# Mountain View, CA: What's up with that big plane that flies around out of Moffet(?)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mountain-view-ca-whats-up-with-that-big-plane-that-flies-around-out-of-moffet/575117>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 18, 2011, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mountain-view-ca-whats-up-with-that-big-plane-that-flies-around-out-of-moffet/575117 "2011-03-18T05:39:48Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![EdwardLost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbe5ce/32.png) [@EdwardLost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EdwardLost)\
**Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mountain-view-ca-whats-up-with-that-big-plane-that-flies-around-out-of-moffet/575117/1 "2011-03-18T05:39:48Z")

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It’s a big, four-prop military plane that flies low circles over the South Bay. I’ve been seeing it for years. I haven’t seen it take off or land, but it seems to be coming and going from Moffet Field. Any information on it?

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**Author:** ![yoyodyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a9a28c/32.png) [@yoyodyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yoyodyne)\
**Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mountain-view-ca-whats-up-with-that-big-plane-that-flies-around-out-of-moffet/575117/2 "2011-03-18T13:14:30Z")

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Does it look like [this](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MC-130P_Combat_Shadow#MC-130P_Combat_Shadow)?

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**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\
**Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mountain-view-ca-whats-up-with-that-big-plane-that-flies-around-out-of-moffet/575117/3 "2011-03-18T13:18:39Z")

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Do they still fly [P-3](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P-3_Orion)s out of Moffet? Is it one of the [Ames Research Center’](http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/home/index.html)s test aircraft?

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**Author:** ![EdwardLost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbe5ce/32.png) [@EdwardLost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EdwardLost)\
**Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mountain-view-ca-whats-up-with-that-big-plane-that-flies-around-out-of-moffet/575117/4 "2011-03-18T13:58:18Z")

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> [@yoyodyne](#):
>
> Does it look like [this](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MC-130P_Combat_Shadow#MC-130P_Combat_Shadow)?

That looks like it. So it’s an Air National Guard plane. I’m guessing that most of the time I see it fly around it’s for pilot training.

Thanks.

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**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\
**Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mountain-view-ca-whats-up-with-that-big-plane-that-flies-around-out-of-moffet/575117/5 "2011-03-18T15:09:32Z")

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That’s a baby…keep your eyes peeled for the Anatov An-225 that’s been known to drop by there on occasion. [Antonov An-225 Mriya - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonov_An-225)

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**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\
**Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mountain-view-ca-whats-up-with-that-big-plane-that-flies-around-out-of-moffet/575117/6 "2011-03-18T15:32:31Z")

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Google Atmosphere, taking pictures for their cloud map.