Tracking down the perps behind an aerial assault.
Go beyond the photos & videos!
I really dislike watching videos without ANY information given about the location/date/time of these sorts of assaults.
This, is an insect drop. Some say it’s happening in Texas. From the palm trees, I might guess it’s in Florida or the Bahamas (where they’ve dropped Oxitec mosquitoes in the past).
It’s time to take it a few steps beyond just taking a video or picture, folks.
Here are some tips:
If you see someone post a video like this, ask them to do the following. If YOU witness an insect drop over your head, please follow the same instructions.
#1. Document. Get as clear footage as possible, and try to capture the tail # on the wing or tail of the aircraft. This will have the aircraft’s registration #. If it is a U.S. aircraft, it will start with the letter “N.” (Canadian aircraft registration #’s start with a “C”).
#2. Get on FlightRadar24.com and zoom in on the map to your location. See if you can find the aircraft on the map. If you can’t then you will have to assume the transponder is off and do your best to follow that aircraft and take notes of the direction it heads after doing the drop. This may help you narrow down possible airports.
#3. If you DO locate the aircraft on Flight Radar, take a note/screenshot of the REGISTRATION NUMBER starting with the “N.”
#4. Take that registration # and enter it into this website: https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/Search/NNumberInquiry
THIS will give you the critical information about who the aircraft is registered to.
#5. Research the company and contact them directly to ask what their aircraft was doing at this time/date/location. If the company is contracted with the state or a local agency, FIND OUT. You may wish to file a PRA request (public records act) to get details of the contract and more information about the specifics of the insect aerial assault.
#6. SHARE WIDELY. Let EVERYONE know what you’ve discovered and fight back!
We MUST go beyond the photos. We have the tools to find information that can help us put a stop to this insanity by applying pressure to the right agencies. It also doesn’t hurt to share the information in the event that someone else might have the courage to take it on beyond what you are willing or able to do.
Old videos:
Call to action to keep Oxitec OUT of California
SIT (Sterile Insect Technique)
Call to Action to stop Adulticide aerial assault
Tracking adulticide flight
Tracking down the pilot