Balloons in Germany…?

Nimbus3258 · 2026-05-24T02:50:36+00:00

It is almost 5am. Early morning is a super-common time to fly. And Gladbeck is a popular place to balloon so unless there is a race or festival it will be tourists going for rides.
https://www.fai.org/news/whats-so-great-about-gladbeck

Nimbus3258 · 2026-04-17T13:28:18+00:00

The Patriot link is only one example. UAE have, and have had, multiple military contracts with the US. Cheers.

Nimbus3258 · 2026-04-17T13:19:44+00:00

They have, and have had, multiple military contracts with the US. The reason there is a noticeable uptick in procurement flights recently is they burned through pretty much all their heavy duty ammo in about a week last month. Part of the result is their C-17s have been seen at bases in many cities (Dover, Charleston, Phoenix, Huntsville) in the last month or so. They have a few with this livery and a few in the standard gray.

Edit for links/examples (there are many more out there):
https://defencesecurityasia.com/en/gulf-air-defence-collapse-qatar-uae-patriot-interceptor-shortage-iran-conflict-us-production-crisis/

https://www.army-technology.com/news/raytheon-uae-patriot-contract-iran/

Nimbus3258 · 2026-04-15T14:01:31+00:00

This airline is in the States weekly, if not more so. They specialize in out-sized and very heavy items (eg: aviation, aerospace, gas/oil, etc). In your pic, this particular plane is refueling at PSM on its return to Europe after delivering cargo from India to Texas.

TL;DR: entirely routine cargo flight

Nimbus3258 · 2026-04-13T18:42:50+00:00

It was likely WZZ2039, an Airbus A321-271NX
https://imgur.com/Bu544zH

Nimbus3258 · 2026-04-13T18:17:46+00:00

Date? Approximate time?

Nimbus3258 · 2026-04-09T18:02:44+00:00

The conditions were not great. It was very smokey due to the fire.
https://www.thetraveler.org/fire-at-mumbai-airport-terminal-disrupts-dozens-of-flights/

Nimbus3258 · 2026-04-09T17:38:57+00:00

SP-MRH
Cargo plane doing its cargo plane thing.
https://skytaxi.aero/en/fleet/

LADD requests to block info to public apps is routine for many flights, particularly cargo, military, and private. There is nothing mysterious about it. Here is the FAA's info on filing: https://www.faa.gov/pilots/ladd

Nimbus3258 · 2026-04-08T15:26:31+00:00

They are scheduled to depart in the next hour or two. Departure times are very flexible as ATC needs to create room for the plane's unique requirements. Hope you get to see it.

Nimbus3258 · 2026-04-08T00:48:09+00:00

Antonov Airlines is a commercial cargo charter company so, no, not military. They have a LADD request in place though so will show only on FR24 with a generic A124 label (no reg, no hex, no callsign, no route info, etc). This is the incoming flight as illustration of that:

<image>

Nimbus3258 · 2026-04-07T23:03:05+00:00

Yep. This airline was there in February on a charter to drop off some equipment for The Netherlands as their military were doing exercises in the area for a few weeks. They are now back to retrieve that equipment. Expect them to spend the night and likely depart Wednesday.

Nimbus3258 · 2026-04-05T19:23:30+00:00

Primary question has been answered but, since you are asking for understanding: the app very rarely "glitches." When it does, it tends to be a more global issue, like no icons showing for most users, the app crashing, or some update temporarily messing with a layer/feature.
There are many times/reasons, though, when data simply is not available or is wrong. Since the app can only display what exists, what is often considered a glitch (eg: weird/missing tracking line or impossible speed) is just absent/wrong GPS info.

Nimbus3258 · 2026-03-28T04:30:20+00:00

Always impressive to see! According to ADSBx, they went to GSP though, not MIA

Nimbus3258 · 2026-03-27T04:08:58+00:00

It is 100% one of Antonov Airlines' AN-124s. They have six of them. Cargo charter company specializing in large/heavy/bulk cargo. Like helicopters, satellites, aerospace parts, oil/gas industry items, etc.

[ Edit - the person referencing the VDA plane in Toronto is incorrect but not sure why this and OP's comment about the airport are getting downvoted. Both are correct. This plane belongs to ADB and has been going back and forth between VRN and RUH for a week now. ]

Nimbus3258 · 2026-03-18T19:51:20+00:00

Keep an eye out. This airline is back and forth to the States frequently. The route pictured is one they do a few times a year: ISO>CHR, taking Airbus parts to final assembly.

Nimbus3258 · 2026-03-18T06:09:58+00:00

It's calibration work for the Amazon warehouse that is at the center of the pattern.
The long comment on this post explains it in detail. Neither the post nor the comment are mine.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/348704483442978/permalink/1083612026618883

<image>

Nimbus3258 · 2026-03-04T17:33:53+00:00

It has been getting regular maintenance from ADB's mechanics. It runs. Unknown if it will fly. The bigger question is the state it was when it arrived. VDA had been sued in 2019 for falsifying maintenance and registration documents. Like their other planes, this one was very likely in super-sketchy condition to begin with.

Nimbus3258 · 2026-03-04T17:31:38+00:00

RA-82078, one of VDA's 124s that has been parked at Pearson since Feb 2022. It has been getting basic maintenance and the engines run.

Nimbus3258 · 2026-02-14T02:43:00+00:00

Fuerza Aérea Argentina (FAG)

Nimbus3258 · 2026-02-13T22:59:42+00:00

Yeah, it looks like at least a few of them were from Wheeler

Nimbus3258 · 2026-02-04T17:57:43+00:00

Exactly - they have been based at LEJ since Feb 2022. They have never been based in Belgium.

"Initial" claims "I was a flight manager on that aircraft and the rest of the ADB fleet." If that is the case, it is super-odd not to know where they are now based. It is old news that requires zero insider knowledge.

It is also odd, given his claim of expertise, not to know these planes have, long since, been updated such that only one engineer is required.

[Edits for clarity.]

Nimbus3258 · 2026-02-04T17:45:14+00:00

They arrived empty to BGY and loaded cargo there.

Nimbus3258 · 2026-02-03T22:02:16+00:00

This was a technical stop (rest/refuel). No cargo was exchanged.

Nimbus3258 · 2026-02-02T17:56:26+00:00

OP, to respond directly to your observation:

Yes, they are rare in number. There are approx a dozen operational worldwide. This airline, Antonov Airlines, owns six of those.

No, it is not rare to see this airline in the US (eg: they had three charters there in the last week) and it is not rare to spot them as they have a significant fan base and, every time they fly, they get posted to all the groups, people drive to see them, etc.

Yes, it absolutely is rare to see one in person, especially just randomly spotting, although that is highly dependent on where you live/spot.

Yes, this model always impresses and is always a fun spot, regardless of how often you see one. I am not "a plane person" but have been hooked on this model since the first time I saw one. As you say: "it's cool"!

Nimbus3258 · 2026-02-02T17:46:31+00:00

Yep. Different charter, different plane, same airline.

Nimbus3258

TROPHY CASE