Last month after sunset I noticed from my porch a slow-moving and low-flying small plane making counter-clockwise circles not far from where I live in rural New Hampshire. I would estimate it was three miles away and the circle perhaps covered a mile round. I could hear the engine because it was flying that low. I went out again about a half hour later and I could still see the lights and hear the plane circling the same exact orbit although it had gotten dark by this time. This went on for about an hour. After that I went back inside and forgot about it. Upon reading the following, I wonder now what that plane was doing. I have never seen a drone, so I assume that this was a piloted aircraft, about the size of a Cessna. Remember the black helicopters? Well, I do know a state trooper who flew these and he told me they were looking for pot fields. Am I paranoid? No. I am a Catholic. Just a bit curious, that’s all.
MyWay: The FBI is operating a small air force with scores of low-flying planes across the country carrying video and, at times, cellphone surveillance technology — all hidden behind fictitious companies that are fronts for the government, The Associated Press has learned.
The planes’ surveillance equipment is generally used without a judge’s approval, and the FBI said the flights are used for specific, ongoing investigations. In a recent 30-day period, the agency flew above more than 30 cities in 11 states across the country, an AP review found.
Aerial surveillance represents a changing frontier for law enforcement, providing what the government maintains is an important tool in criminal, terrorism or intelligence probes. But the program raises questions about whether there should be updated policies protecting civil liberties as new technologies pose intrusive opportunities for government spying. Full report is here.
