Mystery in the sky over Wales and Newcastle and...........

[perkin]

Anyone know anything about an unusual flight path over north wales - I saw a contrail around 4.30pm local time which suggested that the aircraft producing it had done almost a 270 degree turn - original path was heading towards Ireland, after the turn appeared to be heading roughly north-east(ish). Just wondered if something turned back before heading over the pond, or was it perhaps some kind of military movement during training?

[Doug E Style]

About 1230Z today I saw what looked like a 747 heading north just south-west of Newcastle do a 180 degree turn and head off south again leaving an unusual contrail in the process. Anyone know what that was all about? I was at too low a level to hear what was going on at first hand. Thanks.

[None]

Sounds like someone forgot the Colombian coffee.

[treadigraph]

Saw a trail do something very similar from my Croydonian office block about 8am last Friday.

The aircraft was way off down towards - or perhaps even beyond - Dover (about 60 miles I think), and a bit south of the track of the various vapour trails routing Biggin - Dover.

Looked like three sides of a hold, but the trail seemed to peter out at the eastern end - I don't know whether he descended below trail height, or just kept on heading east and out of sight.

[MAN777]

I dont know what it was but I have seen military KC 135s KC10s and AWACS aircraft leave similar contrails in the past.

There was AWACS activity in the north of england today with both RAF and NATO examples operating.

[perkin]

Saw the same thing over north wales a few months back, posted a question on here, but cannot recall if it got a reply or not... :zzz:

[BOAC]

http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=251494

(Search/advanced search/find posts by user/keyword 'wales'.

Clever stuff!:ugh:

Anyway - all joined up for you now.

[chevvron]

Used to be called 'Rhode 20' years ago.

[exlatccatsa]

I would suggest that the welsh event might have been an aircraft overflying the height monitoring unit at Brecon prior to being given RVSM status. The Newcastle was probably an AWACS or an aircraft engaged in refuelling.

[perkin]

I would suggest that the welsh event might have been an aircraft overflying the height monitoring unit at Brecon prior to being given RVSM status. The Newcastle was probably an AWACS or an aircraft engaged in refuelling.

I'd estimate that the Welsh one was out over the Irish Sea somewhere...was considerably north of my position in the centre of Snowdonia...not very close to Brecon, or doesnt it have to be? Whats RVSM and why do aircraft need this status?

Could it be, as previously suggested, a tanker for inflight refuelling? Would they use this as part of any fast jet exercise in N.Wales?

[chevvron]

It's notoriously difficult to judge the distance that a high flying object is away from an observer, as I've found when investigating UFO reports. I once spotted an object which I couldn't explain and reported it to an astronomical research outfit; I could have sworn it was about 10,000ft and 3 or 4 miles away; the guy I reported it to had several other reports fitting the same description, and by triangulation concluded (from its green colour) that it was a re-entry of satellite debris over the North Atlantic at a height of about 250 miles!

[exlatccatsa]

RVSM Reduced Vertical Seperation Minima
Explained here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reduced_Vertical_Separation_Minima
yes they need to fly directly over the measuring station so that their heightkeeping can be accurately assessed.
Sorry I didn't realise the track was so far north.. I'll leave that for someone else to answer.

[rvsm compliant]

How about the aircraft what ever type it might be was on an engineering or pre delivery to a new customer air test.They do happen you know

[RingwaySam]

I had ZH102 RAF/NAT004 on the SBS-1 yesterday for a good hour or so. Could have been that, although it wasn't showing any position, it was just on the list.

[Doug E Style]

Thanks for the replies. It's not every day you see a phallus-shaped contrail in the sky.

[ShyTorque]

Heard a lovely story, told by my station commander once. He went up in a Hunter from Anglesey for an airtest. Having climbed to height in gin clear conditions, he flew straight for a couple of minutes, followed by a 180 degree turn. Absent mindedly, he followed his own perfectly straight contrail until it finished, then did a 360 degree turn to the left, follwed by another to the right. He then descended and landed back at Valley. They had to launch a 4 ship to cross out the resulting ten mile long phallus and testicles drifting lazily north eastwards. :E