Loud Prop over Ipswich, 8am 5/6/11

[tommyc2005]

Random question, but an extremely loud prop aircraft woke me up this morning at exactly 8am over Ipswich marina. Was not the sound of a regular passenger aircraft, plus there was nothing suitable due into any of the London airports or Norwich. I also couldn't find anything on Flightradar.

The sound was long and lingering, but I couldn't get sight of it. My guess is an ex-Soviet prop as it didn't sound too much like the Hercules I used to hear regularly elsewhere.

Any ideas what it was and where it was going? Long shot I know!

[chiglet]

Fishery protection a/c perchance?

[Georgeablelovehowindia]

My best guess would be a Transall C-160, perhaps Luftwaffe. They have flown German troops to exercises in Wales in the past.

Those RR Tynes are very 'boomy' and distinctive, we get them passing overhead several times a day in Provence.

:ok:

[Derwent Dale]

Not sure if it is connected to your report, however early on the evening of 31May11 I heard a loud turboprop aircraft approaching, it was flying high enough to leave a contrail, with my naked eye it appeared to have four engines, was blue and silver and flying straight and level heading due south. It would have crossed the coast between Thurso and Dunnet Head. I grew up in the era of Vanguards, Britannias and IL-18s and this did not sound familiar and am aware of the sound of Hercules aircraft. The sound did linger for quite some time and am happy to be corrected on my visual observations due to 55 year old equipment.
Any ideas ?

[tommyc2005]

Derwent Dale, I concur with your report of the noise....it lingered for ages and was not something I have knowingly heard before.

Chiglet, def not fishery protection from my research of what is in their fleet.

[The_Steed]

I'd put my money on this...

RAF Benson - News and Weather (http://www.raf.mod.uk/newsweather/index.cfm?storyid=8C68E807-1143-EC82-2E21E47A5DA0BE64)

[holyflyer]

My guess is a Mildenhall departure :

0750 Dep 88-0195 MC-130H 7th SOS AE12AE Mildenhall THIEF 31  LAPRA

LAPRA is a reporting point about 5km NE of Ipswich.

[treadigraph]

Is the An22 out and about? It is stupendously noisy, even when at trailing height...

[Derwent Dale]

The AN22s were grounded last December after another one crashed - not sure of their status at present - at the same time the TU95s were also grounded due to using similar engines - again not aware of their status either.


The Steed - I am located 10 miles inland from the coast and would have expected/hoped our brave boys in blue to have escorted 'The Bear' from our airspace well before then - but you never know ! However what I saw did not have swept wings.

Cheers DD

[Old Photo.Fanatic]

Possibly an AN -12?
I dont know if they still operate , but they used to use East Midlands Airport a lot.
Coincidently a few nights back , 1am two nights running there was an overflight here at Wisbech.
Certainly not much like a Herc.
In the distance engines sounded a bit out of sync, then settled down to a long drawn out drone fading to out of sync again.

Other than that how about a P3 Orion, to Mildenhall perhaps?

[thetimesreader84]

AN-12s are still around, I saw one at ABZ a few months ago. I think they need dispensation to operate in UK/EU though.

Alternatively one of these? Antonov An-24 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An-24)
Think they can operate without restriction. Certainly see a lot of them in Germany of an evening...

TTR

[merlinxx]

Long and lingering AN2

[Derwent Dale]

Thanks, but it was not an AN2 over Northern Scotland, however am willing to accept it may have been an AN12.

Cheers DD

[tascats]

^^

P3 Orion maybe?
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2431/5843315338_20f82ed304_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/crieffy/5843315338/)
Miles High (http://www.flickr.com/photos/crieffy/5843315338/) by Crieffy. (http://www.flickr.com/people/crieffy/), on Flickr

I saw this one high over Sumburgh yesterday - very heavy drone coming from it. Possibly Norwegian??

[Derwent Dale]

Thank you tascats, yes, that Orion looks like what I saw. Has anyone resolved the original question regarding overhead Ipswich yet ?

Cheers DD