Fat Albert

[poltergeisty]

I just seen what appeared to be Fat Albert the C-130 from the Blue Angles pass over head over Loveland at about 500 AGL going south. Does anyone know where it was going? I don't recall any airshows for the Blue Angles in Denver this year.

 

[nathancarlson]

Any chance it was one of the NASA research aircraft? I have heard a lot about them flying low for air samples.

Major Air Pollution Studies to Converge Over Denver | NASA

 

[dw2872]

You probably saw N130AR, an EC-130Q. They are using that and other planes to measure ozone up and down the front range. It does look a lot like Fat Albert though!

N130AR photo
https://www.flickr.com/photos/49594072@N07/5964110069/

Fat Albert photo
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...gins_a_show_for_the_U.S._Navy_Blue_Angels.jpg

 

[dw2872]

Here is the real-time tracker for those aircraft and the NASA C-130 did in fact fly over Loveland a couple times earlier. It is the light green colored track (unless you set it up differently).

NASA::Airborne Science Program::Aircraft Tracker

 

[MtnBiker2005]

N130AR Mode-S hits on this page.
http://www.live-civil-mode-s.eu/popup.php?zoekstring=A07B41

&

NASA426 (N426NA) P-3B Orion flying in Colorado
http://flightaware.com/live/flight/NASA426
http://www.live-civil-mode-s.eu/popup.php?zoekstring=A51316

 

[datainmotion]

You can see all Federal / Military SSR logging for the Denver area here:

MilAirComms - Live Military Mode-S Logger

 

[datainmotion]

NASA426 (N426NA) P-3B Orion flying in Colorado
NASA426

Well those are some interesting patterns...

 

[poltergeisty]

That's what it was! NASA. I heard about this on facebook. I'm following KFNL on Facebook and heard about NASA doing tests. Thanks for the info.!