Aircraft flying "with its stairs down" in the Guildford area?

[silverelise]

Just heard a slightly garbled second hand report that someone has seen an aircraft in the Guildford area in the last hour flying an orbit "with its stairs down". Due to some language issues I'm not clear on the exact facts but it sounds like it might be a small jet of the type that has its own steps.

Can anyone confirm? Does anyone know anything?

[Farrell]

Maybe "with its gear down"?

[tristar 500]

I would suggest that as it`s Farnborough Practice week somebody has seen some of the unusual aircraft that are around at the moment.

Although I have to sday that at the moment I am sitting indoors looking at the rain and watching the Red Arrows practise!!

tristar 500

[silverelise]

I did wonder, but the lady concerned is ex cabin crew and so I would assume knows the difference between wheels underneath and steps poking out from the door.

[Romeo India Xray]

Not sure about a small jet with its stairs down - theyre normally part of the door on these types (cant think of an exception to this although there may be the odd one or two), and for sure you would notice an open door (not to mention why the hell you would be flying orbits in a jet, low enough to see airstairs).

Perhaps this was a light twin although even there the setup is normally as that for a small jet. Maybe a door left open for a photographer, but who knows really - we can but speculate unless we were on board or an informed observer. Open door photography may of course raise some issues with the limitations within the POH in these types.

SE types with stairs I can only think of Malibu, TBM 700, PC12 and Caravan - anyone able to add to the list?

[stafforj]

My wife also saw it, she was on the phone to me at the time, which I why I looked on here.

She described it as having a pipe hanging from it, but shes not very technical. This was about 6 miles from Guildford, heading in Guildford direction. Not sure what size/type it was, she seems to think a normal sized passenger jet.

[forget]

1. AAR Refuelling Boom.
2. "Looks like rear air stairs". :bored:

[whiowhio]

There was recently what appeared to be an airbus over Liphook flying in the direction of Farnboro with the AAR boom in the down position! Rod.

[exeng]

It was a refuelling boom.


Regards
Exeng

[Xeque]

Sounds like the A330 tanker with the boom down. Have you all been following the lengths Boeing have gone to ensure that that the deal between Airbus and the US Military goes sour? Typical Yank. It was OK when all the world bought Boeing but introduce a non-American supplier - whoa!! Farnborough next week could be interesting.

[davehero]

Somebody forgot to pull up the rope ladder?

[fireflybob]

Was there a crew member hanging onto the airstairs actuating switch at the time?

Or were they conducting a side step approach?

[Robert Campbell]

There are camera rigs that can be attached to the lower stair of the Lears.

I don't know if other AC are certificated for such attachments.

[SNS3Guppy]

Camera rigs on the stairs of lears stay inside the aircraft. The door can't be opened, or left opened in flight.

I've flown Lears with external equipment on board, and it's generally always attached to the lower fuselage or on hardpoints or pylons beneath the wings.

Slower equipment such as Navajos have experienced open doors with the stairs down before, and in a few cases, with crewmembers attached. This sounds like a boom as others have reported, though. Not quite as sensational.

[HeliRoute]

I saw that too. I was going down the A3 this afternoon. It was flying a low altitude circuit several times. It was definately a refuelling boom at the rear.Looked great.Also an AH64D Longbow heading toward Farnborough shortly afterwards.

[Agaricus bisporus]

Perhaps it was the crew's member?

[AeroMad]

Re fueling Boom?
Sounds like the KC330 (Correct me if I'm wrong)

It did its validation with the boom down then lifted it for landing.
But it didn't arrive at farnborough untill oneish.

Somone confirm the validation was at that time?

Cheers
AeroMad

[chevvron]

It's actually an A310 airframe.

[Maude Charlee]

Its all part of the new Ryanair speedy boarding process. A/c simply does a touch and go, whilst 1 bus drives alongside the forward airstairs boarding pax, and at the rear pax disembark down a set of diesel-powered steps onto a 2nd bus.

:E

[biddedout]

It could have been a lysander.

[IMT]

Would have thought it was a refuelling boom as I saw thie aircraft this afternoon.

My flat looks out on the East to West run in to fly past/ land the airfield, so had a good view definately was a boom.

Also had a 4 engine airbus fly right over, only got a quick glance seemed to be too small for a 380, so I'd say was a 340. Can anyone confirm this?

[APG]

The aircraft was the EADS A310 flying boom tanker aircraft.

A member of the public informed the police that they had seen an aircraft with a ladder hanging from it and a person on the ladder :eek:

Checks were made and the a/c confirmed that there was no ladder or person, just the boom hanging out the back.

[Truck2005]

Nah! You have all got wrong;) There is a no smoking rule on tankers so that must have been the loadie hanging out, having a crafty fag:ok:

[silverelise]

Thanks for the info guys.

[scudpilot]

IMT, I guess you will probably know this by now, but if not, it was actually an A330 (Kingfisher Airlines)
Spent the first three days of this week "guarding" the A310 Tanker... I know pretty much every rivet of that aircraft now....:mad: