail number. Maybe the plane is out of commission temporarily.

N38TZ is the second T38 talon owned by Boeing, that they use for chase activity.

Recently, they've used a civilian lear as a chase, but can't seem to pin down the N#, I thought it was.

Edit: a few years back they leased an additional T38 from Thornton Aviation (N638TC), when they were still doing 787 flight tests.

a reply to: Sammamishman

Wow didn't know Boeing had a chase plane at the small airport here in FL. Explains all the new hangers and armed gaurds around the Page Field airport now.

a reply to: weavty1

There is mention of a Wolfe Air Lear jet:
Wolfe Air

No Wolfe Air in the FAA registry, so it will take a bit more work to get the tail number.

Looks like N48WA:
FAA registration N48WA

a reply to: gariac

Thanks for the added tail numbers. So far I'm not having much luck trying to get up to date info on their movements. FlightAware doesn't have info on N38TZ, N638TC and the last data on N48WA was from 2012.
Flightradar24 might help but I have to catch them as they are in the air.

Interesting when I try to track Boeing's 4 corporate jets they are blocked on FlightAware.

a reply to: Sammamishman

If you can give me the tail numbers of the Boeing corporate jets, I may be able to get some tracking data. You can thank the GOP for reestablishing the BARR rules by refusing to fund the FAA until aircraft could be blocked. Heaven forbid we track a few corporate jets being used by candidates.

For the chase planes, you might have some luck with flightradar24 doing historic searches. I have access to some mode-s receiver data. Check the coast west of Portland.

N38TZ 4/21/2014 15:57 UTC

N38FT 4/02/2014 17:17 UTC

N416X 3/12/2014 19:34 UTC

N109X 4/04/2014 20:12 UTC

I have no data on N48WA. It might not have mode-s.

All these tracking websites have filtering. I encourage people just to use their own receivers. If you google RT'___'R 1090, there are plenty of websites indicating how to set up a cheap DVB-T dongle for ADS-B reception.

Here is one using a Beaglebone Black:
RTLDSDR with the Beaglebone Black
You will also need Virtual Radar Server:
VRS

I wouldn't share data using VRS unless you have a VPN setup. Shipping data around your lan is fine, but exposing yourself to the internet is not a good plan.

a reply to: gariac

Thanks for the info, Here are the 4 corporate jet tail numbers (I tracked one yesterday from the Gulf coast FL to Chicago using FlightRadar24):

N540BA, N542BA, N548BA, N549BA.

I'm still trying to learn FlightRadar24 but I did do a history check for the times you listed for the chase planes but came up empty along the OR coast. Please forgive my ignorance when it comes to flight transponder/data systems, was it the mode-S data that said they were West of Portland at those times? What do you think they were up to?

Here is the FR24 web page that lists quit a few of Boeing's aircraft tail numbers and type:

www.flightradar24.com...

I've been having fun tracking Boeings pre-delivery test flights and dreamlifters.

a reply to: Sammamishman

The location I gave is based on the location of the receiver, but consider the location cast in jello.

All these services are filtered to some extent. I am not privy to what nasty letters these sites get from lawyers that make them drop the tracking, but I am sure it is ugly.

Another means to get the tracking is to use the noise tracking websites. These websites filter less but don't always reveal the details of the aircraft. You might only get a squawk code. But if you have the data from the mode-s receiver, then you might have the squawk code too, which you can match.

archived tracking
is a list of trackers. I noticed the SFO one is changed, but you can find it doing a search on "fly quiet SFO".

Las Vegas used to have a noise tracker, but it mysteriously disappeared after I started posting flights to non-existent bases. They didn't mind the Janets, but didn't like the Lincoln Labs aircraft being tracked to Groom Lake.