Whats this then?
Just flown over twice, lower the second time.
Atlas C.1 (A400M)
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I knew one of you would know. Just came in for the third time, or the third plane I suppose.
Hopefully not lining up a bombing run, a la āOutbreakā
Cool plane. Tom Cruise hung off the side if one in one of the mission impossible films. He actually hung off the side of it. No special effects other than painting out the harness.
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I didnt know it was that plane, great stunt that - I saw the āmaking ofā.
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We had 2 Chinooks low-fly over in formation the other day; unfortunately we live on the side of a hill, so I donāt get much warning when they come from the blind sideā¦
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Never get anything interesting over my way. RAF puma did a couple of loops the other week thatās about it.
I like watching planes on ADSBExchange but everywhere else gets the good shit. Like Hercs flying over at 400ft.
All we get is a SleazyJey flight out of Luton heading to Magaluf or some similar shithole.
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We had the lowest chinook Iāve seen a couple of days ago. Right over the rooftops, the noise was immense!
Seeing even more chopper action than usual at the mo. Donāt know if the RM have been using the quiet time to do more drills or whatever theyāre up to?
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I think certainly the Mil have made the most of quiet skies. Iāve watched a lot online of Hercs, C17s, and A400s doing touch and goes at Birmingham and other airports.
Possibly. The ones over here are transiting to training areas in Wales.
can we cross the border now???
parachuting from a Chinook is right up thereā¦
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My 1st posting was HK in 1986 including some time living on the airfield out in Sek Kong. Army pilot we lived with used to take us up weekend mornings to jump out of Scouts. Totally different feeling dropping away into still air rather than from a moving plane. Got kind of bored of fixed-wing drops after that, plus the Scout rides were free whereas because weather was nearly always perfect you could burn through a lot of cash in a weekend getting lifts up in the Islander with the recreational club.
Wessex helicopters had so little to do out there that they ran a regular taxi-service taking wives+pushchairs etc. down to Hong Kong Island. Pilots always used to give the passengers a thrill banking hard over the harbour, although not all of them seemed to appreciate it!
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yep, a different feel altogetherā¦sitting on the side of a heli and pushing yourself offā¦
The A400M and once or twice the Hercules have been doing loads of training flights from Brize Norton. Some of the flights have been to Edinburgh with a few ātouch and goā there then on to Skye with a few loops there. Then Iāve caught them doing the loops at Liverpool and off theyāve gone back to Brize Norton for a few loops before finishing the day. Theyāve really made the most of the empty skies and airports.
Yes Iām an anorak! But I also live on the flight path of Liverpool airport and work in the loft so you easily spot or hear when a different plane is coming in. Now itās back to bog standard Ryanair more often than not.
Iām not far from Hereford & Brecon so we get Chinooks and transport planes going over quite often.
We had a pair of these come through very low a few weeks back which was pretty cool.
NB. Stock photo from the local paper.
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I used to work in Southwark and every Thursday afternoon you used to get almost a procession of helicopters from Merlins, AH64s, Ospreys and the odd Chinook. Is the Thames is used as a flight corridor?
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It will probably not surprise you to hear that times have changed 
That said, down in the Falklands the SAR SKs would take us out on the odd trip if you planned well in advance. Got winched off the side of Mt Usborne after weād climbed it in a whiteout. Bit of training for them!
I watch planes come and go in Edinburgh. The big RAF planes have been quite common, doing practice landings and manoeuvres. I happened to be running down at Cramond last weekend (one of my first runs in 3 months) which is right under the final approach. Planes approach from the south, fly over the Forth to Inchkeith (a small island in the Forth), then make a sharp left and fly down the Forth to the airport. This very plane had made 3 or 4 approaches. Then an easyJet flight appeared over Inchkeith and flew its approach. Cramond really is āfinal approachā territory as the airport is only a mile or two away. As it was nearly overhead, the RAF beast appeared and swooped in - honestly thought they were going to crash. The RAF plane made a really tight turn to join the final approach, literally right on top of the easyJet. Can only assume the easyJet had been briefed and that the RAF plane was practicing interception and escorting right down to a runway. Wish Iād had my phone to take photos or a videoā¦
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