On May 20, 2025, as my day was just getting started, I heard a general aviation aircraft circling overhead.
Where I live, in Lakewood, Washington, that’s not very common.
Joint Base Lewis-McChord includes McChord Field (KTCM) and Gray Army Airfield (KGRF) to the east and south of our home. And we’re close to the south end of Tacoma Narrows’ (KTIW) airspace.
I’m used to occasionally hearing helicopters and C-17s from my home, but rarely piston-powered aircraft.
Curious, I launched FlightAware and quickly found the aircraft in question.
It is a Cessna T206 owned and operated by the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department and based at Pierce County/Thun Field (KPLU) in Puyallup, Washington. It took off at 7:48 a.m. PDT and returned at 9:45 a.m. PDT.
As you can see in the FlightAware screenshot, the 206 flew a bunch of circuits. My home is somewhere under that bright green circle on the left side of the image.
I could hear the 206 nearly the entire time it was circling overhead. And the sound from its Lycoming put a smile on my face the entire time. Music, as the saying goes, to my ears.
But I am quite certain the longer the 206 circled overhead, the more annoyed and concerned many of my neighbors became.
And in this case, with good reason. It turns out the 206 was likely flying aerial support for an arrest of a suspect wanted in a double homicide.
The arrest was made at 9:06 a.m., also under the green circle, about a mile from my home. Yikes.
The arrest time certainly checks out with the 206’s takeoff and landing times.
But not knowing who or why the plane was loitering overhead may rattle the nerves of those unaware.
All the more reason to connect with as many non-pilot neighbors as possible to discuss the myriad benefits of aviation.
And just maybe, in the process, we’ll help turn that noise into music.
