[Scan-DC] Article from 1987 about "mystery plane" circling Fairfax

Fri Sep 10 12:55:31 EDT 2010

here is a dated but relevant article where the feebs discuss how they use aerial surveillance.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,81127,00.html

I suppose they place a monitoring device in a home or business, stay far away until the subjects have entered and believe themselves to be "safe and secure" and then use the plane to monitor the conversations.

seems to me though that placing a passive device (recorder) and coming in later to pick it up (or use a burst transmitter) is less likely to be discovered, easier and less expensive and probably higher quality product than using an active device (transmitter).   of course, if time is of the essence, than it wouldnt be such a good option.

why surveillance for the last 23 years?  been going on MUCH longer than that. and will go on forever.  there are always folks doing bad things, especially here in the nations capital.

remember the cold war and all the counter-intel operations?  ALL the diplomats/staff live in and around the metro region, especially Arlingtron, Falls Church, etc.  Dont think for minute that spying and CI has stopped simply because Soviet Communism went by the wayside 9and maybe slowly resurrecting).   

And with tomorrow's anniversary, remember too, that the mosque where most of the 9/11 hijackers were based is in the middle of falls church on Rt 7 between Bailey's X-roads and 7 corners.  That is a very large congregation with many members living within walking distance.

but there are many other bad actors out there: drugs, human trafficking, kiddie porn, public corruption, etc, that FBI works on.  lots of it going on in our major metropolitan area of 6 million people.

> From: albert.lafrance at coldwar-c4i.net
> To: scan-dc at mailman.qth.net
> Date: Fri, 10 Sep 2010 11:27:28 -0400
> Subject: Re: [Scan-DC] Article from 1987 about "mystery plane"	circling	Fairfax
> 
> As far as I know, it's never been revealed.  My guess is that the flights
> are surveillance training for students at the FBI Academy in Quantico.
> Training, as opposed to an actual surveillance mission, is the only type of
> activity that I can imagine would be going on consistently for so long.
> 
> I (or someone else) may have posted a link a few years ago to an article
> reporting similar flights in another part of the country, which were
> apparently related to an FBI counterterrorism investigation. 
> 
> BTW, I him to my west right now.
> 
> Albert  
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: scan-dc-bounces at mailman.qth.net
> [mailto:scan-dc-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Clegg, Andrew W.
> Sent: Friday, September 10, 2010 11:19 AM
> To: michael rumberg; scan-dc at mailman.qth.net
> Subject: Re: [Scan-DC] Article from 1987 about "mystery plane" circling
> Fairfax
> 
> So what does this plane do?
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: scan-dc-bounces at mailman.qth.net
> [mailto:scan-dc-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of michael rumberg
> Sent: Friday, September 10, 2010 11:14 AM
> To: scan-dc at mailman.qth.net
> Subject: Re: [Scan-DC] Article from 1987 about "mystery plane" circling
> Fairfax
> 
> 
> If it is FBI its based at the Manassas airport.  A few years ago I was
> able to see their planes up close, but was told, "um, no, not that one,
> come on back over here...." 
> 
> pretty durn small, doesnt seem too comfortable for a long surveillance.
> bet they have a lot of "truck driver's friends" on board. 
> 
> > From: albert.lafrance at coldwar-c4i.net
> > To: davidschoenberger at gmail.com
> > Date: Fri, 10 Sep 2010 11:10:05 -0400
> > CC: scan-dc at mailman.qth.net
> > Subject: Re: [Scan-DC] Article from 1987 about "mystery plane"
> circling	Fairfax
> > 
> > Thanks, David! I like the quote "It probably will be there for a
> while".  He
> > sure got that right; I'd say 23 years counts as "a while"!
> > 
> > Albert
> > 
> > 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: scan-dc-bounces at mailman.qth.net
> > [mailto:scan-dc-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of David
> Schoenberger
> > Sent: Friday, September 10, 2010 10:59 AM
> > To: Albert LaFrance
> > Cc: scan-dc at mailman.qth.net
> > Subject: Re: [Scan-DC] Article from 1987 about "mystery plane"
> circling
> > Fairfax
> > 
> > Here's the full text of that article.
> > 
> > Dave
> > 
> > FAIRFAX CITY ABUZZ OVER NIGHTLY VISITS OF MYSTERY PLANE
> > Washington Post - Friday, August 28, 1987
> > Author: Patricia Davis ; John F. Harris , Washington Post Staff
> Writers
> > It's a bird, it's a *plane* , it's . . . it's a *plane* , all right,
> but
> > nobody's saying why it's circling over *Fairfax* City every night.
> > 
> > Residents in the Halemhurst area of *Fairfax* City say that for the
> last
> > three weeks or so a single-engine *plane* , possibly operated by a
> > government agency on a surveillance mission, has been flying a tight
> circle
> > about 1,000 feet above their neighborhood.
> > 
> > "It's like a mosquito *buzzing* in your ear all night long," said
> Harry
> > Fitzwater. "I don't know what the hell is going on up there."
> > 
> > Fitzwater said when his annoyance reached a peak he called the control
> tower
> > at Dulles International Airport to inquire about the mysterious
> *plane* . He
> > said he was told the *plane* belonged to a government agency -- and
> that no
> > more information could be released.
> > 
> > Numerous agencies contacted yesterday added to the mystery with a
> chorus of
> > no comments.
> > 
> > "All I can say is . . . I can't say anything about it," said Federal
> > Aviation Administration spokesman Fred Farrar.
> > 
> > The FBI: "My comment is 'no comment,' " said special agent James E.
> Mull.
> > 
> > The Drug Enforcement Administration: "I doubt it's us. We're better
> than
> > that -- we wouldn't be seen," said special agent Robert O'Leary.
> > 
> > Art Harrison, air traffic manager at the Dulles Control Tower said,
> "It
> > probably will be there for a while." So he knows about the *plane* ?
> > "Perhaps."
> > 
> > *Fairfax* City Police Department: "We are aware of it, but it is a
> matter I
> > could not discuss," said Capt. John J. Skinner.
> > 
> > Fitzwater, who lives at 4124 Orchard Dr., says he knows more about the
> *
> > plane* than he cares to. He notices it mostly between 8 p.m. and
> midnight.
> > 
> > But not everyone is complaining. Fitzwater's neighbor, Lois Rusche,
> said her
> > family has been more intrigued than annoyed.
> > 
> > She said they first noticed the *plane* circling low one evening a few
> weeks
> > ago when they were swimming in their pool. "We have lights on the
> pool, and
> > I said, 'Gosh, I hope this guy doesn't think it's an airstrip.'
> > 
> > On Fri, Sep 10, 2010 at 10:47 AM, Albert LaFrance <
> > albert.lafrance at coldwar-c4i.net> wrote:
> > 
> > > As a matter of fact, he's up there right now, over Falls Church!
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > From: Albert LaFrance [mailto:albert.lafrance at coldwar-c4i.net]
> > > Sent: Friday, September 10, 2010 10:32 AM
> > > To: 'scan-dc at mailman.qth.net'
> > > Subject: Article from 1987 about "mystery plane" circling Fairfax
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > I finally found a reference to the article I remembered from long
> ago,
> > > about
> > > (presumably) the FBI aircraft we're seeing so often.  It's just an
> excerpt
> > > on a pay site, but it gives the source: The Washington Post, August
> 28,
> > > 1987:     http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1340155.html
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Albert
> > >
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