Seen Over Your House Today

[PR19_Kit]

I took a look at the tracking sites yesterday, and saw a RAF A400 approaching Helsinki. It lined up as for landing, but pulled up over the runway. Then it climbed back to cruising altitude and headed back towards the Baltic Countries and presumably its starting point in Germany???

I don't THINK we're planning to invade Finland  that's rather a Russian speciality.

[perttime]

I took a look at the tracking sites yesterday, and saw a RAF A400 approaching Helsinki. It lined up as for landing, but pulled up over the runway. Then it climbed back to cruising altitude and headed back towards the Baltic Countries and presumably its starting point in Germany???

I don't THINK we're planning to invade Finland  that's rather a Russian speciality.

It has been a while since the last feeble attempt
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Napier_(Royal_Navy_officer)#Baltic_Campaign
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimean_War#Baltic_theatre

[Old Wombat]

I took a look at the tracking sites yesterday, and saw a RAF A400 approaching Helsinki. It lined up as for landing, but pulled up over the runway. Then it climbed back to cruising altitude and headed back towards the Baltic Countries and presumably its starting point in Germany???

I don't THINK we're planning to invade Finland  that's rather a Russian speciality.

It has been a while since the last feeble attempt
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Napier_(Royal_Navy_officer)#Baltic_Campaign
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimean_War#Baltic_theatre

Well, that was more plinking away at the Russians, though, than at the Finns.

[Rheged]

After Charlie Napier comes Augustus Agar https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustus_Agar in the early 1920's

Seen over Derwentwater this afternoon, a Hercules at about 300 feet.......rattling the window frames of Keswick.

[kerick]

After Charlie Napier comes Augustus Agar https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustus_Agar in the early 1920's

Seen over Derwentwater this afternoon, a Hercules at about 300 feet.......rattling the window frames of Keswick.

How does the RAF get away flying that low over a town? Over here people would be screaming their butts off over it. Not that I would mind but I'm a little weird that way.

[Rheged]

As far as I know, the Royal Naval Air Service started flying training in the Lake District in  about 1914, and the locals have been used to aeroplanes low over the lakes for over 100 years.  The Hercules in question wasn't actually OVER the town, but so close that windows rattled.

This chap https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Gnosspelius  had a lot to do with starting it all off.

[PR19_Kit]

IIRC RAF aircraft are allowed to fly 250 ft above sea level across most of the country.

There used to be defined Low Flying Areas where this could be done, but they changed the rules a while back and let them do it almost everywhere. Major cities and other prohibited areas are banned, but the rest of us are fair game, especially if you live in Wales, Scotland, the Lake District, the Yorkshire Moors or the Peak District.

I'm sure Jim (JayBee) or Dave (Kitbasher) will be able to tell us more detail about it.

Where I used to live in the North Forest of Dean, a village called Longhope, there was a turning point for one of the LFAs about 1/4 mile south of my house, and the place was regularly blasted by Buccs and Tornadoes turning almost overhead. Of course they were religiously following the 250 ft above sea level rules,, but the house was 170 ft above sea level.............. 

[zenrat]

I misread that as "RAF aircraft are not allowed to fly above 250ft..."

My parents live in Sussex at the northern side of the South Downs.  The Sussex Weald rises from the foot of the Downs and I remember looking back towards them at a Hercules flying past below Clayton Windmills (hill top level about 800ft ASL at that point).

[The Wooksta!]

A pair of Hawks overflew me garden earlier today.

[kitnut617]

Crop sprayer just flew right over the house, super low as it's spraying the field that starts half a mile away. A radial engine powered one too, not the usual turboprop that I see mostly.

[Old Wombat]

Crop sprayer just flew right over the house, super low as it's spraying the field that starts half a mile away. A radial engine powered one too, not the usual turboprop that I see mostly.

It wasn't red, was it?

[JayBee]

IIRC RAF aircraft are allowed to fly 250 ft above sea level across most of the country.

There used to be defined Low Flying Areas where this could be done, but they changed the rules a while back and let them do it almost everywhere. Major cities and other prohibited areas are banned, but the rest of us are fair game, especially if you live in Wales, Scotland, the Lake District, the Yorkshire Moors or the Peak District.

I'm sure Jim (JayBee) or Dave (Kitbasher) will be able to tell us more detail about it.

Where I used to live in the North Forest of Dean, a village called Longhope, there was a turning point for one of the LFAs about 1/4 mile south of my house, and the place was regularly blasted by Buccs and Tornadoes turning almost overhead. Of course they were religiously following the 250 ft above sea level rules,, but the house was 170 ft above sea level.............. 

Things may have changed now but before I retired the rule was not below 250 AGL (Above Ground Level). That was for normal flying however during execises the aircraft were allowed to come down to 150' AGL. This was difficult to achieve with any form af altimeter so the rule was " a mature Oak tree is 75' tall so do not fly below the height of two mature Oaks." This did not help the Glasgow University Air Squadron Bulldog, flying with a Civilian Police Officer as observer, during a civil co-operation exercise. A bit of unexpected downdraft and a rising hillside meant that the glancing impact took of the u/c and destroyed the propellor.
No casualties to the crew except possibly the pilots ego and the observers sanity! 

[kitnut617]

Crop sprayer just flew right over the house, super low as it's spraying the field that starts half a mile away. A radial engine powered one too, not the usual turboprop that I see mostly.

It wasn't red, was it?

No, overall yellow. I think it's an Air Tractor.

[PR19_Kit]

Things may have changed now but before I retired the rule was not below 250 AGL (Above Ground Level). That was for normal flying however during execises the aircraft were allowed to come down to 150' AGL. This was difficult to achieve with any form af altimeter so the rule was " a mature Oak tree is 75' tall so do not fly below the height of two mature Oaks." This did not help the Glasgow University Air Squadron Bulldog, flying with a Civilian Police Officer as observer, during a civil co-operation exercise. A bit of unexpected downdraft and a rising hillside meant that the glancing impact took of the u/c and destroyed the propellor.
No casualties to the crew except possibly the pilots ego and the observers sanity! 

Thanks Jim, I knew one of you ex-Air Trafficers would know. 

As  the rule was 250 ft AGL I think those Buccs and Tonkas over my old house were pushing their limits a bit. Sometimes I was looking at them from my front door HORIZONTALLY! 

[Rheged]

At Charnock Richard on the way home from checking up on aged mothers (both over 90) a pair of Typhoons at a very low level. Most people just looked up and then carried on, but a group of about 40 Chinese/Japanese/Korean young ladies who were swooping round the car park like a murmuration* of starlings were extremely startled.  There were many high pitched East Asian squeaks, and several pairs of Oriental feet left the ground!




  *https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/starling/starling-murmurations/