Large 4 engine recipro powered aircraft in regular use in US?

[Ranger_10X]

Ok, so this is the fourth time I've seen this so I thought I'd come here and ask y'all if you can identify it. Like most of you, I always keep an eye on the sky to see what's flying over, and living next to an FBO I've seen some interesting aircraft. This sighting has never been an inbound though - always an overflight. The aircraft in question is a large, four engine piston / prop plane with rectangular wings. No noticible sweep and no radius of the wingtips. Not a wide fuselage, natural aluminum finish. Flying quite high - I'd guess 15-20k. And SLOW - takes at least five minutes to go horizon to horizon. This last time I noted it was heading due north over Western Pennsylvania. I can't imagine anyone operating something like this commercially, but it's too early for the air show season. Any idea what this might be? Appreciate any replies.

 

 

[fly_tornado]

could be anything but the US still have a lot of C130s flying

 

 

[mnewbery]

Buffalo airways has some DC-4s but wings are noticeably not constant chord

 

Side note: The recent wet weather in South East Queensland had promoted a fungus that lives in septic tanks. When it rains the fungus gets into the air. A primary indicator is when sufferers think C-130s have piston driven engines.

 

 

[facthunter]

piston/prop. Dunno what. Could be something doing geophysical survey mapping. Pistons are long endurance. Nev

 

 

[mnewbery]

Commemorative airforce B-17?

 

 

[Ranger_10X]

Buffalo airways has some DC-4s but wings are noticeably not constant chordSide note: The recent wet weather in South East Queensland had promoted a fungus that lives in septic tanks. When it rains the fungus gets into the air. A primary indicator is when sufferers think C-130s have piston driven engines.

Lol - haven't been to Queensland lately so I'm not afflicted 'C-130 not-a-turboprop-Itis' , besides the fuselage is not wide like a cargo plane would have. And also not a B-17 either.

 

 

[red750]

You need a telephoto lens handy next time it flies over - a photo would help, even a silhouette.

 

 

[Ranger_10X]

You need a telephoto lens handy next time it flies over - a photo would help, even a silhouette.

I thought that too. Wondering if those gadgets that clip to your iPhone camera lens would work?

 

 

[red750]

Check out this link:

 

https://luxhd450.com/LuxHdZoom-ww/index.php?AFID=1985&SID=LRnew1

 

 

[Ranger_10X]

Check out this link: https://luxhd450.com/LuxHdZoom-ww/index.php?AFID=1985&SID=LRnew1

Just ordered one!

 

 

[Happyflyer]

Next time it flys over, get onto Flightradar24.com - Live flight tracker!, move the map to your area and see if it shows up. If it has ADSB it should show up.

 

 

[Jaba-who]

The rectangular wings is the detail that kills most of the possibilities. I don't know of anything that fits that. Everything has some tapering to the tips.

 

The really slow makes me think maybe a Dash 7. We had a couple flying out of Cairns a few years back and it was really off putting to get behind them on final. Even in my Robbie 22 I had to slow down.

 

 

[red750]

Dash 7 is a turboprop, not piston.

 

 

[Jaba-who]

Dash 7 is a turboprop, not piston.

Original post says piston. "Piston/prop". Not sure if that means it's prop driven and he's sure it's a piston or that's he's sure a prop driven and assuming piston but could be turboprop.

 

However I'm assuming that viewing an aircraft at 10 - 20 k feet from the ground "prop" could mean either piston or turboprop though. May be difficult to tell it's either type except it's a prop driven. If it was a radial you could be pretty sure but a thin nacelle could house an inline.

 

 

[red750]

Header says recipro, so I assumed he could hear the engine noise.

 

 

[Jaba-who]

Header says recipro, so I assumed he could hear the engine noise.

Ok - too many assumptions going on here.

 

Ranger_10x, can you refine your statement a little.

 

Is the aircraft a turbine or a piston engine?

 

Or are you limited to only knowing it's prop driven?

 

If it's piston - is it radial or in-line? How do you know? Visual or sound or both?

 

 

[facthunter]

DC-4 is not pressurised. DC-6 and later are. Dash 8 and ATR are high aspect winged twins. Nev

 

 

[Admin]

Next time it flys over, get onto Flightradar24.com - Live flight tracker!, move the map to your area and see if it shows up. If it has ADSB it should show up.

Or you could just go to the Resources section here at Recreational Flying

Flight Radar

 

 

[riverduk]

Ok as a bit of a side track, just watched a show last night about the Antonov AN-124, so as Admin had put the Flight Radar link here I decided to have a look at the whereabouts of any of the said aircraft, turns out that UR-82008 is currently flying over Australia, having passed over Broome at about 10:30 EST and has now just crossed over the WA - NT border tracking towards Yulara. no listed destination at this time. Flight number is ADB2068 currently cruising at around 35k ft at 506 kts, will be interesting to see its final destination, if its Melbourne, I'm in the car and going!

 

As an edit, she changed to a more Eastward heading at Yulara and now appears to be tracking to Sydney, so no road trip for me now, darn it.

 

 

[fly_tornado]

could it be?

 

 

 

[facthunter]

Why not? Nev

 

 

[bexrbetter]

I rang a guy at the local newspaper and it's definitively a Cessna.

 

 

[old man emu]

I rang a guy at the local newspaper and it's definitively a Cessna.

Can't be. It flew over. If it was a Cessna it would plummet to the ground, but the heroic actions of the pilot would direct it away from the child care centre and adjacent retirement home.

 

 

[facthunter]

And he died doing what he loved most . Crashing in he beloved Cessna. How he managed to avoid the children with both wings off the plane is a testimony to his great skill as a pilot..Nev

 

 

[IBob]

Not bad, OME...though you omitted the essential word 'resilient'........also failed to mention how it's all in 'lockdown' ....not that it is, but it could be....and that definitely adds to the drama!