Ive seen a bunch of weird FAA flights but these ones caught my eye.
flightaware.com/live/flight/N39
flightaware.com/live/flight/N49
They took off and landed 1 minute apart and I think the flight path is exactly the same. Same aircraft, airports…
Maybe it was really N28000 and N29000 on another photo op.
Permalinks:
N49: flightaware.com/live/flight/N49/ … /KACY/KSDF
N39: flightaware.com/live/flight/N39/ … /KACY/KSDF
During cruise, the aircraft were separated by 2,000 feet vertically.
My guess is that these flights are more than likely testing of some experimental.
Returning from experimenting on the odds of winning at the slot machines in Atlantic City, maybe…?
Seriously, guys? That’s just too perfect of a circle … is there a ***chance ***that we just had a glitch on the reporting?? I know there’s testing, but yee gawds, that’s some great flying…what are the odds?
ACY is the home of the FAA’s William J. Hughes Technical Center, it’s existence is the reason for the daily ACY/DCA shuttle flights. Not everyone goes to ACY to gamble.
http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ato/tc/
2 seperate planes, pretty good, I’d thunk myself.
My guess, autopilot set for a DME arc of some sort?
Looks like VOR testing.
Shouldn’t the real question here be “Does the FAA even know what the FAA is doing?”
Do you know what the daily (actually, twice a day, Tuesday to Friday) flights are operated with? It appears the flights are blocked. Perhaps King Airs?
They are probably flight check aircraft…but those are some pretty circles.
Not sure what they’re using anymore, but I doubt it’s a King Air. Over the years I’ve had Lears pointed out as that day’s shuttle, as well as a Falcon and a G-IV. The service is operated by a contractor, so I would imagine the aircraft are subject to change.
I’ve also been told, by someone who should know, that the shuttles will occasionally call at NEL as a part of that day’s route, although I’m not aware of any FAA facility there.
[quote=“lieberma”]
And a pretty DME arc at that!!
[quote=“pfp217”]
I’ve never seen an autopilot with a “DME Hold” feature! You’de have to be pretty careful using that if you’re tracking a radial- it would make you hover in mid-air! 
Probably using Heading Hold with lots of twisting of the bug knob.
Note the equipment suffix, FMS with DME/DME updating.
A Garmin 430W coupled to an Autopilot with GPS Steering like the STEC 55x with fly DME arcs.
Probably no fancy FAA secret technology. Just standard off the shelf avionics that you might see in a C-172.
magnetoz
What year is your apache? I did my multi-engine in a 1956 and my ATP ride in a 57. I loved the aircraft,very docile and perfect multi trainer!
They are beautiful circles. I was at the airport today and saw both of them parked on the ramp. If they hand flew those, then thats wild. Must be how they got their job with the FAA lol
I still think it was just a software glitch… 
It could possibly be a glitch. I do know that they went on a sorty for about 8 hours on the 12th. Id like to know what they did that day.