I know a number of you seem to know 'what that plane is up there' and I think there is a website you use, so can anyone point me in the right direction please?
There has been an awful lot of activity above the local area both yesterday and this morning of very noisy military aircraft usually high up and with two together and I'm curious.
Pat
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I use the Flightradar24 app Pat I expect there’s a web version as well :)
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There is a web version PeterS and how very interesting is that:)
I'm supposed to be working from home between now and January and I shan't get anything done now!
I already monitor the lifeboats off the West Country and a few wildlife webcams.
Pat
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I ws talking to a photographer yesterday who photographs military planes. He has been to Mildenhall and Fairford on an almost daily basis to photograph the arrival of US nuclear tactical bombers, and fighter support. There is a big build up going on. Everyone is being tight lipped about it.
Now it could be to support a large Naval exercise going on off the coast of Scotland, but its the wrong tactical inventory. The rumour mill is its a warning to Russia to keep its head down and on a leash in Europe while stuff happens elsewhere.
Last edited by: Zero on Thu 5 Oct 17 at 13:37
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You will only see commercial aircraft on these websites.
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I was wondering about that CG, is there any of the websites that show military aircraft?
Have you noticed them over your way?
Thanks to the others, I'll try them and see if I can understand the results!
Pat
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This one shows some that are removed from FR24, for example RAF A400M and other transports.
www.adsbexchange.com/
You can of course buy the kit and view activity in your own locality
hamradiostore.co.uk/sbs-3.html
or more cheaply:
www.amazon.co.uk/AirNav-Micro-RadarBox-ADS-B-Receiver/dp/B01GNGZAIG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1507208866&sr=8-1&keywords=ads+b
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Thanks Bromp.
I'm not enthusiastic enough to spend money on it though, just curious to know why they are suddenly so noisy and making different noises to what we're used to here!
In a lorry I would describe it as 'throttling back' heavily.
Pat
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You are not going to be able to track and identify what going on up there via web sites scanner feeds. Eyes On the ground is the only way
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Fancy going and having a look for me Z?
I wouldn't have a clue what I was seeing anyway!
Pat
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As it happens I am at a dog show in Snetterton on Sunday, staying in Thetford. This chat I had with this guy has piqued my interest, and just by chance I shall be in the area. I wasn't planning on taking the camera, but I certainly am now.
Lets hope I don't get arrested if my "I'm training my dog to track along your fence" excuse fails.
Last edited by: Zero on Thu 5 Oct 17 at 14:27
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This one shows some that are removed from FR24, for example RAF A400M and other transports.
www.adsbexchange.com/
Thanks Brompt for giving me another way of wasting my life away :)
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>> This one shows some that are removed from FR24, for example RAF A400M and other
>> transports.
>>
>> www.adsbexchange.com/
Not a website you can just click and use?
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Can someone ask them to slow down a bit please?
By the time I hear them coming, find the website and get it working in the correct area, they've long gone.:(
Never did find the Typhoons.
Pat
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>> Not a website you can just click and use?
Click on the Global Radar View tab.
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Following the press speculation of the 2 supersonic booms heard yesterday over Norfolk I spent a little time 'browsing' the aircraft activities around the RAF Coningsby, and Norfolk over the 07.00-10.00 timeframe. That was before I was aware that it was a RyanAir flight threat had been intercepted and diverted.
I found a RAF Chipmonk that was equipped with transponder and took off at about ??? from Coningsbury.
and
A mysterious flight that appeared to Start from Mildenhall at about 09.10, conduct some very random search like activities over the North Sea off ENE Norfolk and then return. It had an invalid transponder code of CLAW41. References to the use of this code involve Brize Norton at various times in the recent past - but it maybe that the code is a generic default and not assigned to a specific aircraft.
Can anyone else fill in some details?
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I can confirm the noise was over the March/ Chatteris/ Ely triangle yesterday morning at that time Sherlock.
If you get arrested Z just give me a call....I'll come and fetch FiFi Mk 2 and look after her...you can stay!
Pat
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I had not used the military tracking site linked above - Having just logged on to it there are a pair of Tornados now heading SW over Fakenham.
They appear to have taken off from the middle of no where on the A10 just south of Downham Market.
Do they the ability to turn on/off the transponder or is there a military base there that is not shown on Google Maps?
There now appear to be 4 Tornados flying around Norfolk - Do the RAF have more than that?
Last edited by: sherlock47 on Thu 5 Oct 17 at 14:52
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Mildenhall and Lakenheath are south of Downham Market.
Pat
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Do they the ability to turn on/off the transponder
Yes.
or is there a military base
>> there that is not shown on Google Maps?
They'll be from marham.
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Now joined by a Typhoon!
Thanks sooty - not previously aware of Marham now found - it appears that they turn off transponder on take off and approach?
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>> Now joined by a Typhoon!
>>
>> Thanks sooty - not previously aware of Marham now found
it's a big old place, but still a nightmare to find!
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AFAIAA they'll not have transponders when flying low level exercises and turn them as they climb.
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Though to add, I guess it depends on the reason for the sortie ...
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You can watch the RyanAir flight wasting time over the North sea for the escort to catch up!
www.flightradar24.com/2017-10-04/07:22/12x/RYR86WT/f178dc0
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"Following the press speculation of the 2 supersonic booms heard yesterday over Norfolk I spent a little time 'browsing' the aircraft activities around the RAF Coningsby, and Norfolk over the 07.00-10.00 timeframe."
I saw the reports on local tv news yesterday evening of sonic booms over E Anglia - but I don't think specific times were mentioned. I was in Newmarket yesterday morning and just as I'd bought a parking ticket from the machine, heard a terrific bang. I looked over, thinking that it may have come from a building that some chaps were knocking about. The reminder slip, still in my pocket, tells me the time was 09:12, so the bang would have been within a few minutes of that time.
Would that tie in with what others have heard?
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Yes - but the airline industry uses a different clock UTC, which is 1 hr behind BST.
Why the escort took so long to get there seems odd since they would have known about the potential threat much earlier. Perhaps they could not find the target circling over the North Sea?
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Just heard the noise again and clicked on the link Flight Radar.
I got this going over March
Piper PA-28R-200 Cherokee Arrow
I'm sure that's not a jet with noisy engines is it?
This is going to drive me mad!
Pat
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I can see the trails in the blue sky, I can hear ir, I can see which way it's going but why can't I find it on any of those links?
Pat
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There have been some F35s around here (Mach Loop specifically) they're pretty noisy
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Pat
ZA550 43C14A
Royal Air Force FANG02
United Kingdom Military
Panavia Tornado GR.4 TOR
Altitude:
17950 ft
Speed:
Heading:
73.8°
Vertical Speed:
Squawk:
3643
Species:
Landplane
Transponder:
ADS-B
Latitude:
52.66478°
Longitude:
0.32166°
Currently flying North East between March and Wisbech.
and now 2 of them flying South.
Last edited by: sherlock47 on Thu 5 Oct 17 at 16:22
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That's the one!
That's the way it was going too.....why can't I find it then?
I hate it when I can't do something;)
Pat
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Which link did you use Sherlock?
I hate it when I'm stupid, if you can do it I should be able too as well!
Pat
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global.adsbexchange.com/VirtualRadar/desktop.html
That one went right overhead but I went outside to see it and couldn't see anything, or hear anything despite a clear blue sky.
Pat
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That link didn't work right.
It was this one
00-0177 AE0813
United States Air Force RCH797
United States Military
Boeing C-17A Globemaster III C17
Altitude:
30000 ft
Speed:
357.0 kts
Heading:
241.0°
Vertical Speed:
341 ft/m
Squawk:
6401
Species:
Landplane
Transponder:
ADS-B
Latitude:
52.30912°
Longitude:
-0.45994°
Pat
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The C17 is a large transport aircraft:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_C-17_Globemaster_III
Reach is the callsign for the US Airforce Transport Service, 797 is similar to an airline flight number. 00-0177 is the number of that particular airframe. If US still uses same numbering system as when I was an active spotter then the machine was authorised in FY2000.
www.planespotters.net/airframe/Boeing/C-17-Globemaster-III/00-0177-USAF-United-States-Air-Force/6jRptEQ
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Thu 5 Oct 17 at 17:20
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Thanks Bromp.
What does squark mean?
Pat
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>> What does squark mean?
>>
>> Pat
>>
I believe it is a number transmitted by the aircrafts transponder, the number can be set by the pilot to indicate the aircraft status.
Here are a few.
www.flightradars.eu/squawkcodes.html
Last edited by: Old Navy on Thu 5 Oct 17 at 17:55
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>>What does squark mean?
Squawk, I think. Each flight is given an identifying reference by Air Traffic Control. The flight can then identify itself using that reference. This can be verbally on the radio, it can be automatically since the radio system will respond to any radar signal by squawking its reference or when it intentionally transmits its reference, usually in response to an Air Traffic Control request.
It is part of an IFF system. IFF stands for "Identify Friend or Foe". In the Second World War this system was code-named "Parrot". hence parrot / squawk, you get the idea.
Or so they told me many moons ago when I was involved with magnificent flying machines.
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>> 00-0177 AE0813
>> United States Air Force RCH797
>> United States Military
>> Boeing C-17A Globemaster III C17
That's at over five miles high so probably not UK bound or UK departed, perhaps from Germany to US as still climbing though 241 deg is around WSW, maybe it turned north or maybe heading to Florida etc ...
Last edited by: VxFan on Fri 6 Oct 17 at 01:59
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This is that aircraft, it's based a Stewart Air National Guard base at Stewart Airport, 20 or 30 miles north of New York city.
www.planespotters.net/photo/643453
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That explains why I couldn't see it then!
3am and I can hear a normal one rumbling away in the distance already today.
Thanks all for the information yesterday, I love to find something new to me like that.
Pat
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Following the press speculation of the 2 supersonic booms heard yesterday over Norfolk I spent a little time 'browsing' the aircraft activities around the RAF Coningsby, and Norfolk over the 07.00-10.00 timeframe. That was before I was aware that it was a RyanAir flight threat had been intercepted and diverted.
I often wonder what use two military aircraft are when meeting a plane with a possible bomb aboard could do.
What would be their range of possibilities?
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>> I often wonder what use two military aircraft are when meeting a plane with a
>> possible bomb aboard could do.
>>
>> What would be their range of possibilities?
>>
Shoot it down if it had been hijacked and was heading for a high value location?
A nuclear power station, a city center, etc should do it, you don't need a bomb as the aircraft itself will make a big bang.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Thu 5 Oct 17 at 18:46
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>> >> I often wonder what use two military aircraft are when meeting a plane with
>> a
>> >> possible bomb aboard could do.
>> >>
>> >> What would be their range of possibilities?
Major advantage is eyes on. Intercepting aircraft can see into, and beam back live video of whats going on in the cockpit. Intercepting aircraft also act as an attention getter..
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The major advantage is to be in a position to preempt a 9/11 situation. They don't go supersonic just to look into the cockpit.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Thu 5 Oct 17 at 22:37
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" They don't go supersonic just to look into the cockpit."
We're not back onto that privacy-glass/being a bit nosey story, are we, ON? ;-)
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It's not the nosey one perusing the windows you need to be concerned about, its his buddy about a mile behind you. :-)
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>> The major advantage is to be in a position to preempt a 9/11 situation. They
>> don't go supersonic just to look into the cockpit.
>
They have in the past. There is a procedure in place to do so.
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I agree they will have a procedure to assess the situation. However their prime aim is to prevent a 9/11 type event. It will be in their rules of engagement.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Thu 5 Oct 17 at 23:00
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Hand signals from the cockpit windows to a shadowing aircraft may be the only way of determining the true status of an aircraft.
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And there are "other" less obvious means of communicating who is "in charge" on the flight deck
reason to go supersonic to get there is obvious, gain time to get the best tactical approach height and vector, and maximum time with the possible bandit whatever the chosen action or outcome.
Last edited by: Zero on Thu 5 Oct 17 at 23:38
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>> reason to go supersonic to get there is obvious, gain time to get the best
>> tactical approach
Glad you aggree.
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>> They
>> don't go supersonic just to look into the cockpit.
>>
But the suspect flight still had to do circles for 10 minutes over the North sea for them to catch up!
The aircraft had been in the air for 2 hours since takeoff - Therefore the the threat assessment and authority procedures were delayed such that supersonic flight was necessary. waking up most of Norfolk.
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>> But the suspect flight still had to do circles for 10 minutes over the North
>> sea for them to catch up!
>>
>> The aircraft had been in the air for 2 hours since takeoff - Therefore the
>> the threat assessment and authority procedures were delayed such that supersonic flight was necessary. waking
>> up most of Norfolk.
>>
Unless you know the story and timeline you won't really know what decisions were made and when. Anyway gone 8am wasn't it, should have been awake by then lazy so and so's ;-)
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I am only aware of the back story as in the press. Not seen much passenger comment. However the aircraft had been on the ground overnight when the original 'threat' had been made, it was searched and takeoff had been delayed.
Unless of course further intelligence had been obtained that there was supporting information for a credible threat that resulted in a changed threat assessment during the flight.
Not sure that the pilots would have been very happy if the escort just 'appeared'. Can you determine when the escort actually intercepted the flight? Is the protocol that the escorts force the plane to make a mini holding pattern?
I note that the aircraft was taken to the secure 'hijack point' at STN on landing.
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Naturally, O' Leary doesn't miss a trick .....
southendnewsnetwork.com/news/ryanair-pilots/
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Didn't get a chance to spot and the weather is a bit crap.
I'm in Thetford overnight
OMFG nothing had prepared me for this place.
Last edited by: Zero on Sat 7 Oct 17 at 16:44
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>> I'm in Thetford overnight
>>
>> OMFG nothing had prepared me for this place.
>>
Oh, you poor soul. North of the Thames must be horrific for Surrey snowflakes. :-)
Last edited by: Old Navy on Sat 7 Oct 17 at 17:41
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There was a very good motorcycle helmet factory there.
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Thetford was a small market town until it was selected in the 1970s as a site for London overspill housing.. Thousands of homes were built by the GLC and it became part of the East End in the middle of rural Norfolk and many of the problems of London were imported.
Not far away is Bury St Edmunds, one of the nicest towns in England..
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>> the problems of London were imported.
None of the good bits appear to have followed. It has no heart, no bustling centre, nothing seems to have been made of its heritage. They have made a small effort on the river frontage, but its lacking inspiration and joined up thinking
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That sounds much like the new towns created when the Glasgow slums were cleared out.
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Or it's probably strange but NFN.
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"Not far away is Bury St Edmunds, one of the nicest towns in England."
Thank you VERY MUCH, CG (grrrrrrr!) .............. I was hoping that no one would mention that!!! Anyway, I'm told that there are some really nice bits in Thetford.
;-)
Last edited by: Haywain on Sat 7 Oct 17 at 19:38
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>> that!!! Anyway, I'm told that tthere are some really nice bits in Thetford.
>>
>> ;-)
Someone has lied to you
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Pop over to Watton. It makes Thetford look like a centre of culture and sophistication. Once home to a large RAF base and now a town without a purpose.
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"Pop over to Watton."
Thetford, Watton ....... there are some nice places in Norfolk. Cromer's quite pleasant now that the caravan enthusiasts have left.
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centurionsafety.eu/
Good grief they still exist. No bike helmets anymore though
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Yes I had one, saved my bonce once when I propelled my ducati desmo over a mini that pulled out of a side road, bout 1973 I think.
Last edited by: Zero on Sat 7 Oct 17 at 22:05
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I have a photo of me carrying mine in the early 80s - I'll dig it out.
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it was a real cracker, none of this full face crap, orange, two go faster stripes and a clip off peak.
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Don't you get a bit fed up with driving into things? It's not compulsory you know!
;-)
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Aircraft spotting - PeterS
