I fly 2-3 times a month for work, and had a unusual experience just now at IAH. As we're getting ready to board at the gate, I notice a large 747 style plane taking off. It was completely white, no markings of any kind. It also climbed very quickly, almost going vertical. Several people noticed it and made for some interesting convo the next few minutes.

Anyone have any ideas what it may have been?

Travolta?

Random cargo operator?

I saw the AN 225 leaving IAH about 10 years ago back when my google skills were not so great - it took me many months to figure out what the heck it was. The sound of that thing is unmistakable.

Whatever it is, it's not broadcasting ADS-B.

No tail numbers or anything?

Govt plane or could be a foreign govt plane. No tail numbers at all?

Matsui said:

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Govt plane or could be a foreign govt plane. No tail numbers at all?

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None at all. It was the weirdest thing I've seen at an airport, and I've seen some weird ****.

My source suggests cargo.

Cargo, probably and older plane. Otherwise it would be one of 4 E-4 nigh****ch USAF planes which are Older 747-200s built as mobile pentagons to conduct nuclear war from air. They have distinctive humps on top of upper deck

Ronald_Ragin said:

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I fly 2-3 times a month for work, and had a unusual experience just now at IAH. As we're getting ready to board at the gate, I notice a large 747 style plane taking off. It was completely white, no markings of any kind. It also climbed very quickly, almost going vertical. Several people noticed it and made for some interesting convo the next few minutes.

Anyone have any ideas what it may have been?

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almost going vertical could be the new Boeing airplane that they are test flying?

nonameag99 said:

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Hopefully it is deporting illegals back to central americca

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My buddy is an ICE agent and they fly commercial, well at least they fly some home commercial. He's always flying international just to drop someone off at the airport.

Figure there would be a cheaper way.

Matsui said:

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Cargo, probably and older plane. Otherwise it would be one of 4 E-4 nigh****ch USAF planes which are Older 747-200s built as mobile pentagons to conduct nuclear war from air. They have distinctive humps on top of upper deck

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Any cargo plane would still have tail numbers.

And E-4's have a blue strip down the side.

edit: funny the Nigh****ch gets censored for the ****

stardustag said:

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Ronald_Ragin said:

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I fly 2-3 times a month for work, and had a unusual experience just now at IAH. As we're getting ready to board at the gate, I notice a large 747 style plane taking off. It was completely white, no markings of any kind. It also climbed very quickly, almost going vertical. Several people noticed it and made for some interesting convo the next few minutes.

Anyone have any ideas what it may have been?

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almost going vertical could be the new Boeing airplane that they are test flying?

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I saw one of these take off on FB video. What's the purpose of those, for tight take off and landing? I would poo a brick if I was on a plane that did that.

I'm guessing a Lufthansa A380 in their new paint scheme. It's an all-white fuselage with a solid blue tail. Damn near looks unmarked.

The A380 wouldn't have been taking off when the OP said it did. It had only been on the ramp for
an hour or so at that time.

Potcake said:

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ratchet jack?

I'm glad I saw this thread because I saw one of these all-white jets taking off as I drove past IAH this past Saturday. I kept taking my eyes off the road to make sure my eyes weren't deceiving me. Now I know...

Matsui said:

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Cargo, probably and older plane. Otherwise it would be one of 4 E-4 nigh****ch USAF planes which are Older 747-200s built as mobile pentagons to conduct nuclear war from air. They have distinctive humps on top of upper deck

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The NAOCs are by no means unmarked

I don't think this was your airplane. It is a 747, it is white, but it is marked "Atlas Air". And it appears they quit flying in March. So unless they painted out the name, probably not your plane.

Still an interesting article...

https://thepointsguy.com/reviews/flying-the-houston-express-houston-luanda/

Quote:

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If you were to refer to the "Houston Express" to someone in casual conversation, there's a good chance they'd think of a passenger train from the golden age of rail travel. But to those of us who are #AvGeeks, the Houston Express is something else entirely, one of the most storied flights to ever exist a nonstop (on a chartered 747 no less!) between two very unlikely cities for a direct link: Houston, Texas, and Luanda, Angola, in southwest Africa, two major nodes in the global system of oil production.

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