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jackfrost
20th May 2008, 07:45
Hi, this is my first post here, but been reading for a while.

Anyone know what a chinook was doing flying over east London, flying up the Thames towards the City yesterday evening.

Was a bit of a suprise to see it, as normally I only see aircraft making their turn into Heathrow from my sofa. :)

HEATHROW DIRECTOR
20th May 2008, 08:58
There is a great deal of helicopter traffic along the Thames, Chinooks included. Maybe you don't normally notice the smaller ones but the noisy Chinook can be heard from some distance..

SpringHeeledJack
20th May 2008, 09:02
Welcome to pprune jackfrost!

The chinooks are relatively common over London flying along the Thames from a secret base in Hampshire to a secret base in Essex, although maybe heading elsewhere. Unless it was circling, then it was probably just a routine flight, or another Jolly by the Battenburg boys :}

I'm sure that others will pipe up with more detailed info for you.

Regards


SHJ

jackfrost
20th May 2008, 09:23
Thanks for the replies guys!

Heathrow Director - you have a point about maybe only noticing the Chinook because of its size, but actually I notice quite a lot of helo traffic near me because we get the air ambulance going in and out of the Royal London Hospital all the time.

SHJ - thought Harry might have got his brother to give him a lift to avoid getting caught speeding again!! :}

Supermattt
20th May 2008, 20:03
I've noticed a Chinook over East London of an evening a few times over the past few weeks including right now. It is definately circling about rather than transitting through. Oh it's just right now dropped a load of parachutists!!!!

Supermattt
20th May 2008, 20:06
I've seen them go into that green space in the City near Moorgate in the past and I noticed lots of old gentlemen with muskets practicing something in there the other evening...some Army ceremony perhaps?

Supermattt
20th May 2008, 20:12
Ah ha! Here we go...I wish I'd have know I would have gone down!

http://www.arrse.co.uk/cpgn2/Forums/viewtopic/t=97030.html

jackfrost
20th May 2008, 20:15
The Chinook is back this evening- I just saw it drop 5 parachutists as previous poster says!

Wish I had known too as would have gone along. :*

Guess the flight yesterday was some sort of recce?

chevvron
23rd May 2008, 10:56
Oh god, yet another post about Chinooks actuallly being seen in the air.

Traffic is...
23rd May 2008, 11:10
Maybe some folk don't get to see them very often and are quite thrilled by it. Not you obviously.

HZ123
23rd May 2008, 13:56
There is no need for sarcasm. My son also thought a couple of fighters took off from Northolt yesterday.

BRL
23rd May 2008, 20:49
I spotted an Apache helicopter a few days ago flying more or less over the Tate Gallery near to London Bridge station.

Second one I have ever seen for real and mighty suprised to see one over the city. He was heading towards Moorgate then it went out of sight, don't know if it landed or continued or what, just looked good flying over London and made a nice change from the usual helicopters you see day to day over the Thames.

Did anyone else see it or know what it was doing?

mfaff
24th May 2008, 16:09
The Apache went to the same greenery patch as the Wokka and musket bearing soldiers... plus a few in sandy coloured uniforms.

Gulf4uk
24th May 2008, 17:15
Blimey all these Wokkas about the area so if you really are interested have a drive down the M3 come off At JNC 4A: Follow signs to Odiham and you should
see all you need to Satisfy you. Those that Thump about during the late Eve and Night can be a right pain especially in the early Hours but training ? well we are at War so they must FLY do wish people would stop saying who what is on
them Security and all that. As for other Choppers plenty of those fly Into the smoke from this area all shapes colours Sizes keep you all Happy .

Tony
farnborough (wokka free at moment) :bored::zzz:

WHBM
26th May 2008, 20:06
Moving on, we had an air-sea rescue yellow Sea King turn over LCY this bank holiday evening at very low level (watch those electricity pylons, guys), which disappeared down the river at about 200 feet looking like it was on a serious operation. Any ideas what their task was ? Haven't seen them up here since the early morning when the Marchioness sank in the Thames.

BRL
26th May 2008, 22:40
The Apache went to the same greenery patch as the Wokka and musket bearing soldiers... plus a few in sandy coloured uniforms.

Thanks. :)

SpringHeeledJack
27th May 2008, 09:48
Moving on, we had an air-sea rescue yellow Sea King turn over LCY this bank holiday evening at very low level (watch those electricity pylons, guys), which disappeared down the river at about 200 feet looking like it was on a serious operation. Any ideas what their task was ? Haven't seen them up here since the early morning when the Marchioness sank in the Thames.

Blimey WHBM, that was a blast from the past......I remember that so well, seeing the SAR Sea King go up and down the Thames slowly and wondering what it was doing so far from the sea and then hearing the terrible news on the radio and the penny dropping :sad: I knew several of the dead personally and most of the passengers, but not being "in with the in-crowd" one wasn't invited.

However, on a positive note i DID save someone's life that night, one of the invited guests of the Marchioness party came over to a small dinner party that i was having before he went off to the Marchioness. It transpired that he had had an allergic reaction to the fish that was served and after leaving "SHJ Towers" spent the whole night in the A&E with his symptoms being treated and not on/in the water :)


Regards


SHJ

Taildragger67
27th May 2008, 10:17
The Honourable Artillery Company is based at Armoury House, on City Road (the continuation of Moorgate heading north). The do indeed have a 'big patch of greenery' which, aside from parades, gets used for corporate events and the odd game of cricket.

Evening of 20 May, they had a recruiting 'open day' and had a Chook drop five bods in. 'twas a hairy jump as it was a bit breezy, but from my vantage point they all looked to make target.

The Chook flew overhead the HAC then headed up Dalston way, before doing a right-hander, back over Clerkenwell and a left into the breeze to drop the team; then headed south-west.

The HAC often gets medium-sized choppers (eg. up to Puma size) in; I'm not sure if the Chook landed on 20 May, it could in terms of area but it might kick up enough dirt to annoy the neighbours.

Lono
4th Jun 2008, 20:49
Fairly common sight over Canary Wharf - Chinook, 2 Merlin (?) and an Apache this evening.

Visual06
6th Jul 2008, 08:34
Blimey all these Wokkas about the area so if you really are interested have a drive down the M3 come off At JNC 4A:


If you intend driving down the M3 to see the Chinooks I would come off at Junction 5 as this is the Odiham exit not 4A :ugh: