Apparently the B52s are here for Astral Knight 2020 and there are two U-2Cs visiting (link).
I know why that was...its ICAO hex code comes from a group allocated to Russia (100000 to 1FFFFF)...see link.
Why it was using that code if it wasn't Russian...I have no idea.
Last edited by PickleB; 18th September 2020 at 21:13.
Apparently the B52s are here for Astral Knight 2020 and there are two U-2Cs visiting (link).
I spotted G-LEAF flying back and forth along the south coast and that led me to an Aerial Survey Team
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
Apart from G-TEKV there has been some activity on the French side of the Dover Strait this morning:
- a Schiebel Camcopter drone (like the ones HMCG are testing in Caernarvon...see above) OE-YAA https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=440580
- a Britten-Norman Islander F-HSUR belonging to SAS Pixair Survey https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=39ca91
US says Russian military conducted unsafe intercept of B-52 over Black Sea
Russian military says US and NATO flights near Crimea fuel tensions
Edit And I wonder where this was going https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=43c09d:
...but I am straying from UK skies.
Last edited by PickleB; 21st September 2020 at 13:59.
See link for:
The four B-52s flying in Europe were the airframes 61-0034, 60-0005, 60-0007 and 60-0056. The B-52H 61-0034/NATO 01 was the only one to use its Mode-S transponder: it could be tracked online during its long trip using the popular flight tracking websites ADSBExchange, PlaneRadar.ru, Airnav RadarBox etc. from RAF Fairford across Eastern Europe to the Black Sea area and then back via (among the others) Turkey, Greece, Croatia, Slovenia, Italy and France.
And another...https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=ae5881
This one is over an hour old...https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=ae5870
https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=ae5889
That one is doing circuits over Poland now with a number of KC135's and an F16.
Interesting the tankers all have callsigns MOBIL11, MOBIL65, MOBIL66 etc. :)
They're back...https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao...,ae5889,ae5870
https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=ae5870
B-52s are out in Poland again, I heard one leaving this morning but didn't see it.
A couple more are refuelling over the German Bight: https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao...,ae5870,ae0669
Edit Now they're being joined by a latecomer: https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=ae5889
Last edited by PickleB; 25th September 2020 at 11:35.
Not as exciting as a B52, but drone G-CLLU was flying over Thorney Island earlier today.
Any ideas as to why these two are in a holding pattern: https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=ae5871,ae5881?
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
Out walking this morning I'm sure I caught a glimpse of a Gloster Meteor in the sunshine above the low cumulus. Checking wikipedia on our return shows three airworthy examples in the UK, two registered to Martin-Baker for use as test beds and one to a private owner.
I've never really had chance to get into flight tracking apps yet and was wondering if someone familiar with them would be good enough to see if it is possible to confirm or refute my sighting.
It would have been around 11:15 (BST) and we were located just to the south of Worcester at the time. Orientation was difficult but best guess is that it was on a track somewhere to the south of east.
Well spotted. See https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=406c65 for the track of Meteor T.7 G-JWMA ex WA638 icao id 406C65.
PS I only found MB's two as airworthy in the UK on Wiki...link...what was the other one, please?
PPS Maybe this is the explanation...link.
Last edited by PickleB; 1st October 2020 at 13:16.
Thank you PB, especially for the enlightening radar plot.Could I just ask what the colour coding on the track signifies?
The main wiki article on the Gloster Meteor [Link] appears to be out of date and indeed still includes the one which features in the very interesting article you linked to.
It was certainly an arresting sight, albeit only momentary, accompanied by the wonderfully distinctive sound of its early jet engines. My instinctive guess put it at around 2,000 ft but your plot suggests he was considerably higher.
Right that's it. I'm off to decide which flight tracker to install. (After checking if the Bremont MBII is still on sales corner that is.)
PS Just found this piece which includes a short video showing the Martin Baker pair doing the day job - https://theaviationist.com/2020/09/2...teor-aircraft/
Last edited by petethegeek; 1st October 2020 at 20:50. Reason: Misinterpretation of altitude data.
See www.adsbexchange.com/map-help for:
Airplane Colors:
Planes are colored in a gradient of orange to purple then red that give a visual representation of the aircraft’s altitude. Gray aircraft are on the ground and their ADS-B transponder is transmitting in ground mode.
The tracks retain the colour appropriate to their altitude at the time. I found it a bit confusing trying to work out the relative altitudes until I realised that I could use the colours of the rainbow if I switched red from one end to the other.
It looks like it's on its way home after a visit to Scampton (use the link above).
Edit Wrong...just a visit to RNAS Culdrose. It looks like it's moved base to Scampton and joined the rest of the HHA fleet.
Last edited by PickleB; 8th October 2020 at 15:48.
https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=43c09c
Bombardier Sentinel R1 doing 50p.
This was yesterday's reporting: Dozens of migrants cross English Channel in 12 boats.
The air surveillance and ship activity have continued all weekend. Today it's the turn of ZZ417 once again and there are several Border Force vessels, lifeboats and various French vessels between Calais and Dover.
The Old Bill must be getting a bit giddy now...
Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk
This is a strange one. A 767 out of Lakenheath climbing like a rocket
Last edited by Sinnlover; 19th October 2020 at 20:33.
I wondered that, but the type code is wrong as the KC-46 is B762-based, not the B763 that is shown.
Could just be data discrepancy of course, but that data does tend to be fairly accurate.
Just double checked the specific model number and it's an Omni International 767, so probably Mildenhall as a stop over.
A similar mission today: https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=ae27a7
Last edited by PickleB; 22nd October 2020 at 11:54.
Article dated 20 Oct...Exercise Crimson Warrior:
The largest military exercise to be run by the Royal Air Force in the United Kingdom for over a decade has begun. Exercise Crimson Warrior will see RAF, Royal Navy, United States Marine Corps and United States Air Force fast jets, multi-engine aircraft and helicopters operating from a number of RAF stations across the country.
At its peak Crimson Warrior will see over 70 aircraft conducting high intensity tactical training together over the North Sea and North East of England...
Coastguard and police helicopters circling suspected hijacked tanker off the IW.
https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=406deb
https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=40481e
The Coastguard have gone home and so it's only the police circling the ship at the moment (https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=400f2a)...and they've asked for military assistance (BBC link). Nothing showing up at the moment but what with planning time etc maybe it'll be an early morning operation (if needed). Plus there are two lifeboats in the vicinity.
Last edited by PickleB; 25th October 2020 at 20:20.
Seven Nigerian stowaways had become violent apparently. Then they met the SBS.
“Mr Beale said the individuals were detained after they were met with "overwhelming force".”
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
Number four ZP804 'Spirit of Reykjavik' is on its way: https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=43c91b
Last edited by PickleB; 3rd November 2020 at 12:53. Reason: punctuation
City of Elgin says "hello."
https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=43c919
https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=43c91b,43c919
And ZP804 is now on the ground.
Hawker Hunter on the move https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=43c925
Sub hunting returns to Prestwick Airport:
...Prestwick Airport on the west coast of Scotland is no stranger to hosting a variety of visiting military aircraft, but when four US Navy P-8A Poseidons arrived over several days, it certainly got our attention.
The first aircraft – P-8A 165947 – arrived under the call sign RIDER01 shortly after 8pm on Wednesday 11th November which in itself was not uncommon. US aircraft transiting through Prestwick Airport is almost a daily occurrence with aircraft of all shapes and sizes stopping in for a quick refueling or a night stop to facilitate crew rest and flight hours.
It wouldn’t be until the following day when things would really start to get interesting. Shortly after 5pm on Thursday 12th November, P-8A 169544 arrived under the call sign RIDER22 with a third aircraft, P-8A 169548, arriving just before 10pm.
Later that evening things would become a bit clearer when P-8A 169547 departed Prestwick Airport using the call sign PP120 – an operational sortie call sign which pointed towards the aircraft being on a Temporary Duty (TDY) at the Scottish airport.
The fourth, and suspected last aircraft of this deployment, P-8A 169546 arrived on Friday evening under the non-mission call sign of RIDER17.
So what’s actually happening?
Truth be told it’s very much day-to-day business as usual maritime patrol operations for the US and NATO allies with the current COVID-19 pandemic likely playing a hand in the temporary operational deployment to Prestwick Airport, rumored to be for around three to four weeks...
Hunters? Blimming modern. There are still Meteors flying (and working!)
An Airbus Beluga from Hamburg: https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=394a63
I wonder where it's going.
The Belugas are used to transport the wings made at Broughton (for the A350s) to the main Airbus assembly plant in Toulouse. The new Beluga XL will be able to carry two wings, the previous aircraft only one.
Wings for the A380 were also made in Broughton but were too large for Beluga transport so were shipped by barge, then made a slow, tortuous road journey to Toulouse.
I was fortunate to take some students on a tour of Broughton a couple of years ago. The Red Arrows were doing ‘touch & go’ practice on the runway!
Two drones over the Straits today, for a while.
https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=407918,4405df