diff --git a/docs/CURRENT-STATE.md b/docs/CURRENT-STATE.md
index 6f0f0bc85..3f94a456a 100644
--- a/docs/CURRENT-STATE.md
+++ b/docs/CURRENT-STATE.md
@@ -1,5 +1,10 @@
 # God's Eye View Current State
 
+Aircraft detection candidates reuse normalized display text until callsign or
+registration changes, including in-place enrichment. Each candidate resolves its
+fleet model once per collection. Positions, model ownership and tracked-aircraft
+anchors remain live on every collection; contact admission is unchanged.
+
 Civil aircraft share one delayed render timestamp per fleet update. Extrapolated
 fixes reuse their local coordinate frame until their coordinates change, including
 in-place ground-height corrections. Update cadence, contact counts, interpolation,
diff --git a/src/layers/flights/queries.js b/src/layers/flights/queries.js
index 5e72e50b4..89b91f125 100644
--- a/src/layers/flights/queries.js
+++ b/src/layers/flights/queries.js
@@ -452,8 +452,8 @@ export function createQueries({
         const isTracked = icao24 === flightState._trackedIcao;
         // Keep planes rendered as a 3D model (billboard hidden) so the detection box
         // doesn't vanish on the 2D→3D handoff; bb.position stays current while hidden.
-        const model = flightState._models.get(icao24);
-        const modelOwnsVisual = parts.rendering._modelOwnsVisual(icao24);
+        const model = flightState._models.get(icao24) ?? null;
+        const modelOwnsVisual = parts.rendering._modelOwnsVisual(icao24, model);
         if (!isTracked && !bb.show && !modelOwnsVisual) continue;
         const info = flightState.records.data.get(icao24);
         let object = flightState._detectionObjects.get(icao24);
diff --git a/src/layers/flights/queries.test.mjs b/src/layers/flights/queries.test.mjs
index a5f25c829..13957d6cc 100644
--- a/src/layers/flights/queries.test.mjs
+++ b/src/layers/flights/queries.test.mjs
@@ -80,3 +80,70 @@ test('unchanged candidate text is normalized once across paints', (t) => {
   assert.equal(calls, 1);
 });
 
+test('candidate collection resolves models once and keeps handoffs live', (t) => {
+  const f = fixture();
+  const get = t.mock.method(f.flightState._models, 'get');
+  const [candidate] = f.queries.getDetectableObjects();
+  assert.equal(get.mock.callCount(), 1);
+  const model = {
+    ready: false,
+    show: true,
+    modelMatrix: Cesium.Matrix4.fromTranslation(
+      new Cesium.Cartesian3(10, 20, 30),
+    ),
+  };
+  f.parts.rendering._modelSpec = () => ({
+    visualCenterNative: Cesium.Cartesian3.ZERO,
+    scale: 1,
+  });
+  f.flightState._models.set('abc123', model);
+  f.bb.show = false;
+  assert.deepEqual(f.queries.getDetectableObjects(), []);
+  model.ready = true;
+  assert.equal(f.queries.getDetectableObjects()[0], candidate);
+  assert.deepEqual(candidate.position, new Cesium.Cartesian3(10, 20, 30));
+  Cesium.Matrix4.setTranslation(
+    model.modelMatrix,
+    new Cesium.Cartesian3(40, 50, 60),
+    model.modelMatrix,
+  );
+  f.queries.getDetectableObjects();
+  assert.deepEqual(candidate.position, new Cesium.Cartesian3(40, 50, 60));
+  model.show = false;
+  assert.deepEqual(f.queries.getDetectableObjects(), []);
+  f.bb.show = true;
+  assert.equal(f.queries.getDetectableObjects()[0].position, f.bb.position);
+  assert.equal(get.mock.callCount(), 6);
+  model.show = true;
+  assert.equal(f.parts.rendering._modelOwnsVisual('abc123'), true);
+  assert.equal(get.mock.callCount(), 7);
+});
+
+test('tracked ownership and live anchors remain independent of fleet models', () => {
+  const f = fixture();
+  f.flightState._trackedIcao = 'abc123';
+  f.flightState._trackedModel = { ready: true, show: true };
+  f.parts.rendering._modelSpec = () => ({});
+  let anchor = new Cesium.Cartesian3(10, 20, 30);
+  f.parts.motion._trackedVisualCached = () => anchor;
+  const [candidate] = f.queries.getDetectableObjects();
+  assert.equal(candidate.position, anchor);
+  assert.equal(candidate.skipLabel, true);
+  assert.equal(f.parts.rendering._modelOwnsVisual('abc123', null), true);
+  anchor = new Cesium.Cartesian3(40, 50, 60);
+  assert.equal(f.queries.getDetectableObjects()[0].position, anchor);
+  for (const tracked of [
+    null,
+    { ready: false, show: true },
+    { ready: true, show: false },
+  ]) {
+    f.flightState._trackedModel = tracked;
+    assert.equal(
+      f.parts.rendering._modelOwnsVisual('abc123', { ready: true, show: true }),
+      false,
+    );
+  }
+  f.flightState._trackedModel = { ready: true, show: true };
+  f.parts.tracking._trackedModelRegimeActive = () => false;
+  assert.equal(f.parts.rendering._modelOwnsVisual('abc123', null), false);
+});
diff --git a/src/layers/flights/rendering.js b/src/layers/flights/rendering.js
index d0074c9c9..8aff72e38 100644
--- a/src/layers/flights/rendering.js
+++ b/src/layers/flights/rendering.js
@@ -383,17 +383,20 @@ export function createRendering({
    *    null or still-loading tracked model from claiming a visual it is not
    *    drawing yet.
    * @param {string} icao24
+   * @param {Cesium.Model|null} [model] Resolved fleet model; null means absent.
    * @returns {boolean}
    */
 
-  function _modelOwnsVisual(icao24) {
+  function _modelOwnsVisual(icao24, model) {
     if (icao24 === flightState._trackedIcao) {
       return (
         parts.tracking._trackedModelRegimeActive() &&
         _modelIsRendering(flightState._trackedModel)
       );
     }
-    return _modelIsRendering(flightState._models.get(icao24));
+    return _modelIsRendering(
+      model === undefined ? flightState._models.get(icao24) : model,
+    );
   }
 
   /** A model is the visual only once it actually draws — loaded AND shown.