Reply With QuoteAnother link with a breakdown of what is expected to fly for those who don't like surprises!
https://www.forces.net/platinum-jubi...e-flypast-look
It will go straight over my house so will stick my head up through the velux to get a good view.
Another link with a breakdown of what is expected to fly for those who don't like surprises!
https://www.forces.net/platinum-jubi...e-flypast-look
That would be amazing, nice to hearOriginally Posted by Sinnlover
It will be even better at my parents house, I used to stand in the garden and the entire thing would zoom over 30 seconds after it passed Buck Palace.
A couple of large RAF planes just buzzed past our house in SW London at 1200ft according to Flightradar24.
I am on part of the Heathrow take-off flight path when there is an easterly wind. But those commercial planes are usually at least 3500ft when they travel over. You really notice something when it is a smidge over 1000ft above your house!
The same app tells me there a few RAF planes in the area. Must be something for the jubilee
Nice to see the fly past from our balcony.
The "massing" over the North Sea was impressive! Final product, superb as always. Well done boys and girls.
Managed to get a good view of it all (some from a distance though)
Saw all the aircraft and was able to see the transition from the 70 formation to an arrow formation by the Typhoons.
i’m at the top of crystal palace so a decent view if a fair way off but the helicopters turned hard left and came right over my flat fairly low. wonder where they were off to? (heading to Kent)
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i’m at the top of crystal palace so a decent view if a fair way off but the helicopters turned hard left and came right over my flat fairly low. wonder where they were off to? (heading to Kent)
I had a great view from the bridge near embankment.
Nice display with a range of aircraft.
I'm just outside Windsor on the flight path and had the Typhoons, Lightnings and Red Arrows fly right over my garden. Awesome sight.
On their way, looking to go right overhead,nice.
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Two sets flew right over my garden. Noise was amazing!
I wonder how they were consistent of the timings and gaps between groups.... The helicopters were cruising at only about 60-80 knots and the flights were considerably more than that. I wonder if they recycled back into the queue after each main destination.
FlightRadar had the c130s listed at 220 over London but that doesn't seem right
For those avgeeks, I cannot recommend highly enough Cockpit Casual on YouTube which documents the challenges of ferry pilot during the pandemic, as they relocate passenger jets in and out of storage. Fascinating viewing.
Here’s one film, but there are others to watch.
https://youtu.be/8sHgmLG8gLU
On a runway at Thorney Island, altitude must be wrong. A UAV I guess https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=43cfd9
FYI, there is a current NOTAM for Thorney Island involving 'stationary transponder testing. Virtual stationary aircraft indications may occur directly above the site (within 1NM radius) and may indicate FL990.'
That explains it, thanks.
As well as the UAVs and dedicated HMCG aircraft, it seems that private contractors are also being used to monitor the Dover Strait: https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=44b661,4860b1.
Edit on the next day: Both are back up today along with G-TEKV.
Last edited by PickleB; 18th June 2022 at 06:49.
Two of the Top Aces fleet seem to be joining in with an exercise off of Whitby: https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=c063b1,c05bb7 and may be based at RAF Leeming.
Two US F15s in a hurry this morning: https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=ae17b2,ae17af.
My guess is that they will perform a flypast at the Normandy American Cemetery for...link.
Last edited by PickleB; 9th July 2022 at 09:04.
There was what I think was a A400M[1] flying at around 7,000-10,000 feet over north west London heading roughly west-northwest, around 16:05 today. I saw it from Cricklewood, where it was already a few miles to my west but still audible as a turboprop.
Surprisingly for its location, I could find no sign of it on FR24 or adsbexchange.com which implies that it was not squawking on ADS-B or Mode S. As I say, that would be surprising when flying over London.
Anyone get a better look at it (or see it on a flight tracker)?
Footnote:-
1: It was a large, four engine, T-tailplane aircraft, larger than, say, a Dash 7. However, there is an outside chance that the turboprop noise I heard was from another aircraft, so I could be persuaded that what I saw was something like a C-17 or even C-5. However, my best estimate is a A400M.
Last edited by markrlondon; 11th July 2022 at 16:25.
This looks like it: https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=4b820c
Yes, well done! That does look like it. A Turkish A400M that was heading to Farnborough. (I see that tracking began at over 20,000 feet near a town named Nallihan in Turkey).
I see that it was tracked using ADS-B so I can't think why I couldn't find it on FR24 or adsbexchange.com.
I'm pleased that my identification of it as an A400M was correct, although my estimate of its heading of west-northwest was a tad off. Its track was also a little further south of my location than I would have estimated.
Thank you very much for finding that.
Last edited by markrlondon; 11th July 2022 at 17:32.
There has been an RAF A400m over London most days for the last month, usually between 10-11 or 14-15, they have a very distinctive sound.
There has also been a daily AN12 transiting from the midlands to mainland Europe every morning.
Todays highlight was USAF C130j this afternoon.
Guess where they seem to be heading?
The joys of working in the garden close to Heathrow and Northolt. Yesterday we had a Puma over the garden and Saturday had an Apache.
Northolt flight is up and busy this afternoon, droning around and around London. They never appear on flight radar though.
Have you definitely seen it? If you haven't actually seen it then I very strongly suspect that what you have heard (I have heard it too in the same timeframe but haven't had a chance to look recently) is a surveillance flight operated by 2Excel Aviation on behalf of the RAF (or GCHQ). 2Excel uses either Piper Navajos or B-N Islanders. 2Excel's operation replaced the older RAF 'Northolt Flight' of a couple of Islanders that was operated by the RAF out of Northolt until 2017.
This mission (under either Army, RAF or 2Excel operation) has been going on since at least 2009 (when I first became aware of it literally because "heard consistent noise, looked up"), but as far as I know it was already long established back then.
Yes, I know that an Islander or a Navajo is a rather different thing to an A400M and yet I can confirm from previous years' observations that they (the Islanders or Navajos) do create a very distinctive thrumming/humming noise that can surprisingly be heard inside a building. Once you are aware of it, it's very noticeable. The reason for this is that they fly racetrack patterns at around 10,000 feet very slowly over London as part of their surveillance job. Occasionally I have observed that they'll make extremely tight manoeuvres within the overall racetrack pattern. I'm not sure of the reason for the tight 'jiggles' but I surmise it could be to do with direction finding.
At times (rarely) they will also fly at rather low altitude, again often in racetrack patterns. For example, back during the Olympics in 2012 (before 2Excel took over) I observed one of the RAF Islanders flying very low altitude racetracks at night. One end was over Cricklewood and the other seemed to be over roughly Neasden.
So what are they surveiling? For a long time I couldn't figure it out but I have come to understand that it's probably (mainly) mobile phone interception, specifically looking for particular voices (or presumably also specific phrases). Apparently it is actually cheaper to operate their own aircraft to do this than pay mobile phone companies to provide interception.
In support of this hypothesis, there was an article in one of the major newspapers several years ago (pre-privatisation of the Northolt Flight) which fairly plainly stated their mission. Annoyingly I've mislaid the article but this blog post is worth reading: https://blogfactory.co.uk/2019/10/03...g-on-in-there/
Menwith Hill does that. It they are doing anything like the army defenders did over Ireland the sensor fit will be good, the army lost that role a few years ago but I’d be surprised if some contract covert work isn’t still going on.
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Mark, Yes I have seen them on clear days (I am that sad I have a pair of binos on my desk for this reason)
The camo makes them difficult to pick up at first but they can be seen, easier if producing contrails, they are usually around 20,000 feet. I am that sad I can usually identify aircraft / helicopters by noise alone to much mirth for the Mrs. (Same goes for airliners passing my front door as the are on finals or climbing out at Heathrow)
A400m are heading roughly east to west slightly to the north of me, the AN12s head north west - south east and the C130s tend to be going north south (from Preswick after crossing the Atlantic)
Re what was Northolt flight, they have been very active recently, I am also under the decent route before they turn in to the pattern so see them from both high level and around 5000 ft. They are not using Navajos or Islanders anymore but other high wing twins. My understanding is one is always based at Northolt, the other goes around the UK, another is spare / in maintenance.
SAAB Gripen over the south https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=473c02
I see Fairford airshow starts on Friday.
Last edited by jools; 13th July 2022 at 11:08.
Just had this rumble over
Not often you see a Sea Stallion over London
Meanwhile, over East London: https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=3f85ca
Will keep an eye / ear out for for that one
That one seems to be following the same route towards Fairford as another German military aircraft: https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=3f8383
While the Dutch take a different path: https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=481047
Last edited by PickleB; 13th July 2022 at 11:56.
Among the visitors at Fairford is a Boeing E-4B Nightwatch: https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=adfeb3
Just spotted a Hind and a Mil17 in formation over the Docklands
Unfortunately I was not quick enough to get a picture
I've seen (and heard!) two low flying gunships but I was on the phone and could not ID them. Are you sure they were both Russian? (I wonder how they would get an authorisation to fly)
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
I suspect that they were from the Czech Republic (see www.airtattoo.com/airshow/aircraft/confirmed-aircraft) and on their way home from Fairford.
Probably spot on, thank you
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Dumping fuel over the channel?
https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=40787b
Would have liked a front seat on this flight over my manor....
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He has just passed over my house.Would have liked a front seat on this flight over my manor....
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Yesterday I was on the M6 near Knutsford services when a Lancaster flew right over the top of me.
Another on its way ,it seems. Such a distinct noise they make, a slightly more gloomy trip for this one..
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I live to the East of East Midland Airport and its obviously used as a beacon for the fast jets from the US bases to the valleys in Wales because just recently we have seen a huge increase in the number of jets flying directly over us.
A couple of weeks ago you could set your watch by them going out, coming home for lunch, going out again then returning home.
Do they have sat nav or similar in fast jets because they seem to follow the exact path out and back with lots of doodling up in Wales.
He went a bit further south over Richmond.
There was an AH over this afternoon.
Last edited by Sinnlover; 15th August 2022 at 21:29.
Yes
But also follow set routes to avoid conflict with other traffic
North wales is home of the Mach Loop
The premier low level training area in the UK if not europe.
It’s great to watch them from the hills rolling in below you.
Prob on its way home after the airshow at Blackpool.
Looks like a busy day in the Dover Strait...https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao...,400a84,407918:
Several BF vessels and French Navy ship Flamant are in the area.
Last edited by PickleB; 3rd September 2022 at 13:11.
Sparrowhawk is in the air shortly: https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=4064db
... with CiiiR on his way to Northern Ireland.
A pair of C17s are at Edinburgh Airport: https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=43c1c6,43c6b8
One and a spare, I presume, to take EiiR back to London.
Last edited by PickleB; 13th September 2022 at 17:27.
Sparrowhawk is back at Northolt and Kittyhawk is about to get airborne: https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=4064db,43c6b8
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