Doors,
loving your work.
It's fairily difficult for (even experienced) "Watchers Of The Skies" to judge aircraft levels.
But, try this: -
1. Buy an Ordnance Survey Landranger Map. Sheet 129, (Nottingham and Loughborough), will do nicely.
2. Draw pencil lines on the extended centre-lines of R/W 27/09 at EGNX.
3. On the centre-lines, find a position about 3.5 nm from the runway threshold.
(1 nm is 1852 metres), so work it out for yourself. Depending on which end of the runway you go for, it's about the location of either the EMW, or EME, (formally known as the 'Charlie Alpha') NDBs.
4. At your chosen location, (if my recollections of the geomorphology of that area are correct), the local ground elevation is fairly similar to the aerodrome elevation at EGNX. (310 feet or thereabouts).
Now, heres the fun bit: -
At that range from touchdown, aircraft on a 3 degree glidepath are about 1000ft above the runway.
(3 nm - 950ft, 4nm - 1250ft, etc).
5. So, from where you will be standing it's easy to see what 1000ft vertical separation actually looks like, and it's not a lot! - It's about twice the height of Blackpool Tower or 4 times the height if the 'Towers' student accommodation block on the campus at Loughborough University. Yes, the grey one with lots of windows, built in the 1960s. (No, not the green thing, that's The Carillon
).
6. Hopefully, you will have taken a camera with you during this field-work, - Take lots of good photos, with the sun behind you, (i.e. you will be positioned south of the R/W centre-lines).
7. So, finally, for your efforts, reward yourself with a pint of Marston's or Home Ales finest, depending on whether you ended up in Melbourne or East Leake!
SORTED.
