View Full Version : American Invasion of UK
Vfrpilotpb
22nd Oct 2004, 09:15
Just witnessed at 10.10 hrs GMT a large amount ( flying in Formation and took about 2 mins to pass)of CH53? flying North to South( and some West to East) at a height of about 250/300 ft, could this be a friendly invasion or just reinforcements for the Black Watch boys.
Vfr
CiPher
22nd Oct 2004, 15:26
Saw possibly the same Helos this morning shortly after 10am this morning over East Lancashire. 6 in formation 3 came over then another 2 then a straggler at about 20-30 second intervals.
Very unusual for this part of the country.
B Sousa
22nd Oct 2004, 15:29
Lets see.......CH-53s.....hmmm.....U.S. Marines...........Hmmm
GUARD ALL THE BREWERIES.......QUICK
SASless
22nd Oct 2004, 15:30
Sorry Chaps....what might seem to be an invasion sized fleet to the Brits might be more like a two Flight navigational exercise for the Yanks.
Invasions , American style, usually involve thousands of aircraft not handsful.;)
Remember now....the old saw goes....Over sexed, over paid, and over here.......and the Brits...under sexed, underpaid, and under Eisenhower!:ok:
MightyGem
22nd Oct 2004, 16:26
Probably the guys who do the CSAR(Combat Search and Rescue), amongst
other things :ok: , who are based down at Mildenhall in Suffolk.
jimgriff
22nd Oct 2004, 19:53
I live in wild west wales. These beasties have been known to land in the field below my house in the middle of the night.
Sit there for a min or so and take off again!! Hmmm?
This happenes once or twice a year.
ShyTorque
22nd Oct 2004, 23:48
jimgriff,
Have you ever counted the goldfish in your pond before and after these events?
They are up to no good......... we knew they were after something........ were there any unusual contrails in the sky just afterwards? :uhoh:
;)
I suspect you were looking at components of Ex EAGLES EYE which took place last week oop north including Merlins, Chinooks, Lynx and Apache but not (as far as I am aware and I read the notams) any CH53. One of their notams was for a 'dawn assault' and valid until 1700Z!!!
I live in wild west wales. These beasties have been known to land in the field below my house in the middle of the night. Sit there for a min or so and take off again!! Hmmm?
I knew that crop circles weren't the work of aliens!
419
NickLappos
23rd Oct 2004, 13:50
http://www.mousepadhaven.com/images/military/ch-53e_stallion.jpg
So, How about making some crop circles tonight?
Mr Toad
23rd Oct 2004, 14:24
As always, Nick has the final word! Further comment would be superfluous.
Vfrpilotpb
24th Oct 2004, 15:20
Nick,
Thank you for that excellent shot of one of your best, but from that elevation , " What a bloody ugly Heli" it looks about as streamlined as an "Accrington Brick":ok:
PeterR-B
MightyGem
24th Oct 2004, 17:36
Yes, but with the amount of power it puts out, it can afford to "go ugly".
Helipilot-CA
24th Oct 2004, 19:49
seriously, you find it ugly ? :(
with the Chinook series it's my favorite helicopter !!:ok:
Enstreom are ugly for me, as well as robinson by the way :yuk:
Is "Chopper" not a good word for helicopters ? 'cause I use it all the time...
NickLappos
25th Oct 2004, 04:32
vfrpilotpb,
You are right, the machinery is certainly the star of the H-53 helicopter show.
Actually, most helicopter aerodynamics is for naught, since the rotors and heads consume a vast amount of the drag of the aircraft. If you shrink the entire fuselage to a point, the drag will still be about 60% of what it was, due to the rotors!
Even wth its lack of aerodynamic finesse (that is fancy talk for "Even though it is shaped like a Bank Vault Door") the H-53E is actually almost TWICE as efficient as the V-22 tilt rotor, believe it or not. (Can't wait for the Sultan to get wind of this and post something pithy, damning and incorrect)