“Pennsylvanians should not be alarmed if they spot very low-flying airplanes above urban areas this month, NASA officials warned, as the agency readies to launch the planes as part of a research project.

Through Wednesday, July 2, NASA planes will fly as low as 1,000 feet above power plants, landfills and urban areas in the Philadelphia area and some other Mid-Atlantic cities. The flights are being conducted as part of NASA’s Student Airborne Research Program. The planes will execute specialized maneuvers, such as vertical spirals, circle specific areas, and conduct low-altitude fly-bys along airport runways. NASA students will assists in the operation of the instruments on board the planes to collect atmospheric data that will offer information about air pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions, NASA said.

The planes used are a P-3 Orion and a King Air B200.”

Source – Patch News posted Mon, June 23, 2025 at 11:31 am ET