I don't live too far from O'Hare so planes passing overhead is just background noise. But, I noticed a plane that seemed to be coming and going, again and again. I looked at a flight radar site and this plane is flying back and forth.

Anyone have an idea of what this fellow might be doing?

quote:

Originally posted by CoolRich59:


Anyone have an idea of what this fellow might be doing?

Aerial photography / mapping?

Could it be spraying a certain area for mosquitos?

I thought mapping too, but it's just a guess on my part.

It's been 20 minutes since I noticed him and he's still at it.

My guess is some type of GIS mapping.
www.gismaps.org

Mapping or surveying of some sort would be my guess too.
That's a fixed gear Cessna Stationair.

Aerial mapping is done over a lot of urban areas say downtown Chicago for those up close 3D maps when you zoom in on an online map.

Another possibility is states that have personal property tax will do this to update tax records for things like vehicles, boats, tractors, etc.

This shows it is a Cessna 206, but no registration number. There are various federal agencies that use this platform.

Don't typically see a C 206 used for spraying, typically something bigger, faster, like a Beech King Air.

I think you guys are correct.

This area is mostly bedroom communities. So, these towns are dependent on revenue from property taxes, and a few are infamous for snooping around to catch people who've made improvements (pools, additions, etc.) without permits.

IF it is, it won't be long until this will be done by drones, the government could fly them all the time, checking on peoples homes or have a contractor doing it for a lot less money..

Crop dusting.

The pattern looks like a woman at the mall trying to find a spot 3 spaces closer to the door

Looks like it's time for lunch.

It just landed at the Aurora Municipal Airport, and it is a 2000 Cessna 206H, registered(N423CM) to Bank of Utah Trustee SLC, UT, US (Corporation)

Below is a pic if anyone cares.

https://cdn.jetphotos.com/400/5/24480_1647738798.jpg

Probably some sort of photo work. This airplane, registration number N423CM has used the call sign "SnapShot 423."

quote:

Originally posted by Ogie:

Crop dusting.

Don't think so. It's covering way more area than crop fields, and it's not a farming area. Chicago suburbs, bedroom communities, etc.

There are so many imaging devices that could be installed in a pod on a plane that size. I'm in oil & gas and have spoken to vendors about technologies depoloyed via drone or small plane.

It's not just a taking pictures/video, it's the use of FLIR, the use of thermal, the use of LIDAR, imaging technologies that can detect itty bitty gas leaks, imaging technologies that can detect metal below the surface, etc.

quote:

Originally posted by ftttu:
It just landed at the Aurora Municipal Airport, and it is a 2000 Cessna 206H, registered(N423CM) to Bank of Utah Trustee SLC, UT, US (Corporation)

Below is a pic if anyone cares.

https://cdn.jetphotos.com/400/5/24480_1647738798.jpg

Looks like it's got some kind of equipment strapped to the bottom of the fuselage

quote:

Originally posted by 71 TRUCK:
Could it be spraying a certain area for mosquitos?

Chemtrails

It's been happening here near tiny town for three weeks.

Of course we are surrounded by corn fields and bean fields.

Gets pretty old after the third day.
Lotsa noise.
Some pilots are more entertaining than others.
One fella was a blast
He'd pull up hard right above the fence line, go straight the hell up and do a nose over U Turn
Head ing straight for the fence line again, the a hard pull back to complete the turn
Only sixty feet to the left.

You couldn't take your eyes off of him.

And he had to work the chem flow valve while doing all that.

They come within80 feet of my apt. Bldg.

Based on the flight track and the distance he's flying, he is clearly NOT seeding, spraying, or crop dusting. Ag flying is not done with a C206 either. He is likely flying that pattern and capturing continuous imagery, which is then interlaced or joined and used for GIS systems. In my state, County Auditor offices usually have this imagery available to view on-line, and you can view your property from aloft with several different compass bearings and overlay different layers of infrastructure.