Interesting spoofed Janet flight

flightaware tracking of a Janet from Palmdale to...

The routing is
PMD DAG J9 CLARR LAS290052 BTY060030
This is clearly the routing used to get to Groom Lake rather than the Tonopah Test Range. However, look at the altitude:

GMT/UTC/Zulu Latitude Longitude Heading Direction KTS MPH Mach Feet Rate Location/Type 03:14PM 34.65 -117.80 72° East 297 342 0.51 10,700 level Los Angeles Center 03:15PM 34.68 -117.68 74° East 325 374 0.56 13,200 3,000 climbing Los Angeles Center 03:16PM 34.71 -117.56 72° East 353 406 0.61 16,800 3,420 climbing Los Angeles Center 03:17PM 34.74 -117.43 73° East 381 438 0.66 20,100 3,000 climbing Los Angeles Center 03:18PM 34.78 -117.29 72° East 406 467 0.70 22,800 1,440 climbing Los Angeles Center 03:19PM 34.82 -117.15 73° East 422 486 0.73 23,000 1,080 climbing Los Angeles Center 03:20PM 34.85 -117.01 72° East 427 491 0.74 25,000 960 climbing Los Angeles Center 03:21PM 34.89 -116.87 59° Northeast 427 491 0.74 25,000 level Los Angeles Center 03:22PM 34.95 -116.75 50° Northeast 432 497 0.75 25,000 level Los Angeles Center 03:23PM 35.03 -116.63 49° Northeast 419 482 0.73 25,000 level Los Angeles Center 03:24PM 35.11 -116.52 51° Northeast 429 494 0.74 25,000 level Los Angeles Center 03:25PM 35.18 -116.41 50° Northeast 429 494 0.74 25,000 level Los Angeles Center 03:26PM 35.26 -116.30 50° Northeast 424 488 0.73 25,000 level Los Angeles Center 03:27PM 35.33 -116.18 50° Northeast 424 488 0.73 25,000 level Los Angeles Center 03:28PM 35.41 -116.07 51° Northeast 424 488 0.73 25,000 level Los Angeles Center 03:29PM 35.49 -115.96 50° Northeast 429 494 0.74 25,000 level Los Angeles Center 03:30PM 35.56 -115.86 51° Northeast 429 494 0.74 25,000 level Los Angeles Center 03:31PM 35.63 -115.74 12° North 429 494 0.74 25,000 level Los Angeles Center 03:32PM 35.74 -115.71 343° North 387 445 0.67 25,000 level Los Angeles Center 03:33PM 35.86 -115.75 341° North 391 450 0.68 25,000 level Los Angeles Center 03:34PM 35.96 -115.80 342° North 398 458 0.69 25,000 level Los Angeles Center 03:35PM 36.08 -115.84 342° North 404 465 0.70 25,000 level Los Angeles Center 03:36PM 36.18 -115.88 342° North 409 471 0.71 25,000 level Los Angeles Center 03:37PM 36.30 -115.93 343° North 409 471 0.71 25,000 -60 level Los Angeles Center 03:38PM 36.41 -115.97 342° North 409 471 0.71 24,900 -1,680 descending Los Angeles Center 03:39PM 36.51 -116.02 342° North 409 471 0.71 21,700 -2,700 descending Los Angeles Center 03:40PM 36.61 -116.06 350° North 404 465 0.70 19,500 -2,460 descending Los Angeles Center 03:41PM 36.71 -116.08 345° North 389 448 0.67 16,800 -1,620 descending Los Angeles Center 03:42PM 36.83 -116.12 345° North 389 448 0.67 16,300 4,080 descending Los Angeles Center 03:43PM 36.93 -116.15 347° North 389 448 0.67 25,000 4,320 climbing Los Angeles Center 03:44PM 37.04 -116.18 343° North 389 448 0.67 25,000 level Los Angeles Center 03:45PM 37.06 -116.19 360° North 389 448 0.67 25,000 level Los Angeles Center 03:46PM 37.06 -116.19 360° North 389 448 0.67 25,000 level Los Angeles Center 03:47PM 37.06 -116.19 360° North 389 448 0.67 25,000 level Los Angeles Center 03:48PM 37.06 -116.19 360° North 389 448 0.67 25,000 level Los Angeles Center 03:49PM 37.06 -116.19 360° North 389 448 0.67 25,000 level Los Angeles Center 03:50PM 37.06 -116.19 360° North 389 448 0.67 25,000 level Los Angeles Center 03:51PM 37.06 -116.19 360° North 389 448 0.67 25,000 level Los Angeles Center 03:52PM 37.06 -116.19 360° North 389 448 0.67 25,000 level Los Angeles Center

Hmmh, that may not come out so well. Anyway, look at the altitude and you can see at 3:42 the plane is at 16,300ft, but a minute later it jumps to 25,000ft. Now that altitude is too high to go to Groom Lake.

My gut feeling is the plane went to Groom Lake due to the flight plan, and maybe the altitude was tweaked by hand. You have to really wonder why the base just don't block the aircraft since they know we track them.


[edit on 29-3-2010 by gariac]

I tried to edit that mess but couldn't find a button to save the message after editing.

Anyway, here it is in Google Earth. This could possibly be a diverted flight, hence the altitude change, or the range was a bit too hot and the plane did an orbit or two at higher altitude before landing at Groom.

Odd flight from Palmdale

Thanks for the post, now i can track and see when they are due to fly back over the house.

Paradise Watching.