Rendition flights through Ireland

Phil_Lives

Hi,
I read on theregister.co.uk that a plane and snatch squad was sent to render Snowden
The code of the plane is N596GA
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/06/13/cia_rendition_jet_was_waiting_in_europe_to_snatch_snowden/?page=2

I search in Google for "N596GA" and "Ireland" and this returns:
http://jetphotos.net/showphotos.php?regsearch=N596GA
This picture was taken by a Trevor Mulkerrins who appears work around Shannon.


The plane flew through Shannon back in 2006.
Whatever about rendition flights going through Shannon did anyone here who spends time around airfields spot unusual aircraft coming in to or going out of Shannon?

Mods: move to conspiracy theory forum if not appropriate here

b757

Are you a member of Shannon Watch? :P

lord lucan

I'll leave it here for now, though I'm unsure of the motives behind it. If it goes into a debate about US involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan etc. it's getting closed.

folbotcar

Whatever about rendition flights going through Shannon did anyone here who spends time around airfields spot unusual aircraft coming in to or going out of Shannon?

That's why enthusiasts go to Shannon, to spot unusual aircraft. There's only so many times you can photograph the same Ryanair/Aer Lingus bird and keep your enthusiasm.

As for rendition. I'm very dubious that anyone was ever 'renditioned' through Shannon to the US. It wouldn't make sense. Most rendition flights were routed to and from other countries so there would be no need to route through Shannon. Apart from anything else there's the security risk if the aircraft went tech at Shannon for any reason. I would have thought that anytime it stopped in Shannon was just for fuel while empty of 'cargo'.

Also it's worth pointing out that in the article it mentions the GV is now operated by the US Marshall Service. Con-Air if you will. Moving prisoners around not kidnapping terrorists.

bkehoe

unusually high altitude of 45,000 feet.

Completely and totally normal for this type of aircraft. Some biz jets regularly go as high as 51,000 feet.

EchoIndia

The article also states "It had not filed a flight plan, and was flying above the level at which air traffic control reporting is mandatory", but then helpfully provides a link to the flight plan data on Flightaware! UK ATC extends to FL660 (66,000 feet) so the aircraft would certainly have been under Scottish air traffic control. Formal position reporting is little used in modern radar environments, after initial check-in with the relevant ATC facility.

CNTRLR

hold on in 2006 most lads in business jets were in for golfing or a lads weekend away....that and FF politicians heading to the states for a week or 2..
and the flying above FL660 you would need some serious radiation suits as exposure rate that high would be killing the prisoners and all the rest onboard for that matter, never mind getting them to cuba...

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

Phil_Lives

http://iopscience.iop.org/0952-4746/21/1/003

re: radiation
control f for "concorde" and read about annual doses.