Why is the FBI flying unmanned surveillance aircraft over Quincy, MA?
Quincy, MA -The Federal Aviation Administration knows what’s up there but it’s not telling the public.
A slew of Quincy residents have been complaining and calling police and the city about an aircraft that appeared about two weeks ago and has been taking wide, repeated loops in the air, between about 7 p.m. and 4 a.m.
Residents from Wollaston to West Quincy describe a low-pitch humming sound coming from the aircraft. Some have said it’s reminiscent of a drone, which is an unmanned aircraft operated by remote control.
“It’s not a drone,” FAA spokesman Jim Peters said. “It’s an authorized flight and we are aware of it.” Peters declined to make any further comment.
The FAA first allowed the use of unmanned aircraft in U.S. airspace in 1990. It continues to allow limited use for firefighting, rescue, law enforcement and military testing, the FAA’s website says. Interest in the use of drones is growing.
Quincy Police Capt. John Dougan said police are aware of the aircraft and “it’s nothing to be concerned about.”
Ward 4 City Councilor Brian Palmucci thinks residents are entitled to know more about the aircraft’s purpose, particularly following the intense police operations following the Boston marathon bombings.
“People are on edge,” he said. “Law enforcement is always very vocal about how one of the best resources they have in combating crime is the vigilance of the public. And that’s clearly what’s happening here, the public being vigilant ... Getting no information as to what the purpose of these flights are only raises the concern in an already hyper-vigilant situation.”
The company that owns the plane has virtually no digital footprint. A website indicates the company bought the plane in 2010 along with two other Cessna 182s. A company called RKT Productions, LLC is registered in Washington, DC. Beyond that, it's as if the company didn't exist.
The local news report embedded above says that the planes circling the skies over Quincy belong to the "feds." A flight tracker website called FlightAware says the specific plane identified by Quincy locals flew between New York City and Boston on February 18, 2013. The same flight tracker website shows that this plane appears to have flown to New York from Chicago on that same date. On January 29, the plane flew in a strange pattern over Chicago. You can see that pattern in the map below:
We don’t know exactly what kind of surveillance equipment these "feds" are using in the Cessna plane(s), but a Washington Post story from 2012 alerts us to the possibility that there may be radio and cell phone sniffing gear inside them. The story describes small US military planes disguised as civilian aircraft:
At the heart of the surveillance operations are small, unarmed turboprop aircraft disguised as private planes. They are equipped with hidden sensors that can record full-motion video, track infrared heat patterns, and vacuum up radio and cellphone signals...
Internet searches reveal that Cessnas are widely used by federal and state law enforcement for domestic surveillance purposes.
The video below comes from the Cessna website. The Cessna Enforcer program enables law enforcement to customize their 172 and 182 models with specialized surveillance equipment, the company says.
Helicopters have a loud, distinct noise signature that attracts attention no matter which altitude they operate. A fixed wing Cessna aircraft is a more discrete observation platform that attracts little attention. The Cessna Enforcer offers much greater time on station and quicker “dash” times than a helicopter. An Enforcer equipped Cessna aircraft is a flexible ISR solution that delivers greater range, endurance, and mission payload than a comparable class helicopter all at a fraction of the cost.
DHS uses Cessnas for domestic surveillance, noting "They provide better range and endurance than helicopters, and blend more effectively with local traffic to mask the presence of continuous air surveillance."
Various states including Michigan, Washington, Texas, and Maryland have also used the planes for surveillance purposes. The Wisconsin state government uses them to monitor and police traffic. And researchers in Massachusetts have flown the planes to monitor whale populations.
The Department of Defense flies them in Colombia, presumably on drug war missions. The CIA, for its part, has been associated with a number of private flight corporations suspected of having helped the agency transport people during renditions. One of those corporations, Tepper Aviation, flies a Cessna 182.
http://www.patriotledger.com/news/x140272228/Mysterious-aircraft-puzzles-Quincy-residents
http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/quincy/2013/05/photos_prove_suspicious_aircra.html
http://privacysos.org/node/1058
http://www.shtfplan.com/headline-news/mission-classified-manned-government-surveillance-plane-hovers-over-u-s-town-for-weeks-video_05132013