Area Of Outstanding Natural Beauty.. And Low Flying Jets

[HongKongCargoPilot]

Hello all,

I was on my walk home from the train station earlier today when in the distance I saw a very large low flying air, which, after a squint and a second or two, actually turned out to be a Herc (at a stab I'd say a 382).
Suddenly, all my memories of seeing various different military aircraft shooting around rushed back to me..
For reference, I live in Worcestershire, in a small town called Malvern to be exact. Malvern's particularly well known for its hills, which span out about 8 miles and have a summit of about half a kilometre - these hills are great for walking on and sightseeing (and flying fast jets over, apparently).
I've seen numerous Tornados, Wookas (Which was so low I could probably recognise the bloody pilot) and even one or two Typhoons in the past, not forgetting the Hawk which did a great job of scaring me half to death when I let the dog out in the morning. These jets are always doing low level flights over and around the hills, I could only imagine that the terrain was appropriate for training pilots up for tour? But never the less, still very impressive.
Has anyone been over or around the Worcestershire area? It would be cool to hear some points of view from the pilots.

HKCP

[Jumping_Jack]

Was the Wokka landing? In my opinion they get dangerously close to the ground when doing so....

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

The Malvern Hills are a very handy low level reference on a N-S routing, as is the Abberley clock tower about 10nm North, then on to Sally's T!ts (aka the Clee Hills). Keeps you clear of the Army ranges to the West.

[HongKongCargoPilot]

Was the Wokka landing? In my opinion they get dangerously close to the ground when doing so....

As far as I remember, they weren't. There were a couple of them flying echelon over a football field, I can't think of anywhere nearby which is suitable.

Fantastic sound though :ok:

[cokecan]

Clee hill gets quite a bit of action - lots of low level fast jets and helicopters (i think a pair of AH-64's practiced doing bad things to me while i was walking der Hund up there), and it seems to be a marker point for medium and high level stuff.

i saw my last ever Harrier there - it went very fast, very low, and flew off into the sunset. sniff. they should never have got rid you know, that decision was bonkers....

[HongKongCargoPilot]

Clee Hill sounds exciting, I should take a camera there sometime!

Are there any policies on military low level flying? I thought there was for civvy aircraft due to the fact they may have to land in a field in an emergency. But surely the airbases get plenty of complaints from poor old Ethel who cant hear The Archers over a couple of screeching EJ200s?

I'm not complaining

[Wholigan]

Anyone care to guess the newspaper???? :E;)

[Lima Juliet]

Clee Hill or "Sally's T!ts" can be found on this helpful aircrew map of GB...

http://www.bannedphrases.co.uk/assets/aircrew_map_of_uk.pdf

Any of these recognisable features should attract some kind of military aviation at some point. :ok:

LJ

[snapper1]

Fascinating!
But why is Dambuster Valley, shark infested custard?

[Rosevidney1]

Not being critical ('onest guv!) but I suspect users of the term 'train station' are of a different generation to me and mine who always used 'railway station'. :O

[Easy Street]

why is Dambuster Valley, shark infested custard?

Because it's tightly surrounded by controlled airspace around Leeds and Manchester. Plus, in the event of encountering unexpected poor weather (not an especially rare event atop the Pennines), aborting to safety altitude may well put you into the controlled airspace that overlies the gap.

[wiggy]

Clee Hill sounds exciting

Nearly spilt my coffee when I read that. Trust me, it's not..............

[teeteringhead]

I can't think of anywhere nearby which is suitable.
Really!! :eek: Offhand I'd have have thought you could put two Wokkas almost anywhere in Worcestershire! ;)

[Martin the Martian]

Well, not fast jets but...

Twitchers' anger over low-flying helicopters | This is Cornwall (http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/Twitchers-anger-low-flying-helicopters/story-18433673-detail/story.html#axzz2Nyxxh2Pr)

And even I, as one-without-wings, know that bird reserves are avoided like the plague by you Gods-of-the-air for obvious reasons.:ooh:

[BEagle]

Not sure about that - I once very nearly boomed the 'avoid' area around the ospreys' favourite $hagging spot in Jockistan. The noise must have been impressive - perhaps an F-4 in full AB appealed to them? Anyway, the pair successfully breeded and seem to be doing fine now.

An aged navigator we once inherited, whilst our Vulcan crew's plotter was away on the honking course, did one better though. Back in his Lincoln days he'd made some significant switch pigs or other and bombed the cr@p out of some Kraut wildlife sanctuary....:( The Herrenvolk were most dischuffed about that - even more so when someone in RAFG told them "You shouldn't have b£oody lost then, should you!"....:\

[OafOrfUxAche]

Are there any policies on military low level flying?


None at all.


Anyone care to guess the newspaper????


No sh!t...

[Wholigan]

;) :E

[500N]

Martin

Bird watchers get in a **** over anything that disturbs the birds.

The waders there are in the thousands and get disturbed all the time
by hawks and falcons and as with a helo, would fly up, around a few times
and back down. Plenty of other places for waders to feed.

Birds get used to noise, planes, helos etc and after a while wouldn't
even bother moving.

And as for Grey heron's, all he is highlighting is the ground nesting
part, they are a very common bird.

[newt]

Jet noise.................Sound of Freedom!!!:ok:

[ShyTorque]

A certain Puma pilot was once "credited" with an elephant kill (in Germany, of all places), after low flying over a zoo. It had a heart attack and keeled over. :ooh:

[Wee Weasley Welshman]

I can see Apperley clock tower, Clee hill and the Malverns from my bedroom window. I bet you're impressed.

Sad as I am I noted last week two Apaches chugging north at about 2,000ft means that the only RAF in service aircraft I have never seen in these parts is a Tucano. Rare as hens teeth they are over the skies of Worcestershire. Would it help if I wrote something offensive on the roof of my farm shed?


WWW

[switch_on_lofty]

In reply to the OP,

Yes there are rules (lots) on low flying in the military. Some of them can be found in the public domain now.
http://www.maa.mod.uk/linkedfiles/regulation/2000_series/ra2330.pdf
(if you're really bored.)
Reference to the point I think that HKCP was asking about gliding clear etc, that doesn't apply to twin or more engined military aircraft because the requirement is basically to not crash on someone's house if an engine fails.
I've flown through Worcs on a few occasions, there is more interesting flying over the border in Herefordshire. After you've done it a few times it's only a bit more interesting than the M5.
I do like views of the Malverns though. You have to be quite careful flying near them as it can be quite an active paraglider site.
SOL.

[Geezers of Nazareth]

On the subject of 'writing things on the roof', and the mention of location 'X' in the low-flying map mentioned earlier ...

does anyone know why there is some English graffiti on the roof of one of the hangars at the French air-base at Cazaux in south-western France? It's an English word or phrase, so I imagine that it must have been done by a Brit; it's quite easily visible on Google Earth when you zoom-in.

[OafOrfUxAche]

Would it help if I wrote something offensive on the roof of my farm shed?


Try:

JP5s are rocket ships
They are flown by real hot sh!ts
And they make a noise like this
ROOOAAARRRRR

Tucanos are children's toys
They are flown by little boys
And they make a silly noise
Neeeeeeeee

[Lima Juliet]

does anyone know why there is some English graffiti on the roof of one of the hangars at the French air-base at Cazaux in south-western France?

Because French men have smaller apendages? :p

[JAVELINBOY]

Malvern has always had military aircraft flying in and around it, when I was a kid there were quite a number of Canberra aircraft flying out of RRE Pershore as well as their Viscount and Hastings. Always had Jet Provosts and Gnats from Little Rissington and Harriers passing through as well. Quite often see aircraft pass through between the hills usually coming from the Hereford side and out into the Severn Valley. Earliest recollection I have is a fleet of Argosy's low level over our house on the outskirts of Malvern so low I could see the crew on the flight deck, I must have been 6 or 7 when they came through.
Also witnessed the bang of the Jaguar ejection one lunchtime when on a test flight from Abingdon after servicing it speared in not far from the RSRE site at Malvern.

[ionagh]

English graffiti at Cazaux:

OQ LE 1/8 SMALL DICKS : "Au cul le 1/8"

The 1/8 is the Saintonge sqn at Cazaux
The message is signed by the 2/8 Nice sqn (on the same base).

[soprano54]

Hello all,

I was on my walk home from the train station earlier today when in the distance I saw a very large low flying air, which, after a squint and a second or two, actually turned out to be a Herc (at a stab I'd say a 382).
Suddenly, all my memories of seeing various different military aircraft shooting around rushed back to me..
For reference, I live in Worcestershire, in a small town called Malvern to be exact. Malvern's particularly well known for its hills, which span out about 8 miles and have a summit of about half a kilometre - these hills are great for walking on and sightseeing (and flying fast jets over, apparently).
I've seen numerous Tornados, Wookas (Which was so low I could probably recognise the bloody pilot) and even one or two Typhoons in the past, not forgetting the Hawk which did a great job of scaring me half to death when I let the dog out in the morning. These jets are always doing low level flights over and around the hills, I could only imagine that the terrain was appropriate for training pilots up for tour? But never the less, still very impressive.
Has anyone been over or around the Worcestershire area? It would be cool to hear some points of view from the pilots.

HKCP

HKCP I don't live far from you, I'm only over in Tewkesbury and most of the aircraft fly over the roundabout at the back of my gaff on their way into Wales! Tis' always a pleasure to see them:D