Gulfstream escorted

[FRED WHELAN]

Any info on a Gulfstream intercepted over France then escorted into British airspace by QRA? possible loss of comms but treated as suspected hijacking.

[Gulfstreamaviator]

Please tell more...

I always ask my pax to look out of the window, for the escorts, but not yet had the pleasure.

[thunderbird7]

Heard the start on guard. French Air Force intercepted it, think it was heading for Luton, not sure what started it but asked for flight plan number, once happy, released it to London but all southbound departures from LHR halted, re-started then stopped again so don't know what happened in the end.

[noneya]

What time was this yesterday?

[FRED WHELAN]

About 01.30 Zulu this morning

[seat 0A]

Were there many departures from LHR affected at 02:00?

[thunderbird7]

More like 2230. Yes, bit of a queue.

[Cocknbull]

N223GA, northbound DBBB to EGGW. Lost comms for a while, eventually had a chat with his 'escort' and continued to destination after being held at the FIR boundary with the UK.

Interesting who it belongs to........

[5711N0205W]

Jack Niklaus... if my Googling is correct.

[Lonewolf_50]

Are you referring to the famous Golfer, Jack Nicklaus?

[VinRouge]

Was in the area at the time working maastricht then london. The fighter was on their right wing for a good 10 mins (call sign French fighter). Sounded almost as if they may have nodded off... Started around 23:10.

Lesson in remaining in contact with guard most definitely. They were handed over to a London freq I didn't recognise at around 23:35 after being assigned a heading away from the uk.

Horrible to listen to, was thinking of the Helios crash for about 5 mins before they started to respond.

[FougaMagister]

Heard it all on 121.500 too. Sounded to me like they had dozed off - the fighter called them repeatedly for a good 10min before he eventually got an answer, all the while flying formation off their right wing. When they did answer, the (American-sounding) crew didn't sound too proud... But the Mirage (or Rafale) pilot was 100% professional throughout. Apparently, Brest ATC could not contact the Gulfstream, so the QRA must have been scrambled from nearby Lorient. According to the interceptor pilot, N223GA was heading North at FL400 at this point.

Cheers :cool:

[PURPLE PITOT]

Surprised they weren't shouting "on guard" rather than listening to what was going on!

[LongLander]

These days like as not the cockpit windows were covered with newspapers to "keep the sun out..."

Bit hard to see the intercepting a/c when the sports section is clipped to the pillars.

Wouldn't have happened in the old days. :rolleyes:

[VinRouge]

Donno what the procedures are, but I bet if the fighter had turned his mode 3c back on it would have have given the crew a bit of a startle if they were nodded off!

[JW411]

I got intercepted several times by the Russians (MIG19s) in the Berlin Corridors in the 1960s and they always came up on the starboard side.

Maybe it depends on which side of the road you drive on at home!

[sycamore]

Should`ve just pulled in front,lit the burners,then hit the brakes...

[Machinbird]

Should`ve just pulled in front,lit the burners,then hit the brakes... Nah. Just drop below, light burner, and accelerate in front, then high g pullup and thump them good.:}

[JW411]

Come to think of it, we used to put a special squawk on the box which meant that we were happy to be intercepted. The 6th Fleet also used to come up the right side.

I can well remember standing up in the bay windows (it was a Belfast) and offering the two bone domes in an F-4 Phantom a cigarette and a Coca Cola.

[FRED WHELAN]

At the time this was happening I was lnformed that our own QRA were launched to intercept with a possible escort to Stansted. So does anybody know for certain if we did intercept or not?

[VinRouge]

the tanker launched, not sure about the pointy jets.

going to be interesting to read any incident report coming from this. hope the guys dont get in the dwang; an honest cock up no doubt.

[Canadian Break]

Move along, there's nothing to see here - it happens on a regular basis. Personal record was a well known holiday firm's jet not talking to anyone from the middle of France until TOD for Manchester.

[BOAC]

not talking to anyone from the middle of France until TOD for Manchester. - sheer heaven!:)

[donnlass]

I remember a PIA doing that as well, lost contact and didnt come back until quite close to Manchester:


Fighters scrambled to meet silent PIA jumbo | Manchester Evening News - menmedia.co.uk (http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/491470_fighters_scrambled_to_meet_silent_pia_jumbo)

[Gulfstreamaviator]

Might just suggest a problem, if middle of night over EU it can be quiet, at Glf 550 levels..

[clicker]

My understanding is that after the french released the aircraft to a Swanwick civil freq the aircraft was asked to call up on a LJAO vhf freq and a tiffy also came up saying on freq that he was 1 mile in trail. The tiffy did orbit near Luton until the aircraft landed before rtb Coningsby. Comms also heard on a UHF freq with Scampton.

[ManaAdaSystem]

Heard it all on 121.500 too. Sounded to me like they had dozed off - the fighter called them repeatedly for a good 10min before he eventually got an answer, all the while flying formation off their right wing. When they did answer, the (American-sounding) crew didn't sound too proud...

It would be interesting to know the age of these American pilots...

[VinRouge]

Why relevant?

[Dream Land]

Age may play a part, but their flight schedule probably has more to do with it.

[ManaAdaSystem]

If it was two 70 year old+ pilots, nodding off would be the norm, not the exception.
Add a crappy flight schedule to that :=

[Spunky Monkey]

Long Lander, it is unlikely that the windows would have been covered in newspapers, it was night time.
Why did that not happen in the old days, btw.

Did you use curtains instead of newspapers?

Flying into Belize in the 80's the troops used to love being escorted in by a couple of Harriers, to fend off the sharpened Mangos...

[stuckgear]

Nah. Just drop below, light burner, and accelerate in front, then high g pullup and thump them good.http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/src:www.pprune.org/get/images/smilies/badteeth.gif


ahh the good old 'thumper' :D



Surprised they weren't shouting "on guard" rather than listening to what was going on!


atch! there goes my coffee.. :D


Why did that not happen in the old days, btw.

Did you use curtains instead of newspapers?



nah in the old days they used wooden shutters :}

[BOAC]

In the old days I used to fly my corporate pax from Scotland to Bristol 'off airways' whenever possible and used to route past Warton talking to ATC there. One 'mate' kindly accepted my invitation it bring his Tornado alongside to 'interest' my pax, and 'left' us from the port side absolutely splendidly with a reheat 'rotation'. They were like a bunch of excited kids for the rest of the journey - and I had to change their seat covers.:) The noise was impressive.