Right, Beagle - self appointed judge and jury of the military forum- Please consider this:
1) a quick trawl of the web indicates that 14 airproxes have occured with the Reds in the last three years all with light traffic. 2) Do you consider that your average microlight pilot, departing from a private strip for a local jolly, contacts the Reds freefone nbr Alfens Ops, alerts CANP etc. If you do; read this
Re: Close Shave,Tuesday 22-Aug-2000 11:46:53,
A very concise report of what must have been a very nasty experience.If the Tornado was transiting from Scotland to an air show in the South of England what the heck was it doing at 2400 feet over Cambridge. The air is stuffed with small slow light aircraft below 3000 feet. The RAF should have more sense than to go belting through this lot at 450 knots or so.,Barry Plumb,
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Re: Close Shave,Wednesday 23-Aug-2000 02:35:16,
Count me and Claire in for a trip to West Drayton either Weekend or evening.Interesting that West Drayton confirmed they had seen your airprox (and wondered!). Would London Information be able to provide a service? I don't really want to have a Radar service and radio contact every time I fly but if that's the only safe way.......Claire and myself have had experiences in a similar location as yourselves. One was a Tornado500ft below right to left directly underneath as we were climbing away through 1000ft from Sutton Meadows having just taken off. Another was the entire RAF Red Arrows display team in loose formation at about 800ft (we were at about 1200ft) below and in front 2 miles North of Sutton Meadows. On both occasions we were flying a 3 axis microlights with no strobe and no transponder but highly visible and close to two airfields with intense microlight activity.The farm strip that I fly from now is marked on the chart but that doesn't seem to deter regular visits through the airfield pattern at 200 - 300ft by Tornado's which are more interested in the radio tower close by for their turning point.I just wonder what their flight planning consists of and whether their maps actually show small civil airfields or just military fields and bombing ranges.Safe Flying!?,Vic Leggott,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Re: Close Shave,Tuesday 29-Aug-2000 06:38:38,
Glad you're still with us Andy and Alan it seems the RAF are a law unto themselves a freind of mine was missed by only 150 feet on final approach to Popham by an F15 at 250 feet altitude !! He was following a GPS track with his head down in the cockpit. Nasty.,Alan Gornall,
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Cotton wrapped Crabs
Clearly some of you crabs, and ex crabs, are very touchy about your one and only display team, to the point that you become rather rude about innocent crew room style banter, which many of you enjoy and even encourage. I'm pretty sure that all of you have poked fun at the Reds expense, in the past. So some of the comments you have made on this thread makes you hypocrites, in my opinion.
Not once have I asked for the Reds to be disbanded, they are, as far as the majority of the country is concerned, a good
PR machine for the RAF, long may it continue
Mil Low Flying
This can be divided into two categories
1) Need to do
2) Nice to do
The Reds, in my opinion, do not fall into category 1 as a general rule.
So, my dear Reds, when uncle Beagle comes and tucks you in at night and reads you the latest from JSP 500 and something. Consider; is it safer down there with the GA hoodies, or would the next transit to Widdecombe fair be safer along lower airways?
Save a bit of petrol too !
